An Immortal Of An Update...

Happy Friday One and All!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted on here since July. I sincerely apologize for my absence. Life is crazy and crazy is life. 

First things first: If you haven't liked & followed my Facebook author page, you'll want to do that ASAP. Why? Because I'm doing something called The Immortal Tour. What is it? Glad you asked! The Immortal Tour is a play off of the title of my YA series, Immortal Dreams (Divine Love, Astral Love, Immortal Love, and Perfect Love). It's sitting down on Facebook Live and interviewing authors I consider Immortals. So far I've gotten Kerrelyn Sparks' posted to my page. Due to technical difficulties, I've had to reschedule Avery Flynn, but I've got Robin Covington appearing on October 25th, and Victoria Vane on November 8th, plus more to come! This is an ongoing event, but trust me, it's not your usual interviews! You, the reader, will get a chance to be involved, and of course, ask questions. It's very laid back and you get a peek inside the author's life.

Second of all: I'm working on a brand-new book that I'm planning to have at least 1 (one) sequel. I don't know if it'll be a whole series, but I do have a sequel in mind. It's not a YA, but it's still Paranormal. It's got Tiger shifters in it.

Third of All:  What about Nic's story? I know, I need to finish the 5th book in the Immortal Dreams series, and I'm also planning a 6th one. They've been started, but I haven't been able to finish them, yet. But believe me, I plan to.

I have an assistant, now, currently her duties are rather light (due to things going on in her life, and mine) but she's awesome and a reader, her name is Roxie, and I am thrilled to have her in my corner. She's awesome and a huge fan of the Immortals.

Appearances? Well, that's up in the air right now. I might be at BrazCon in February 2019, but I don't know for certain, yet. I might be at RWA Nationals in NYC in 2019 (July), but I'm waiting to hear back on a workshop proposal my narrator and I sent them. So, appearances haven't been planned out, yet.

As for this year, I don't have any appearances planned, but you never know what might come up! 

Meanwhile, follow me on Twitter and as I said, hit up my Facebook Author page!

Oh, and don't forget to get Avery Flynn's Butterface and watch for her new release, Muffin Top. I really enjoyed the first one and I'm looking forward to MT. I'm currently reading Christie Craig's Junkyard Cowboy and Jennifer Snow's Maybe This Christmas. I have a To Be Read (TBR) pile that's ever-growing, but I always make time for books/series I really enjoy).

What are you reading these days and what's going on in your world?

Have A Fantastically Fascinating Friday!

Spotlight On Screenwriter/Producer: Meg LeFauve

Happy Monday All,


Last week was rather crazy for the Averie household, but this is a new week and we get to get started with something I've been really looking forward to sharing with you, my darling readers (and anyone else who stumbles upon this blog).

Me at the age of 5
in my sister's wedding

One of my sisters went to college with screenwriter/producer, Meg LeFauve. Meg was also in my sister's wedding, over 30 years ago (I was 5 years old, so I don't remember meeting Meg at that time). Not too long ago, I got to talking with her on Facebook through my sister's urging, (she remembered me) and last year, I asked if she wouldn't mind doing an email interview with little ole me. She graciously accepted (I was surprised, I was certain she was too busy) and now I have the pleasure of sharing with you the results of this interview, which is as much fun as the interview process itself.

Meg LeFauve works at Disney Pixar. She was one of the screen writers for Inside Out and the screenwriter for The Good Dinosaur. She's also worked with actress/producer Jodie Foster, and she's done some of her own producing (among a million other things). She's a wife, a mother, a friend, and a fellow writer. More recently, she's been tapped to write the new Marvel's Captain Marvel screenplay, a movie scheduled to release in 2019.

Gaining this interview was such a privilege for me. I can't thank Meg enough for taking time out of her super-busy schedule and family life to answer my questions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

