David Congalton Interview

How exciting would this be?

I had a great time picking screenwriter David Congalton's brain about his movie, Authors Anonymous. I think in any creative endeavor, there's a rich story behind the story, and I'm pleased to be able to share some of that with you. Also, as an author, I feel that I've learned a lot about the publishing industry over the years, but I know nothing about the film industry. I'm fascinated by Mr. Congalton's experience bringing this screenplay to life and I'm so appreciative of his willingness to answer my questions. So thank you, Dave, for allowing me this opportunity! It's been a pleasure to chat with you!

Without further ado, I'm delighted to present my interview with David Congalton!

The Restless Writer (RW) : What sparked the idea for Authors Anonymous and how did you decide to tell the story as a screenplay? (I think in terms of novels or short stories, so screenwriting intrigues me.)

David Congalton (DC): I’m older. I came out from the Midwest to California in 1987 to be a screenwriter and wrote 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 really bad spec scripts in a row. I went nowhere fast, falling on my face and racking up serious debt. Got married, relocated to San Luis Obispo, and shifted my emphasis. I stopped screenwriting totally and signed on at the local newspaper as a reporter, then became a local radio talk show host, freelance magazine writer, and ran a writers conference for 12 years. So I dropped out of Hollywood for about a dozen years. In 2005, my wife and some friends talked me into giving screenwriting one last try. Here’s the difference. Those early scripts truly sucked, but they were also based on big, broad, commercial concepts (“What if…..”). This time around, I drew from my own experience, so the movie I sold, the movie I’m about to sell, and the movie I’m writing now are all more personal. It’s an important lesson that took me a long time to learn. It’s write what you know, so in 2005, what did I know? Writers.

Also, all this is inspired by my relationship with our good friend novelist Catherine Ryan Hyde. Back in 2000, she had this incredible run of fortune, securing an agent, a book deal, a movie deal, and an invitation to the White House for a private screening of “Pay It Forward” with President Clinton. “Pay It Forward” made Catherine a national, if not international celebrity.

And I was jealous. Why was Catherine getting all the attention? My wife Charlotte immediately put me in my place. “Catherine does the work,” she reminded me. “You don’t do the work.”   That kernel of truth and Catherine’s journey became the essence of my script five years later.

RW: I thought each character totally nailed a particular stereotype of writers, or writer wannabes. You must be well acquainted with many writers to capture this so well. What kind of inner circles of writers are you part of?

DC: True confession time. I’ve never been a member of a critique group. Nor would I. Instead, I ran the Central Coast Writers Conference in California for 12 years. I’ve also interviewed a wide range of authors on my radio show over the years, so believe me when I tell you that I know the plight of the unpublished writer, the writer chasing that dream of publication. Yes, I knew a self-published author who had a signing in a hardware store. Yes, I know a writer who is successful, but only graduated high school and feels insecure. Christopher Guest says that comedy is “reality plus one.” I know that sounds obtuse, but I get it. You draw on what is real and you give it a spin, which is what I tried to do throughout.

RW: Like the characters in Authors Anonymous, I'd say most authors are dreaming of scoring a movie deal. How did you get your screenplay off paper and onto the big screen?

DC: Oh, dear. You really don’t want to know. I wrote the first draft of “Scribble” in September 2005. We ended up going into production twice and falling out of production twice (with different casts each time) because the money disappeared (Or never existed to begin with).  We finally were able to secure financing in 2012 when Kaley Cuoco read the script and agreed to star. The producers changed the title to “Authors Anonymous” simply because research shows that movies that begin with an A, B, or C get downloaded more on VOD. I have no idea what this new title means. To me, it will always be “Scribble,” but I’m just the writer. I owe everything to my mentor, the late Cathy Henderson-Martin, who died far too young last November. Cathy was a veteran casting director. I was able to get the script to her and she was able to get things rolling for me. As I always stress in my presentations, it’s all about networking and making connections. Every success I’ve had as a writer (26 years now) is through personal connection. Finally, screenwriting is not for the faint of heart. Your chances of getting a movie produced is about 1 in 5000.  Believe me when I tell you that it will be the single, hardest thing you ever do.

