Bullies Aren't Always Your Enemy.

Bullying doesn't always come in the form of teenage students making fun of you in the halls of your high school. It's a wide-spread pandemic breeding inside social networks. It used to be if you were being bullied, you at least got a reprieve while you were away from school. Not anymore. Technology has seen to that. Teens are so immersed into social networking that it has become the window that bullies climb through without hesitation. Teens build fake accounts on FB, Twitter, MySpace, or any number of other sites in order to ridicule or taunt a fellow student.

Now the teen can't get away from it at all and girl bullies use tactics that are far more emotionally damaging than two girls pulling hair after school. "Mean Girls" as they've become known in the lexicon of our time, love to send silent threats, where it's what they don't say that can push a teen over the edge causing her to do the unthinkable and end her life. Many don't get the suicide is the only release they know to end the daily suffering. It's sickening that people actually get enjoyment from tearing down another person. Reducing them to the point where they feel so worthless, they are given one of two choices...fight back or give up. 

While I was aware of bullying when I wrote, "Forever ME" I never realized how much I didn't know about it until I began to talk to teens who had faced it head on. Girls are 100% in agreement, that the way boys bully and girls are completely different. Boys it's almost always a physical threat, with girls...the attack is psychological.  The mean girls don't want to just make the teen they are after afraid, they want to demean her, and make her feel like her self worth is less than zero. To them the thought of her killing herself is viewed as a form of entertainment. And should this teen actual give up and commit suicide, these girls will enjoy a brief moment of victory and then as if it were a breeze on their shoulder...move on to the next victim. 

However the one place we don't expect bullies to stalk and taunt us is in our home. More often than not, parents can be worse than strangers, due in large to the fact there is no one there to stop them. They're your parents, you have to listen to them. But before we go further let me say, there's a huge difference to discipline a kid who is out of control and beating down a child simply because you're bigger than they are. Parental bullying often comes in the form of a step-parent. One who wishes you weren't part of the equation and if they have a bitterness towards the absent father or mother then usually the child is the target of their rage. And we wonder what has become of our world. Sibling bullying is another form of terror that often goes unnoticed. The teen who is being attacked often won't say anything because they know eventually they are going to be all alone with the bully and fear the worst. It brought me to the question; "Why don't teens tell someone when they are being attacked?"

1. Fear of reprisal.

2. Telling someone means they are weak and they don't want to be looked on as a snitch.

3. The parent/teacher or adult either thinks it's not serious or thinks they're just trying to get attention. 

What's worse is when an adult tries to put it on the teen to deal with it...with insane instructions like: Just ignore them... Stomp on their foot...(really? Stomp on their foot?) Just avoid them.

When the parent should march themselves to the school and demand to see the teacher and principal together. 

Telling is not as simple as it sounds though. Persecuted teens for some reason feel like it's their cross to bear and they should accept it. This is how guns get brought to school...out of fear, how kids snap and go on a rampage...

Kids get into fights, but the days of two teens getting into it after school to simply settle their differences is over. Teen fights have now become the new Pay-Per-View event, where everyone with a cell phone is there to record it so it can be played over and over again adding more psychological damage to the bullied teen.

We have to find a way to encourage our teens to TELL SOMEONE if they are getting bullied.

There's no shame in telling. I've said in recent interviews about my book "If someone is bullying you and you're scared... PLEASE TELL SOMEONE! If that person won't listen, TELL SOMEONE ELSE! IF no one in your life listens, TELL ME! I will listen!" And I mean that, because it will not go away on its own.

Forever ME Nominated for Best YA Novel of 2013!

One of the great surprises of being a writer is when you see one of your friends get recognized for their work. Naturally you are excited for them, because it shows their quality of storytelling has reached someone and inspired them in a way that it merits being publicly awarded or acknowledged. What's even more exciting when you find out attention has been called to your work as well!

Such was the case for me yesterday. My long time personal friend and fellow author, M.E. Franco announced her book, "Where Will You Run" was nominated for an award with the eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair, recognizing the best in Indie writing for 2013. She provided a link, like you do when you want people to know, you're not just talking out of your bee-hind. So I looked and sure enough there she was! (Not that I ever would have doubted her word.) So I see the list of nominees and to my happiness I see more author friends being called to attention too. Michelle Muto, For "The Haunting Season" in Horror, (A great book that I loved reading this year.) Muto is also up for best YA for "Don't Fear The Reaper" another favorite novel of mine.

So it was great seeing my friends and their works getting noticed, because without a doubt they all deserve it. They work very hard at their craft and do not slack at all. But then something astounding happened. As I was looking at the YA category I saw MY name and MY book, "Forever ME"....what? Wait? Is that possible? Sure enough it was....Now mind you I didn't even know this organization existed and how I got nominated is a complete mystery to me, but I am grateful, and humbled by it.

