"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."
—Muriel Rukeyser
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Write Your Own Obituary Coaching Launched by Author, Hollywood Producer & Manager Dr. Ken Atchity


Get 1-on-1 coaching on crafting your own memoir after the success of his own, My Obit: Daddy Holding Me, from noted author Dr. Kenneth Atchity.

I play [tennis] better when I am behind – not only behind, but way behind: Love-40 is my favorite score. If I blow the next point, I lose.”
— Dr. Kenneth Atchity

An excerpt from Story Merchant Books CEO Dr. Kenneth Atchity’s autobiography, 'My Obit: Daddy Holding Me', has been excerpted in the July issue of USA Today.

Born in Eunice, Louisiana and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Dr. Atchity began to form this talent for self-reflective writing while attending Rockhurst High School where he was editor in chief of 'The Prep News'. After undergraduate work at Georgetown on an Ignatian Scholarship and earning his PhD in comparative literature from Yale, he served as professor and chairman of comparative literature and creative writing at Occidental College and Fulbright Professor at the University of Bologna. He was a Distinguished Instructor in the UCLA Writers Program and a regular columnist-reviewer for 'The Los Angeles Times Book Review'.

Dr. Kenneth Atchity would go on to write many books including 'The Messiah Matrix' and 'Seven Ways to Die', as well as, in his second career, producing over 30 films including 'Hysteria' (Maggie Gyllenhaal), 'The Lost Valentine' (Betty White), and 'The Meg' (Jason Statham). As the “story merchant,” Dr. Atchity and his companies have provided publishing and literary assistance to New York Times bestselling authors and screenwriters for years. His interviews on “Film Courage” have garnered over 1 million views.

Recently added to the roster of Writers Lifeline services, after the success of 'My Obit: Daddy Holding Me', is the 'Write Your Own Obituary' coaching service that allows its participants to sit down virtually with Dr. Atchity and delve into telling the story of their own lives in a satisfying, honest, and narratively fulfilling way.

To sign up for the 'Write Your Own Obituary' coaching service, either visit The Writers Lifeline website or email atchity@storymerchant.com.

Keep trying anyway because the trying itself is enough to give you a feeling of control and self-respect. Doing our best is the best we can do – and self-respect is the most solid foundation for hope, which keeps us going.” 

– Dr. Kenneth Atchity in My Obit: Daddy Holding Me.

My Obit: Daddy Holding Me by Dr. Kenneth Atchity is available on Amazon

To request a review copy or inquire for an interview with author, please email atchity@storymerchant.com

Dr. Atchity’s company, Writers Lifeline, Inc., offers several personal 1-on-1 coaching services that cover topics like Dealing with Your Creative Mind and Getting Your Story Straight. Respectively, the two services delve into artistic self-improvement and the comprehensive development of a writer’s written project with an eye for a strong structure, characters, and marketability.

Film Courage Video Featuring Dr. Atchity: Quit Your Day Job and Live Out Your Dreams


FREE January 16 - January 19!! The Bronx Stagger by Daniel Moskowitz



Sex, Drugs, & Rock ‘n Roll are on the docket of Bronx Family Court, the busiest court in NYC. Schwartz the Lawyer fights for justice for families while struggling with personal demons that place his own family at risk.  



The Meg 2: Everything We Know So Far

 The 2018 giant shark movie starring Jason Statham has a sequel on the way this year. What should fans expect from Meg 2: The Trench?


One would think that the world has enough movies about shark attacks, but every once in a while, a decent take on the idea hits the big screen. Though it took ages to come out, The Meg was a massive financial success, leaving fans assured of an upcoming sequel. That sequel, Meg 2: The Trench comes from a new director with the same giant shark action.

The Meg came out in 2018 and earned $530 million on a $130-170 million budget. It didn't fare very well with critics, but it performed well above expectations at the box office. It secured Jason Statham the best opening weekend of his career outside a big franchise. With that level of success, the sequel became inevitable.