The writing group of Authors Anonymous

RW: When did you find out who had been cast? Did anyone match what you'd envisioned in your head while writing?

DC: I got the word in June 2012 that we would be shooting that August. Everything happened so quickly. Dylan Walsh, Teri Polo, and Jonathan Banks were all cast less than a week before shooting began. Our director was a former casting director so she called in favors all over town and assembled a cast quickly. I have the honor of having written the final role for Dennis Farina who passed away in July 2013. He became John K. Butzin. He was exactly as I  envisioned. The others were all pleasant surprises. I don’t think Dylan Walsh gets enough credit for being Alan. He was amazing to me.

RW: Did you get to visit the set during filming? If so, what's your best story from that experience?

DC: We shot in and around Los Angeles in August 2012 over a 17 day period. I was on set every day, mostly just staying out of the way. The highlight has to be that first day for a first-time screenwriter. We shot all the scenes at Dr. Mooney’s office in a single day (Dylan Walsh was incredible in knocking out scene after scene). But you walk on set for that very first time and you see how the crew has gone into your mind and transformed this doctor’s office in Pacific Palisades into the office of Dr. Alan K. Mooney. I mean, they have certificates with his name framed on the wall. There are photos of him and Colette everywhere.  You have all this stuff in your head and then you’re standing in it, surrounded by actors playing characters you created, saying dialogue you wrote. What a creative rush.

RW: John K. Butzin has quickly become one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

David Congalton with Dennis Farina as John K. Butzin

Even his name is perfect. How did you come up with it?

DC: I remember being online one day and looking at the web site for a university. They had a secretary in a department with the last name of Butzin and I smiled the minute I saw that name. Poor woman, I thought. But I can’t explain my imagination too much. I know I have ADD and my wiring is a bit different than normal—things just pop into my mind. And when I made the decision to do the script, everything just came pouring out. First draft was finished in less than two weeks. There’s a scene where Alan recites names for possible characters into his recorder. Well, those are all names I came up with from my beginning days as a writer back in high school. Oh, by the way, I also wrote previous movie scripts about a dog who becomes human to rescue his kidnapped owner and I also wrote “Frovers.” A lot of the jokes in the movie are clearly personal.

RW: What is your favorite scene from the movie?

DC: There are two that stand out because both are word for word from the script. The first is the scene in front of the Fitzgerald apartment where Henry learns that the love of his life has never heard of his personal hero. That’s followed by the scene in the critique group when Henry is talking about his characters, but really he’s talking about his relationship with Hannah and she shoots him down.  You have to remember that Henry is based on me, so I’m partial to his scenes, but clearly anything with John K. Butzin is money in the bank.

RW: Do you ever think about these characters anymore or is the story finished and only new characters in your head now?

DC: No, I’m done with the writing group. They took seven years of my life, thank you. I will always be grateful. I will never forget, but I’ve moved on, definitely.

RW: I really love this movie. Will there be another from you coming out soon? If so, can you tell us anything about it?

DC: Thank you for asking. Yes! We are currently in pre-production on my next script “Seven Sisters,” a slightly different story about a man who overcomes personal grief by hiking the famed Seven Sisters of Central California. I’m working with a different creative team and it’s all going great. Hope to be shooting later this year. Meanwhile, working on a third script. Always be writing. Always.

RW: They keep asking it in the movie, so I have to ask, who is your favorite author?

DC: I would have to say Richard Brautigan, the San Francisco beat (or off-beat) author, famous for such novels as “Trout Fishing in America” and “In Watermelon Sugar.” I discovered Brautigan back in the ‘70s and he blew my imagination wide open by demonstrating that there were no creative borders. He made me want to become a writer. It’s no coincidence that the famous author in “Authors Anonymous” is named Richard Brodwell. Sadly, Brautigan committed suicide in 1984. He was only 49. I’ve become friends with his daughter Ianthe through Facebook. In terms of nonfiction, Joan Didion is a writing god.

