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Welcome
Happy New Year!
Not sure how weeks and even months can zip by in literally a blink of an eye, but I guess that’s the norm these days. Welcome to 2019, when I’m sure the calendar will continue to turn just as quickly as last year.
When people ask me, “How’s the book writing going?” I have to be honest and say “I’m behind.”
The main reason is because of the four film shorts I wrote, produced and directed this summer, when I decided to take time off from writing to concentrate on them and entering film festivals. And we’re having some successes! Here is the latest update on film competitions:
“Time’s Up: She Said, He Heard” has been selected for screening in the Chandler International Film Festival Jan. 17-21, time and date to be determined.
The Worldwide Women’s International Film Festival has selected “L.N. Pane, P.I.” to be shown at 6:45 pm, Fri., Feb. 8 in Harkins Shea theater #7; with “Like Breathing” and “Time’s Up: She Said, He Heard” will play at 5:45 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 9 in theater #5.
The COPA Shorts Film Fest will screen “Like Breathing” during its festival Feb. 23-24, time and date to be determined.
“Like Breathing” won an Award of Recognition: Public Service Programming / PSA; and “Time’s Up: She Said, He Heard” received an Award of Recognition: Film Short. Info: www.BestShorts.net. In addition, “Time’s Up: She Said, He Heard” also won a “Special Mention” award in the Global-Shorts.net international short film festival: https://www.global-shorts.net/special-mentions/
You can see the videos on my website www.HonuProductions.com. Thanks to my talented musician and editor son, Devon Hancock (www.DevonJHancock.com) for all his help!
I thought I’d get back to writing this fall, but when my elderly parents started needing more help, we decided to move them to Chandler, where they will be much closer to me. So that took a bite out of my writing time.
The next project that may reduce my writing time a bit is the second stage production of “Boa Babes,” a “dramedy with music” I wrote with four long-time girlfriends, about how we met, our lives and growing older. It will be performed at the Herberger Theater’s LunchTime Theater on Mon., March 11 at 7 pm, then on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday March 12, 13 and 14 and 19, 20 and 21 from noon to 1 p.m. It’s a fun show where you will laugh, maybe cry, enjoy great music and come out of the theatre vowing to keep your own friendships going. Tickets go on sale Feb. 11 at https://herbergertheater.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=833.
Despite all that, 2019 will see me back on schedule with “Bleeder,” the third book in the “Behind the Mic Mysteries.” It’s the continuing saga of intrepid radio reporter, Lisa Powers, who covers the trial of the cop shooter from the Dead Air book. The story will be a fictionalized version of an actual case I covered during my television crime reporting days and will be “moved on a change of venue” to Prescott. I can include details about the lovely mountain town that is my second home. Lisa will also cover a domestic violence case, and the podcast is tentatively entitled “Art of the Steal,” about a crime in an art gallery.
Meanwhile, I now have two audio books for “Fade Out” and “Dead Air,” both available on Audible and Amazon. My son, audio production engineer Devon J. Hancock, handled all the editing and mastering duties, as well as adding sound effects and original music.
If you like crime fiction mysteries, check out the novella “Deadly Misfire,” by Short on Time Books (www.ShortOnTimeBooks.com), which is available on Amazon. It’s the story of a mysterious man who stalks reporter Lisa Powers at a radio convention, and every day ramps up threats against her. She and her co-worker/boyfriend Dean Jeffries fear for her life as tensions build on the final night with an awards presentation for which Lisa is in the running with another reporter from New York, who coincidentally looks similar to Lisa. Info: https://tinyurl.com/BuyDeadlyMisfire.
“Dead Air,“ book #2 in the “Behind the Mic Mysteries,” is now available in both e-book and print on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/BuyDeadAir. In addition, the audio book for Fade Out is is also online at Amazon and Audible.
Dead Air cover by Tad Smith of The Design Idea
The cold case Lisa works on is a 15-year-old sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl, who is now 19. The young victim has not had any closure all this time, and Lisa is determined to help her find the rapist.
Lisa’s “podcast,” which she writes for fun at night after covering gritty crime stories during the day, is a “film noir” style story of a 1940s private eye and a dame. Only L. N. Pane, P.I. is the dame and the gentleman seeks help finding out why someone is out to kill him.
There are other stories Lisa covers in “Dead Air,” and as well as a new potential love interest for our heroine.
I had a great time narrating my audio books, and my talented son, Devon Hancock, who is seriously into audio production, did all the editing, mastering, uploading, etc. The “podcast” portion of the book has the bonus of professional actors, original music and sound effects. It will not be your “normal” audio book! Devon also created original music for me, came up with good additional sound effects and I’m so proud of the great work he did.
You can hear a recent interview on Golden State Media Concepts, about my books, my background and many other subjects, includin
g my latest novella called “Deadly Misfire,” one of seven stories in a multi-author series called “Tawnee Mountain Mysteries.” Check out the podcast and blog cast at https://t.co/9WfsjTFBYw
For more details about my other novels, check out the “Novels” page above.
Equalizer cover by Tad Smith of The Design Idea
Fade Out cover by Tad Smith of The Design Idea
There’s additional information about my writing on my Amazon Author Page at amazon.com/author/lauriefagen. I would greatly appreciate a short review there, as my publisher says “it’s all about the algorithms” on Amazon.
Make sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter so you stay informed about my speaking engagements, contests, and other details. Visit the “contact page” to sign up.
“Fade Out” and “Dead Air” are available at Chandler public libraries; Sibley’s West Gifts, Chandler; Dog-Eared Pages, Phoenix; Peregrine Book Company, Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery and Prescott Library, Prescott
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