2015 Dreams #1

Here I am, post Christmas, counting down the days to the end of the year. It's rather pleasant. There are a number of things I'm personally hopeful about for the coming year. In a lot of ways I've felt creatively on hold for the past couple of years. Not that I wasn't creating. I was. Always. Writing and writing. It's just that some projects never flew, some have been on hold, and some just took ages! I'll speak to each of these over the next few days, but here let me mention one.

For the past 12 years my first novel, Gabriel's Story, has been optioned for film by Redwave Films. They do independent films, small, intimate movies that they believe in and work hard to get made. One of them, The Full Monty, was a huge hit, but all of them are interesting films in their own right. The producer, Uberto Pasolini, has graciously renewed the option each December, hoping that the next year was the one the would see our movie go into production. Hasn't happened yet, but, having just renewed the option again, he promises me the chances are better than ever for this to be the year!

What's changed? A couple of things. One is that for the first time in years, both Uberto and the attached director, Alan Taylor, are anticipating a break in their busy schedules that Gabriel's Story might fit into. Alan has been attached since the beginning, but he's been busy with a career that's taken off. In addition to early independent films, he's done a ton of serious tv dramas - Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, Rome, Homicide: Life on the Streets (just to name a few), and more recently he's become a blockbuster epic film director: the two Thor movies and the forthcoming Terminator Genisys.

Did I just write that? Thor... Thor... Terminator... Gabriel's Story? Really? Well, it's not as crazy as it seems. Alan's a terrific, diverse director that clearly likes making different kinds of films. He's also a terrific writer. I know this because I recently read the screenplay adaption of Gabriel's Story that he wrote! It's really quite good. I've read some other screenplay adaptions of my fiction before, but this one was the best. It's my story, and it's different, and the ways it's different all make sense to me, and all tell my story in an efficient way that also makes it Alan's story. What more could I ask?

So, the word is that Uberto is ready to go on this, and that Alan may just be ready to go once he's finished with Terminator post-production stuff. So... maybe 2015 is the year we get to work?

More things I'm feeling good about 2015 to come...

The Horseman May Yet Ride

So, my first novel, Gabriel's Story, has been optioned for development as a film for like eight years. Eight years. There's a producer, Uberto Pasolini, a director, Alan Taylor, and a script, written by Alan. But no film.

Yet.

I'm always thrilled when Uberto renews the option. Thrilled because he's staying devoted to the project. Thrilled because he cares about it and wants to see it in film and is willing to put his time into it over a span of years. I just got public reconfirmation of this when I came across this piece in Screen Daily: Venice best director Pasolini talks new projects. (It's IMDB'd HERE.) It's about a number of projects and is, in part, about his newest film, Still Life. But the part I dig is:

"Meanwhile, he is still working with director Alan Taylor (Palookaville, Thor) on The Horseman, a western adapted from David Anthony Durham’s civil war set novel, Gabriel’s Story."

That's good news. And, yes, that was Thor attached to Alan Taylor's name. He's directing the new Thor movie, coming out in November, I think. He's done a few indie films, but is a veteran director of HBO dramas, including Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Sex & The City, Six Feet Under - just to name a few. Rumor has it he may also be doing the first of the new Terminator movies. It worries me that he's so busy, but then again success is a good thing, yes?

Maybe some of it will rub off...

Film Patience

I got some papers in the post today. I had to go down to the bottom of the track (1/2 mile from the house) to get them. Ice. Rain. Snow. Winds up to 60mph. Sleet...

Whatever. Just December at Upper Park. No worries.

The papers (which were a bit damp - I had to dry them out on the radiator) were contracts for renewing the film rights option on Gabriel's Story. Yah! This is the eight or so year that Gabriel's Story has been in the capable hands of Redwave Films. They're an independent production company based in the UK, with Uberto Pasolini in charge. He's the guy behind The Full Monty. Since that rather huge hit they've specialized mostly in smaller films. He's got what could be a bigger one coming out next year, Bel Ami, starring Robert Patinson, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colm Meaney. Quite a cast.

