The Writers Guild of America has put out the rest of its list of nominees for 2012 awards. Yesterday, the WGA West and East, revealed the nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the big screen during 2011.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Pictures

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures

The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures

Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures

Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures

Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films

Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects

Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Documentary Films

Senna, Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

The winners will be honored on Sunday, February 19, 2012, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian makes a point about hooking an agent during a writer's workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

Multi-talented author and Media City Groove guest blogger, Sue Ann Jaffarian, conducted a very informative writer’s workshop called, “Turning Agent Woes Into Agent Wows,” at the Buena Vista library here in Burbank last month.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian gives a "to do list" for snagging an agent at a writer's workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

Forty-to-fifty writers showed up for the September 17 workshop. Many spent most of the time scribbling notes as Sue Ann covered the agent search from manuscript preparation to how to write the kind of e-mail query that will catch an agent’s attention. Also, Sue Ann shared some tips on where to find agents on the Internet and what to ask should an agent offer to represent your literary work.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian reacts with a smile to while chatting with writers after a workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

 Sue Ann is a paralegal and a motivational speaker as well as an accomplished writer. She’s the author of three popular mystery collections: the Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apple series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. Oh, she is enjoying success writing short stories as well.

She has a wonderful witty blog  here.

Also, check out  Sue Ann’s guest post on Media City Groove. She will be blogging again about her writing adventures and life journey here soon.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Sue Ann Jaffarian

For a lot of writers getting an agent is harder than the writing.  Media City Groove Guest Blogger, Sue Ann Jaffarian, has leaped that hurdle to become a best-selling author of three mystery series.  Jaffarian, a paralegal for a Los Angeles firm, started off in self-publishing, and along her writer’s journey picked up a thing or two about making that agent hook-up.

Jaffarian is going to share some of her tips in a writer’s workshop called, “Turning Agent Woes Into Agent Wows,” this Saturday, September 17, 2 p.m. at the Buena Vista Branch Library, 300 North Buena Vista Street in Burbank .

Getting an agent is serious business, but you can count on this workshop being done with humor, wit, and a certain flair – Jaffarian has done stand-up comedy and is a motivational speaker as well.

The workshop is part of the Coffee and Conversation series sponsored by the mystery writers’ group, Sisters in Crime LA. For more information on the workshop you can call the Buena Vista Branch Library at (818) 238-5620.

By the way, Jaffarian has a guest post up on this blog about the hot market for short stories. Click here for that post.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Sue Ann Jaffarian

Since I was a kid, I have loved short stories.  Amongst my favorites were “The Ransom of Red Chief” and “The Gift of the Magi,” both by O. Henry, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, and “The Telltale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. They packed fun, poignancy and terror in just a few short pages, providing word for word a powerful punch.

Short fiction has always been with us, but in the past few years it has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity.  When print magazines and online e-zines, always a great place to shop stories, started to fold or accepted fewer stories, many authors and writing associations joined together to publish anthologies with central themes, creating a reading smorgasbord for readers like me. Two of the best, though by far not the only great ones, in the past few years have been Politics Noir edited by Gary Phillips and Shaken, Stories for Japanedited by Timothy Hallinan.

Before this year, I had two short story publishing credits. One, titled “Ho Ho Homicide,” was in a holiday anthology a few years back and was recently purchased to be reprinted in a 2011 Christmas anthology.  My other published short story, “Love Bytes,” can be found in a romance anthology called Love At Large.

Now with the rocketing use of e-readers, short stories have another venue through which to reach readers. Priced anywhere from free to $1.99, short stories have become a hot commodity on Amazon.com and with other e-book retailers, and I have thrown my hat into the ring.

In spring of this year, I came up with an idea to write a series of short stories with a central theme and release them individually over the course of a year.  The series is called Holidays From Helland follows Zelda Bowen, a 30-ish, single woman living in Southern California, as she endures one crazy holiday after another with her dysfunctional family. The stories are funny and often heartwarming and heartbreaking.  The first one, “The Rabbit Died,” was released in June. The second, “Pull My Paw,” came out in July, and the third in the series, “Where’s Your Daddy?” has a September release. The first two have done remarkably well and have set the pace for the stories to come. I am planning on ten in all. They sell for $0.99 each and are available for Kindle and Nook.

Photo: Cover for new short story, "Where's Your Daddy?" by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Unlike my mystery novels, these stories are being published by me as an independent, and may open the door for me to publish novels in a similar manner in the future. I’m certainly not opposed to going that route and many traditionally published authors are now doing it with great success. It’s a brave new world for authors willing to take chances and step outside their comfort zone.

