A Miscellany of Updates

There's been lots going on that I have wanted to share with you over the past weeks. But it's been too much for me to write into individual posts and too much for you to read as individual posts. So, instead, I've created this digest of capsule updates that will answer some of the questions you've been asking me and bring you up-to-date with some of the cool things going on over here...


1. The Q'ntana Trilogy: Complete At Last...
Sort of...

I was minding my own business last week, working on a first draft of my MoonQuest Musical (see #3, below), when The SunQuest shouted, "Publish me!!"

Although The SunQuest, final installment in my Q'ntana Trilogy of fantasy novels, had been finished for some months, it had never felt time to release it into the world. After all, I had just published The StarQuest (book II) in June. I thought I might wait at least until my birthday in October. But, no. Apparently, when it's time, it's time! So Book III is now available, completing a journey that begin for me in March 1994, when the first words of the first draft of a MoonQuest novel I knew nothing about dropped onto my blank page.

Of course, the journey is not entirely over. There's still The Q'ntana Trilogy Movies and now, it seems, The Q'ntana Trilogy Musicals. But more about those in a moment. For now, all you need to know is that now you can discover the Q'ntana story's gripping and startling conclusion (it was even startling to me as I was writing it!).



Two Men, A Single Destiny: 

Ben, grandson of Q'ntana's greatest elderbard, and Bo'Ra K'n, whose tyranny has ruled Q'ntana for generations. 

Whose vision will triumph?



• Get The SunQuest: The Q'ntana Trilogy, Book III today in the Kindle, Nook and Kobo stores for your e-reader, tablet, computer and smartphone. (The SunQuest will be available in the iBookstore in the next days or weeks.) Why today? Read on to find out...


2. The Q'ntana Trilogy: 
Super-Duper Labor Day Sale!

To celebrate the release of The SunQuest, all three Q'ntana Trilogy books are on sale this Labor Day weekend -- for only US$2.99 each!!

Find out why these books have been so popular that some readers read them again and again. And get your copies today!! (Kindle, Nook, Kobo stores.)

While you're picking up your Q'ntana books, be sure to check out my other titles:
• Acts of Surrender: A Writer's Memoir
• The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write (also available in paperback at Amazon.com)
• Writer's Block Unblocked: 7 Surefire Ways to Free Up Your Writing and Creative Flow
• The Book of Messages: Writings Inspired by Melchizedek


3. The Q'ntana Trilogy: Movies & Musicals

In brief, the film project is still moving forward! Like all epic screen productions, though, it takes time to get everything in place...but we're working on it. The good news is that not only is there lots of enthusiasm out there for the project, but there have also been some pretty amazing developments in recent months. As things progress, I'll do my best to keep you posted!

If you follow this blog regularly, you'll know that I began work on a stage-musical adaptation of The MoonQuest a few weeks back. My goal is to continue with The StarQuest and The SunQuest as well, creating a third version of the trilogy! If you missed my original post about the stage project, you'll find it here.

Meantime, revisiting a trio of stories that is so much a part of my inner story has definitely pushed buttons as I get to relive, in my own life, all three stories' major themes. It's turning out to be quite the journey! I'm sure I'll have more to say about that in the coming weeks.


4. Pulling the Plug on My "Electric Muse" Radio Show

My Electric Muse radio show is no more. The show had a great run of nine episodes through June and July, with a stellar roster of creative guests. But when the hosting network and I failed to agree on the best way to move forward, we called it quits.

The good news, though, is that you can still tune in to those great shows. You'll find links to all nine episodes in this blog post.

The even-better news is that I have now interviewed the guests I had scheduled for August and September shows, and I am turning those conversations into a series of video chats that I have dubbed One-on-One with Mark David Gerson. Three of them are already on my YouTube channel, and three more are on their way.

Here's the One-on-One conversation I had with The Secret's Bob Doyle (use this link if the embedded player doesn't show up for you)...

Here are the other One-on-One guests already featured on my YouTube Channel...
• New York Times bestselling mystery author J.A. Jance: Find out why she never outlines, how she took literary revenge on the creative writing prof who barred her from his program ("creative writing isn't for girls") and where she got the idea for her newest mystery, Second Watch, and her first book of poetry, After the Fire, both of which hit bookstores on September 10.
• Vocal coach Sally Morgan: Find out why nearly everyone dreads public speaking and get some quick-and-easy tools to grow both your skill and confidence when speaking before a group...tools that will also help you with all your creative pursuits!

