In the works – theatre.

I had a video call with Shion Beak, a South Korean composer – and my former student. She’s been hired to write new, original music for my Christmas show TALES OF WONDER coming up this December at the Scharmann Theatre. The centerpiece of her compositions is the title track TALES OF WONDER which is the prologue for the entire show. I sent her the lyrics and she’s doing her wizardry to bring the words to life. She’s halfway done with this piece, and it’s already fabulous. I’m really excited about this endeavor. She writing transition and background music for all the individual theatrical pieces. Her talent is going to shine on-stage. Can’t wait! Auditions will be early September. The show itself is a curated version of the best of show of three Christmas shows performed at the Penang Performing Arts Centre from 2015-2017. This will be the first time bringing these stories to the United States. Dec 4-8 @ SUNY Jamestown Scharmann Theatre in Jamestown, NY. Keep your eye out for details. This will be a show not to be missed.

In the works – novel #14.

Always strange for me to put such a large number after my next novel. It’s hard for me to believe where I’m at in my writing career. I’m currently about 50,000 words in on this thing that I’m not ready to officially name yet. I’m not rushing it either. It will be done when it’s done, even if it bleeds over into 2025, which I suspect it will. I really want to get this one right, not that I didn’t want to do that with my previous ones. But this story is a little more elaborate, told in three parts. Part I is present day. It starts with this premise: a famous individual, who did not want to be found, disappears for eight years. On a strange tip, a journalist heads into the remote forest of upstate NY and stumbles across this individual. Naturally, he shoots her. She doesn’t die. But this is the opening scene that sets up the rest of Part I. Part II goes back in time 8 years prior to the person’s disappearance, so we get to experience what happened that brought him to this point. Part III is back to present day and picks up after the ruckus of him being discovered. I’m not writing in Part III yet, but it’s will be unexpected in hopefully every way. Super excited to see where the story will lead. There are many characters, a fairly complicated plot, and an awful lot going on. I’m currently on a month’s vacation which will allow me to delve deeper into the story. I’m intrigued so far. But it is a first draft, so naturally I hate it.

Lots to come in 2024 and beyond. Excited for this time of life.

Just for the heck of it. Here’s a silly self-portrait I took while playing around with a new spotlight earlier this week.