What about my novel? They've been working on it for years. There is a director attached. There is a screenplay. They've been pitching talent - especially for the role of Marshall - slowly and steadily. Last year they had to put things on hold a bit because the director, Alan Taylor, was busy with another little project... being one of the main directors of a little HBO series called A Game of Thrones... Oh, the irony. GRRM knicked my director! Hopefully, I can have him back for awhile, and he'll have some time in the coming year to give Gabriel some attention.

Don't recall what Gabriel's Story is? Well, it's my first novel, an historical set in the American West. Here's how Publishers Weekly described it in a starred review (I've cut a few spoilery bits out):

"The old West, both beautiful and brutal, is the setting of Durham's magnificently realized debut novel, a classic coming-of-age story of an African-American boy. Shortly after the Civil War, 15-year-old Gabriel Lynch, his mother and younger brother head out from Baltimore to meet Gabriel's new stepfather in Kansas, where the family hopes to make a fresh start as farmers. But Gabriel finds homesteading to be backbreaking and depressing and is soon lured away by cruel, charismatic Marshall Hogg, who's leading a group of cowboys down into Texas. It seems a dream come true for Gabriel, but then the nightmare begins... Durham is a born storyteller: each step of Gabriel's descent into hell proceeds from the natural logic of the narrative itself, which manages to be inevitable even as it's totally surprising. Equally impressive is Durham's gift for describing the awful beauty of the American West: "The April sky was not a thing of air and gas," writes Durham. "Rather it lay like a solid ceiling of slate, pressing the living down into the prairie." The tale's racial dimension is subtly and intelligently developed, and though some readers may be turned off by the violence Gabriel witnesses, all will be impressed by Durham's maturity, skill and lovingly crafted prose."

Sound like the makings of a film? I hope so. Patience, though. Patience...

Gabriel's Story, The Film

About this time last year, I wrote this:

"Each year for the last six or so I've gone into December with a sense of nervous expectation. Christmas? Holiday parties? The dawning New Year? The dwindling wood pile? Yeah, all that stuff too, but what I'm talking about now is related to Tinseltown...

This is the month that I learn whether or not the movie producer Uberto Pasolini is going to renew the option he holds for Gabriel's Story. He's been connected with this movie since at least 2003. He found it on his own, just browsing for a Western novel that hooked him. He likes to say that every producer should have at least one Western in their portfolio. Apparently, Gabriel's Story is the one that works for him, and he's willing to put in the time and money over the long haul to make it happen.

So here we are again, and I can say with real joy that Redwave Films is renewing for another year. They continue to feel good about the director, Alan Taylor, and the screenplay they have. And it sounds like they feel the market for a film like this might look better soon. Uberto's been right before. I doubt Gabriel's Story would ever be a blockbuster surprise like his hit The Full Monty, but it doesn't have to be. I'd settle for a well-made movie by people that are passionate about the book and have a record of staying the course with the projects they love.

That's what I got. Cross fingers for me, please."

That's all true again this year, as well. We're going into our Eight Option period for the book! I love that. These folks really do believe in the book and the film they'd like to make of it. Tenacity has to pay off eventually, right? Hey, Jaden Smith isn't even old enough to play the lead yet. But he will be soon...

Also, looks like they spent last year working hard on getting a film called Bel Ami made. It'll be out next year, starring some guy called Robert Pattinson, along with Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Colm Meaney.

Okay, now I'm going to go splash my face with cold water...

The Horseman

Each year for the last six or so I've gone into December with a sense of nervous expectation. Christmas? Holiday parties? The dawning New Year? The snow storm sweeping up the East Coast? Yeah, all that stuff too, but what I'm talking about now is related to Tinseltown...

This is the month that I learn whether or not the movie producer Uberto Pasolini is going to renew the option he holds for Gabriel's Story. He's been connected with this movie since at least 2003. He found it on his own, just browsing for a Western novel that hooked him. He likes to say that every producer should have at least one Western in their portfolio. Apparently, Gabriel's Story is the one that works for him, and he's willing to put in the time and money over the long haul to make it happen.

