I was reading the May, 2021 issue of Entertainment Weekly (the most poorly named magazine since it switched to monthly) and came across a quote from the actor Daniel Dae Kim in an article on Asian-American entertainers, the Asian hate going on in this country, and the lack of representation. Kim said, “I think it’s fair to say that Hollywood operates under a fear-based decision-making […]
Business Musings: Focus on the Future (A Process Blog)
The second vaccine hit my arm mid-April. I knew the vaccine was coming, and with it, a rather solid immunity to COVID-19. I won’t get hospitalized with a serious case, and the disease won’t kill me. It won’t kill Dean either, since he’s been fully vaccinated since February. Our little household is okay, and cleared for moving forward. The adults at our business have also […]
Business Musings: Grief And The Writer
I wasn’t going to write this, but my muse, stubborn wench that she is, kept throwing out sentences like flares into the darkness that is my mind. So, here goes… On March 26, my older brother passed away. It was a surprise, even though he was nearly 81 and not in the best of health. There were good odds that he would die long before […]
Business Musings: Twelve Years
On April 2, 2009, I started a blog with this: This post marks the beginning of an experiment. I will post sections of a work in progress—a book tentatively titled The Freelancer’s Survival Guide—here, on my website. If you go back and read that original post, you can see how tentative I am about the whole concept of an online blog. Two friends, Michael J. […]
Business Musings: Money (Hollywood Part 4)
About the time I started planning this series, I got an email from a writer friend. The writer friend is one of those people who think they know business, but have never really bothered to learn much about it. Or maybe they’re the kind of person who reads the how-to, remembers the details, but misses the overall point. The result is the same—complete cluelessness. I […]
Business Musings: Writing Screenplays (Hollywood Part 3)
The short version of this post: Don’t. Just don’t. Don’t write screenplays, even if someone tells you “you’ll make more money if you do.” The medium version of this post: Write screenplays only if you want to work in Hollywood. Otherwise, write the next book. The long version of this post: Brace yourselves, and settle in for the read. Before I go any farther, let […]
Recommended Reading: March 2021
Spent much of my month catching up on projects, reading for the Holiday Spectacular, and doing some other things that don’t count for the Recommended Reading List. I did start a critically acclaimed award-nominated book on the history of detective fiction and quit very quickly. It was racist AF. Three pages explaining what the Ku Klux Klan was (to tell us that a 1920s fictional […]
Business Musings: Content, Content, Content (Hollywood Part 2)
A few weeks ago, I got a survey from the Global Licensing Group, the people in charge of the Las Vegas Licensing Expo. They wanted to know my opinion (and probably hundreds of other people’s opinions) about content. Is it important? Why is it important? How should I/we/they handle it? Oh, and am I a content provider (licensor) or someone who licenses content (licensee)? I […]
Business Musings: A Cautionary Tale (Hollywood Part 1)
I’m starting a tiny new series because of everything that’s been in the news of late. But first, let me give you a caveat. For decades, Dean and I have said “Hollywood” when we really mean the film and/or TV industry. That word wasn’t accurate 30 years ago; it’s less accurate now. The industry has mushroomed. It’s not even one industry anymore. You can do […]
Thieves
The latest Diving novel is here, and it’s the one readers have been waiting for! Yes, it features Boss! She’s diving again, and getting into trouble. I also think this will answer a few questions for you…Click here to find out more.
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