RW: What are your top 5 favorite movies?

DC: It’s nearly impossible for any movie lover to be restricted to only five all-time favorites. My list, emphasizing the beauty of the original screenplay, would certainly include “The Third Man,” “Casablanca,” “Chinatown,” “Local Hero,” “Network,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Sideways” and a little gem of an indie film called “In Search of a Midnight Kiss.” But I could easily name ten, twenty, more.

Authors Anonymous - movie review

All writers must watch this movie.

I don't normally review movies on here, okay, I've never reviewed a movie on here, but I recently saw one that deserves the attention of all writers and anyone who loves a writer.

Thanks to an effective social media ad campaign, I learned about a movie called Authors Anonymous last year. Thanks to the circumstances of life as a working wife/mother, plus writer, I didn't get a chance to watch the movie until a couple weeks ago.

Wow. I had totally been missing out. Authors Anonymous follows the antics of a critique group. Each character totally nails a stereotype of writers and writer wannabes. Frankly, there's a healthy dose of each of these characters in me and I can recognize a lot of incarnations of them from the conferences and author events I've attended.

What I love about this movie is that the characters seem over the top, but they really aren't. Sure, you'll cringe when you see how Colette and Alan try to land a literary agent but that sort of thing, and far worse, happen in real life.

I totally loved the scene when the group goes to a book signing for a bestselling author. He's a complete jerk to most of the group, but ends up having quite a special moment with one of them. I laughed out loud as it reminded me exactly of the experience my writing buddy, Jody Lamb, and I had when we met Henry Winkler at an SCBWI Conference in LA. (Lucky for me, I'm the one who had the glowing moment with Mr. Winkler, but the actual story is that much more entertaining to hear when Jody tells it, juxtaposed with her own experience.)

Each character earned a special place in my writerly heart:

Alan Mooney for his constant supply of ridiculous story ideas and character names.
Colette Mooney for the incredible passion she pours into writing absolute crap.
Hannah, whose dreams are coming true at an alarming pace but she still has self-doubt.
Henry for admiring so many authors and trying so hard but just not being able to sit down and get his story out.
William for trying to exploit the whole misunderstood artistic soul schtick.

And then there's John K. Butzin. First, there's nothing not to love about this guy. A surly veteran, "a decorated combat veteran," John refers to himself exclusively as John K. Butzin and he aspires to be the next Tom Clancy. Finally fed up with rejection, he takes matters into his own hands and goes the self-publishing route. What could summarize the roller-coaster of being an author better than when he looks up his Amazon sales ranking for the first time. Full of hope and ready to knock the socks off of ol' Clancy, he gets a heavy dose of reality. But it doesn't stop him. No sir, not John K. Butzin. I. Love. Him. And he couldn't have been played any better than Dennis Farina does it. That's an Oscar-worthy performance in my book. Too bad I don't have a say in that.

Colette and Alan Mooney in their "dream home"

You may be able to surmise that I really, truly, enjoy this movie. (I may or may not have watched it 3 times within a span of 4 days. Who's to say, really?) So, imagine my delight when I took to Twitter to mention how much I love John K. Butzin and ended up receiving an email from the creator of Mr. Butzin, himself, David Congalton, screenwriter of Authors Anonymous. (Is that awesome, or what?!?) As a result of that, my next post will be an interview with David Congalton because I could not pass up the chance to pick the brain of the man who created the movie I'm currently obsessed with. So, this is my long-winded set up for the interview. While you're waiting for me to post the interview, I suggest you get a copy of the movie and see it for yourself. You're going to love it!

Monica R. Sholar Interview

Well, hello there. It's been a while hasn't it? Only a year or so. But who needs an explanation of that? I have far more interesting information to share.

