Bloggin' On: Adventures in Screenwriting and Other Updates for January 15, 2020

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My current author's photo as it appears on the back cover of Reunion: A Story. 


Hi, there, Dear Reader! Welcome to another edition of Bloggin' On, the blog-within-a-blog feature where I don't review anything or inject any politics and just write about life, the Universe, and (almost) everything else.

Today is Wednesday, January 15, 2020, and as I start writing this post, it's not quite noon in my small corner of Florida. Presently the temperature outside is 80℉ (26℃) under partly sunny skies. The forecast for the area calls for a high of 82℉ (28℃) and no change in the cloud/sun mix, while the low tonight is expected to reach 63℉ (17℃) under mostly clear conditions.

Well, yesterday Juan Carlos Hernandez, the New York-based actor-director who sometimes asks me to write screenplays for his Popcorn Skies Productions company and long-time friend (from our days as drama students at South Miami High), texted me a short update on our new film, Happy Days Are Here Again. It was a brief progress report because he was busy throughout much of the day with other activities, including reading for a movie that he is auditioning for.  Here are the salient points:


  • Principal photography and shooting of exteriors is nearly done
  • The editing process is upcoming
  • We will dedicate Happy Days Are Here Again to my late mom
  • Juan and his wife Adria (who in addition to being our Ronnie is also our producer) are also starting the "techie" post-production "stuff" (the sound mix, getting the score, and correcting lighting issues) 
I didn't ask when Juan expects the film to be uploaded to YouTube, but I estimate it should be viewable by the end of January or early February. 

I'm hoping that we can use the 1932 song Happy Days Are Here Again as our main theme; I wrote the film with that song in mind because the story calls for it. Juan liked the idea, but we'll see what develops. 

Oh, and if you haven't done so yet, you can watch our first short, A Simple Ad, here. It's only three minutes and 41 seconds long, but I've been told it's pretty good.

 As they say on television, stay tuned to this blog for further updates on the progress of our movie.



Today I'll probably be doing more research for my World War II novel, which has the working title The Tonic of Their Victory. I plan to read a bit more about Ernie Pyle, the best-known (and best-loved) war correspondent who covered U.S. forces in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Normandy, and, before his death on Ie Shima near Okinawa in April of 1945, the Pacific.  One of my characters is a war correspondent, and although he'll be (hopefully) different from Pyle, I do need to learn more about Pyle and his relationship to the military brass, especially the restrictions that reporters worked under during the war. 

© 2006 Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster


I also wish I knew a good graphics artist who could help me with the cover for the book. I'll be self-publishing The Tonic of Their Victory once I finish, but I want a kick-ass cover that's way better than the one for Reunion: A Story.  I'd offer payment for the work, but I'm not exactly swimming in money. In all likelihood I'll end up using a pre-designed cover from Amazon's self-publishing service, but...man, a good cover helps add sizzle to the steak I'm planning to serve.  

Anyway, it's now past noon, so I'll close for now. I need to eat lunch, take my shower, change into fresh clothes, and do the research I need to do. So, until next time, catch you on the sunny side of things!  

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