Spreading love

Spreading love

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Pacific Blues

Good morning!
           I'm pleased to announce my latest release at Smashwords.com, Pacific Blues.
           The book's timing couldn't be more perfect, because the NFL Draft starts tomorrow and ends on Saturday.
           Pacific Blues was originally a three-book short stories in a series called Road to Hawaii: Over the Rainbow, California Dreams and Hawaiian Hangover. I decided to combine all 8,500 word stories into one big E-book and it worked.
           Blurb:
           Sebastian Gates and Lauralyn Doss, who relocate from Honolulu to Hollywood, California after Sebastian gets drafted by the NFL's Los Angeles Stars. While Sebastian travels around the country, Lauralyn grows restless.Will their marriage end before it begins?
           Excerpt:
           A wave of nervousness washed over Sebastian. He watched the NFL Draft at his childhood
home in Bessemer, Alabama. A.C. now resided in the charcoal brick house and Cheryl lived
down the street.
          Sebastian was surrounded by Lauralyn, A.C., Cheryl and their children in the living room. His heart raced out of control because he took a huge risk. The reason he left Hawaii after two
seasons came down to the first weekend of May. He was unconcerned about neither the round
nor the team.
          He attended UCLA's pro day in Los Angeles and had a solid workout. Despite a strong
performance, none of the NFL teams interviewed him. He appeared to be a blip on the league's radar screen.
       “Everything will work out,” Lauralyn said positively.
        “I'm sorry I put you through this,” Sebastian apologized. He closed his eyes and inhaled
sharply.
        Lauralyn's hands kneaded into his shoulders. “We'll be okay. I'll get a job to support us until
you find something.”
       “If I've got to work at Wal-Mart or take some odd job, I'll do it,” Sebastian vowed “You're not
carrying me.”
       The fourth round began and Sebastian's eyes were glued to the wide screen TV. “Quiet
everyone, the draft's back on,” he said.
       ESPN just announced the Los Angeles Stars were on the clock and speculated they'd take
TCU quarterback Luke Sweeney. “They need a player to develop down the road.”
        The NFL Deputy Commissioner announced the Stars' selection. “With the pick, the Los
Angeles Stars select Sebastian Gates, quarterback, the University of Hawaii.”
        Loud screams fell upon the household and everyone shook Sebastian, who stared in shock at the TV.
       “You did it,” Lauralyn said. They shared a passionate kiss.
        Here's the buy link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/539074.
       
        Thanks for reading, have a great week!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Screening for Success

Good Morning!
The arrival of spring is now considered screenwriting season in my world.
Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Memorial Day are the major holidays that fall in the three-month period when April Showers bring May Flowers.
During this time of year, aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters are polishing up their scripts for various contests around the world.
With that in mind, I've decided to enter two contests this year.
The first one is the Sidewrite Short Screenplay Competition in Birmingham, Ala.. The Aug. 28- 30 competition has entries for a 15-page, original screenplay.
I took one of my unpublished E-books, Winning the Lottery and made it into a screenplay called Game Changer. It's about  Dana Rossi who unexpectedly retires from singing to pursue a dream to own an NBA team in her hometown of Birmingham.
The second contest I'm targeting is the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Huntsville, Ala. They've got writing entries in the fall. (Yes, the late Goober Pyle from the Andy Griffith Show has a contest for directors and writers).
I made my first E-book, Picking Cotton, into a 60-page screenplay called Nobody's All-American. It's probably my most successful book.
For those who haven't read Picking Cotton, it's about African-American M.L. Cotton chasing a dream to play quarterback at a major college in 1986. Blacks weren't given many chances in those days to play quarterback. Cotton, from the tiny Alabama town of Spanish Fort, is determined to make it happen.
I'm a huge underdog as I compete against experienced screenwriters, but I'll borrow a page from Benjamin Franklin's playbook: "paint a negative outlook and when the results come in your favor, you're pleasantly surprised."
Thanks for listening.  If you want to purchase any of my E-books at Smashwords, http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=ktbishop, or click to the covers on the right.