Not Friday the 13^th

It feels like a Friday today. I know it is now, but when I was writing this yesterday, it felt like a Friday. This is/was because I’m heading down to Yialos later this morning to do the jobs we usually do on a Friday; post office, bank, etc. We’ll probably stop for lunch somewhere while we still can, like we often do on a Friday. After that, a wander back up the hill, or a taxi if there is post or shopping to carry, or the bus if we get the timing right and then… We shall see.

I am well into editing ‘Symi, Stuff & Nonsense’ and am on target to finish that today (Friday) so that I can start on my next project on Saturday and give it all my attention for the next two months up to deadline. It’s a film script, and that brings me onto ‘The 13^th‘. That film, filmed on Symi as I am sure you know, was shown again last weekend to a goodly amount of audience. Many of the comments we’ve had back about the film, from the last to showings on Symi, are justly made and can be addressed here. The sound mixing was not balanced and the music was too loud. This was, apparently an issue with the copy sent for this screening and an issue which needs to be sorted out by QC. That’s quality control, and that’s a process which the company have not yet been able to afford to do. If/when they find a distributor (after the round of festivals has finished) then money will also need to be found to fix this, and other quality standard issues that may arise. It’s expensive and they don’t want to do it until they are sure of a distribution deal.

The second issue (sorry to sound American but ‘complaint’ is too strong a word for the feedback we’ve received) concerns some dark scenes. Again, this is a QC thing, but the version of the film is meant for larger screens with brighter projectors, or something. Watching it on a café wall is going to give you some lighting issues when the file is meant for a larger space. And then there is the thing about not understanding the story. All I can say to this is: Due to time limits there was not enough time to film some scenes, and the director then had to make the best of what they had, using some voice-overs to fill in a few gaps. I also say, ‘Yes, I agree with you,’ because it’s not actually my original story and the ninth draft of the film (the shooting script) had input from several other people, was affected by location and time and therefore, parts were improvised on the hoof, as they say.

But I will say, if having seen the film, you want to check out the original story, then you need to get a copy of ‘The Judas Inheritance,’ and you can do that in a moment.

As usual, there is more in a novel than there is in a film (that’s to do with time and structure etc.) and there’s a fair amount of Symi history used in the book, tying in actual events and places on the island with the mystery and thrill of the story. Kindle and print copies can be found here.

Share on Facebook

Novelettes and travel expenses

It’s Sunday morning, and I am a bit all written out. Not in blog posts, obviously, as the last few have been on the short side, but I’ve just spent the week writing a long short story. (24,000 words, first draft.) This has been one of those things that just fell out, as it were. I am told by the machine that knows these things – a search engine – that this makes the story a novella; 17,500 to 39,999 words is a novella, apparently. Over 40k is a novel, between 7,500 and 17,499 is a novelette, and a short story is under 7,500. So, now you know.

Novelette sounds rather polite to me, the name of a minor member of a privileged household. ‘Have you met my daughter, Novelette? She is rather plain, I’m afraid, but she’ll scrub up decently after she’s been brought out next season.’ That kind of thing. So, I have written a novelette in a  week, first draft. I have to say ‘first draft’ as it’s not ready for public consumption yet, not fit for reading. I will spend this week tidying it up and then have a couple of people read it. It’s a new ‘Miss P’ story, as I might have mentioned, and it’s called ‘Honestly.’ My idea is to bang out a few novelettes (the literary kind, not the debs) all concerning the character Miss P, and put them up on Kindle for a ridiculously low price as a way of publicising ‘Remotely.’ Watch out for future developments.

In my Sumi news, I intended to go for a walk today, to get some new photos if nothing else, but I’ve just seen that some friends are arriving for a holiday today so I will have to go and see them. I have a meeting with the writer of one of the more popular travel guide books to discuss film adaptations of her novel, and we had such a fabulous evening last night with friends up the lane that I really can’t move very far today. I have, though, been to Cyprus.

Well, not literally. You may have heard that our film, ‘The 13^th’, has been selected for the Cyprus International Film Festival, so that’s another laurel wreath for the poster. They asked if the company was sending anyone to attend the screening and introduce the film. I’m the closest, physically (unless any of the backers happen to live there and I don’t know about it), but not the closest financially. I had a quick search around for ways to get from Symi to Cyprus as someone in the production office thought there were cheap flights from Rhodes; it’s not that far after all. Well, here’s an insight into Symi living, when it comes to travelling up the road, as it were:

First of all, there’s getting to Rhodes, which you can do quite cheaply if you take the Blue Star or the Panagia Skiedani. Then there’s the overnight at a hotel, and that’s possible to do for €30.00 at this time of year at hotels like the Savoy, and others. The flights I found were with Aegean (my favourite airline) and left at 05.50 in the morning, so that’s a taxi to the airport at around €25.00, and then the flights themselves. These go via Athens, which seems a bit of a long way round to me, but still shorter than some others that went via Frankfurt; I hope the pilots have a better sense of direction. Then there’s the hotel in Cyprus which the festival organisers have at a discount for those involved, so another €30.00 per night and I’d have to stay for at least two. Then you have to do the whole thing in reverse to get home, add on living expenses and then take into account any loss of earnings. I worked it out at at least €400.00 just for getting there and back, so that’s the end of that idea.

