Operation Awesome's #AtoZChallenge theme for 2018 is...
OA to Z! We'll be correlating our usual posts with the challenge letters, plus, each weekend, you'll get a chance to get to know one of our bloggers better.
Hello everyone! For those of you who do not know me, I am Angela Townsend. I am a founding member of Operation Awesome. In 2010 my writing career was just beginning and life was very different than it is today. I went from writing in my car while my kids were at school to having a full time office staff, and a full time writing career. I became published all over in world, a member of the Authors Guild of New York, and had a motion picture made from one of my novels, The Forlorned®. I went from living in amenity—to being represented by the former vice president of Paramount Pictures. I also went from being someone who avoided conflict at all cost to someone who fought in the highest court in the country—the U.S. Supreme Court--for my publishing rights.
The journey has been long, hard and stressful. I have taken a lot of knocks and I have certainly learned lessons along the way. As many of you know being an author in todays oversaturated market is challenging at best. I have always known that my best bet was to stay in the motion picture industry. I am by nature, a visual writer. I absolutely live in the world of my creating and it is a bright and vivid place for me. In the motion picture industry this is an absolute must in order to have a sellable screenplay. You have to be able to envision the landscape that is your story. You must know every single brick in your story’s foundation, every little detail about how the world works. You must know it like you know your own soul.
Walt Disney had a saying: the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. I believe 100 percent in those words. It takes blood, sweat and dedication to get things done. It takes more doing and less talking. Disney was a voice actor and a cartoonist, but he was also a shrewd businessman and cultural icon. He had a determination to succeed like no other. Often, when I would fall flat on my face, I would turn to those who also struggled. Everyone sees the theme park but no one sees the tears, stress and pools of blood behind it.
When my motion picture dreams became a reality, I had to learn to do a lot of things on my own. I designed and made my own press kits because I knew my film had to stand out in a crowded market. I had to be unique and it had to be within my budget. I spent hours developing these unique press kits. I needed something so large that the studio heads could not just set it aside and overlook it. I needed press kits that were unique in the industry and thankfully I achieved that by equipping them with every sensory detail I could—just like my novels. Sight, sound and smell were all included in my giant handmade press kits. See my Youtube video here: https://goo.gl/fqMqGv
Now back to Mr. Disney. My favorite ride at Disneyland has always been The Haunted Mansion. I love the spooky atmosphere, like the haunted paintings, ghosts and Doom Buggies. This creepy ride comes with the best vintage theatrical effects. Maybe that is why I write mostly in the thriller suspense and horror genres.
My motion picture, The Forlorned, was shot in a haunted, historical mansion in Somers, Montana. The filming took place in the dead of winter--in twenty below temperatures. Although this was very hard on the actors and crew, it created the perfect "chilling" atmosphere for the movie.
The Forlorned movie was released on October 3rd of last year. It's available in many venues, including: Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes and also in DVD format. To view the trailer please go here: https://goo.gl/2NE2rg
The movie is much different than my story as most movie adaptions are. It can be far too expensive for the the film makers otherwise. I was also able to obtain my publishing rights back to the novel. I re-wrote and had it published again under my own corporation. It is available in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon here: https://goo.gl/3i7JTB
Thank you everyone who has supported me since the beginning. I appreciate you more you know. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of help to you.
Angela.
Operation Awesome has had many members come and go over the years, while keeping the heart of the blog the same. One of the Original blog members, Angela Townsend, reached out this month to give us an update on her writing life. We thought our readers would love to see what she's doing now!
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Books and Motion Pictures
By Angela J. Townsend
Hello everyone! For those of you who do not know me, I am Angela Townsend. I am a founding member of Operation Awesome. In 2010 my writing career was just beginning and life was very different than it is today. I went from writing in my car while my kids were at school to having a full time office staff, and a full time writing career. I became published all over in world, a member of the Authors Guild of New York, and had a motion picture made from one of my novels, The Forlorned®. I went from living in amenity—to being represented by the former vice president of Paramount Pictures. I also went from being someone who avoided conflict at all cost to someone who fought in the highest court in the country—the U.S. Supreme Court--for my publishing rights.
The journey has been long, hard and stressful. I have taken a lot of knocks and I have certainly learned lessons along the way. As many of you know being an author in todays oversaturated market is challenging at best. I have always known that my best bet was to stay in the motion picture industry. I am by nature, a visual writer. I absolutely live in the world of my creating and it is a bright and vivid place for me. In the motion picture industry this is an absolute must in order to have a sellable screenplay. You have to be able to envision the landscape that is your story. You must know every single brick in your story’s foundation, every little detail about how the world works. You must know it like you know your own soul.
Walt Disney had a saying: the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. I believe 100 percent in those words. It takes blood, sweat and dedication to get things done. It takes more doing and less talking. Disney was a voice actor and a cartoonist, but he was also a shrewd businessman and cultural icon. He had a determination to succeed like no other. Often, when I would fall flat on my face, I would turn to those who also struggled. Everyone sees the theme park but no one sees the tears, stress and pools of blood behind it.
When my motion picture dreams became a reality, I had to learn to do a lot of things on my own. I designed and made my own press kits because I knew my film had to stand out in a crowded market. I had to be unique and it had to be within my budget. I spent hours developing these unique press kits. I needed something so large that the studio heads could not just set it aside and overlook it. I needed press kits that were unique in the industry and thankfully I achieved that by equipping them with every sensory detail I could—just like my novels. Sight, sound and smell were all included in my giant handmade press kits. See my Youtube video here: https://goo.gl/fqMqGv
Now back to Mr. Disney. My favorite ride at Disneyland has always been The Haunted Mansion. I love the spooky atmosphere, like the haunted paintings, ghosts and Doom Buggies. This creepy ride comes with the best vintage theatrical effects. Maybe that is why I write mostly in the thriller suspense and horror genres.
My motion picture, The Forlorned, was shot in a haunted, historical mansion in Somers, Montana. The filming took place in the dead of winter--in twenty below temperatures. Although this was very hard on the actors and crew, it created the perfect "chilling" atmosphere for the movie.
The Forlorned movie was released on October 3rd of last year. It's available in many venues, including: Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes and also in DVD format. To view the trailer please go here: https://goo.gl/2NE2rg
The movie is much different than my story as most movie adaptions are. It can be far too expensive for the the film makers otherwise. I was also able to obtain my publishing rights back to the novel. I re-wrote and had it published again under my own corporation. It is available in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon here: https://goo.gl/3i7JTB
Thank you everyone who has supported me since the beginning. I appreciate you more you know. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of help to you.
Angela.
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