Monthly Update – Is it February Already?

New Logo – I’m in the process of rebranding Sydney Aaliyah Michelle and step one, a new logo. I love it. Thanks so much to Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs.

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Quote of the Month: “As long as there’s light we got a chance.” -Poe (StarWars VII)

Movie’s Watched: 

The Big Short – That whole real estate, financial debaucle, now I understand! And, some people made a lot of money off of it.

The Revenant – Is as brilliantly done as the hype. I loved it.

13 Hours: The Secret Soilders of Benghazi – Makes me want to dust off that military romance I’ve been working on for four years.

Concussion – They tried to balance it out, but it was scary but disconnected to what I know about the NFL.

StarWars: Episode VII Force Awakens – It was good, but not as good as Episode IV, V, VI. Oh, but I’m excited about the series continuing.

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This post is my entry for the Lost & Found: Valentine’s Edition blog hop hosted by Guilie Castillo-OriardAlex J CavanaughDenise CoveyYolanda ReneeElizabeth Seckman, and Arlee Bird.  Be sure to visit all of the hosts for this event.  To find the full list of participants visit the list on Tossing It Out or any of the host sites.

Lost & Found Love – I love these stories. My debut novel was a lost and found love story.

My lost and found love story would be about me finding my passion.

I had a good job. It paid well. I got to travel and meet interesting people.

BUT . . .

I wasn’t passionate about it. I didn’t love it. It didn’t inspire me. So I gave it all up and now am living the starving artist, working a part-time job and working 24/7.

I love every minute of it.

February News – It’s Release Day . . . tomorrow!

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Candy and canines. Flowers and felines. Celebrate this Valentine’s Day with your sweethearts of the human and fuzzy varieties!

Nothing is more heart-warming than kisses from the pet who adores you and the man who loves you, so snuggle up with VALENTINE PETS & KISSES — an anthology of fourteen sweet romances from USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors — and strike the perfect mood for moonlit walks and candlelight dinners with your pet and sweetheart.

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iBook | Google Play | Kobo

Goals for February 2016

Write:

  • Finish Genna’s Encore – 4,000 more words
  • Start New Project – So excited about this one. It’s going to be fun to write. Can’t tell you any more at the moment.

Edit:

  • Anxious Love
  • Genna’s Last Song
  • Genna’s Encore

What’s your Lost & Found story? What are your goals for February? 

 

My Monthly Update – I can’t believe it!

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It’s already December 2014. I can’t believe it. This year flew by. I’ve been a published author for six months and it has been a world wind and I don’t see it slowing down. I have one month to finish some projects, and plan for more, but I’m super excited about 2015.

Events

December 8th, 2014 – Hope for Him (Hope Series Book #2) Release Day Blitz. If you want to help me promote my release, please sign up here.

Hope for Him (Hope Series Book #2) Release Day Blitz Sign Up

Each blog participating has the chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

December 13th, 2014 – Santa Facebook Hop – more details to come.

December 15th, 2014 – Love Addiction Anthology Release Day Blitz & Party.

Come hang out with us and celebrate 8 moving stories of love and lust to melt away the winter blues.

December Goals

Complete Publication schedule for 2015.
Complete marketing/publishing budget for 2015.
7,129 words on Hope for Us
11,432 words on A New Season

Sydney Quotes the Movies

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I wasn’t sure if it was because of Chris Nolan or Matthew McConaughey or because it was a movie about outer space, but I thought it was all around brilliant. Plus, it had a lot of great quotes and it made me think.  I love that in a movie. 

“We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”

“Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.”

“Murphy’s law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.”

“Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends time and space.”

“I have a cue light I can use to show you when I’m joking, if you like.”

Movie watching List for December: 

The Hobbit – Third and final. What am I going to do next year with no Hobbits? 
American Sniper – True story and Bradley Copper. 
Exodus – It’s Ridley Scott and epic movie making. The sea parting scene is reason enough to go see it. 

What are your big plans for 2015? Have you seen Interstellar? What do you want for Christmas? 

Have a great December, everyone!

My Monthly Update – Better Late … and SQM

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Release Month

Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #1) was released on October 1st and it had a great release day, and 5 days later, it is still in the top 100 in African American Romance. I also received some great feed back from readers. Here are a couple of my favorites:

“Speechless, Mouth open, shaking my head, laughing, crying, smiling.”

“This book touched my heart, made it ached, and ripped it right out.”

One reader even declared Hope for Her, her favorite book this year. Considering it’s October, I thought that was pretty cool. haha.

Hope for Her will be .99 cents for another 10 days!

Events

October 6, 2014 (Tonight) from 4:00 – 8:00 pm CST, I will be taking over at the United Indie Book Blog on Facebook.  Lots of great giveaways and I will share some exclusive excerpts from Hope for Him (Hope Series Book #2). Come and join me.

