Despite winning an Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind
Author: CaptainJaq
I am a father as well as a world traveling, dog loving, scuba diving, book collecting, writer - currently residing somewhere in Eastern Europe. His words have been spoken by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Robin Hood, been read by David Copperfield, and criticized by his 7th grade English teacher. He'd like to thank the members of the Academy, although he doesn't know why. In his spare time, he's a university professor and a kick-ass uncle.
Review: Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk!
Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk! by FILM CRIT HULK
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While there’s some interesting stuff in Screenwriting 101
Like all screenwriting books, there are nuggets of useful information and certainly some ideas to ponder but when the FADE OUT comes, it’s merely OK.
That all said, the eBook does get bonus points for having a “Bruce Banner” version which is not in the headache inducing ALL CAPS which is FILM CRIT HULK’S trademark.
Photo challenge
Just before my recent trip to America, I received this email from Monika, asking for a specific series of photos to be taken while I was away. Now, Monika and I have travelled together a few times and she knows of my passion for picture taking. And she has one of the driest senses of humor I’ve ever been privy to, outside of 70s BBC night time programming.
So here’s the list, as written, with my photos attached. Enjoy! (My notes are added in red) Continue reading “Photo challenge”
DAVID • Know: Matchmaker, Matchmaker
My latest piece for David Magazine.
Book geeks united…
Hanging out with my friends Wade and John and we stopped in at Amber Unicorn Books… This is them in the science fiction room.
We all geeked out completely!
These shoes were made for walking
All journeys, so they say, begin with the first step. This journey to America for the first time in 21 months began with new shoes.
Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The more I think about it, the more I have a problem with the Ben Stiller remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Forget that it misses the point of Thurber’s original short story and isn’t as whimsical as the 1947 Danny Kaye/Virginia Mayo version, that’s not really what matters here. Instead, what matters is the overall message, and for me, that message sucks.
To back up a second…the plot centers around Walter Mitty, a middle aged, milquetoast of a man who escapes into an incredibly rich fantasy life, often causing him to lose contact for a brief period with whatever reality had inspired the fantastic hallucination to begin with. In various incarnations, what Mitty does and how he does it changes, but the basic premise remains the same. Continue reading “Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
Review: The Bible Repairman and Other Stories
The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There’s something wonderfully unique and strange about the imagination of Tim Powers
The Assets
So, a few months back I told you about filming this project here in Lithuania. Well now details can be revealed – and a I can let a little bit of my geek flag fly.
As you can see from the picture to the left and the title of this post, the title of the project is The Assets, an 8 part “limited series” airing on ABC starting… well it started last night at 10pm (that’s 22:00 for my European friends)! This is a surprise as I thought it wasn’t airing until summer and they just finished filming a few weeks ago. Continue reading “The Assets”
DAVID • Think: Linor’s Story
This month’s piece in David (click the cover for the complete issue) feature’s a former Israeli beauty queen who survived a brutal attack and has not only survived, but is thriving as a lawyer and victim’s rights advocate. Linor Abargil‘s story is amazing and inspiring (and just for fun, she has a Lithuanian connection as well – her ex is Šarūnas Jasikevičius)
Additionally in this issue is the work of Gerda Liesiene, a Lithuanian journalist who’s piece on setting good habits is a fun way to start the year.
Enjoy the magazine and Happy New Year!
Word tracker – start the year off right!
As a writer, I love knowing how much I’ve written every day, week, month and for the whole year! Svenja Liv has written a great little Excel spreadsheet which does all the work for you, once you put in the digits. And it’s free!
Review: Ex-Heroes
Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It would be great if this book was written with the least bit of irony… with some notion that Peter Clines
Five Mistakes KILLING Self-Published Authors
After you read this, you’ll think this is all common sense (which it is). But how nice of Kristen Lamb to put it in such a great, easily read format so everyone can understand what NOT to do when considering self publishing!
When I began writing I was SO SURE agents would be fighting over my manuscript. Yeah. But after almost thirteen years in the industry, a lot of bloody noses, and even more lessons in humility, I hope that these tips will help you. Self-publishing is AWESOME, and it’s a better fit for certain personalities and even content (um, social media?), but we must be educated before we publish.
Mistake #1 Publishing Before We Are Ready
The problem with the ease of self-publishing is that it is, well, too easy. When we are new, frankly, most of us are too dumb to know what we don’t know. Just because we made As in English, does not automatically qualify us to write a work spanning 60,000-100,000 words. I cannot count how many writers I’ve met who refuse to read fiction, refuse to read craft books, and who only go to pitch agents…
View original post 1,494 more words
Review: The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are times during The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons
And yet… Lawrence Block manages to address both issues at the same time and does it brilliantly. Continue reading “Review: The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons”
Pay it Forward
A few weeks ago I decided to try something.
I’d been hearing about the various “pay it forward” events which had been happening all over America, people buying coffee for the people in line behind them, paying off layaway Christmas presents for families in need at Target, covering the toll for another car… all these kinds of things.