Who among you likes a good suspense thriller? Okay, I see some hands raised out there. Well, have you heard of Monica R. Sholar? You haven't? Then consider it my pleasure to introduce you. Monica is an all around beautiful, energetic, and inspiring woman that I've had the pleasure to meet and share this crazy writer journey with. She's written The 24th Letter and she literally JUST released her second book, Esoteric Truth. Take a look!

Me and Monica at the Brighton District Library
Local Author Showcase Sept. 2014 

The Restless Writer (RW) : When did you first get the spark of an idea for The 24th Letter? Do you remember what gave you that initial inspiration? 

Monica R. Sholar (MS): The idea for The 24th Letter 

came about because I had written two prior books and

 the genre's were different. I wanted to streamline 

everything since I felt that I was strongest in the 

Suspense-Thriller genre. So, The 24th Letter was 

essentially birthed from all of the best ideas from 

my prior works,as well as research I'd done on law 

enforcement and the X chromosome, which is the 

crux of the plot.

RW: How long did it take you to finish writing the first draft?

MS: There have been countless first drafts, so that's a hard one to answer!
I'd written and re-written it many times. I read an article once about Steven Spielberg. 

He said he reads the Jaws manuscript, which is a cult classic film, and even to this day
there are things in the script he wants to change. That's exactly how I feel and it's why
there are so many "first" drafts.

RW: The book is set in a fictional city, Belle Isle Heights, but modeled after Detroit's 

Belle Isle. Why did you decide to use this for your location?

MS: I love my home town! I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, so my choosing to 

create the storyworld of Belle Isle Heights was sort of a nod of my cap to my hometown. I 

knew that my local readers would appreciate the subtle references I made to Michigan culture, 

such as Coney Dogs and pop, and I wanted to share that culture with my readers who aren't 

located here in the mitten or U.P.

RW: You sure know how to pack on the suspenseful situations for your characters! 

Was it ever difficult for you, as you wrote, to keep putting them in such hard 

situations?

MS: It was incredibly difficult to put the characters in such gut-wrenching positions. 

To me, they are people and it was very emotional to experience certain things like death 

with them. I cried a few times! But I knew that it needed to happen. As a reader of 

Suspense-Thrillers myself, I like to be transported to a world that allows me the thrill of 

feeling the danger--from the safety of my sofa! That's what I want to give my readers. I 

want them to walk on the wild side and have their pulses pound with anticipation. 

It keeps them turning the pages to find out how in the world the character will 

survive--if they even do. See what I did there; even my response had to have a little 

suspense. LOL.

RW: You have a new book in your Belle Isle Heights 

series coming out this month, what can readers expect from 

this new adventure?

MS: Esoteric Truth is the newest member of the Belle Isle Heights 

family, and it was released on March, 1st. It's my favorite, (but don't 

tell The 24th Letter!) I think that as I write each book, each will 

become my favorite, because I grow each time.The readers can expect to see not
only my growth as a writer, but also the growth of the characters. They have been
through a lot, so we'll get to see what they do with the lessons they've learned. Also, I
really wanted to amp up the action! So there are gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and
thrills at every turn. You'll definitely need a seatbelt and hard-hat on when you read this one!

RW: Would you say it was harder, or easier, to write a second book?

MS: Writing the second book was much harder! I felt immense pressure to best myself and 

to not be redundant. I also felt a need to stay true to the characters and make sure that their 

stories were advanced. What I don't like is reading books in a series which tell the same 

stories over and over in a different sequence. So, I worked really hard to make sure I wasn't 

doing that. My readers deserve the effort.

RW: Will we see any of the same characters in Esoteric Truth or is it an entirely new cast? 

MS: Esoteric Truth is a mixed cast of old and new. And the newbies surely do not disappoint!

RW: Are there any authors, in particular, who've inspired your own writing style?

MS: I am inspired by so many people, not just authors. Anyone who has a passion for their 

craft, inspires me. I'd have to say my biggest inspirations were James Patterson with his older 

works, Elmore Leonard, Terry McMillan, and Michael Jackson. He's not a writer but he's a 

phenomenal storyteller in song and in dance. I'd love to be the MJ of Suspense-Thrillers.