So what happens to Zelda and her clan when I reach the tenth story in the series? Will I abandon the idea of selling short stories online. Not on your life! I find these condensed tales fit well with my novel writing and allow me to stretch my author legs. They take less time to write than a novel and are less stressful, filling the gaps between book deadlines like creamy grout. I’ve already developed another short story series idea that will be totally different than anything I’ve written to date.  It will start up as soon as Holidays From Hell finishes up next spring. So stay tuned.

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In addition to short stories, Sue Ann Jaffarian writes three acclaimed mystery series: The Odelia Grey mystery series, The Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. She is also a full-time paralegal in Los Angeles and a motivational speaker. Check out Sue Ann’s website and  blog.

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, 2:00 pm, Sue Ann will be at the Buena Vista Branch Library (300 N. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA) presenting a free writer’s workshop:  “Turning Agent Woes into Agent Wows” discussing how to put your best foot forward when approaching agents.

“The Help” got a boost to number one at the domestic box office with a weekend estimate of $20 million. The comedy-drama is about a young southern white woman and her relationship with the black “help” during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer star.

“The Help” is based on the 2009 bestselling novel of the same title by Kathryn Stockett. The film’s budget, $25 million. In two weeks, it has made around $71 million and is getting some Oscar buzz as well.

After two weeks at number one, “Rise of the Apes,” fell to number two with around $16.3 million. Followed in third place, by the fourth installment of the “Spy Kids” movie series, which generated about $12 million. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” stars Jessica Alba and Joel McHale.

The attempted reboot of  “Conan the Barbarian” fell flat, coming in fourth with an estimate $10 million. This new telling of the mythical warrior Conan’s revenge story features Jason Momoa in the starring role. In two earlier film versions, “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) and “Conan the Destroyer” (1984) a rising action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, played the lead character.

Rounding out the top five, the aninmated family film, “The Smurfs” with somewhere around $8 million. Final box office numbers out tomorrow.

Photo courtesy Southland author Cheryl Holt


New York Times bestselling author dishes on the dramatic changes in  the publishing industry

I always considered myself to be the walking, talking success story of American publishing.  I’m a lawyer, and at age 40, I had two babies back to back.  Suddenly, I was a stay-at-home mom and trying to figure out how to replace the income I relinquished due to this life change.

I decided to start writing novels.  I didn’t know anything about writing books or about the publishing industry.  I simply forged ahead, armed with a steely determination that I would figure it out and prosper in a big way.

After four years of trying, and seven finished manuscripts, I finally sold my first novel.  Over the next decade, I went on to write 28 books for four major New York publishing houses.  Along the way, I became a Waldenbooks, USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author.

But it came at a price.  I wore out my wrists and neck.  I now suffer from several stress-related conditions, and I nearly bankrupted by family by suffering through the financial ups and downs that come with an artistic career.  It was almost a relief when, at the end of 2009, my last publisher dropped me, and I decided to quit writing.

For almost a year and a half, I shut down my webpage and turned off my email.  I didn’t think I would miss writing, but such an intense artistic enterprise has a way of embedding itself into your DNA.

 A friend began nagging at me to try again, and after months of listening to his harangue, I finally relented and agreed to start over one more time.  However, during my hiatus, the industry I knew and understood, where I had once worked so intensely, had vanished.

Books are an impulse purchase, made when people have extra money to spend.  With the crash of the economy in 2008, the publishing industry began to implode.  People stopped buying books.  At the publishing companies, there were massive layoffs, more mergers and consolidations, and it was a virtual bloodbath for authors.

 The big book chains—that used to order 8 weeks of stock—began to order 2 weeks instead.  In response, the companies slashed their print runs, so even if an author had a book published, its shelf life flitted by in the blink of an eye.  Reprints of old titles became the norm; it’s much cheaper to republish an old book than to lay out the expense for a new one.

The “star” authors continued to write for the big companies, but many of the mid-list and low-list authors were dumped.  Borders finally filed for bankruptcy and will liquidate.  Barnes and Noble stores—if you’re lucky enough to still have one in your town—have shelves that look empty.

The authors who lost their spots with the NY publishing houses turned to e-books.  Their decisions to self-publish were made easier by the advent of functional e-book devices such as Kindle and Nook.

 As I jumped into these turbulent waters, I quickly saw that there was no way for me to sell a manuscript to a NY print publisher.  There are only a handful of companies that publish paperbacks, and I had written for 4 of them.  The others had never been interested in signing me.  So NY was off the table.  What was I to do?  And how was I to do it?