So here we are again, and I can say with real joy that Red Wave is renewing for another year. They continue to feel good about the director, Alan Taylor, and the screenplay they have. And it sounds like they feel the market for a film like this might look better soon. Uberto's been right before. I doubt Gabriel's Story would ever be a blockbuster surprise like his hit The Full Monty, but it doesn't have to be. I'd settle for a well-made movie by people that are passionate about the book and have a record of staying the course with the projects they love.

That's what I got. Cross fingers for me, please.

100+ Amazon Reviews, a Look at the Numbers...

I had this idea a while back that it would be incredible when I reached 100 reader reviews on Amazon.com. I don't mean 100 reviews for a particular book (although that's going to be cool, too). I just mean when the total number of reviews for my four books added up to a century. I know, those reviews can be joy. They can be pain. They can be gushing missives from friends or hatchet jobs by enemies... But no matter what, as an author, it's hard not to keep an eye on them...

Well, I wasn't paying attention when the number turned, but it has! Actually, I only noticed when I was at 106 reviews. 106! Do you realize that there was once a time I had exactly 0 Amazon reader reviews? Crazy.

Okay, but how's the math look? Have things gone well? Positives above the negatives? Let's take a look...

For Acacia, it looks like this: (34 total)
20 Five Star
10 Four Star
0 Three Star
3 Two Star
1 One Star

For Pride of Carthage, it looks like this: (40 total)
18 Five Star
9 Four Star
5 Three Star
5 Two Star
3 One Star

For Walk Through Darkness, it looks like this: (14 total)
10 Five Star
4 Four Star
0 Three Star
0 Two Star
0 One Star

For Gabriel's Story, it looks like this: (18 total)
16 Five Star
1 Four Star
0 Three Star
1 Two Star
0 One Star

Adding those all up by Star rating: (106 total)

64 Five Star
24 Four Star
5 Three Star
9 Two Star
4 One Star

So that's the way the numbers fall. I'm happy with that. The stinker reviews are always disappointing, but they're also a sign that the books are getting read by a wider range of people - and by more people, which is important. I'm not saying I'd encourage you to go and write me a one starred "I don't like this book cause it sucks!" review, but there's a place for them...

Wait... What am I doing? It didn't really take me that long to put this post together, but still it's been 26 minutes of my life that I won't have back again to write meaningful fiction! Why didn't you stop me? My apologies. Man, Resistance can be devious. It can even get me doing math. Enough!

I'm going to write now...

Booklist's Top Ten Historical Audiobooks 2007

A wee surprise that has nothing to do with Acacia! I was checking out Booklist's online sight (yes, looking for their review of Acacia: The War with the Mein (Acacia, Book 1)- no sign of it yet) when I came across a feature about the best historical audiobooks they'd reviewed last year. I was scrolling down, sort of half paying attention, when I noticed my own name... Gabriel's Story made the cut! Very strange, but there it was. The brief note said...

In 1871, Gabriel Lynch, a discontented African American teen, runs away and joins a band of marauding cowboys. (Thomas) Penny's deliberate reading allows the masterful prose to shine.

Lovely, and nice to be reminded that my world doesn't entirely revolve around Acacia. Congrats to Thomas Penny as well. He certainly did a great job.

Gabriel's Story, the film...

...is still a working possibility. I got an email from Uberto Pasolini, the producer behind The Full Monty and others. He's had the option for Gabriel's Story for a couple years now, and he's been working with the director Alan Taylor to get a script together and make it happen. Sounds like they're now on draft number three and are preparing to carry on with it. Glad to hear it. I've enjoyed the films these two have made together, The Emperor's New Clothes and Palookaville, and I'm certainly warmed by their lasting commitment to the project. It's a long road yet, but nice to know Gabriel may yet make an appearance on the big screen.

