Dear Daniel

Dear Daniel,

I was going to talk about stigma and how people sometimes think you can just ‘think’ your way out of it, but I think I’m going to save that for another day, maybe for the group blog. I want to talk about the kind of year 2013, on the whole has been. And on the whole it has really been one magical year.

I have been blessed with the best of friends. Missy the best friend who is more like a sister to me and Pam, who resides in the inner circle. Can’t say that about everyone, but it’s true. These two are my rocks of Gibraltar and Missy is also my woobie LOL.

Creatively speaking I have accomplished more in this one year than I have ever before. City of the Damned (novel and screenplay), Gemini’s Legacy (book 2 in the Gemini Rising trilogy), When Doves Cry (novel and soon to be treatment and pilot), You’re the Reason (screenplay), Cornbread (novel), Bella Morte:Beginnings (novel, treatment, and pilot) and Bella Morte:Devil’s Backbone (book 2 in the epic 8 book Bella Morte series). That alone would have thrilled me.

Professionally the accolades have been overwhelming. 2013 Moondance International Film Festival Semi-Finalist for Gemini’s War. Count ‘em, not one, not two, but three, Amazon Bestsellers. Bounty Hunter which hit #9, Gemini’s War which hit #24, and Letters to Daniel, the memoir based on this blog hit #2. And finally Missy and I won the 2013 Fright Night Film Festival Best SciFi Screenplay Award at Fandom Fest. Not only that, I sold 34 books at Fandom Fest.

A definite high point has been meeting and working with the likes of Tom Sawyer and Rich Ridings as my mentors along the way. And a special treat has been meeting Grant Wilson, an uber-talented guy in his own right, he is a genuine and open guy and he took the time to really listen to me at Fandom Fest, and some really neat things could come of that meeting. But nothing as they say in Hollywood is done until it’s done.

I took some leaps of faith this year by entering screenwriting contests, some small, like That Book Place’s Author Fair Writing Competition, and will know by the end of January if Missy and I are finalists. A giant competition, Scriptpipline’s First Look Project which I will know if I won or not by mid-February. The Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. It is attached to a prestigious festival but I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Advancing to semi-final round I find out in February. I find out if I’m a finalist in March. Then there’s Indie Gathering, winners are announced in July. And I plan on entering Imaginarium Film competition and literary competition later this year.

The most awesome thing is that I started three new blogs this year, this one included, and they have all garnered me success in some tangible and intangible ways. I’m mentoring two young women. One of which is my cousin. They make my day just by writing 150 words a day. I hope whoever reads this finds hope in my story as the last few entries have been dark and about I wrestle with my mental illness.

Reflecting back on what has been a fantastic 2013 I can only hope, as my best friend Missy says, that the golden horseshoe doesn’t drop out of my behind anytime too soon. Hope your year was as grand as mine and here’s to hope 2014 is even better for you Daniel, and everyone else who actually reads this blog,

Sincerely,

Amy McCorkle