Even though I didn’t want to begin self-publishing, I decided to try e-books.  I had been suffering from the opinion shared by many readers that e-books aren’t “real” books.  But I eventually realized that I was fussing like an old dinosaur.  I didn’t want to learn “new” things.  I didn’t want to start over in a new and scary world where all the rules had changed.

But I forged ahead and figured it out.  My first two e-books were posted on-line in June, and with their release, I sent out an announcement to my email fan list.

In reply, I received many happy letters from fans who already own e-readers and who were excited to read the new books. But I was surprised and saddened to receive dozens of really angry letters from avid readers who were upset about my switch to e-books. Many people said that I had “sold out” as a writer.

The division seemed to be age-based.  Younger readers told me they loved their electronic readers and were excited to see me embrace the new technology.  Older readers, who love their print books, were incensed and offended by the entire notion of e-books.  One reader asked, “If we continue down this road, what will happen to libraries?”

What indeed?

I didn’t have any satisfying answers for the angry people who wrote to me.  The book industry has changed—as has the author’s place in it.  As readers and writers, we can’t fix the economic factors driving all this chaos.  Authors are not flocking to e-books because they prefer them over print books.  They’re making the move out of necessity.  If you hear that your favorite author has published an e-book, the chance is great that she has lost her spot with her NY publisher.

More and more authors will be making this move, which will begin a burgeoning cycle of change.  More authors will be dropped by their publishers, so more authors will write e-books, so more devices will be invented, which will lower the price of e-readers and push even more readers into e-books.  In a few years, it’s likely that very few paperbacks will be published.  If a reader wants to find a book, an e-reader and on-line publisher may be the only way to do it.

For those of us who love books, it’s a daunting and scary thought.

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CHERYL HOLT lives and writes in Los Angeles.  For details on her backlist and two new e-books, “Seduce Me” and “Nicholas,” click over to her website  http://cherylholt.com/

Photo courtesy Southland writer and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Forster

Am I An Author Idiot?  Working with a freelance editor

I face each new project with a combination of angst and self pity, positive I will never write a decent book again much less publish one. After 23 published novels, one indie and two scripts (one in development) you’d think I’d be over all that. I’m not. Enter, my freelance editor Jenny Jensen*. I work with her because she is in my corner and because I sell more often when I do.

Still, I have to wonder, why can’t I edit myself? Haven’t I learned anything from her? Am I an author idiot?

Thankfully, the answer is no and Jenny gave me a couple of good reasons why I’m not:

• Writing is a fast and furious process when it is going well. Grammar and spelling are not top of mind when an author is ‘in the zone’; words and ideas must flow freely.
• Self-editing is prone to ‘blindness’. The author often sees no difference between her intent and the typed words. A good editor understands and respects the author’s words and voice while cleaning up the grammatical flaws that set the signals – signals that allow the reader to effortlessly navigate the story.
• Some writers see punctuation as a bother. A well-punctuated manuscript will catch the eye of a publisher and so will one that is not punctuated well. Only one will sell.
• Finally, some people are writers and others are editors. Like a writer with an instinct for story, an editor has an instinct for a pause, a rolling stop and when to quit. She knows when creativity and inspiration becomes awkward and interferes with story.

Knowing why I use a freelance editor usually leads to the question…

Can Only Rich Writers Afford a Freelance Editor?

Prices for freelance help ranges from ridiculously cheap to the astronomically expensive. Some projects only need grammatical assistance and others continuity or story editing. Story editing is more expensive but, in my case, it is critical. I write thrillers that rely on a trail of clues and red herrings and I cannot assess the effectiveness the webs I weave on my own.

In this roiling market, those who offer the cleanest, most professional product will be noticed. In the e-book market, those who present a flawed product will be called on the carpet instantly and very publicly. That is the worst kind of publicity and hard to recover from.

How Do I Work with a Freelance Editor?

The same way you work with a New York editor attached to a publisher. You respect one another’s expertise and perspective. You have discussions, not confrontations. You recognize your weakness and her strengths. You pay on time and she turns the project around on time.

Oh, don’t forget to say thank you to your freelance editor when that publishing house cuts you your advance check.

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*Jenny resides at http://www.e-bookeditor.com. Note the wonderful example on her home page of what a difference punctuation can make.

Visit Rebecca at http://www.rebeccaforster.com for writing tips, lots of pictures and a sneak peek at her latest book.