October 9th, 2014 from 4:00 – 8:00 pm CST – The New Adult Street will be taking over at the Twin Sisters Rockin’ Book Reviews on Facebook.

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October 30, 2014 from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CST – Trick me or Treat me? Romance Book Lovers Halloween Party. Join The New Adult Street Team for great giveaways and fun halloween activities. Costumes optional.

October Goals

Edits for Hope for Him (Hope Series Book #2) are due to my editor no later then October 15th.

The final 30,000 words on Hope for Us (Hope Series Book #3) due on November 1st.

Prep for NaNoWriMo – I am thinking about the first book in a two book series. The tentative titles – A New Season (Season Series Book #1) & Off Season (Season Series Book #2)

Guess what, the book is about a girl and a football player. Big surprise.

Sydney Quotes the Movies

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Classic Denzel Washington and another good director outing for Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, anyone!!)

Some of my favorite lines perfectly delivered by Mr. Washington:

“Change your world.” His advice to a troubled young lady. 

“Old man got to be the old man. Fish got to be a fish.” His take on the classic novel, The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. 

“Hit it on something stupid.” As to why he had cuts and bruises on his knuckles. 

“When you pray for the rain, you have to deal with the mud, too.” Great advice to anyone. 

“Progress, Not Perfection.” Advice to his coworker. 

Loved this movie.

Have you seen the The Equalizer? What was your favorite part? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo next month?

Have a great October, everyone!

Life, Love and the Movies Blogathon

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Last year, I participated in three of 5 stages in the 5 Obsturction Blogathon created by Nostra of myfilmviews.com. I enjoyed the blogathon because it made me look at movies and movie reviews in a different way.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t finished it because life got in the way, but I promised myself if he hosted another blogathon, I would be all in. MyFilmViews.com along with Karamel Kinema have created the Life, Love and the Movies Blogathon.

The rules are simple, answer the following 16 questions.

Life

1. What was the first movie you saw in the cinema and what do you remember about that visit? The first movie I remember seeing in the movie theater was 1977 Smokey and the Bandit. The movie stared Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason. I remember not really understanding it. I was really young.

2. Are there any movies you have very strong memories of which are not because of the movie (for example something which happened at the time you were watching it)? Smokey and the Bandit holds a strong memory. The story: “The Bandit is hired to run a tractor trailer full of beer over county lines in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.” That trailer of beer was Coors beer and my father worked for Coors at the time in the marketing department and it was shameless marketing how often they showed that truck full of Coors beer.

3. Which movies had a big impact on you and changed a (small) part of your view on life? 1980 Urban Cowboy because it took place in Houston and that’s were I was living at the time. It was cool to have a movie set in your own city. We got to share it with the word. Although the movie didn’t do much to dispel any of the Texas stereotypes.

4. Do you have any comfort movies which you return to because you are in a specific mood (for example if you are feeling down/nursing a heartbreak)? Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is my go to movie to put myself in a good mood. Not only is it southern and sexy it has some amazing dialogue.

5. If a movie would be made about your life, what type of movie would it be and who would you like to portray you? It would be some type of chick lit movie with a lot of humor, but at the center, it would be my journey to find my passion. Thandie Newton could play me. Although we look nothing alike.

6. Which existing movie best represents you?  The Matrix – I spent most of my life doing what was expected of me. I wasn’t unhappy, but I always thought I was supposed to be doing something else. I feel like I had been asleep for a long time, but two years ago, I finally woke up.

7. If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would be the last movie you would want to see? The Avengers. It is my favorite movie with my favorite movie character (Tony Stark/Ironman) and the dialogue is brilliant.

8. If you can spend your life working in the film industry, what would you be and why? (you know, director, producer, actor, cinematographer, costume designer, sound designer etc?) I would like to be a studio executive/executive producer. I would have the opportunity to make decisions on what movies got made and help to raise funding for those movies. If I did have this job, trust me, there would be a new Avenger movie out every six months for the rest of my life.

Love

1. Did you ever have a first kiss with someone while at the cinema and if so which movie was playing? I haven’t, but how cool would that be.

2. What is your favorite movie relationship and why? Anna Scott & William Thacker – not only is it the regular  person with the famous person, but the movie doesn’t just stop when they finally get together, you get to find out what happens after that. That movie had the most satisfying ending.

3. When did your love for movies start and how has it grown? I have loved movies as long as I can remember. A movie a week was normal for my family growing up. Often we had a movie day on Monday holidays, we would spend the whole day at the movies watching one after the other.  We got in four one time. It’s my favorite escape.

4. If you have to choose one film to watch with your loved one, what would it be and why? I have two depending on where we were in our relationship. He’s Just Not that Into You if I needed him to think differently about relationships and Titantic if I wanted him to see what never dying love is all about. (I know, most of them die, but it’s a feeling)

5. If you can choose one character from a movie to be your significant other who would it be and why? Legolas from LOTR and The Hobbit. Not only is he beautiful in the most masculine sort of way for an Elf, but he is loyal, understands tradition, spiritual and he will fight and die for you.

