Interview with Suzy Stein & Fernando Perez

Suzy Stein & Fernando Perez wrote "The Mark of Kings” Graphic Novel Series. It was released by the pair as Entity Eye Entertainment.

Their graphic novel is the story of Former priest Benjamin Bishop who must find the secret heir to the largest vampire kingdom in order to stop the resurrection of a centuries old war between Vampires, the Vatican and the Military. 

I had the pleasure of a 3-question interview (Mad Magazine style), with this amazingly talented pair...

1.Why did you choose to write a graphic novel over a traditional novel?

We are primarily screenwriters and filmmakers. We were looking for other avenues to tell our stores because we don’t have the capacity to film all of our scripts. We both love and collect comics and felt writing a comic would broaden our audience.  Graphic novels are visual much like films and it seemed like a great fit for our stories.

2.  What pieces of writing, comics, and movies inspired you most?

Fernando was first inspired to write after watching the original 1933 King Kong as a child. This movie set his imagination on fire. He is still a fan of action/adventure and science fiction. His favorite storytellers are Christopher Nolan, Tom Clancy, David Goyer, and Paul Haggis.

Suzy grew up watching old black and white movies with her mom. She has a deep love for science fiction, film noir, and mystery/crime stories. She is a devoted fan of David Mamet, Rian Johnson, John Carpenter, Brian DePalma, and Mark Waid.

3.  You have also written films together… what ingredient do you think makes you such a winning team?

We work well together for several reasons. We share the same sense of humor, drive, and passion.  We genuinely like and respect each other. We use our respective strengths to great advantage. Plus, only one of can go crazy at a time but everyone gets a turn.

...

Suzy also said that "Vampires are an enduring monster and the chance to create a unique and dark universe was thrilling. The opportunity to do it with Fernando was the best part.

Co-writer Fernando Perez added," I was excited to create a whole new Vampire mythology and history. And thank you to Suzy for sharing in this vision."

About the authors:

Suzy Stein grew up moving around a lot as an army brat. One aspect of her life that never changed was her love of writing, movies and comics. However, it would be years before she would be able to turn that love into a career. She attended Georgetown University School of Medicine. During her time there, she published several research articles in scientific journals. While that allowed her to work on her writing skills, she still wanted to pursue her love of comics and movies. Later on, Suzy met Fernando Perez and began working with him. Together, they have written numerous short films and scripts. Several of those short films and scripts have been official selections at various film festivals. In her free time, she collects Pez dispensers and loves to perform impressions, even though all of them sound like Bette Davis.

Fernando Perez is an Arizona native.  He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in International Affairs. While that was an exciting choice, it wasn’t what he wanted to pursue. When he was younger, the original King Kong movie inspired and instilled within him a love of film and writing. Afterward, he began writing and telling stories. He was a finalist in the prestigious Disney Features Fellowship Program. He met Suzy Stein and together they collaborated on numerous scripts and short films. Several of those short films and scripts have been official selections at various film festivals. As a single father, he enjoys spending his free time with his son and daughter.

About Entity Eye Entertainment:

Entity Eye Entertainment is a privately held independent production company founded to create, develop, and co-produce projects and motion pictures for an expanding global audience. Learn more at http://www.entityeye.com

Check them out! A lot of talent there.

Reading List: My Girlfriend is a Vampire

Sometimes, I feel like all I read or talk about are GenZ books, so while I am preparing to a flight to L.A., I have been looking for good books to read during the trip. Of course, I got some comedies, like David Cross' book and Judd Apatow's book where he interviews other celebrities, but I also came across this...

So now, I kind of have to read this...

                                           

I have always liked paranormal/thriller books. This reminds me of the kind of books by Maggie Shayne I've flocked to since I was 12. I am excited to give it a read. 

Here's the synopsis:

Larry Evans was your average high-schooler, out-of-place in a small town high school, up until he found and was captivated by the impossibly beautiful yet alarmingly mysterious Veronique Cartwright.

Slowly but surely, Larry falls for this siren, as she opens him up to a world he never knew; a world full of hitherto unfelt excitement and a dark horror that lives among the world of man.

As he becomes embroiled in her world, his life changes forever, and he vows never to leave her side for whatever challenges may come.

And the author seems pretty awesome too.

Robert D. Jackson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, an island rich in culture and tradition. He subsequently moved to America where moved across New York, New Jersey and California, finally settling in Sugar Land, Texas.

His inspiration for the supernatural came from his two wonderful daughters who not only awakened an intense interest in the mysterious and macabre within him, but inspired him to put a pen to his works of fiction. Through his writing, he wishes to give back a legacy of masterful supernatural thrillers to be enjoyed for years and years, to both, his children as well as his readers,.

He delves into the works of James Patterson from time to time and enjoys writing, martial arts, and traveling, especially visiting museums. He is currently working on the sequel to Love is Unexpected, in the My Girlfriend is a Vampire series.

So I am eager to read this, and I hope you are too. Find it here on Amazon. If you've read it or are planning to read it, drop me a line in the comments!

9 Musts of a 90s Sitcom Theme Song

In creating a new promo for MorissaSchwartz.com, I studied 90s sitcom theme song scenes and their usual tropes tirelessly. These are my findings of the musts that every must have if they want the show to succeed:

1. Cheesy Music. The main ingredient of any good theme song. Without cheesy music, how is the audience to know what this show wis about?

2. Surprised Faces. Acting surprised that there’s a camera capturing the cast doing completely normal and pretty mundane tasks…Really D.J? Is it that shocking that the cameras caught you brushing your hair?

3. Laughing maniacally for no reason. Unless you consider air funny. In every opening for a sitcom, the characters act like they just heard Jimmy’s…and errr Cartman’s Fishsticks joke for the first time! 

4. Skipping outdoors. Because, duh, everyone skips outdoors.

5. Goofy dancing. C’mon show us your moves! No, wait…please don’t.

6. Family bonding. There’s an awful lot of hugging and picnicking in these openers. We get it, you love your family! That’s why we’re watching.
7. Thumbs ups, finger guns, and/or pointing. Eyyy, everyone wants to be The Fonze.
8. Pastel colored kiddy fonts. Because black fonts are just too easy to read.
9. Jean jackets. A major fashion staple. Got yours yet?

**Bonus points for a wacky neighbor and or fun animal.

And now for the culmination of all this research…my video:

Filed under: Media Appearances, Read Now

Morissa Schwartz as a 90s Sitcom

Morissa Schwartz as a 90s Sitcom Who is Morissa Schwartz? Watch this 90s sitcom opening credits to find out and then head on over to MorissaSchwartz.com

GenZ Publishing Celebrates One Year Anniversary

GenZ Publishing Celebrates One Year Anniversary GenZ Publishing is celebrating one year of publishing amazing books by innovative authors. Which is your favorite GenZ book? Let us know in the comments, and you may just win another GenZ book!