When I was in the theatre, I belonged to an organization that competed over 100 theaters against one another and I was privileged to be nominated as an actor many times, but I always wanted to win as a playwright. Because It meant more to me to have my writing acknowledged than it did my acting. Several of my plays were up for an award but sadly I never got one.  I used to think If I could just get that damn award, I would be vindicated as a writer. But my business partner pointed out to me, "You are vindicated every time an audience comes back and pays to see a show you've written. They know it's your show, your name is on the program. When you hear the laughter, that's your award, the applause, that's your award."  He was right!

So this time, I can truly be happy with just being nominated, I don't need to win to know, someone out there believes in my writing. Thank you who ever it was who made this possible for my friends and I and I promise to keep writing the best books I can!

Good Luck to all the fellow nominees, I am honored to be mentioned among you!

Write From The Heart

I've read the statement, write the kind of books you'd like to read. I've also read, forget writing from your heart...just write commerically. All authors have one goal in common, we're telling a story. So how do some stories strike like a wicked bolt of lightening and begin flying off the shelves or filling e-readers around the world? 

The answer is—there's no answer. 

The truth is however, everyone buys a book for a different reason and your book not selling doesn't mean your writing is bad, it means you haven't found your audience and or gained enough exposure. While getting on the front page of ENT or Pixel Of Ink will give your book a boost..it's pretty much momentary. As your post slides down the feed and disappears so do your sales along with it. Some sales will lag along..but without taking any action you're pretty much back to 1-20 sales for the month again. 

But back to my topic's title. Earlier this week while watching "The Voice" with my wife, I heard a guy sing the song, "I just haven't met you yet." (That may not be the title) He sang great, he was spot on the notes pretty much, but no one turned around. I was surprised by this unil I heard one of the judges tell him..."All I heard was you singing a song." And I thought...well isn't that the point? But no it wasn't. Anyone can sing a song, good or bad, but it's what you do with those lyrics that are going to make the judges hit that button and spin those chairs or not. Same rule applies to writing. Your judges are readers and even though some never turn their chair, try not to take it personally, consider you might be singing in a genre they don't care for. 

Before I began to write novels, I wrote comedy for the live theatre. Full length plays. Mostly British farces. The shows I wrote from my heart, the shows that made me laugh while writing them, usually were hit shows and audience pleasers. The shows where I forced the comedy and TRIED to be funny, usually fell flat on it's face. The audience knew and so did the reviewers. Readers can tell when you're putting them on. But it's not always bad news to write something that isn't your best work because it teaches what not to do next time and hopefully if you do start to do it again, you will recognize it and avoid it. 

So, my current novel, "Forever ME" is from the heart. So much so I actually cried writing the final two chapters. I allowed myself to become consumed into the world I created and it was an experience that far exceeded my comedy writing. "Forever ME" is inspired by true events, when I learned about a group of amazing girls from a Texas high school who took the subject of how you look and turned it on it's head, I was awestruck. The five minute segment on the morning news was all I needed to be off and running. The book is now just beginning to gain some ground, but at the same time, it's my desire to keep alive the message these young women so boldy embraced. Will this sell more books? Who can say, but if I never sold another copy, I learned and grew as a writer and that is always a step in the right direction.

Roger Corman—It's All Your Fault!

As I get closer to finishing my next novel, the YA drama, FOREVER ME, and 5 months and 3 days from turning 50! I began to think about how was it, I became a writer? In most interviews I tell about the tale of being taken to Disney's Haunted Mansion in 1973 and how my experience there made me want to write scary stories so I could make enough money to buy my mom a house. While that story is true, it's not completely accurate as to how and why I truly ended up becoming an author. Oh sure I always wanted to be an actor too. I followed that dream, and worked in movies, independent television and even became a full time theatrical producer for about a decade. But outside of my love for acting, film editing, directing and producing. I always come back to being a writer. And while perusing NetFlix yesterday, I saw an old gem of a movie that takes me back to where for me, it all began.
It's 1971 and my older sister is on a date with her boyfriend at the time. Where do most couples go in the age of post hippies, and free love? Where else, to the Drive-In. Well my mom was no fool, she knew what couples do at the Drive-In, and so, guess who got to see a whole bunch of R Rated movies at the age of 8? I guess my mom should have known they weren't going to see the latest kid flick, and certainly not at The Motor Movies on old Hwy 50! (That's where they show all the booby movies!) Well it was also where you could see all the scariest movies of the time too. I remember seeing the trailers for, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte in Re-Release co featured with the new Alan Alda film, The Mephisto Waltz.

