I can officially announce today that I have finished the first draft of Pact with the Wood Witch. The draft has been sent to my first readers and once I receive their feedback I'll make revisions and prep for publication on Smashwords and Amazon. 1st Quarter of 2015 is a sure bet. It is only a year late. Hopefully, Part Three will come faster.

Speaking of which I started Part Three today.

The working title is "The Dragon Lady's Song", but to me that sounds too much like a cigarette toting lounge singer with overly teased hair and runs in her nylons.

If you have suggestions for a better title I'd love to hear them. If I end up using your idea I'll send you a code for a free copy of both Parts One & Two of the series. 

Thanks for your Patience!

Well as it seems to happen to me all my life I am horrible at correspondence and a blog which is basically am ongoing letter to your friends and fans is just that. I've not written to you in over two months and for that I am deeply sorry. I have not been idle in that time, which consequently is why I have not posted more.
The aforementioned trip to California in April was a marvelous success. We filmed some great footage for the sci-fi series that my partners and I have been developing for over a decade and now have a presentation that we can show to investors to hopefully get a pilot made. The trip was great. We were at the soundstage on Friday for about 6 hours or so doing prep work. The set dressers were dressing. The camera and lighting crews were working out shots for the next day, and I was making revisions to the pilot script in the producers office.

Saturday came and it was a long day. We had a dozen actors and over twice as many crew on set that day and we shot for 17 hours. It was really great to see something I had created come to living breathing, make up covered life. The most surreal bit was sitting across the lunch table with my characters some of which were in fantastic alien make up and talk about their characters, their backgrounds and motives.  It really was amazing to watch as things I had conceived of a decade earlier and some that I'd come up with the night before emerge from the page and walk and talk, shoot plasma rifles, fight space pirates, and fly off through subspace.

A week later I got to see the 4 minute rough cut of the footage and I cried. Yup, I'm a gushy, mooshy kind of guy when it comes to my projects. I think it was partly the beauty of the way the 4 minutes were crafted by the director, editor and all the rest of our cast & crew, but more I think it was that it was a validation of 20 years of effort. Basically half of my life I have been working toward getting a television show or film made that I had written. I was watching 4 minutes of footage that represented all that effort. It was very emotional.
I think I watched the rough cut a dozen times and kept pinching myself because I could not believe it was real.

Two weeks after that I got the final version and was blown away. Yes it still included temp CG spaceships and music, but the emotional gravity of the thing and the performances of our cast were astounding. I'm so proud of that 4 minutes of footage. I wish I could post it here, but it is limited to "investor eyes only" at this point. We need to find money to make the pilot and then we talk to network and distribution folks again to see about making this show a full season thing. Fingers, toes, eyes, etc. all crossed.

With any luck we'll be shooting the pilot before the end of 2014. So as you can see I've been busy. I'm sorry to have neglected all of you for so long, but I hope when I can finally share this Sci-Fi series with you and the rest of the world you'll find the silence worthwhile.

On a completely different note, Pact with the Wood Witch will be finished this summer. I've been sidetracked by co-chairing a fundraising auction for my son's school. The auction is tonight so I'll finally have some of my time back to write the last 1500 words or so and get it to my first readers soon. Thank you all for your patience and I'll write more soon.

For those of you that have been following along with this blog and the one before it "Get Published or Bust" you know that apart from writing fiction (Stories/Novels) I actually write comics and screenplays. One particular project, a Sci-Fi TV show has been a passion of mine for a while. A couple months ago I was able to travel to Hollywood an meet with a producer (Who I cannot name at this time) and with some great actors (also must remain anonymous for now) about getting the show off the ground. There have been a number of hurdles so far, mostly financial but we're finally ready to commit some of what I created with partner Peter Borreggine on film. This coming weekend we'll be stepping into a sound stage with our fantastic cast and crew. We have make up and effects folks, we have our actors, a director and I'll be there as co-creator of the stuff to make sure it all make sense.

I've been working on various screenplays for the past 20 years. If you read my prior blog, you know I have had some close calls with getting something produced a couple times. This is not a done deal by any stretch but at least I will see something I have created professionally produced for our promo material. The next step is in the hand of our dedicated, talented and beautiful producer. Honestly, I don't know how anyone could say "no" to her. So since I will be on the road next weekend my blog will be late again but I will share as much as I can about our trip when I get back.

Here's hoping we make something magical.

This blog is the place I talk about my life, my career, and my creations. I apologize that there has been almost a month of silence on the blog, but it has been a rough few weeks. Pictured here is my former writing partner Dana E. Sonnie. Together he and I thrashed out many a crazy idea and actually managed to come up with a few good ones during the rough ten years we collaborated. He was a partner in the production company we founded together with our third partner Andy Hercock and he was a good man, and an even better friend.

