The Legendary Harlan Ellison
“Harlan’s home, high in the hills above Sherman Oaks, is a work of art and a wonder to behold. My meager talent at tippy-tapping out words falls far short of coming to grasp with the idea of the concept of describing Harlan’s home. Even Ray Bradbury would pause and frown in thought. This is Ellison Wonderland, and evidently, it has undergone a re-christening, as Harlan’s address, as listed in _Contemporary Authors_ Vol. 46, New Revised Edition, 1995, reads ‘The Lost Aztec Temple of Mars, CA.’”
He spoke glowingly of Roger Dean, designer and artist best known for fantasy posters and album covers for conceptual rock bands, and who shared a common experience of suing James Cameron – in Dean’s case it was for his paintings being the inspiration for much of the look and feel of AVATAR.
Harlan also introduced me to Pen World Magazine, which we both sort of drooled over before his lunch arrived. I had been invited to stay but didn’t want to wear out my welcome.
Education and Inspiration for Writers of Speculative FictionNext weekend (Jan. 27-29) is the 2017 Genre-LA™ Creative Writers Conference in Culver City, California, (location details) where more than 30 published masters of the genre, literary agents, editors, publishers, best-selling authors, industry experts, Hollywood veterans, educators, and publishing professionals will share their experiences and secrets to help take your writing to the next level and guide your career on the path to success. Save up to $100 on a Single Registration: http://www.wcwriters.com/club.
Get inspired and learn how to take your writing to the next level with this Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror panel, Friday, Jan 27, 5:45-6:45 immediately followed by networking cocktail party at the Conference. Have fun taking your imagination where it needs to go to write effectively in these mind-bending genres.
Filmmaker/educator/former studio exec and two-time Now Write! contributor Devorah Cutler-Rubenstein will discuss intriguing ways to give sentience to ordinary objects.
Acclaimed writer/producer/director Pen Densham (Outer Limits, Twilight Zone TV Show revivals) will talk about his unique approach to creative mashups “Writing Into the Spiritual Unknown.” (Check out Pen’s FREE Creative Person’s Success Manual and his awesome screenwriting book Riding the Alligator.)
Special guest Pamela Jaye Smith, award-winning producer/ director/author and mythology expert. She will discuss how to use myth, magic and metaphysics in your stories. Let her be your guide into the geography and psychology of these other realities and learn ways to use them to give your stories internal integrity and unique power.
Moderated by Now Write! editor Laurie Lamson.
Contributors to Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror will discuss craft in a way that goes beyond the usual writers’ panel. Our panelists will speak candidly about their own writing and share their favorite tools. Be inspired by Kim Dower’s encouragement to capture material from you dreams, learn Michelle Newman’s secrets on how to effectively ground fantasy in reality and have fun with Derek Taylor Kent’s approach to character development. We will do one of our guests’ exercises during the event, so bring a notebook, pens will be provided. Moderated by Now Write! editor, Laurie Lamson.
Kim Dower(“Steal From Your Dreams With a Twist of Fevered Writing” in Ideas and Inspiration chapter.)
Kim Dower is a poet with three collections: Air Kissing on Mars (2010), Slice of Moon (2014) and Last Train to the Missing Planet came out earlier this year (all published by Red Hen Press.) Her poems have appeared in journals including Ploughshares, Eclipse, Rattle, and Barrow Street. She has taught creative writing at Emerson College and teaches Come Dressed as Your Favorite Poem, at Antioch University Los Angeles.
Derek Taylor Kent(“FUNdamentals of Writing” in Memorable Heroes, Villains and Monsters chapter.)
Derek Taylor Kent is an author, screenwriter, performer and director based in Los Angeles. His award-winning book series Scary School (written under pen-name Derek the Ghost) has become one of the most popular new series for middle-readers ages 7 to 12. His bi-lingual picture book El Perro Con Sombrero came out August 18, 2015 through Holt/Macmillan and was a #1 best-selling new release. His first novel for an adult audience, Kubrick’s Game, is set for release September 26, 2016 through Evolved Publishing.
Other books include the award-winning educational picture book Simon and the Solar System and the magical adventure Rudy and the Beast, both available now. Derek also specializes in writing narrative scripts for Virtual Reality content.
Michelle Newman(“Make It Real” in Scene Construction and Style chapter.)
