Interview with Hectorlyne Wuor Jarmon

Earlier this week I stumbled upon the Kickstarter page for a new sci-fi film titled Keep,Leave. The synopsis:

In 2096, technology exists giving people the power to erase memories from their minds, but at a cost substantially higher than money.

I had the great fortune of interviewing Hectorlyne Wuor Jarmon, the Producer for the project. Here's how it went!

DK: So, starting off: telling me a bit about your kickstarter project.

HWJ: Keep,Leave takes place in the year 2096, when the power of choice is at an all time high. Technology exists that allows people to choose which memories they would like to keep, and which they would like to erase. This is made possible by our company, Retentia Neurologic Therapeutics. 

DK: That's a really interesting concept, one most people can relate to. Who came up with the original idea, and what was the inspiration?

HWJ: This concept was created by our Uber talented Writer-Director Kryzz Gautier. I enjoy working with her because she has brilliant ideas that everyone can relate to no matter who you are, and she really understands the art of storytelling. We've all had experiences in our lives, or moments we wish we could erase from our memories.This story was rooted out if heart break. Imagine keeping the beautiful beginnings of the relationship, and tossing the messy moments that end up in heart break. Thats what this story is about. 

DK: I can definitely think of some memories I'd like erased. Now, the description also says, "...but at a cost substantially higher than money." Without spoiling too much, can you elaborate on this cost? Aren't our bad experiences part of what make us who we are, as much as the good? 

HWJ: Exactly that's part of the costs one may not anticipate with the memory extraction process. Ultimately some of the horrible experiences we go through significantly shape who we are positively and negatively. The choice ultimately lies with the customer.

DK: The entertainment industry often overlooks women and minorities when it comes to lead roles. The Science Fiction genre is especially guilty of this. What are your thoughts on this, and how does Keep,Leave deal with this kind of problem? 

HWJ: I think this all comes to who is telling the story. A much larger percentage of films made are written by men, and directed/produced by men. It's only natural that they would write a story with male leads because that's what they connect to.

Keep, Leave is written and Directed by a Dominican woman, Produced by a Liberian woman so it's natural that we will have a female in the lead. What I love is that the crew driving this film is all women, of all nationalities. It's bringing a diverse voice to the forefront, one that is very needed in Sci-Fi genre.

DK: Diversity is always a positive thing in art; different people bring different viewpoints and ideas to the table, and it creates a far more balanced product in the end as a result. In this vein, what existing works in TV/Film/Literature have been an inspiration to you?

HWJ: In terms of literature, I'm a great fan if Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and playwright Lynn Nottage.  In Film, one of my favorite films is Bend It Like Beckham and I saw Samba last night which was remarkable. I'm excited about television right now and the diverse voices that VOD bring into play. Shows such as Transparent, Empire, Orange is the New Black, Fresh Off the Boat, And Jane the Virgin. I think we're moving in the right direction, but I know we have a long way to go.

DK: So, aside from Producing Keep,Leave, what else are you working on? Are there any future projects to have mulling around in your head?

HWJ: I am also producing a feature film called PAPA. It's about a teenager, Pepe Fadiga, who thought growing up with an abusive African father was hard enough, but that paled in comparison with surviving the inescapable violence of the south Bronx ghetto. We are going to be starting principle photography in fall of 2015.

DK: Well thanks for taking the time to tell us about your Kickstarter. Is there anything else you'd like to say?

HWJ: I would like to thank everyone who has donated to our campaign so far and shared our project, we are so grateful. I ask that others please partner with us and donate so that this film can come to fruition. Thanks for taking the time to interview me David.

You can take a look at the Kickstarter for Keep,Leave here. 

2015 Q2 Writing Review

I fricken LOVE statistics. I keep track of my daily, weekly, and quarterly writing progress. It's addicting, and it helps keep me moving forward. You can see my Q1 write-up here. 

Well Q2 is done, so it's time to see how things wound up. First, the week-by-week totals:

• 4/6: 11,100 words written
• 4/13: 4,883
• 4/20: 7,322
• 4/27: 6,265
• 5/4: 9,628
• 5/11: 4,726
• 5/18: 8,337
• 5/25: 8,301
• 6/1: 10,493
• 6/8: 8,931
• 6/15: 9,429
• 6/22: 10,771
• 6/29: 14,656

Altogether a total of 114,842 words in April/May/June, my most productive quarter yet. The specific projects I worked on:

• Pillars of Wrath: 67,232 words written in the 2nd draft (I added 10 new chapters). This is currently "resting" before I take a crack at a third draft. After that it should be ready for my beta readers!
• Sword of Blue: Edited and published on April 17.
• Drowned by Fire: 23,657 words written in the 2nd draft, sent to beta readers, edited, and published on June 26
• Spore: 25,427 words written. This is a psycho-thriller that's been mulling around in my head and outlined since last Christmas. Finally carved out some time to work on it. So far I'm loving this book. I will probably be submitting it to agents when it's complete.

Aside from that, part of Siege of Praetar won Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Award! All printed copies of the book will now come with this fancy badge on the cover:

Here's hoping for another great quarter. 

Three Book Giveaway!

Who likes free stuff? Of course you do! I've got a few extra copies of my Tales of a Dying Star series laying around that are just itching to be read. 

The winner will receive autographed copies of the first three books of Tales of a Dying Star, seen above. All you have to do to enter is sign up for my mailing list! Click the flashy little button below to enter. I'll announce a winner on Sunday, June 21. (Continental US only please--international shipping is expensive!)

(If that button is too gaudy for you, feel free to click here instead.)

Review of Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson

I received Elantris as a Christmas gift, but was already in the middle of reading Way of Kings so it has sat on my shelf for the past 6 months. Well I finally finished the other behemoth, which opened up some much-needed space in my reading arsenal. 

This is the second true Brandon Sanderson book I've read (4th or 5th if you count the last few Wheel of Time novels). This was also his first published novel, though he's said in his BYU lectures that he wrote 13 unpublished novels prior to it (holy shit). It has a great hook: Elantris was the city of the Gods, golden and beautiful. Abruptly that ends, and the city becomes inexplicably cursed.

There are some problems with pacing. The book starts off with a bang for each character, but after the first few pages it languishes for a while. The hook and premise of the book are strong enough that I obviously continued, but there were a good ~100 pages after the introductions where not much happened. This seems to be a theme with Sanderson: strong opening, followed by a lot of worldbuilding.

But it's a wonderful book. The three characters are all compelling and likable, even the one who is the "villain". Each have complex motivations, and Sanderson avoids all of the cliches typically associated with the genre. The book is long, but the details are all necessary. He weaves the story so wonderfully that each minor details comes in to play in the climax. 

Structurally, it's a relatively simple book. There are three characters, and the entirety of the book (with the exception of the last 20 pages) take place in Elantris/Kae. This is a refreshing change for the Fantasy genre, which often has so many POV characters that it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. And along the lines of genre-busting, it's a standalone book. I can't remember the last time I read a single Fantasy novel that wasn't part of a series. That was especially refreshing, especially in an age where I infrequently finish books or series because they're so soul-crushingly long. 

Elantris is a great book, and it's no wonder that it's what made Sanderson break out as a writer. 

Drowned by Fire: Illustrations

Drowned by Fire, Book IV of the Tales of a Dying Star series, is on track for release next month. However, some of the spaceship sketches to be included in the book are now complete. I just received these finished illustrations from Greg Bahlmann. 

Riverhawk Fighter

Goshawk Light Scout

Can't wait to see these bad boys in print! You can view more of his work on his DeviantArt page.