A week ago today, Dana's life ended when cancer finally took him from us. By all accounts he was a genuine man with a firm opinion about how the world should be. He had a bit of a rocky upbringing and lost his mother, also to cancer, while he was fighting it himself. He'd gone into remission at one point, met a wonderful lady (Mercedes) who became his wife. Found a nice house for them and adopted a couple of great dogs. He had a chance to travel to Arizona(pictured here), which I believe is the furthest he'd ever traveled; and help create some great stories I hope to still see produced in his memory in the future.

 On the eve of his memorial service I'm thinking back about the time we had together as creative partners and friends. Late night runs to Denny's or Clockwork Pirate business meetings at the Wok Inn. He was there when we had our first office at The Maine Studios and instrumental in the zombie commercial post on www.clockworkpirates.com. We wrote Starring: Zack Reilly, Spirit Island, and Murder in Maine together. There are also a half a dozen unfinished projects that we conceived together that still need closure. Dana was an immensely talented and creative individual with a very clear vision of his creations. He could describe some of those creations down to the color of their shoelaces. I will miss our debates on the placement of montages or wet t-shirts in romantic comedies just to recall a couple choice memories. Mostly though I will miss having him as a sounding board. He was someone whose opinion differed from mine often enough to make me re-think my work and opinions.

Tomorrow is the memorial and we will say our formal goodbyes, but I know that through his creations,
Dana E. Sonnie will live on. 

Rest in Peace
Dana E. Sonnie
1972-2014

The title of this weeks blog may sound like something you would have written in high school or possibly on a college entrance application, but recently I've been thinking a lot about storytelling and the significance it plays in my life.From a very young age I was gifted with the "gab" as they say. I actually spent more time with adults than with kids my own age at most functions, family or otherwise. It may have been this ample exposure to adult conversation that help most in developing my vocabulary, I also learned that a great deal of what adults talked about was stories. They were often stories of shared experiences; I would later learn that these are called reminiscences, or stories shared of your own experiences; also known as anecdotes or tall tales. I loved hearing these stories even if I did not fully understand them.
Off of this foundation I began collecting my own anecdotes and recounting tall tales of my adventures with Boy Scouts or a family vacation. I became an avid reader, in junior high particularly, and consumed everything I could find in the Encyclopedia Brown and Great Brain series. I sprinkled in a Judy Bloom book occasionally to lighten it up, but the boy mysteries were my favorites. That matured into a brief dalliance with Hardy Boys books and then a full on love affair with Agatha Christie. I read every Christie mystery our library had. I particularly enjoyed Hercule Poirot. I watched the movies on Mystery on MPBN with the enchanting hostess Diana Rigg whom I would discover was even more lovely twenty years later as Mrs. Emma Peel and Mrs. James Bond.
So many stories. I consumed them. I still do today. The concept of binge watching is something I did as a teenager. I'd often record on VHS an entire season of a house, like the short lived Flash series and sit down on a rainy afternoon and watch four episodes back to back, remote in hand to skip the commercials. This way I could watch more shows in less time.
It was in Junior High that I also started telling stories. Probably it started with Dungeons & Dragons. My friends and I would gather in the school library at lunch or recess during the winter and play an adventure of my devising. They were not great stories, but they were diverting, especially when wind chill made it 5 below outside. I wrote poems and short stories in high school and even tried to get one published. I co-author two radio drama in school, one of which was a fantastic Agatha Christie style murder mystery. I found comic books and went to conventions. I met wonderful comic authors and artists and started writing my own comic scripts in the hope of getting them published with Alpha Productions in Rockland. All the while I loved the process of creating.
That is what storytelling is in it's truest form. It is creating. It is creating the story, but it is also creating the moment when the tale is told. That could be setting the mood at a party when you tell an elaborate joke or exactly how you compose your narrative it is all creating. 
I don't know how many of my readers have religious views or spiritual ones, but I'll lay mine out here. I believe there is a power greater than myself. I do not know what it is and I'm pretty sure all the people that claim they do have only a small part of it right. I also believe that if I wish to commune with this power I do not need an interpreter or intermediary however well intentioned they may be. Lastly, and probably most importantly when I create I get as close as I possibly can to that greater power. The act of creation is probably the most powerful thing a person can do and regardless of the scale you take on step closer to the divine. Maybe it's a god complex or an overblown sense of self importance. But in my mind it proves the old axiom; Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It may just border on