In 1997, Steve Alten wrote Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror. It was reasonably successful, at least enough to warrant six sequels with a seventh on the way. Immediately after the release of the book, Disney moved in to acquire the rights. The pitch was obvious, capitalizing on the twin blockbuster hits of Jurassic Park and Jaws. The phrase "Jurassic Shark" was thrown around with abandon. Tom Wheeler, the showrunner of NBC's The Cape, took the first crack at the screenplay and was promptly fired for his efforts. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade screenwriter Jeffrey Boam suffered the same fate. The film came close to creation in 2005 with Speed and Twister director Jan De Bont in the director's chair. This iteration of the film went down in flames, leaving the adaptation of Alten's novel in development hell. A decade passed before The Meg reared its massive head again, originally with Eli Roth of all people in talks to direct. Roth was replaced with National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub, who finally brought it to the screen.

The production of Meg 2: The Trench frankly can't be as troubled as that of its predecessor. Handily outpacing the first film's 21-year schedule, Meg 2 will drop on August 4th, 2023, almost exactly five years after the first film premiered. Warner Bros., who snagged the rights to the novel in the long shuffle, has been angling to make this into a big franchise. Ditto Steve Alten, who believes his novels have the makings of a multi-billion-dollar media empire if the filmmakers play it right. Executive producer Catherine Xujun Ying started talking about the sequel only three months after the first film's release. Filming began in February 2022, with Statham and the screenwriting trio of Dean Georgaris, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber returning to the project. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams will also be returning, after writing music for films like The Last Duel and House of Gucci in the intervening years. Unfortunately, not everyone made it back for the sequel.

Director Jon Turteltaub has not signed on for Meg 2. In his place is English director Ben Wheatley. Wheatley's best-known film is almost certainly High-Rise. The 2015 adaptation of J. G. Ballard's 1975 novel wasn't a big hit at the box office but was well-received by critics and audiences. The following year, Wheatley directed the hugely underrated action-comedy film Free Fire. It's essentially a single protracted gunfight with all the grounded aspects of real-world gun violence maintained and dutifully mocked. Wheatley is an interesting director who hasn't had massive financial success yet. Meg 2 could be a chance for him to flex his creative muscles with a budget behind him and earn some real attention for his talents.

Very few members of the cast will be returning for Meg 2. Statham is back, but almost every other principal character is left in the past. Cliff Curtis's James "Mac" Mackreides returns alongside Statham's Jonas Taylor. Though most of the characters will be changing, not much about the plot is known. Examining the novel, the story follows paleobiologist Jonas Taylor as he continues his research into the eponymous megalodon shark. Along the way, he discovers a second nightmarish ancient beast, the Kronosaurus. Fans of the first film can expect a massive crocodile-like reptile to join the massive shark in the next adventure. For his part, Alten has commended the much darker tone of the sequel and even mentioned the possibility of a hard R-rating. The first film wasn't exactly a comedy, but the idea of a darker spin on a fun creature feature would be a substantial change.

With an interesting new director and a surprising change in tone, fans of The Meg might find themselves enjoying a totally new experience with the sequel. But, with Jason Statham in the starring role and the eponymous super-shark still dominating the sea, they'll likely still be more than happy to jump in. If The Trench is as big a hit as its predecessor, there might be a new Meg movie every few years for the next several decades. Meg 2: The Trench will surface and open wide on August 4th, 2023.

via Game Rant

Story Merchant Author Robert Rivenbark’s Article About His Book The Cloud: A Speculative Fiction Novel

 

The Cloud.

 

The Cloud is the first novel in The Cloud trilogy.  It’s also in development as a film or series with producer/literary manager Kenneth Atchity of Atchity Productions and Story Merchant. “When Everyone’s a Virtual Reality Slave, Who can Free the Human Soul?”

“The Cloud” is a terrifying vision of a possible future I hope we can avoid. It’s a cautionary tale with sexy, suspenseful thriller elements that will keep you turning pages, hoping for the hard-won redemption of the male and female protagonists, who face near-impossible odds.”

 


USA Today - November 2022