"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."
—Muriel Rukeyser
____________________________

Gyllenhaal to Star in Vibrator Comedy








Actress tops Victorian-era indie 'Hysteria'

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy will star in indie romantic comedy "Hysteria," centered on the invention of the vibrator in Victorian Era England.


"Hysteria," penned by Stephen Dyer and Jonah Lisa Dyer, is directed by Tanya Wexler. Jonathan Pryce and Rupert Everett have already been signed to co-star.


Producers are Forthcoming Films' Sarah Curtis ("Mansfield Park"), Beachfront Films' Tracey Becker ("Finding Neverland") and Informant Media's Judy Cairo ("Crazy Heart.") Shooting's scheduled in October in London and Luxembourg.


Dancy and Pryce will star as doctors in London treating cases of "hysteria," a condition characterized by a woman's irritability, anger or unexplained tears. Dancy's character and his best friend, portrayed by Everett, experiment with a new electrical device for treatment for the ailment. Gyllenhaal portrays the daughter of Pryce's character.


Gyllenhaal starred in "Crazy Heart" and co-stars in "Nanny McPhee Returns," which opens Friday. Dancy starred in "Adam."


Executive Producers on "Hysteria" are Informant's Michael A. Simpson and Eric Brenner, Sandra Siegal and Ken Atchity, Mark Kress, and Stephen Dyer. Co-producers are Anouk Nora of France's By Alternative Pictures and Jimmy deBrabant of Luxembourg's Delux Films.


Elle Driver is the international sales agent and Tom Ortenberg's One Way Out Media is repping the North American rights. Gyllennhaal is repped by CAA and The Schiff Co. Dancy is represented by UTA, Gene Parseghian and United Agents.



Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com.

AEI Client Bill Diehl's Primal Fear Makes NPR's List of 100 Killer Thrillers





by Joe Matazzoni
http://www.npr.org

It's been a cliffhanger, but now the final page can be turned.

The NPR audience nominated some 600 novels to our "Killer Thrillers" poll and cast more than 17,000 ballots. The final roster of winners is a diverse one to say the least, ranging in style and period from Dracula to The Da Vinci Code, Presumed Innocent to Pet Sematary. What these top 100 titles share, however, is that all of them are fast-moving tales of suspense and adventure.



Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

  • 1. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  • 2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  • 3. Kiss the Girls, by James Patterson
  • 4. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
  • 5. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
  • 6. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
  • 7. The Shining, by Stephen King
  • 8. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
  • 9. The Hunt tor Red October, by Tom Clancy
  • 10. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Jurassic Park
  • 11. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
  • 12. The Stand, by Stephen King
  • 13. The Bone Collector, by Jeffery Deaver
  • 14. Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
  • 15. Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown
  • 16. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
  • 17. The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton
  • 18. Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane
  • 19. The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth
  • 20. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier


Girl Who Played With Fire
  • 21. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
  • 22. It, by Stephen King
  • 23. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
  • 24. The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
  • 25. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
  • 26. The Alienist, by Caleb Carr
  • 27. Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris
  • 28. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow
  • 29. The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
  • 30. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson


Rosemary's Baby
  • 31. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
  • 32. Gone Baby Gone, by Dennis Lehane
  • 33. Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith
  • 34. Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin
  • 35. Subterranean, by James Rollins
  • 36. Clear and Present Danger, by Tom Clancy
  • 37. Salem's Lot, by Stephen King
  • 38. Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane
  • 39. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre
  • 40. The Poet, by Michael Connelly

Pet Sematary
  • 41. The Boys from Brazil, by Ira Levin
  • 42. Cape Fear, by John MacDonald
  • 43. The Bride Collector, by Ted Dekker
  • 44. Pet Sematary, by Stephen King
  • 45. Dead Zone, by Stephen King
  • 46. The Manchurian Candidate, by Richard Condon
  • 47. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John Le Carre
  • 48. The Talented Mr. Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith
  • 49. Tell No One, by Harlan Coben
  • 50. Consent to Kill, by Vince Flynn


61 Hours
  • 51. The 39 Steps, by John Buchan
  • 52. Blowback, by Brad Thor
  • 53. The Children of Men, by P.D. James
  • 54. 61 Hours, by Lee Child
  • 55. Marathon Man, by William Goldman
  • 56. The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins
  • 57. 206 Bones, by Kathy Reichs
  • 58. Psycho, by Robert Bloch
  • 59. The Killing Floor, by Lee Child
  • 60. Rules of Prey, by John Sandford