Me: What made you decide to go into screenwriting versus other   types of writing? Meg: I've always had a deep love of film - the way an image can communicate so much.  I'm also fascinated by people's behavior, how what people do and choose shows-- who they are so much more than by what they say.  That's a great film character.  I also really like how a film can  help us all escape and at the same time it can open us up,  make us think, give a catharsis, expand or even change our point of  view.  All together in a theater.   Certainly other forms of writing can do  these things, but I love how film does it  on such a large scale -  how many people you can reach and talk to.    Me: Based on what I've heard/read, early  in your career you worked under  Jodie Foster. Could you talk a little  about that experience and how it  shaped your career path? Meg: I worked with Jodie as an executive and then a producer for 10 years.   She shaped me as a storyteller.  She always asked,   "What's the big beautiful idea in here?" -- so first we had to talk about what the story was about.  Not in a literary way, more from an emotional place.  Why is this something we need to put out into the world? What are we asking people to think about? How are we exploring the human condition?  And why is it, in some way, personal and powerful for us as filmmakers?  Articulating this theme or emotional point of view can be challenging —  can take many drafts- and years - to fully clarify.  As my friend Jane Anderson says, "Theme is the DNA of each scene."  Jodie taught me to build out  from theme — to a character and their transformation - which creates plot which creates set pieces. Knowing how to dig into this, how to build a story from theme, has been crucial in my own writing.   Me: So far, (aside from current projects) what has been a favorite  of yours to work on? Meg: Well, working at Pixar was a dream come true.   So INSIDE OUT and THE GOOD DINOSAUR were both special  experiences. I am very proud of having been a part of both of those films, and helped those directors  bring their vision to the screen.  That is also a difference between novel writing and screenwriting.  Once a director is on a project my job as a  screenwriter is to help that director articulate their vision for the story. Of course I have to find my own personal passion within that but the guiding light, the storyteller, is now the director.  Working with Pete Docter and Pete Sohn was an honor.   I’m always so moved when people let me know how these films have effected them and their families.  One Mom told me that her young son has watched THE GOOD DINOSAUR every day for a month, as he tries to understand the death of his own father, and how to move forward. A woman who works for LA County told me that she is a psychiatrist who works with traumatized children and that INSIDE OUT has helped her in her job - because she when using the concept of emotions “driving” she can so quickly talk to the kids and get to what is happening inside of them.   So — that kind of impact is amazing. Me: For fun: What's your favorite indulgence?  (sweet treat, trips, whatever) Meg: Reading historical fiction, during the day, in my pajamas, with a cup of tea and a cookie.   I have two kids and work, so this is more a fantasy than anything I get to do too often.  :) Thank goodness for my amazing husband - he makes sure  I get time to reboot. Me:  Roughly how long does it take you to write a screenplay? Can you talk a bit about the process? Meg: Years.  A screenplay goes through many drafts, I’d guess   15 drafts is an average before it hits the screen.  Each draft will have at least one rough pass, if not  several rough passes.  And then bring into the process producers,  executives and a director giving notes. Even if the process started  with me alone writing the script of a story I feel passionately about, to get to the screen it will be turned over to many hands. And while that can be overwhelming, I also find it very exciting. Because all of those creative people are great storytellers as well  and they push you to do your best work, to stretch your creative abilities, to see things differently, to discover — to not take our   first answer, or second or third.  Even if all those answers were good, you keep pushing to the BEST story.  I love having a high bar.  I love collaboration and the special sparks that can happen  when smart people all have the same goal - to tell a great story.    Me: What advice do you have to novel writers who would like to see their books turned into screenplays? Meg: Well, first that films are not novels.  Meaning your novel  will be interpreted into a film.  A screenwriter will see your novel  as the “paints” to use to paint a new picture— a new work. If you don't want that to happen then don't do it :) As a producer I worked for years with a writer on a book adaptation.  Draft after draft after draft.  Until finally I realized -- it's a really good BOOK but it's not a film.  If you’d like to adapt your own novel to a screenplay then you have to learn the craft of screenwriting and film storytelling (as you learned novel writing). I don’t mean that to sound daunting - it can be fun, exciting and  challenging.  It's a different form than novel writing.  And learning  it may help your novel writing.  But expect to write bad screenplays  to start :)  That's just the way it is when you start something new. You have to be brave enough to stink at it and be open to getting  notes and learning.   If you want someone else to turn your novel into a screenplay then learn the marketplace.  What books get bought by film studios and why.  Agents are good but maybe find new ways into that market - for example notice the producers who makes films that are book adaptations that are similar in genre to the books you write.   Me: You've worked on Pixar's Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, any other Pixar projects you can talk about or do you have a "wish list"? Meg: Can't talk about any other work at Pixar as it's all confidential :)  I am down at Disney Animation now working on GIGANTIC as a writer/director - so the wish list is manifesting.  