Michelle Newman is completing her first historical fantasy novel, “Mistaken Knights,” while trying to save the world one kilowatt hour at a time: She moonlights for a company that creates green energy solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.
2:00 – Doors open to the public – Register & Network with other writers
2:30 – Announcements
3:00 – Now Write! Panel
4:15 – Q&A
4:45 – Meet the Speaker(s)
5:30 – Library must close
6:00 – Guest of Honor Dinner – Members-only by RSVP.
Here is a round-up of some Now Write! contributors brand new books this year – some not even out till a little later this month. The first two authors listed below, Kim Dower and Derek Taylor Kent, are guest speakers on a free Now Write! panel this Saturday, Sept. 17 in West Los Angeles: “Capturing Your Dreams: How To Craft A Bestselling Fantasy Novel.”
Last Train To The Missing Planet
by Kim Dower (Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror contributor)
Red Hen Press (March 29, 2016)
Kim Dower is known for combining the accessible and profound in her poetry. This third collection is about love, longing, and passion tipped sideway. Sounds pretty sexy and intriguing!
Kubrick’s Game
by Derek Taylor Kent Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror contributor)
Evolved Publishing (August 7, 2016)
What if Stanley Kubrick left behind more than just his classic films? What if he also left behind an elaborate puzzle cleverly buried within his films, which would lead the player toward a treasure that could change the course of human history.
A puzzle/action/adventure theme adds to the suspense as each clue is discovered. Shawn Hagan, a college film student obsessed with legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, discovers hidden clues in his movies, which lead him on a harrowing quest toward a mysterious treasure. Endangered by sinister groups on the same quest.
Revolution’s End
by Brad Schreiber (Now Write! Screenwriting and Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror contributor)
Skyhorse Publishing (August 2, 2016)
The most famous kidnapping in U.S. history is fully explained, detailing Patty Hearst’s relationship with Donald DeFreeze (known as Cinque) head of the Symbionese Liberation Army. Not only did the heiress have a sexual relationship with DeFreeze while he was imprisoned, she didn’t know he was an informant and a victim of prison behavior modification. Neither she nor the white radicals who followed DeFreeze realized that he was molded by a CIA officer and allowed to escape, thanks to collusion with the California Department of Corrections. DeFreeze’s secret mission: infiltrate and discredit Bay Area anti-war radicals and the Black Panther Party, the nexus of 70s activism.
The Listener
by Rachel Basch (Now Write! Fiction contributor)
Pegasus Books (May 3, 2016)
The challenges to identity that arise in both adolescence and middle age―and the student and therapist who just may have the power to save each other.
Told from two points of view, The Listener explores the ways in which we conceal and reveal our identities. As truth after truth is exposed, characters are forced to reconsider themselves and reorder their lives, with few easy answers to be found for anyone.
Mercury
by Margot Livesey (Now Write! Fiction contributor)
Harper (September 27, 2016)
A psychological drama and emotional thriller exploring love, obsession, and the deceits that pull a family apart.
As an optometrist Donald believes he knows all there is to know about seeing and is sure he and his wife, Viv are both devoted to their two children and to each other. But when she begins to dream of competing again, embracing the ambitions she had relinquished, as a young woman. Her daydreams soon morph into consuming desire, and her infatuation with the thoroughbred escalates to obsession.
Dating Your Character: A Sexy Guide to TV and Screenwriting 
by Marilyn R. Atlas (Now Write! Screenwriting contributor)
Deborah Cutler-Rubenstein (Now Write! Screenwriting and Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror contributor), and Elizabeth Lopez
Stairway Press (August 30, 2016)
Based on the principle that interesting characters actually are co-creators in the writing process, this book is organized into some of the standard stages in an evolving romantic relationship.
Unlike writing books that approach character development using a winnowing process involving general categorization and list-making, without an in-depth synthesis of the collage of facts in the character’s biography, this approach focuses on the importance of characters’ individuality: their eccentricity, drive, and relative “basis in fact” inspired in part by people you know or you yourself.
The Quest For Peace 
by Laurie Lamson (Now Write! Screenwriting co-editor, Now Write! Mysteries co-editor, Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror editor)
JaZzyMaE Media (August 6, 2016)
A thought-provoking short story Kindle book about a young man’s quest for peace in the Middle East.