Last week the Maine film community got quite the shock. The founder and operator of one the states most successful and well run film festivals (LAFF) was arrested for possession of child pornography. I do not know Joshua Shea very well, in fact I had only met him a handful of times for festival related activities. I would have never imagined that he would be someone to be suspected of such a heinous, and exploitative crime. At this point he has not been arraigned nor tried for this so I do not have proof that he is even guilty. That is the beauty of our justice system, the presumption of innocence. That being the case, this is not the place where you'll find people going off on Mr. Shea. My attitude may change if he is convicted, but I'm not one to leap to conclusions.
The one conclusion I will make is that just the perception of the founder of the festival being involved in such criminal activity has done irreparable harm to the film community. A festival we have loved is gone and many filmmakers and patrons are out money and time and now six days later people are starting to get refunds. The worst part is the lost opportunity for filmmakers that had intended to screen their work at the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival who now have to find other ways to get their work out to the public and start all over again.
Now that the shock is wearing off a little, I have good news to share. If you have not heard about it yet, some filmmakers and former festival organizers have formed the new Emerge festival which will happen this June 14th at the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston. This ma(FMI: Emerge Festival).

More inspiring to me though is the showings that will be held at the Saco Drive-In of How To Kill a Zombie and Hanover House on May 9th and 10th. The drive in is a great location to screen these horror films and you can buy your tickets in advance via Eventbrite. I already have my ticket for Friday night. i hope to see you there.

First I must apologize for missing last week's post entirely. I'm very sorry and I hopefully will never miss a post again. But as you can tell from the picture, something happened in the past week that has changed all of our lives here at Casa de Hauger. We got a puppy.
A friend of my wife had an older dog (7 years +) that had a surprise litter about eight weeks ago and out of 11 pups only 4 lived. I think it was two boys and two girls. My wife had inquired about this absolutely darling little boy and we met him a week ago. (That is where this photo is from). It was love immediately. He was so cute, friendly and affectionate toward all of us that we knew he was going to be a perfect addition to our family.
We picked up the requisite gear for a puppy and brought him home this past Wednesday. After offering my son over two dozen names for the pooch, my wife chimed in once or twice and he grabbed onto her suggestion immediately. So now, Chase Nolan Hauger has joined our household. He and my son have bonded amazingly well already, in just a couple days. For an eight week old puppy he is very calm. Maybe it is because my son, Greggory, has been running him ragged and he is just exhausted. I'm not complaining though. He is comfortable in his crate and is starting to recognize his name reliably. He has even flopped down at our feet while watching the TV a couple times. That's my kind of pooch. Everyone that he's met has immediately taken a shine to him and his overall demeanor fits our family to a tee.
Chase is a mixed breed dog, maybe mixed up is a better description. His mother is part Shepard, Lab, Hound and Boxer at least. We know nothing about his dad. As I mentioned earlier this was a surprise litter. But I would not change a thing. Some people swear by pure breeds, but I'll take a mutt over any of those any day. He will no doubt grow to be a big boy, but for now he'd our little cuddly dynamo and he's here to stay.
Who knows he may one day find his way into one of my stories. He certainly is one of a kind.

The week has come around again and it's time to share my little corner of the world with those of you that choose to read my rants. Welcome, as always, to a small window into my life, work and strange inner workings of my mind.  Today's topic is creativity and storytelling in a broad context. Last night I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest on Jeff Ferguson's internet radio show, Jeff Trek. As it has been before it was a great time and when joined by fellow author Thom Julian we really got into some pretty deep discussions about how the process of creativity really works.
The picture I've included today really sums it up very nicely. Creativity is really like a great cauldron of bubbling, frothing mystical energy. You start with an pretty empty pot when you are first born and as you experience more and more things the ingredients get added to the pot. You start dipping in a finger or a spoon to test the brew every once in a while. When it seems ready you ladle out a serving and that is your creation. The first few creations, you imaginary friends, your story about grandma's cat are pretty rudimentary because they don't have that many ingredients and they haven't really stewed that long to blend the flavors.
As you get older and get out into the world you experience other storytellers. First your parents and relatives, and then television and other media deposit a few things along the way. Your stories start to be a little more original and run a little farther afield. Stories about your dog eating your homework or how your younger sister got worms down her dress are a couple good examples of this phase. You go to school and you are taught structure in your storytelling, or what I'll call recipes. You learn act structure, metaphor, and the short hand of archetypes. All along the way you stir the cauldron, sample and then portion out a little bit of your creativity to share with others.
Some people stop at this stage. They graduate from high school or even college and get a job. They become drones in the workday world and neglect that natural outlet for creativity that I believe resides in all of us. These people are bored with their lives. Their recipes are flat and often tasteless. I implore everyone that reads these words not to let that happen to you. Continue to stir the pot. Read voraciously, consume media, meet people, explore new places. These things are the ingredients of a fulfilling life as much as they are a fulfilling story. If you are currently a drone, start simply, try a new restaurant on your lunch hour, or a new wine with your dinner. No need to go off the deep end and book a week long trip on the Amazon the first time out. But do it. Do something.
Life imitates art as much as art does life. Fill your life with inspiration one ingredient at a time and your cauldron will bubble over with creativity. Sample some every now and again and share it with the world.
People ask me all the time how I create what I do. How I find inspiration. It's always there bubbling, just waiting for the cook to ladle out the next helping. Soups on.