I’ve always said that when you arrive on Symi, you know you’ve travelled, and that’s one of its many attractions. I just looked out of the window and saw the Sunday morning catamaran coming in. It unloaded a [collective noun] of visitors, lots of them with cases, coming for their holidays. Excellent news, the season is starting to pick up, though there are still fewer Turkish gulets than in previous years… so far.

Share on Facebook

The Saddling

It was quite appropriate that I took a morning walk yesterday (when I was finally able to release my latest book for publication) and saw the sun coming up. Perhaps this will herald the start of a ‘best-seller’, though, without a massive publicity machine and the finances to distribute the book to shops myself, I rely totally on my friends and blog readers to share the news and sell the books.

Finally, it’s out there. My new novel, ‘The Saddling’ is now available to buy. For a change, we were able to get the Kindle version ready and published before the print version, you should be able to get hold of that today or tomorrow from Amazon. It will start to show up in other outlets in a few weeks. Click here for the Kindle copy of ‘The Saddling’ by James Collins.

I just searched for it on Amazon and was amused to be asked, by their search engine, ‘Did you mean The Paddling?’ No, actually, I didn’t. The Saddling came up first in the list, closely followed by the alarmingly tempting ‘Saddling Her Stallion’ by Olivia Myers, then a record called ‘Saddling Up’ by Darcy Slade, and ‘From Haltering to Saddling’ which looked like it had something to do with horses. I am in good company. Well, I am in the company of a heroin who ‘finds her heart fluttering for the dangerous bandit with stunning eyes’, a guitarist, and the English translation of a German book the cover of which shows a woman kissing a horse. None of which has anything to do with my mystery thriller set on the Romney Marshes in Kent, I am pleased to say.

As I have mentioned here before, having reviews of books put up on Amazon does a great service to the writers. The more reviews, the more likely Amazon is to promote the book. Also, sharing posts like this on Facebook or Twitter, or anywhere else, is an excellent way to help the authors along, so please feel free…

As usual, there will be a drink for the first person I see reading a copy on Symi – a print version, I should add. Something you can buy and bring with you and then, when you have read it, leave it at an airport, or a hotel, or somewhere where someone else can read it and, hopefully, be interested enough to buy a couple of my other titles.

Here are the back blurb and the book cover, so you know what you are looking for the next time you go book shopping.

“Their faith was stronger than his reason.”

To inherit his aunt’s fortune, Tom Carey must unlock a one-hundred-year-old family mystery. The solution lies on the Romney Marshes where the village of Saddling lives by an ancient Lore. Unknown to Tom, the villagers set in motion a chain of calculated events that will ensure that the winter solstice will witness their last ever ‘Saddling’ festival.

Unaware that his life is in danger, Tom befriends two village youths. Through the mists of fear and confusion, their friendship forces Tom to confront a secret of his own.

Tom finds himself the unwitting hero in a struggle between superstition and sense, denial and love, with no escape from either.

“Meticulously imagined in the eerie mists of Romney Marsh. A wonderfully evocative landscape of mystery.” Ann Butler Rowlands (Author of ‘Heaven’)

Praise for James Collins:

“Comparable with the best of Stephen King.” Charles Allenden

“Very gripping, imaginative read.” Amazon

“He has mastered that technique of forcing you to start the next chapter as you really care what happens to these people.” Derek Stephen

“A real page turner and kept me guessing right to the end.” David Hendry

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072BGKGKX

Share on Facebook

Symi in the London Greek Film Festival

It all happens at once. First, a new washing machine arrives (great excitement, Yiannis Rainbow, Jenine, Habib and Jan all involved in getting here) and the new novel, The Saddling, is about to come out. We can add to that the news that I have a screenplay shortlisted for the London Greek Film Festival in May, plus the film I co-wrote, ‘The 13^th‘ has also been selected for a premiere at the same festival. The next couple of weeks could be very busy. Let’s just draw a breath and look at that in more detail…

The washing machine arrival is perhaps a story for another day. It was all rather sudden and frantic, but it made it to the house thanks to Habib carrying it up from the Olive Tree on his back. No, honestly. More about that another time.