And coming up in the next weeks...
• Mystery writer Ellen Hart, whose newest release, Taken by the Wind, releases on my birthday!
• Author Susan M. Heim, who has authored 10 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including this summer's Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers: 101 Motivational Stories for Writers - Budding or Bestselling - from Books to Blogs
• Publisher/author/filmmaker Michael Wiese, whose new memoir, Onward and Upward: Reflections of a Joyful Life, is guaranteed to move, entertain and inspire you!
Watch for these three new videos, coming soon to www.youtube.com/markdavidgerson!


5. And Speaking of Videos...

There are lots more inspiring new videos on my YouTube channel, in addition to the new One-on-One interviews. For example, I've added Let Judgment Go, a short meditation in the spirit of my popular You Are A Writer (now approaching 13,000 views!). Like You Are A Writer, it features an audio track drawn from my recording, The Voice of the Muse Companion: Guided Meditations for Writers, and visuals from my photography.  

Other new videos include readings from Acts of Surrender: A Writer's Memoir, tips to help you overcome writer's block, an updated book trailer for The MoonQuest and readings from both The StarQuest and The SunQuest. I hope you'll check them out!

6. And Speaking of My Photography...

As I posted here back in July, I've revived and expanded another facet of my creativity: my fine art. At the time, I had only just launched my dedicated art website. Now, barely a month later, I have posted 75 images (with more going up every day), and these photos, drawings and inspirational quotes have attracted more than 4,000 views! As well, my Instagram photography is featured at Instacanvas. 

Particularly gratifying for me is the fact that those images that blend my writing and photography are among the most popular on both sites!

Most of my images on the two sites are available as unframed prints, framed/matted prints, canvas wraps, metal prints, acrylic prints, greeting cards and iPhone cases (with other phone cases coming soon). Please drop by both sites and look around. I'm excited (after some initial resistance!) to be sharing this facet of my creativity with you!

Well, that's a wrap. Thanks for sticking around for the updates. I've got musicals to write, drawings to draw and photos to take....so I'm outta here! But before you take off, please take a minute to "like" these Facebook pages...

• Acts of Surrender book

• The Q'ntana Trilogy Books

• The Q'ntana Trilogy Movies

• The Voice of the Muse book + Writing Inspiration

• Mark David Gerson

And please follow me on Pinterest and Google+ 

The Q'ntana Trilogy Movies: Teaser + Website

Some of you may recall all the pieces I posted here earlier in the year about the film trailer we were shooting in March to help attract investors to a MoonQuest movie.

After many months of post-production, we have edited the footage down to a one-minute teaser, set it to music composed by the fabulously talented Mattias Holmgren and posted it to a brand-new website. The site also includes synopses of all three of my Q'ntana Trilogy stories (The MoonQuest, The StarQuest and The SunQuest), a "making-of" featurette and additional info on the project.

Although teaser and site are primarily designed to entice investors, distributors and sales agents to become financially involved with the Trilogy project, they're still public. So please have a look!

If you were involved with the trailer project or supported us through our Indie GoGo campaign, be sure to look for your name on the site's credits page. (If you notice any errors or omissions, please let me know so I can make the necessary corrections.) And if you have any comments about teaser, site or project, please feel free to post them here.

Also, if you haven't yet seen the book trailer for The MoonQuest book, check it out here.

Finally, if you haven't already, please "like" The Q'ntana Trilogy Movie's Facebook page and The MoonQuest book's Facebook page.

Only in the Movies...

1. It is always possible to park directly outside any building you are visiting.

2. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

3. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

4. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communication systems of any invading alien civilization.

5. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts; your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.

6. When a person is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, she or he will never suffer a concussion or brain damage.

7. No one involved in a car chase, hijacking, explosion, volcanic eruption or alien invasion will ever go into shock.

8. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.

9. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

10. You can always find a chainsaw when you need one.

11. Any lock can be picked by a credit card or a paper clip in seconds, unless it's the door to a burning building with a child trapped inside.

12. An electric fence, powerful enough to kill a dinosaur will cause no lasting damage to an eight-year-old child.

13. Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment you turn the television on.

~ Author unkown

The Q'ntana Trilogy in Posters

I'm indescribably grateful to artist Richard Crookes for donating his time and talent to create these compelling images for our Q'ntana Trilogy movie posters.



The central image in The MoonQuest poster is the king's Wall of Traitors. Here is where the decapitated heads of storytellers and those found to harbor them are displayed for all to see.












