by Mary | May 1, 2013 | DOC, EPITAPH
In a world where even Uma Thurman can get dumped by her husband, it’s hard to take some decisions personally, but you still don’t brag about not being wanted anymore. I kept quiet for a couple of years after Random House dropped me, just days before...
by Mary | Apr 15, 2013 | EPITAPH, The Cure For Anger, Writer Tech, WYATT
From the dawn of the movie and television industries, the image of men in broad-brimmed hats marching toward a showdown has been a set piece. There is an ultimatum, and defiance. Townspeople scatter, leaving the combatants alone in the street. There is a moment of...
by Mary | Apr 1, 2013 | DREAMERS OF THE DAY, Just for fun!
Reports are surfacing that Peter Dinklage, star of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, has begun negotiations to play T.E. Lawrence in the film adaptation of Mary Doria Russell’s novel Dreamers of the Day. Should the project go forward, this will be the...
by Mary | Mar 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
A lot goes into selecting a title for a book or movie, but no matter what you choose, you also have to have what people in the film industry call an elevator pitch: the short and catchy phrase that says what something is about. Sometimes titles ARE the pitch. “Bambi...
by Mary | Mar 14, 2013 | Just for fun!, What I'm working on now.
This morning, the Higgs Boson discovery was confirmed by additional data analysis. Pope Francis picked up his own bags at his hotel on the way back to the Vatican last night. Another eighteen people were blown up in Iraq for no particular reason. And what am I...
by Mary | Feb 23, 2013 | What I'm working on now., Writer Tech
After my last blog, a reader asked, “With the ton of research you must do, how do you tackle it? Do you live in the library archives for months and take notes? Are you a 3 x 5 card kinda gal recording data into several categories, or do you devour books from the...
by Mary | Feb 15, 2013 | Uncategorized, Writer Tech
A reader recently asked how long a “typical” 500-word session is for me. So this morning, I paid attention to what actually happens when I’m working on a book. I never used to be a morning person, but I wake up at 4 AM these days — something...
by Mary | Feb 2, 2013 | DOC on HBO, THE SPARROW, The Sparrow movie, THE SPARROW on AMC
Thanks, everybody, for helping me celebrate the AMC/Sparrow option! In answer to FAQs: I won’t be writing scripts. I won’t have input to scripts. I don’t expect to be consulted in any way on scripts, casting, or story arc. When you sign an option,...
by Mary | Feb 1, 2013 | DOC on HBO, THE SPARROW, The Sparrow movie, THE SPARROW on AMC
AMC has optioned The Sparrow and Children of God for a series. AMC is the cable channel responsible for Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels. They’re not afraid of the dark, so maybe this time The Sparrow will fly. There have been two...
by Mary | Jan 22, 2013 | Uncategorized
Got what I needed about billiards! –Mary