RW: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, are there any songs in particular 

you associate with The 24th Letter and Esoteric Truth? 

MS: No music while writing. It's too distracting. I grew up singing in the choir when I 

was little. My mom was the choir director and was very strict in making sure we sang the 

right notes. If I listened to music while writing, I'd be too busy critiquing the pitches, or 

harmonizing with the singers. LOL. Sometimes I leave the television on super low volume,
just to have a little background noise. But for the most part, I write in complete silence so that I can
hear the voices in my head. I'm not crazy, the voices are just the characters telling me their life stories.

RW: Did you have to do any sort of research in order to write these books? Any 

memorable moments from your research you'd care to share?

MS: Yes, lots of research. I wanted to make sure that my information was sound. 

So I've done interviews with federal agents, police officers, nurses, etc… to make 

sure that the procedures and processes that I describe are true. I'd hate to have an 

agent read my story only to say, "That's not how that would happen!" I did my best 

to not get that response. The most memorable moment was interviewing my family 

member, who happens to be a federal agent!

RW: How can readers can get in touch with you and stay informed of your appearances 

and writing projects? 

MS: I love keeping in contact with my readers! The best places to find me are on my 

Facebook fan page as Monica R. Sholar Author, on Twitter as monicasholar, and via my 

website at: www.monicasholar.com. The site is always up-to-date with the schedule of my 

appearances, photos of signings, and of course, purchase information for the books!

Thank you so much, Monica for stopping by and answering some questions. I hope you'll 

reach a ton of new fans! 

Valentine's Day Tonya Kappes Interview

Happy Valentine's Day! First, my valentine to you is that I'm giving away my YA short story, Kiss of Death, for free today through the 16th. Be sure to get your copy now! Hope you love it! But that's not your only Valentine treat today. USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes is here and she's generously offered to give away a copy of her brand new YA novel, Tag...You're It!

(details at the end of the post)

It is my pleasure to introduce you to super talented author and marketing whiz, Tonya Kappes. If you aren't familiar with her, you're in for a treat! If you want to have some fun, you need to connect with Tonya. Seriously. Like her Facebook page and join her Street Time. It's a riot! So much positive energy and fun and she does the coolest events for her readers. Don't take my word for it. Sign up!

Become a member of Tonya’s STREET TEAM! It’s a gathering place of readers who love Tonya Kappes novels and Tonya gives away monthly prizes! To sign up for Tonya’s STREET TEAM, newsletter, view book trailer, and upcoming news, check out Tonya’s website, Tonyakappes.com.

And be sure to stalk her on Facebook and Twitter!

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USA Today Bestselling Author, Tonya Kappes writes humorous cozy mystery and women’s fiction that involves quirky characters in quirky situations. Not only have her novels made the USA Today bestsellers list, but they are an Amazon Top 100 author, Amazon Movers and Shakers, and International bestsellers.

Strung Out To Die and A Charming Crime are USA Today bestselling novels.

Splitsville.com, the first novel in the Olivia Davis Mystery Series, is a double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories.

Carpe Bead ‘em is 2012 winner in Amazon’s eFestival of Words in the Women’s Fiction Category.

A Charming Crime, the first novel in the Magical Cures, is the 2013 eFestival of Words in the Fantasy Category Winner.

A New Tradition the Indie Romance Convention 2013 novella of the year.

When not being the princess, queen, and jester of her family of three teenage boys, an adoring husband, and three fury kids, she travels to various writing groups as guest speaker on “How to Market and Promote Your Novels Effectively,” where she is known as a marketing guru.

Now, without further ado, I present Tonya Kappes!

Restless Writer: (RW) I am in awe of the vibrant and fun street team of fans you've assembled. How did you go about getting it off the ground and how long did it take until it became the thriving community it is today?