The arch-villain in all three stories is Bo'Ra'K'n, a dreamwalker gone bad. In The MoonQuest his surrogate is the king. In The StarQuest, she is the quintessence of evil. Here, her finger pointed at the stars appears to cause the constellations to implode.










In this image, a circle of snakes appears to strangle the sun. To find out why that's so, you'll have to wait for The SunQuestbook and movie!














A version of this was Richard's initial suggestion for The MoonQuest poster. But the evil-looking face seemed to so personify Bo'Ra'K'n that we convinced Richard to save it for the trilogy poster.










• If you can't wait for The MoonQuest movie, pick up a copy of the award-winning book on my website (ask for a copy signed to you!) or on Amazon

• For more information on The Q'ntana Trilogy film project, visit the Anvil Springs Entertainment website

• To make a financial or in-kind contribution to Trilogy preview or features, visit the Anvil Springs project donations page.

A Vision Realized, a Passion Fulfilled

Every writer's dream is to have his or her words come alive.

For novelists, the goal is to know that their words are leaping from the page to come alive for the reader. For screenwriters, it's to experience those words both visually and viscerally, as actors both make them their own and render them universal.

In each cases, having one's inner vision be realized in a way that others can share is gratifying beyond words.

Having my first novel, The MoonQuest, published and acclaimed -- by readers and critics, and through multiple awards -- fulfilled the first dream.

Now, with The MoonQuest on its way to the big screen, the second dream is on a rocket-charged trajectory to realization.

A major milestone on that path was realized today with the announcement, by production company Anvil Springs Entertainment, of the cast for our "sneak preview" trailer, a 20-minute film that will include scenes not only from The MoonQuest, but also from each of its two sequels, The StarQuest and The SunQuest.

You can see our cast in the above image. You can find out which part each is playing by visiting our "cast album" on the Anvil Springs Facebook page. And you can hear them introduce themselves and tell you why they're so excited by their characters and this project on our IndieGoGo page (click on the "gallery" link).

No, this is neither the feature nor the final cast. But it's this short film that will inspire investors to finance the feature. And given the incredible talent and crew we've assembled, I have no doubt that we're well on the way to a full-length, big-screen MoonQuest movie. Soon.

Our 14 cast members for this trailer don't know this, but when I stood up on Saturday to introduce myself and The Q'ntana Trilogy stories to them at our first full-cast table read, it was all I could do to not burst into tears. To be surrounded be people as passionate about these characters as I have long been and to know that their commitment and craft would be bringing these stories to life in a way I have never been privileged to experience was profoundly humbling and deeply gratifying.

That these gifted actors (and the professional crew supporting them) are working for free is an additional blessing for which I can't even begin to express my gratitude.

Many miracles surrounded the publication of both The MoonQuest and The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, as well as the creation of The Voice of the Muse Companion CD. The miracles that continue to unfold with this project leave no doubt in my mind that not only is this trailer production charmed, but that the three features in The Q'ntana Trilogy of fantasy films will follow an equally charmed path.

I've sacrificed a lot for my passion: I now live two states away from my daughter, for example. And I no longer have either a home or car of my own...or much of an income. But technology and love keep me connected with my 11-year-old, and none of the rest really matters. In spite of my increasingly occasional lapses, I know that all that truly matters is that I'm listening to the voice of my muse and following the path of my heart. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that that's the only way visions are realized and passions fulfilled.

I mentioned earlier that our cast are volunteers. Our professional crew is also working for free, plus they're mentoring local film-production students, some of whom are interning on their first-ever professional production.

We've also already received donations from the catering services who will feed our actors on shooting days and by people like graphic artist Richard Crookes, who has donated his time to design our stunning trilogy posters. (Richard, by the way, live in Thailand. So the reach of this project is now global!)

Some of you have also contributed cash donations -- either to our just-ended IndieGoGo fund-raising campaign or directly to the production in our ongoing campaign. Those donations have been particularly welcome and just as miraculous. When you're shooting a medieval-style fantasy in New Mexico, there are some things that just have to be bought...not to mention film-location permit fees that are rarely waived.

If you haven't yet contributed to our fund-raising campaign, I encourage you to do so. Even donations of $1 help the cause! In doing so, you're not only helping my dreams come true, but you're also helping film students and professionals here in New Mexico to hone their craft. As well, you're giving them a shot at being part of a feature-film trilogy that could well employ many of them. That's because the producer's goal is, where possible, to bring many of these volunteers on board for paying gigs on the features.