Listening to Gabriel

Listened to a little bit of the Recorded Books version of Gabriel's Story. Really enjoyed hearing it rendered through another's voice. The reader doesn't stress things exactly as I would, but that's okay. It's kinda nice to hear the story as if it belongs to world. My local library got the audio version of Walk Through Darkness. I borrowed it. (Yeah, I'll buy one eventually, but they're not cheap, not even for the author.) Again, the reader had very different stresses than I've ever used in my readings, but overall it's a srong production. If you're at all interested please consider requesting one of these through your library. I find most libraries are pretty good about buying things that people ask for.


On another matter, I recently ordered a copy of the large print edition of Gabriel's Story, by Thorndike Large Print. I didn't have anything to do with the publication of it, with choosing a cover image or anything. Gabriel's story, it seems, has a life of its own. There's a large print version of Walk Through Darkness too. Maybe when I get some coins together I'll pick up a copy. Strange that none of these subrights publishers give the author a free copy...

Recorded Books Versions of Gabriel's Story and Walk Through Darkness

I knew they were in the making, but I've just learned they actually exist. Recorded Books has versions of both of them, on cd and cassette. The guy who reads Gabriel's Story is Thomas Penny. He also read Fighting for America, Black Soldiers--the Unsung Heroes of World War II, by Christopher Moore, among others. And Kevin Free, who reads Walk Through Darkness, also read The Known World by Edward P. Jones and Soul City, by Toure, among others.

I put in an order for Gabriel's Story. It'll be very strange listening to somebody read my novel. I'll let you know what I think...

A little more about the stars

I know this is decidedly after the fact, but as I'm starting up this blog thing I'm inclined to make up for some lost time. So herewith the pre-publication reviews Gabriel's Story received. These are the reviews mostly for the industry, for bookstores and libraries, and the type of things critics might take a look at when they're deciding to review a work for a mainstream audience. These were rather good. Actually, three of them were "Starred", which is supposed to indicate titles of particular note. Here's how they went...

Publishers Weekly

STARRED REVIEW - The old West, both beautiful and brutal, is the setting of Durham's magnificently realized debut novel, a classic coming-of-age story of an African-American boy. Shortly after the Civil War, 15-year-old Gabriel Lynch, his mother and younger brother head out from Baltimore to meet Gabriel's new stepfather in Kansas, where the family hopes to make a fresh start as farmers. But Gabriel finds homesteading to be backbreaking and depressing and is soon lured away by cruel, charismatic Marshall Hogg, who's leading a group of cowboys down into Texas. It seems a dream come true for Gabriel, but then the nightmare begins. While bloated with whiskey, Marshall accidentally murders a man, precipitating a flight from the law that degenerates into a grotesque spree of burglary, rape, kidnapping and murder. Gabriel desperately wants to escape, but is prevented by Marshall's threats and the menacing presence of Caleb, a mute and shadowy figure. When Gabriel finally manages to free himself, the evil that he unwillingly witnessed follows him back homeAand threatens the people he loves most. Durham is a born storyteller: each step of Gabriel's descent into hell proceeds from the natural logic of the narrative itself, which manages to be inevitable even as it's totally surprising. Equally impressive is Durham's gift for describing the awful beauty of the American West: "The April sky was not a thing of air and gas," writes Durham. "Rather it lay like a solid ceiling of slate, pressing the living down into the prairie." The tale's racial dimension is subtly and intelligently developed, and though some readers may be turned off by the violence Gabriel witnesses, all will be impressed by Durham's maturity, skill and lovingly crafted prose. Agent, Sloan Harris. (Jan. 16) Forecast: Durham's view of 1800s history through the eyes of a hopeful African-American boy adds a new dimension to the perennially appealing theme of the lure of the West. Doubleday seems ready to get behind this novel with focused promotion, including an author tour; readers may take notice.