Rebecca Forster's "Beyond Malice," is a bestselling digital release.

Photo: cover for "Bound by Night" by Amanda Ashley due to be released in September 2011

Why are we so in love with vampires?

I think the answer is obvious! Think Damon and Stefan Salvatore from “The Vampires Diaries”. I am totally mesmerized by Damon, who has the most beautiful, expressive eyes. Then there’s the Cullen men from “Twilight”. Mick St. John from “Moonlight”. Angel from “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer”. Nick Knight. Henry from “Blood Ties”, Antonio Bandaras from “Interview with a Vampire”. When he came onscreen, I remember thinking, “Now, that’s a vampire!” The list goes on and on.

They are all, in varying degrees, handsome, sexy, and enigmatic. And they are all looking for that one special woman to ease the loneliness in their lives and make them feel human again. Some are tortured by a horrible past. What woman can resist a man like that?

My love of vampires started with Frank Langella. I saw him in the movie, “Dracula” and I was hooked. Of course, I’d seen other vampires in other movies. I loved George Hamilton in “Love at First Bite”. And Angel in Buffy. But Frank was my idea of drop dead sexy. His sultry voice, those deep, dark, compelling eyes, the sensual way he moved….oh, my!

I had him in mind when I wrote my first vampire short story, “Masquerade”, and again when I wrote “Embrace the Night”. I must confess, I watched the love scene in “Dracula” several times while writing both stories. For a scene with no nudity and, as I recall, not much dialogue, it was smokin’ hot. I hear the play was even better than the movie.

Perhaps the most appealing, yet scary part of the vampire equation is the fact that they are very, very dangerous and could be hazardous to your health. Unless you’ve fallen for one of the Cullen vamps, in which case you’re probably safe, as long as you stay away from Jasper!

Then there’s the other aspect – if you want to spend more than one lifetime with that special vampire, he can easily arrange it.

I love writing about the Undead because I can pick and choose whatever myths and legends fit the story I want to tell. Some can be awake during the day, some can’t. Some can see their reflection in a mirror, some can’t. Some love what they are, some don’t. Some are born that way, some are made that way. The variety is endless.

I just hope the trend toward the paranormal continues for a long, long time, because I’m in love with my vampire heroes – all of them! I hope you are, too.

If vampires are your cup of tea, I have two new books coming out this year – BOUND BY NIGHT in September and BOUND BY BLOOD in October. I hope you’ll give them a try!

Amanda Ashley

www.amandaashley.net

Photo: Cover of "Bound by Blood" by Amanda Ashley due to hit book stores in October 2011

Columbia Pictures Vice-President, DeVon Franklin, leads a double life and he’s proud of it. Franklin is a devote Christian and a minister as well as studio executive.  Franklin has incorporated his faith into a business model, which he talks about in his new book “Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Compromising Your True Self.”

Franklin is the executive who brought the low-budget, but very successful script project, “Jumping the Broom,” to Columbia. Produced for less than $7 million, the romantic comedy has made over $30 million at the box office in about three weeks. Franklin is convinced you don’t have to have great connections or live in Tinseltown to sell your screenplay: “… we need good scripts in Hollywood. So, if you write a good script, even if you’re in Nebraska, Ohio –  you could be in the most remote part of the world — if you write a good script, I promise you, somehow we’ll find it.”

Franklin sees his faith and movie career as a perfect match: “My whole big idea for my life is to inspire and encourage, and God has called me to use film as part of a way to do that.” Franklin’s comments are from a post over on the publishing site, Galleycat.

By the way, his book “Produced by Faith, “ written with Tim Vandehey, was released from Simon & Schuster earlier this month on May 3.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides” sailed right to the top of the box office on its opening weekend. The fourth installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series earned an estimated $90.1 million to easily become the number one flick in the country. This bountiful debut clearly shows movie audiences are willing to throw down some money at theaters to see sequels.

“Pirates 4″ stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz,  Ian McShane, and Geoffrey Rush in a plot based on the book, “On Strange Tides” (1987)  by Tim Powers.  In this action adventure, Depp and his crew tangle with the infamous pirate, Blackbeard, during their search for the fountain of youth.

Far behind in second, but still doing boffo box office, the chick flick, “Bridesmaids,” with around $21 million. In two weeks this comedy has earned nearly $60 million. The superhero, “Thor,” landed in third with an estimated $15.5 million, followed by the action film, “Fast Five,” with about $10.6 million, and rounding out the top five the animation, “Rio,” with an estimated $4.6 million.