You can find more information on this project on our Indie GoGo funding page. And you can make your donations directly to the project on the Anvil Springs website. Thanks for your support!

• Q'ntana Trilogy film posters by Richard Crookes; MoonQuest book cover by Angela Farley.

Only Connect

A Guest Post by Erik Bork

The single most devastating note I could ever hear on one of my scripts (if readers were brutally honest enough to say it), would be, “I didn’t care.” I would go as far as to say that my single biggest job as a writer is to make readers and audiences care: to get them emotionally invested enough in what’s happening in a story to want to keep reading or watching. What this really means is they must care about the character at the center of it – to deeply relate to what they’re going through on a human level, and want to see them solve whatever big problem the story is exploring.

The title of the book Save The Cat! comes from Blake Snyder’s admonition that the “hero” of a story must “save a cat,” – or do something similarly sympathetic – in the first ten pages of a screenplay, so that readers will think this person is worthy of their attention and time. While I agree with that, I would go further: I believe we need to get the reader inside the main character’s perspective on things – inside their skin, almost – so that it feels like what’s happening to that character is happening to them, throughout the story.

The first script I wrote professionally was an episode of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. The one I chose focused on an individual astronaut with a problem, which seemed like it would keep him from ever flying in the Apollo program. I identified this situation as having good story potential, in comparison to some of the other episodes, which focused on missions which did not necessarily have such a likely potential main character who audiences might get invested in. So far, so good.

But when I wrote the first drafts of the script, I got so caught up in the research, and the responsibility of accurately documenting all the key events of the Apollo mission this episode was focused on, that when I gave the script to another professional screenwriter who was involved in the project, he clearly didn’t care about the story. He was nice enough not to put it that way. What he said was that he thought it needed more of a clear point-of-view.

What that meant was not just that this character needed to be at the center of events – he already was. But the audience needed to experience what he thought, felt and wanted from inside his perspective more. It had to become an emotional journey for them. It’s not enough for them to be somewhat interested in his situation, and the mission he ended up flying on. The real goal is for them to care – to relate to this human being and really want him to achieve the goal this story was focused on.

How does one achieve that? Well, the first point I would make might seem an obvious, but also stifling rule: they should be in virtually every scene. I remember how much I chafed against this idea when my college screenwriting professor first offered it, and how I sought out movie examples with main characters that weren’t in many of the scenes, in order to try to prove him wrong. (I don’t remember how far I got with that, but I don’t think I was a big success.) Of course, you don’t need to be slavish about this, but you might be surprised if you looked at successful movies you have loved, to discover just how many scenes the main character is present in. I would wager that they’re in the vast majority of scenes – and in the ones they’re not, there’s a very clear and important story reason (which probably has a lot to do with them, even though they’re not physically present).

But it’s not just that they’re present. Usually, they should be driving the action of the scene: what they want and are trying to do should be the main thing each scene is about. And it takes all the scenes of a movie for them to finally achieve their goal. That’s how hard and complicated the problem is.

Of course, there are stories which have more than one “main character,” but I think they’re rarer than you might think. A true “ensemble” movie is one in which multiple characters each have their own mini-stories that interweave, as in Crash, The Big Chill or He's Just Not That Into You. But you’ll notice that even in these movies, in any particular scene, we are squarely within the emotional perspective of the “main character” of that storyline. In other words, things aren’t told “objectively,” from above.

In many scripts that I read, that’s exactly what it feels like: we’re looking down on events, and not experiencing them emotionally from inside the main character. We may not even be fully aware of what the main character is thinking, feeling, wanting, or trying to achieve. Or there might not be a clear main character – just a bunch of characters experiencing a story, none of whom we are really inside of.

I recently contributed a “beat sheet” for the Save the Cat website, analyzing The Kids Are All Right. In writing it I discovered that this movie had no one main character, but actually explored all five of the central characters’ points of view on the story they’re all involved in. This is another kind of “ensemble” approach that is rarely used, but can be effective if done right. But again, in every single scene, we’re really focused on a particular character’s emotions as they are experiencing what’s going on. We’re made to feel, intimately, what it’s like to be each of these characters.

I believe emotional connection and resonance is what storytelling is all about (along with entertaining – if we want to find an audience). The best way to achieve this is to give your main character a big, difficult, complicated, important problem with huge stakes for them – which challenges them to go on a “mission” that will take the whole movie to solve. And then, to dramatize that mission from their perspective – to be with them as they attempt to achieve their goals, as they fail, change plans, run up against unintended consequences, and get pressed to their limit, before things finally get resolved. In other words, to get us so invested in their point-of-view, that it becomes our own.

