Black Friday and Giveaway Update!

As of right now 333 people have signed up to win one of three signed copies of For Nothing.  My apologies to my international friends.  I will hold an international ebook giveaway soon.  I hope that will make amends for this purely U.S. driven contest.

There are 2 days left to sign up for this giveaway. Goodreads is hosting the giveaway so please feel free to log in and sign up!

Sign up HERE

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I completed my third Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday so needless to say I am turkey-ed out.  But there are plenty of things to be thankful for:

1)  My wonderful family and friends

2)  Being able to have three Thanksgiving meals

3)  Pants with a forgiving waistline

4)  Avoiding the classic "meat sweats"

5)  Sweet libations in abundance

6)  Avoiding all the speed traps between Miami and Tampa, and Tampa and New Port Richey

7)  Sleeping through you crazy folks spending $52 Billion on Black Friday.  Crazy sale hunting hounds!

8)  Did I say sleeping through Black Friday?  I read that one person was stabbed, another trampled, and an entire store hit with mace.  You know you can buy a lot of this stuff online right?

9)  Mom's homemade cookies

10)  I can almost smell Christmas.  And if I couldn't, the stores will make certain I FEEL Christmas.  I saw my first Christmas displays this weekend...probably because I don't shop often and failed to notice them go up just after Halloween.

Give away time! For Nothing on Goodreads

So it is time to do another signed book giveaway!  This one is running through Goodreads in advance of the release of Buffalo Soldiers.  As of this second over 30 people have signed up but don't worry! There are THREE copies being given away by yours truly.

I even promise to devalue it in advance with my sloppy signature.  Wow this sounds more and more like a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Anyway, here it is: --->

Not here...the sidebar...to the right... ---->

Screenplay: For Nothing complete

The first draft of For Nothing, as it pertains to the world of screenplays, is now complete thanks to my good friend Thomas Humphreys.  Don't let his dabbling with alcohol and nonsensical Welshman ways fool you.  This man is a seriously talented writer.

If you are uncertain what goes into adapting a novel into a screenplay, let me tell you it is not easy.

Consider:

- The novel is 280 pages, roughly.  The screenplay needs to be under 120 pages.  There is an axiom that a page of a screenplay is worth one minute of film time.  To cut a novel by 60% and still convey the original story is a monumental task.

How monumental?  At the moment it is about 180 pages.  So where to cut the next 60 pages becomes problematic to say the least.

- You have an author who considers the novel his baby, and you must please him.  I hope I wasn't tremendously picky through the process, but Thomas was very patient and kind enough to let me put my two cents in on a few moments through the process.  If impossible sinners could be saints, he might be one.

- Don't mess up the story, readers will know and will call you out for it.  All while cutting out 60% of the story...did I mention that?

THE PRICE

I may or not have made several promises.

Items said to have been mentioned include but are not limited to:

- A round of shots at a local American bar.

- To attempt to work in a small role for his actor brother, Mike Humphreys, if we ever get the chance.

- To write this blog.

All in all not a bad deal for a superb piece of work.  Though I did have to mention that Americans really don't say bollocks.  The term is beneath our civilized society.


Follow Tom on Twitter here: @Mr_Frodo_esq 

Follow him on Facebook here:  His Facebook Page

Follow his actor brother Mike here: His Facebook Page 

How can you not like people who hangout and get dirty like this?

Cover of Buffalo Soldiers: An Upstate New York Mafia Tale book 2 in the series...

Jesse Horst has once again blessed me with some fine work for the cover of my novel.  The Buffalo Soldiers artwork is phenomenal.  For more of Jesse's work go here: AWESOME ART

The novel is almost completed and December 1 looks like the release date.

Spread the word!