Anyway, I digress. The whole point of sending me was so my sister couldn't shag in the car. I think maybe perhaps they were always hoping I'd fall asleep, but I'm television generation baby! I don't go to sleep when there's scary stuff and boobs on the screen!  So tonight's feature is Roger Corman's exploitation drama, The Big Doll House, starring a very unknown at the time, Pam Grier. (Yep Rosie's cousin for those of you who follow football and knitting.) Now I haven't seen this picture since 1971 and I'm sure by today's movie standards, it's pretty much a turd. Hell even then it probably was too. But who's keeping score. It's a basic woman's prison movie, only it was set in the Philippines. But it had this crazy lady warden who used some sort of electric device to shock women into submission..and oddly enough shocking them in well...shall we say specific regions. (I'm thinking Frankenstein here kids and nothing more.)
Anyway there's guns, boobs, girl fights, boobs, explosions and yep...more boobs. However, not to be infantile about my mammaries of days gone by. (boob joke in case you missed it.) You have to remember on a screen that big, every girl is Chesty Morgan! The girl with the 73 inch set of knockers. The basic story always stayed with me. A group of people caught in a bad situation forced to die or form a plan to escape. So for me I have to say, thanks, Roger Corman, for making a cheap movie, shown on a cheaper screen in the cheapest of seats, an 8 year old boy was inspired to one day become an author and learn to not objectify woman in spite of the frontal assaults on my eyes. So love or hate my work, either way, it's all Roger Corman's fault. And when I cash my first five figure royalty check, I'm going to tell him so!

UK Model Will Be The Face of Hannah Richards in FOREVER ME

U.K. Model, Zoe Harrington has signed on to be the face in the forthcoming YA novel by Thomas Amo, entitled, FOREVER ME.


Creating the right cover for a book is important, as it sets the tone, but finding the right face is crucial to giving the book a life of its own. 


Many authors don't like to use models to represent the face of their main character as they feel sometimes it stifles the reader's mental idea of what that particular character looks like. The argument might be, write good details and the readers won't need a face, but me personally, I am drawn to covers that use a face. It's no different than a movie poster, it is an enticement to draw a prospective viewer or reader in this case. Not that I can't imagine the characters in my mind but if the author has decided to show me, and I'm agreeable to it, then all the better for me as I dig into the story.


I'm sure there are as many books that do just fine with a plain cover, but me personally, I want to give the reader a serious reason to want to pick up my work, and let's face it (no pun intended) who doesn't like a pretty face?


Zoe is an author as well and she totally gets the idea of knowing what your characters look like from the outset. I was thrilled beyond words when she agreed to become the face of sixteen-year old, Hannah Richards. We talked about what Hannah was like, and her habits, then we shared some ideas and the result is going to be a gorgeous cover. The book is scheduled for a Spring 2012 release, pending edits. It is ironic that a model named Zoe is going to be the face of my next female lead considering my last novel is titled An Apple For Zoe. And yes there have been times where I nearly called her Hannah because whenever I think of Hannah, I see Zoe...I suppose the good thing is the model for An Apple For Zoe wasn't named Hannah! Then I'd really be a mess.

OFFICIAL UPDATE January 26, 2012

Just In Time For Spring Break!

Here's an advance peek at the teaser poster for my upcoming YA Novel.

HIGH SCHOOL IS HARD ENOUGH JUST BEING YOURSELF 

LET ALONE TRYING TO BE SOMEONE YOU'RE NOT

An Apple For Zoë Almost hits top 100 on Amazon!

Friday night was pins and needles to be sure! Those amazing folks over at ENT were very kind and gave me a PR love. The result after 8 hours An Apple For Zoe was ranked at #183 in the entire Amazon store!! I gasped OMG can I actually get into the top 100 (paid). Well that was as close as I got..but in the immortal words of Commander Cody from Hot Rod Lincoln...."Man, what a ride!"

I know some of you may be saying "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. But when you're an indie author it does count to you. You can write the best book in the world and it doesn't matter one bit if it can't the right exposure or the breaks to get past the point of no return.

I even noticed at one point I was in 2nd place in Horror to Stephen King...The Kingster...really? Wow. Of course  I'm proving photos to prove I was there. Otherwise it didn't happen right?

So you can see on pic #1 I'm in the # 2 spot and in pic #2 I'm at #183 in the entire Amazon Store!!



































Now For me, what I of course would love to happen is (yes get on the top 100 list) but just be able to sell enough books everyday to allow me to work freely as a writer.  If certain other Kindle authors have managed it, then why can't I? Why can't you?  Only circumstances get in our way and our own fears.
So thank you everyone who bought the book, tweeted me, liked me, and commented. All of this is because of your generosity!
Thanks!

Your friendly neighborhood writer man!