ERIK BORK is best known for his Emmy-winning work as a writer-producer on HBO’s miniseries Band of Brothers and From the Earth to the Moon. He has sold pitches, written pilots and worked on staff of primetime drama series, and written screenplays on assignment for Universal Pictures, HBO and others. He also was recently rated “Cream of the Crop” in Creative Screenwriting’s “The Best Script Analysts and Consultants.” Contact him through his website at flyingwrestler.com, where this article first appeared.

Making The MoonQuest Movie a Reality

"In a land where fear rules and storytelling spells death, only one bard's imagination can end the tyranny."

If you've been following this blog, you know that I've long seen my visionary fantasy novel, The MoonQuest, as a movie. You probably also know that, through Anvil Springs Entertainment, that dream is on its way to becoming a reality.

To help accelerate that process, I'm now working with Anvil Springs to produce three short trailers -- one for The MoonQuest and one for each of its two sequels, The StarQuest and The SunQuest. Together the three stories (book and film) make up The Q'ntana Trilogy.

The trailers will be presented to investors in the coming months to inspire them to invest in a feature-film version of The MoonQuest, the first of the trilogy to be produced.

So far, for the trailers, we've assembled a stellar cast of actors, a dedicated crew and a committed production and postproduction staff. Most are local to New Mexico, but some are planning to travel to Albuquerque from Los Angeles next month for the film shoot. One of the many miracles surrounding this project is that everyone involved is not only a professional but a volunteer who believes passionately in the project. They're volunteering because our starting budget for these trailers was $0.

By the way, miracles have surrounded this project almost since the day the book came out.

It was at one of my very first book-signings, in an Albuquerque Borders Books & Music, that I met Kathleen Messmer, who had just created Anvil Springs and was on the lookout for new projects. She loved both the book (which hadn't yet won its multiple awards) and my screenplay adaptation, and the rest is history.

Well, almost...

Although we began trailer production on a zero budget, we've come to realize that there are some expenses we just can't avoid incurring, not least because New Mexico isn't the best resource for the medieval-style costumes, props and settings required for this type of fantasy.

That's where you come in.

Today, we launched a fundraising campaign on Indie GoGo, the web's premier platform for the grassroots financing of independent creative projects. With your help, we can raise not only our $3,000 Indie GoGo goal for The MoonQuest trailer, but an additional $2,000 to make sure that the StarQuest and SunQuest trailers are also filmed -- and that all three are of the superlative quality that will propel their respective features to the big screen.

To thank you for your contributions as low as five dollars, we're offering a series of gifts, ranging from a public thank you to a day on set during the filming of the trailer. In between, there are opportunities to get MoonQuest merchandise, a studio-photographed headshot, an hour's creativity or life coaching from me...and more. But you can give a gift of any amount -- even one dollar...or less.

A few hours ago, one of my Facebook friends posted this on my wall:

"I don't know anyone who is living their dream more than you."

I feel incredibly blessed to find myself in that place. With your help, I can take that dream to its next level -- not only for myself but for all those who will be touched by the life-affirming message of the Q'ntana stories.

Please share news about our Indie GoGo campaign and our project wherever you can -- on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, on blogs and to your friends. The more people who know about the campaign and the project it's supporting, the sooner you'll see The MoonQuest in a movie theatre near you!

Finally, if you would like to make other types donations (for example, bottled water, snacks, props, wardrobe, etc.) or have skills you can contribute, please write to us at info@anvilspringsentertainment.com.

• Once again, here's the link to our Indie GoGo campaign.

Art Credits: MoonQuest movie graphics by Richard Crookes. MoonQuest book cover by Angela Farley.

CREW CALL for "MoonQuest" Movie Trailers

Anvil Springs Entertainment is currently accepting resumes for ALL CREW POSITIONS for for three feature-film trailers: for The MoonQuest and each of its two sequels, The StarQuest and The SunQuest.

When completed, the three feature films will comprise Mark David Gerson's Q'ntana Trilogy.

We will be filming the three feature trailers during two weekends in February in the Albuquerque and/or Santa Fe areas. This will be a non-union, low/no/deferred pay production.

Please send crew resumes to crew@anvilspringsentertainment.com.
Please NO PHONE CALLS.

(Anvil Springs is also holding a January 8 casting call in Albuquerque. Click here for details.)

For info on Anvil Springs Entertainment visit anvilspringsentertainment.com. (“Like” us on Facebook.)