If you do want to sample some of my recipes try The Stolen Throne. It's a Novellette, and at under 10,000 words it's like a light snack. No need to go in whole hog to start with. Who knows though, it may just be that last ingredient missing from your own brew. Bon Appetite.

With today's sad news about the passing of a truly brilliant comedic personality I wanted to take moment to hop up on the soapbox and talk about the indelible impression that art can make on your life.

For those of you that live under a rock, Harold Ramis: Actor/Writer/Director has passed away today at the age of 69 after a long fight with an auto immune illness. The picture I've included is my favorite roles from his career probably because it is the one I connect the most with; Egon Spengler of The Ghostbusters. I have absolutely no idea how many times I've watch the film and unlike a lot of my friends who gravitate toward the often over the top performances of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, I've always been more in touch with my inner geek. Egon is that geek and as with most of his roles, Ramis was the straight man. A bastion of sanity amongst a crew of far more outlandish characters keeping it together while all around him the cut ups laughed or worked hard to make the audience piss themselves laughing.

I've been in a couple films, and at this point over two dozen plays and, with very few exceptions, I am the straight man. The characters I've portrayed have been described as "the everyman", "the audience window", "the grounding point". That is why I think, more than the loss of Shirley Temple or Sid Caesar this month, I am profoundly saddened by the death of Harold Ramis. It is that kind of connection that I feel when I think of characters like Egon. We as artists of all stripes (Get the reference? I bet only half of you did.), actors, writers, anyone creative can really hope for is for something we do to connect with people. For someone, even if it is only one person, to truly be moved, inspired or infused with joy by our expression. That is how we, as artists, can become immortal.

It is a lot to hope for, that years from now people will look back on anything we have done and still find value in it. To be moved or inspired by our efforts. People, creative ones particularly, pour their soul into their craft of choice. The best bare themselves to the world in the hope that some spark will ignite a passion in someone else to do the things we have only imagined. Harold, you will be missed. The world is a slightly less funny place today without you in it, but you will not be forgotten.

We will carry on your message and tell everyone "about the Twinkie". At least until some Hollywood genius greenlights The Ghostbusters Reboot.

Harold Ramis
Born: November 21, 1944
Died: February 24, 2014
Rest in Peace

Sometimes it is nice to have a quiet week. Nothing major going on this week. A little writing here, a little TV time there.  I'll keep plugging away on Pact with the Wood Witch this week and hope to have it finished before Valentine's day. Then a round of edits and off to my first readers for comment and back in for a final edit or two before publication on schedule on 3/20 or so.

I found out that CBS is looking at launching two new sci-fi shows that are a fusion of Star trek and NCIS or some Hospital Drama. Really, are the creative minds that bankrupt that they need to resort to mismashing these sort of concepts. It doesn't bother me in reference to the sci-fi show I'm developing. Sure they are looking at ship based sci-fi but it was inevitable that folks would spot the same vacuum on the dial as I did and come up with some crazy hair brained idea to try to drag the procedural cop show audience kicking and screaming into the vastness of the sc-fi universe. Sure there are many sci-fi fans that double dip and are also procedural fans, I am to some extent, but this just seems like an odd pairing. I really like Bones and I watched quite a bit of the original Vegas CSI but it was mostly for the characters and the witty dialogue not the actual police procedural stuff. I suppose they could be banking on the same thing here. Find a really dynamic cast that can carry the show regardless of the environment or thematic elements are involved. I've heard of worse ideas.

All in all when it is said an done there was at one time two Star Trek series, two Stargate series and at least one other sci-fi series running in prime time at the same time. I'm not nervous at all that these two rehashes are thinking of joining the airwaves with the show I'm developing, we'll just consider it a bit of competition to keep us all on our toes. If thinks work right in a free market (lol) economy the shows should all strive to be better than the others and the viewer should benefit. Here's to hoping it plays out that way for all our sakes.


-Nuff Said.

P.S. Next week my blog may be delayed as I will be traveling for my day job, but we'll see what I can do.