The Hunger Games
  • 61. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
  • 62. In the Woods, by Tana French
  • 63. Shogun, by James Clavell
  • 64. The Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  • 65. Intensity, by Dean Koontz
  • 66. Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming
  • 67. Metzger's Dog, by Thomas Perry
  • 68. Timeline, by Michael Crichton
  • 69. Contact, by Carl Sagan
  • 70. What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman


Secret History
  • 71. The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  • 72. The Cabinet of Curiosities, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  • 73. Charm School, by Nelson DeMille
  • 74. Feed, by Mira Grant
  • 75. Gone Tomorrow, by Lee Child
  • 76. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay
  • 77. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
  • 78. The First Deadly Sin, by Lawrence Sanders
  • 79. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
  • 80. The Brotherhood of the Rose, by David Morrell















  • 81. Primal Fear, by William Diehl
  • 82. The Templar Legacy, by Steve Berry
  • 82. The Hard Way, by Lee Child [tie]
  • 84. The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
  • 85. Six Days of the Condor, by James Grady
  • 86. Fail-Safe, by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler
  • 87. Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith
  • 88. The Eight, by Katherine Neville
  • 89. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
  • 90. Goldfinger, by Ian Fleming


Bangkok 8
  • 91. Bangkok 8, by John Burdett
  • 92. The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva
  • 93. Hardball, by Sara Paretsky
  • 94. The Club Dumas, by Arturo Perez-Reverte
  • 95. The Deep Blue Good-by, by John MacDonald
  • 96. The Monkey's Raincoat, by Robert Crais
  • 96. Berlin Game, by Len Deighton [tie]
  • 98. A Simple Plan, by Scott Smith
  • 99. Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
  • 100. Heartsick, by Chelsea Cain




“STORY MERCHANT” DR. KEN ATCHITY OFFERS WRITERS AT ALL LEVELS PERSONAL CAREER COACHING:

STRATEGY & TACTICS FOR MAKING A GLOBAL IMPACT IN A CHANGING WORLD MARKET

Dr. Atchity has spent his lifetime helping writers get started with and improve their careers. For nearly twenty years as a professor of literature and teacher of creative writing at Occidental College and UCLA--then since 1995, through this thewriterslifeline.com and as a literary manager with aeionline.com Dr. Atchity has helped literally hundreds of writers find a market for their work by bringing their craft and technique to the level of their ambition and vision. His daily newsletter, inspire@storymerchant.com keeps thousands of writers inspired and informed.

The 30-minute coaching sessions are doubly proactive: (a) determining your “assignment” for the next session; and (b) Dr. Atchity taking action on getting you to the connections you need to keep your project on the strategic track you’ve designed together. Plus, you’ll get 3 free follow-up emails for each session.

The one-on-one coaching includes:

• NOVELISTS AND NONFICTION WRITERS
Moving into Markets Beyond Your Own Backyard
Creating a Presence in the U.S.
Translation Issues (and solutions)
How Do I Know If My Work Is Good Enough for the Global Market?
Plots that Sell Globally
Building Characters
Settings That Sell in the U.S.
Choosing Your Next Work

Effective, Economical Publicity
Self-publishing: Perils and Opportunities
How Do I Publish My Children’s Book?
How to Find an Agent (Dr. Atchity will refer you to his management company or an appropriate agent once your work is ready for presentation).
How to Approach Publishers Directly.
How Can I Get My Novel Made Into a Film?
What Do I Need to Know or Do about BRANDING?


• SCREENWRITERS:

Today’s 2 Hollywood Market s & How to Navigate Them
Do I Need an Agent?
How Do I Find One? (when your work is ready, Dr. Atchity will refer it)
The Value of Contests
How Do I Know if My Work Is Good Enough for Hollywood?
What Is Television Looking for?
Where Can I Find a U.S. Collaborator for My Work?
How Do I Stand Out from the Pack?
How Can I Accelerate the Process of Getting My Script Made Into a Film?
Becoming a Proactive Filmmaker

In some cases, coaching can involve representation.