Tonya Kappes: (TK) A few years ago I started receiving a ton of reader mail, which I love. They continually asked what they could do to help spread the words about my novels. I decided to start a street team on yahoo loop and it was a place where we talked about EVERYTHING...not just my books. We became a little family. I knew I wanted to give back to them so I started to have Facebook street team parties, which no other authors were doing at the time and it took off like a rocket. BUT we have continued to be a close group. I show up every single day! I am personal with them! I LOVE them. That is what this writing gig is all about. 

RW: More and more authors are choosing the indie path to publishing. How did you reach the decision to do this with your books?

TK: When my first publisher thought they knew what the best marketing was for ME, I knew they were wrong. I could not let someone take me down a road I knew was not going to help me. So...we parted ways only two weeks away from publication. After I cried my eyes out, I got my head screwed on straight and took a look at self publishing. Self publishing was such a taboo at the time, this was four years ago, and writers were telling me I was crazy and I was going to burn my writing career. I rolled my eyes because NO ONE tells me I can't do something. I took the bull by the horns and had that book, Carpe Bead 'em, out on the day of the release. READERS have no clue how a book is published. They don't care as long as the book is good.

RW: It seems like you have an awesome new book out every few months! You are a wife and mother, what is your writing schedule like?

TK: I write every single day at least 2-5k words a day. They might not be GREAT words, but they are words that I can go back and change. I write full time so my kids and hubby are at school/work. I get up at 5:30 when my hubby leaves for work. I do all my business stuff until 8 am. My three teenagers can get themselves off to school by themselves now ;) 8-10 am I write and write. Around ten, I eat breakfast and shower only to sit back down by 11 and stay there until 1 pm. Then I grab my dogs and take a 2-3 mile walk, eat lunch, catch up on Days of Our Lives and back at the computer by 2. From 2-4 pm I write. I turn off the computer around 4 because my hubby and kids are home, plus I love to watch the Wendy Williams Show at 4 :) There are times in there where I jump on my Facebook to check in with readers or email.

RW: Your book with Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, The Tricked-Out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs, is full of great marketing strategies for authors. What do you think is the most valuable thing a writer can do to give them the best chance at success?

TK: Write, write, and write. 

RW: In this day and age, social media seems like a holy grail of (free) marketing possibilities. Authors seem to rise to stardom overnight because of social media. There has to be more to the story. Can you offer a reality check on your experiences with social media marketing and the effort and/or costs it takes to achieve success? 

TK: You have to show up every day. That's it. Be present. Be relatable. You have to have a presence. If you only do one social media~DO IT WELL! 

RW: You just published your first YA novel, Tag, You're It!. It's right up my alley, a teen girl who loses her best friend in a car crash but becomes connected to, and annoyed by, her friend's ghost. What made you decide to try YA and can readers expect more in this genre? (I hope so!)

TK: I have three teenage boys who are all in high school. I'm around so many girls...not by choice ;) Of course they all like to talk and hang out with me and I hear all sorts of drama (I'm soooo glad I have all boys!). I'm pretty good at relating to them and easy to talk to. I understand the young adult mind. So many writers ask me why I haven't written a YA and my standard reply was, "I live it...why would I write it?" Then I started to think...hmmmm....Low and behold Tag. . .You're IT was written and given to some of those teenage girls to read. They loved it so here it is :) 

YES! There will be more in the series.

RW: What kind of writer are you, a planner or a pantser?

TK: Panster!

RW: Name some of your favorite authors who really inspire you.

TK: EECK....I can't do that.

RW: I absolutely adore your book covers! Who designs them?

TK: I have several designers for each series. Tag was done by two different designers.

RW: Can you tell us what you're working on now?

TK: I'm working on a new mystery series called Yellow Cab Capers where my sleuth drives a taxi. It's fuuuuunny!!!!!

RW: You do a lot of cool reader events. Where will you be next? 

TK: I love my readers! I travel at least once a month. Check out my events page on my website at www.tonyakappes.com to check out my next event.

 Thank you so much, Tonya!

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