Booklist

STARRED REVIEW - In 1871, 15-year-old Gabriel Lynch, his younger brother, Ben, and their mother, Eliza, arrive in Crownsville, Kansas. Gabriel is angry with his lot in life, particularly with his mother, who has taken him from his home in the East and his dream of becoming a doctor to a homestead on the plains and a stepfather, Solomon, whom he has barely met. Soon Gabriel befriends another dissatisfied youth, James, and the two innocent African American boys run away from their troubles in search of adventure with a band of cowboys. The road they've chosen becomes a perilous one, taking them across the American West with men prone to violence and pursued by their own demons. On this journey from home and back, one could conclude that Gabriel discovers what he values, but one also sees the enactment of that old saying about the grass being greener on the other side. And the surfeit of symbolism (for example, picture Eliza crossing troubled waters) will have critics salivating. Nevertheless, the circular movement of the plot is devastatingly powerful, particularly the embedded coming-of-age story involving the leader of the cowboys, Marshall Hogg, and his chief companion, the black Caleb. First-time novelist Durham acknowledges the influence of Cormac McCarthy's border trilogy, and Durham's novel does recall McCarthy's work in its juxtaposition of the pristine beauty and spaciousness of the land with the raw violence of the men come to carve a civilization out of it. Yet, perhaps because of the African American family and the skillful manipulation of myths, Durham posits a slant on the settlement of the West that speaks to the essential multicultural character of the nation. Durham is a storyteller touched by an angel.

Kirkus Reviews

STARRED REVIEW - Intensely dramatic debut, set in Kansas and points west and southwest during the 1870s: a direct homage to Cormac McCarthy's highly praised fiction (both his Blood Meridian and the recent Border Trilogy) but also an original work of high distinction. The protagonist, teenaged Gabriel Lynch, arrives from the East with his widowed mother Eliza and younger brother Ben at a train station where they're met by her husband-to-be, Solomon Johns, a farmer who had been Eliza's first love before her life with the boys' father, a prosperous middle-class Baltimore mortician. Gabriel resents the opportunities lost, and the hard life they're introduced to, and eagerly leaves "home," joining another black boy (James) to ride with a group of cattle drovers. A bloodthirsty odyssey ensues, as the gang's embittered leader Marshall Hogg (an amoral fatalist straight out of Dostoevsky) directs his minions to steal, rape, and murder, ever moving on, through Mexico, Arizona, and the Rockies, en route to California - away from the avengers who slowly, methodically pursue them. Durham tells this story with great skill, weaving together a beautifully plotted central action and extended italicized passages detailing the embattled growth to manhood of the stoical Ben and the steely determination of a bereaved Mexican soldier who'll follow Hogg to hell and back. Meanwhile, he also depicts with hallucinatory vividness the enigmatic figure of Hogg's second-in-command Caleb, a black drover who never speaks, and harbors a terrible secret indeed. The only flaw in the narrative is Durham's inexplicable tendency toward an abstract rhetoric clearly influenced by both the aforementioned McCarthy and his major influence, Faulkner, which often produces moments of ludicrous and vague grandiosity (e.g., watching Caleb," Gabriel thought him some dark figure of the apocalypse"). Such moments aside, Gabriel's Story grates on the reader's nerves unerringly, and frequently rises to real grandeur. A brilliant example of how to assimilate and transmute powerful literary influence. And what a movie this dark, haunting tale will make.

Library Journal

A Wild West debut: forced by his mother's remarriage to move from New York City to a sod house in Kansas, Gabriel decides to run away and become a cowboy.

Uh, well, that's all Library Journal had to say. No star there, although looking at that review I'm inclined to say it wasn't really a review. They "mentioned" the book, but didn't choose to assign it. No matter, they were very kind to Walk Through Darkness a year. They gave that one a star. And then they gave Pride of Carthage a star too, as did Publisher's Weekly and Booklist. Kirkus didn't, but they still wrote a helluva review. So all told, for three novels since 2001, I've received seven starred reviews. I think that's more than all but a few writers, and I don't think any African-American writers have received more stars in this time period. I'm proud of that. Didn't exactly lead to massive sales, but I'm working on that...