The London Greek Film Festival takes place between 14^th and 20^th May, and I have two things selected for it. First, the short comedy film I wrote as part of my screenplay writing course last year, titled ‘Red Handed’ has been selected as part of the short film script competition. I was only saying yesterday that I doubt it will be selected, but there it is. Mind you, it’s in with about 14 other short scripts which I am sure are much more serious and less ‘frothy’, more producible and actually written by Greek people, but still… The completion is/was open to all scripts written by Greeks, or about Greece and Greek stories no matter the nationality of the writers or filmmakers. It’s a great opportunity for Greece to be seen and promoted through the medium of film and screenplay, documentaries and other moving-image formats.

The film, as regular readers will know, is called ‘The 13^th‘ and my novel, ‘The Judas Inheritance’ is based on my first draft story for this film. The film is different to the book, as films are, but the main set-up and charters are the same. It went through many developments in the scriptwriting phase and then ‘on the ground’ as it was being filmed. I’ve seen it, and it looks stunning, the music, by Michael Bishop, is wonderful, there are a few extras in it who are from Symi (the children who appear in it), and many local Symi folk and residents were involved in its creation here on Symi, where it was all shot.

There is no definite date yet for the screening, that will come in time, and I am sure the Kickstarter backers will soon receive an update. At least I hope they will as not everyone reads this blog or checks that Facebook thing for news. I know that 1066, the production company behind it all, were waiting for some definite news before letting out another update, but now there is news, there should be something formal when more details are known. All we know at the moment is that the film (and my script) are entered. There is a full list of entries here at The London Greek Film Festival website, and I will let you know more news when I have it.

Now it’s back to plumbing in the new washing machine…

But, you can view the official trailer for ‘the 13th’ right here:

Share on Facebook

Weekend catch up

I must fill you in on the weekend. Now then, what happened…?

Well, I approved and uploaded the new cover for ‘The Judas Inheritance’, and you can see it below. Amazon is still showing the original cover as it takes a few days for the changes to filter through their system, but new copies ordered after, say, Thursday, should show the new cover – and that goes for the Kindle version as well. When I can afford to, I will probably also change the covers for ‘Lonely House’ and maybe ‘Remotely.’ I proofread some more chapters for The Saddling, and we are now definitely looking at a release date in May, earlier rather than later, I hope. The cover is done, we are just proofing the final 20 chapters, and then will work on the final layout and uploading. More news will follow on that, of course.

We also went to a barbeque, where it was hot in the sun but cooler in the shade when the sun went down. This was one of those wonderful events where everyone takes something to eat. I was cooking gigantes from nine in the morning, and also added a mushroom quiche to the table; Neil made his famous garlic dip and some fairy cakes for afters.

I spent the weekend up in the village, even finding the time to pop out for a coffee at the Rainbow in the morning. As I tend to work in the mornings at home, I don’t often get out and about before lunch and yet I should. It’s always a treat to walk around the village and see it in morning mode: the bakery being popular, people shopping on their way back from church, men working on repairs and the outside of buildings, in this case getting them ready for summer. There are also the smells of cooking wafting from houses, always a treat. It’s always calm and quiet. Unless you go to the supermarket where things can get a little noisier. I was in a queue at one the other day, the proprietor was chatting on at great length and with great passion about the painting of the steps behind one of the churches. The lady he was talking to had her shopping piled up on the counter, as is usually the case, and neither showed any signs of slowing down or bringing their Great Matter to a conclusion. I was aided and abetted by the assistant behind the deli counter who tried his best to interrupt on my behalf (I only needed a dozen eggs) and, together, we managed to get there in the end. I handed over my couple of euros, and I was on my way, leaving the great debate to rumble on.

A while later, I was having the coffee when the assistant drove through the square carrying four packs of water we had ordered the day before. He gave me a toot and a wave, and I knew exactly where he was going. Others joined me at the table and, after a couple of drinks, I finally got home to find the water waiting on the step. We’ve often found it there after ordering it, sometimes a few hours after it was delivered, and it’s always still been there. That’s one of the good things about living on Symi; your shopping is safe if left outside your door – unless it’s something that might go off in the sun.

So, basically, I had a very pleasant weekend. Some work, some socialising, some sitting and watching and thinking of the next book (loads of ideas, nothing yet that grabs me and drags to towards plotting, as the three recent novels have all done) and some sitting in the sun too. This afternoon (Monday) I may be going for a walk through the Pedi valley if only to get some photos. I’ve not been that way for a couple of weeks and I/we want to see the flowers before they start to fade. Others will take their place, and the valley should be green for a while yet, but soon the summer will start proper and time will slip away, as it does.

Share on Facebook