And here, like at Pixar, the bar is "is this the best story" and all that means. Me:  What advice do you have for aspiring screenwriters? Meg: Write.  I know, that sounds silly but you’d be surprised how many aspiring writers don’t write!  Every day. Even just for a half hour, write every day.  So that your brain begins to trust you, that you are serious and are taking this dream you have seriously - and it will start to open to you.  And know that writing badly is part of the process.  Every writer everywhere writes badly. Don’t use it as an excuse to not write. Judging yourself is boring and not going to get you anywhere but to eating a cookie.  :)   Be brave, be vulnerable —and write through the bad. That’s what writing is.  And for screenwriting learn the craft.   It’s a visual medium.  There is a specific craft to writing for movies,  vs tv,vs plays, vs web series.  Learn from watching and reading the masters of the area you want to write in (and genre).   Also watch/read the bad ones as they can be equally helpful to your learning curve. Find a mentor. Find a group of other screenwriters to support you and to help support.  Get as much feedback on your work as you can.  No, it’s not easy.  It’s super hard to get feedback -  just remember they aren’t talking about YOU they are talking about a story.  Any note you get is just what they don’t yet understand. That’s incredibly important for you  to know.  How to address that note, is up to you and your vision for  the story.   Read as many scripts as you can get your hands on  - preferably the actual script (vs someone online writing down the  movie).  If you have an action sequence see how great writers  have written action sequences.  You’ll be amazed how much  you learn from reading scripts.  Have lots of ideas—  meaning don’t just carry around one “passion project” for  ten years.  Have that project and another 5.  Because writing  isn’t about ONE idea — trust the creative well in you.  If you go to it every day, there will be more and more ideas…. After you’ve written 5 scripts (and each script has been rewritten at least 3 times) go back and read your first one.  You will be amazed at the progress you’ve made just by WRITING.    Me:  For fun: My sister told me you two watched a lot of sports in college, do you have a favorite sport? Meg: :)  I watched all the Syracuse University sports with your  sister.  Basketball and Football.  Now I love baseball.  My teenage son plays and the game has taught him, and me,  so much that applies to life. And being a writer/artist. My son has learned that you strike out more than you hit but you stand in that batters box and you believe and you try - each time.  When you make an error you learn from it, and let it go - get your head back in the game. And that it isn’t always about talent - sure that helps - but the person who can keep their head on straight, aren’t afraid to  learn from failure, know what they want, and work their butts off - they are the ones who rise. A story that I think applies to being a writer too — My son started last year hitting at the bottom of the batting order.  His dream was to hit a home  run at the big tournament in Cooperstown —a tournament that only happens when you turn 12, and only one time. And he knew his grandfather  would be there watching.  But how was he gonna hit a homer  when his batting average wasn’t great?  He’d never even hit  a home run.  He started to practice every day hitting balls  off the tee in our front yard.  He worked so hard and we saw  the commitment so we got a hitting coach for him - and that  meant he got WORSE first! (because you are changing core  dynamics of HOW you hit).  But my son hung in there, he kept trying, he kept working hard, he learned the skills needed to hit well.  For a year he did this work - it was physical, intellectual and  emotional work (like writing!) And then he went to Cooperstown .... and he hit SEVEN home runs!  It was nuts. And I was so happy because he learned something really important about life and  about himself -- that it's about trying and believing its possible, about knowing what you want, about working hard and not letting other people get you down even when you are failing.   Understanding that failing is how you learn, so get back in it and try  again--- and you do it EVERY DAY. That is how magic happens.   Me: You've been both a producer and a screenwriter, which one is easier? Meg: Easier??? Ha!  Both are super hard, wonderful jobs that you must be passionate about.  For me personally, my worst day of writing is still better than a good day of producing.  That's how I know I am where I am supposed to be.  BUT I still use all my producer skills and wouldn't be  the writer I am without having done it.  Everything you  do feeds into your writing.  Everything that happens to you  -even the not so great stuff. It’s all valuable.  All of it.   So stop worrying about it, analyzing it or bemoaning it.  Use it and write.

Me: Do you have a dream list of actors you'd want to be in a movie you'd write? Are you able to you say who and why?

Meg: Oh, just what you'd expect, I guess.  I'd love to work with Meryl Streep someday.  I am just such a huge, huge fan.  I love 

Louie C.K. as a writer and creator, just being able to watch his shows make me feel so happy.   

One other thought before I go -- writer's block. 

one thing that has helped me is to realize what I am fighting for -- 

every day I sit down and push through that block (be it inspiration 

block, craft block, story block - or just huge doubt!) I sit and I work FOR THE CHARACTERS.  Because these characters have chosen me to tell their story.  And if I don't sit down and do it, if I don't find a way to tell that story so people get it -- then that 

character will never exist.  They will never come into the world.  You are their conduit -so sit down and work at it - so their story can be told.

Again, thank you, Meg, for doing this interview! 

It's been fascinating to read your answers, and I learned a little about what you do, which is also very interesting. I wish you the best in all your projects and in your family life.

To my readers, and those who stop in, 

I hope you all enjoyed the interview as much as I did!

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!