DJ is Writing: festivals

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Slowly, But Surreality Part 3

It's a bit of an agonizing wait when updates keep dribbling in over the course of weeks, even days. That's what I've been going through over the entire summer!

But this is a good thing, because those updates continue to foster progress on several fronts.

My short Pwned has progressed to finalist status at Shriekfest. Check out their website for tickets and event passes for the festival. There are some great horror indie features and shorts in the lineup. Save the date for some horrific fun - September 30th through October 2nd.

Surreality is moving along, still slowly but surely. I'm still looking forward to the next phase of development.

Finally, option/sales negotiations for that unnamed feature of mine is close to being complete. I'm looking forward to seeing it happen - and to getting the pic made!

That's it for now. Keep writing!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Paranoia Film Fest

On the weekend of March 13th-15th, 2009, there is a horror and scifi film festival taking place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. If you want to find out more, or buy tickets for the event, you can log onto www.paranoiafest.com .

This is their first annual festival, and it looks like fun. Of course, the main reason I bring it up is that one of my scripts has made it to the finalist list of their screenplay competition. A Good Soul. Yay!

The Latest Book -- Perfect Sacrifices -- The Kirkus Review

This third installment of Johnson’s Perfect Prophet supernatural thriller series finds family and friends caught in a cult’s web of rituals and retribution. Devil worshipping death-metal guitarist Alec Lowell left all that behind to become a faith healer. In the same vein, his Satanist half-brother, Lucas, lives a quiet life in a Wisconsin cemetery after leaving a cult. But now cult members want Lucas as a sacrifice for “the Dark One.” When they snatch Ally Reeves, an innocent teen girl, Lucas is convinced it’s to draw him into the open. He rushes to help her, but she isn’t the only person these vicious people have their sights on: It’s not long before others in the half-brothers’ orbit are in jeopardy, including Alec’s ex-wife, Belinda, and their son, Jake, as well as Jake’s girlfriend, Maggie. Lucas isn’t on the best of terms with everyone—as a member of the cult, he once kidnapped Jake “with some deranged notion to repent for his sins.” Nevertheless, they’ll need to rely on one another to stand against a group of merciless killers. As in the series’ previous installments, the story is bleak and violent, sometimes graphically so (“Shein’s abductor pried open his jaw while the female assistant grabbed hold of the tongue with a spring clamp…”). The narrative moves at a blistering pace, dishing out copious twists throughout rather than saving them for the final act. This sequel nudges the spotlight away from the half-brothers and allows the outstanding supporting cast to shine, especially Belinda and Maggie. The supernatural elements are understated; magic is in play but no single character is all powerful (that doesn’t make the villains any less horrifying as they seemingly come out of nowhere). The author deftly integrates pre-existing subplots and character relationships, but readers may want to check out the preceding books first to avoid spoilers. While a fourth installment is possible, this one concludes on a satisfying note. A somber, kinetically charged, character-driven sequel. -- Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/diane-m-johnson/perfect-sacrifices/