6. What was the first movie that made you fall in in love with film and cinema? I had an early love of movies, but I think The Breakfast Club made me recognize and fall in love with a perfect movie. It was the first moment I realize what an amazing script, amazing cast and an amazing director could create.

7. How did your passion for movies turn you into a movie blogger?  My friends used to play the movie quote game and I would pick the most obscure dialogue or line and stump them every time. On a trip to London when I was 15, I got home sick and the thing that made me feel better was reciting the entire script of The Breakfast Club. My love of quotes is where Sydney Quotes the Movies come from.

8. What is your favorite date from a movie? I don’t know if this actually qualifies as a date, but my favorite couple moment is from Notting Hill when Anna gives William the Chagall painting and says my favorite movie line of all time, “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

Where did your love of  movies come from? Join the blogathon and tell us. 

The 5 Obstruction Blogathon – Obstruction 2

Obstrustion2-e1371645079300Month two of The 5 Obstruction Blogathon and we are challenged to write a review of a movie and include an interview. I get a gold check mark if I am able to interview a person involved in the movie. Well, fortunately, I didn’t have to go to far to find a quality interview. On a recent trip to LA, my brother ran into one of his high school friends, Mr. James Lopez.  James is a studio executive at Screen Gem a division of Sony Pictures.
He was generous enough to answer my amateur journalist questions and I think I got some good stuff. Hope you enjoy.

Think Like a Man

Think Like a Man chronicles the relationships of four guys attempt to get back at their women once they discover they are being manipulated by the mandates in the book, Act Like a Lady and Think Like a Man by comedian Steve Harvey.

As the Studio Executive on this film, James’ responsibilities covered the time frame from acquiring the project for Screen Gem to the films release and every step in-inbetween.

While I didn’t want to bust my own magic movie bubble, I was fascinated by how this self help book with no characters was transformed into an ensemble cast motion picture. James credits the writers in creating the unique take on the project, which was essential in getting the movie green lighted.

The movie is full amazing relationship dialogue between men and women.  During the writing process, James felt the movie needed some extra “funny”.  He hired a comedic writer to “punch up” (industry term) the comedy.  The result is a good movie with great witty rhetoric and one liners.  Some of my favorite:

“We’ve been betrayed by one of our own. A man. I’m talking about a man with a penis.  Someone who should know better.” 
“I’m one of the guys except I have a vagina.” 
“I swear to God Frodo Baggins had it easier.”
“All this waiting for better is making you bitter.” 
“Honesty is overrated. That’s in the Bile. Old Testament.” 
 

During casting, James’ used his influence to secure Romany Malco in the role of Zeke, the player.  You may know Romany from 40 Year Old Virgin and Blades of Glory.  Zeke is one of my favorite character’s in the book. The Player who falls in love get’s me every time. (Don’t ask why.)

As a writer, I am fascinated with the timeline and process of a book from idea to publication. I asked James to give me the rundown of Think Like a Man’s journey.

  1. The book was published in January of 2009.
  2. Producer tracked the success of the book.
  3. The producer bought the movie rights to the book.
  4. Screen Gem optioned it for a movie.
  5. Writers were hired to determine how to craft a screenplay out of a book with no characters.
  6. Studio liked the idea of the book becoming a living character in the movie that guided the actions of these characters.
  7. The script is written and it is to long.
  8. Comedy writer is hired to punch up the comedy.
  9. Table read (hire actors to do it, but not necessarily the actors in the film). They are looking at timing and to see how the dialogue plays out. Where it gets a laugh or it just lies there.
  10. Green Light the movie – where the money comes in.
  11. Casting and scheduling
  12. Pre-Production (8 weeks) – location, scouting, logistics
  13. Production (33 days of filming)
  14. Editing (3 months)
  15. Mixing for sound and music
  16. Test and screening – changes based on test
  17. Lock Picture
  18. Release (2012)
  19. Marketing and Promotion

For a picture of this size and with this type of cast, once green light, the movie came about fairly quick. They must have done something right because the movie was a great success. The movie cost $12 million to make and grossed over $90 million in the domestic box office.

I had to ask James if he could tell me anything about the sequel. He was tight lipped, but he did let me know the entire cast will be back for the sequel and an addition of Wendi McLendon-Covery from Braidsmaid. Again, a choice championed by Mr. Lopez.

Look for more instant classic’s from James Lopez (I’ve know him since I was 10, how cool is that) in 2013 and 2014 such as Battle of the Year (release in September 2013), About Last Night (remake of the Rob Lowe/Demi Moore 80’s classic release in February 2014) and Think Like A Man 2 (release in June 2014).

Have you seen Think Like A Man? What did you think?

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Related Post:
The 5 Obstruction Blogathon – Obstruction 1
Thank Like a Man – Cast and Crew – NYTimes.com