What other writing coach is also…
An active producer, for major studios, television, and independent films
A literary manager for twenty years for screenwriters, nonfiction authors, and novelists—with over 15 bestsellers and nearly 30 films
An editor for fifty years in every imaginable field
The author of 15 books, including A Writer’s Time, Writing Treatments That Sell, How to Publish Your Novel, and How to Escape Lifetime Security and Pursue Your Impossible Dream: A Guide to Changing Your Career
An inspiring public speaker at dozens of conventions and conferences in the U.S. and Europe
A brand manager whose brands have included Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not! and thethrillionaires.com
A writer on every aspect of the creative process
Ph.D. from Yale, former Professor of Literature at Occidental College.
Fulbright Professor to the University of Bologna

Stay tuned with his latest activities at kenatchity.blogspot.com

For daily free inspiration and information for writers along with news of our latest deals, inspire@storymerchant.com

Inquire about one-on-one coaching now by writing to drk@storymerchant.com and receive further information about rates and benefits.

STORY MERCHANT CLIENT RON WEAVER LAUNCHES BLOG FOR SOUL MATE BOOK SIGNING 9/16 AT BARNES & NOBLE A THE GROVE!



Claudia de la Rosa, is a starry-eyed innocent with book-learned wisdom who has just arrived in the glamour-charged world of Beverly Hills to become the high school English teacher of Lance Van Arden.

At first, neither Lance nor Claudia understand that the odd connection they both feel in the presence of each other is anything more than Claudia’s respect for Lance’s emerging talent as a writer and Lance’s need for a mentor. Both resist the mutual attraction because they share the conventional wisdom that anything more would be wrong. But destiny collides with established rules as mutual dreams and twists of fate propel them together.

Lance and Claudia’s steamy and blissful private world collides with social norms and stirs up parental suspicion. Because of their courage and an absolute certainty that they are soul mates having some greater purpose as yet undiscovered, they become modern-day folk heroes when that remarkable purpose is revealed and their tale becomes public knowledge.

Their perilous adventure is nudged along by Marco Cerasuolo, a flamboyant, sophomore with prodigious psychic powers whose spirit guides, Daniel and The Bear, offer hints and cryptic riddles.

Ronald Lewis Weaver, senior producer of The Bold and the Beautiful, has written an unforgettable story of a seemingly impossible love. See what cast members including Betty White, Ronn Moss and Katherine Kelly Lang had to say about the book.

Ronald Lewis Weaver is author of the novel Soul Mate. He’s at work on a second novel, and is the Senior Producer of The Bold and the Beautiful, the world’s most watched daytime soap. Read Ron’s blog at RonaldLewisWeaver.com.

Advance Purchase:https://www.createspace.com/3460623



NHK Team Creates inspiring Documentary celebrating the life and Legacy of Helen Keller

Top Notch Film Crew From Japan Comes to Massachusetts to Find the Story of the True Helen Keller



August 10, 2010 – A team from NHK Japan Public Broadcasting Corporation has spent a good deal of this summer in the US creating two documentary programs to celebrate the life and legacy of Helen Keller during her 130th birthday year. The crew (L-R sound engineer Masaki, renowned videographer Yukio, stateside producer Kayoko Mitsumatsu, and director Miwa) filmed students and educators at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, to capture modern day methods of educating children who, like Helen Keller, are deafblind. Keller’s famous “Miracle Worker” teacher Annie Sullivan was a graduate of Perkins, and brought Keller to Boston to study at the school in the late 1800’s.

A 90-minute Helen Keller documentary special profiles her life, dispelling myths and depicting her true self. Interviews capturing Perkins students and an alumnus seek to reveal "contemporary Helen Kellers" working toward their highest potential for independent living.

In a 30-minute educational documentary, NHK will focus on comparing deafblind education and lifestyle in Japan versus the US. Practices and policies in Japan lag behind the US, since deafblindness is not yet recognized as an independent disability there. Mitsumatsu and her colleagues hope to enlighten viewers about the potential and the possibilities when people who are deafblind are included in society.

The crew from Japan NHK were guided in their exploration of deafblind education by Perkins School for the Blind professionals such as Assistant Director of Education Services Martha Majors (seated, center) who has worked on the Perkins campus and educated teachers around the world for more than 30 years. (standing L-R Yukio, Miwa, Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Masaki)

Perkins School for the Blind, the nation’s first school for the visually impaired, provides education and services to help build productive, meaningful lives for 115,000 children and adults who are blind, deafblind, including those with additional disabilities in the U.S. and 64 countries worldwide. Founded in 1829, Perkins pursues this mission on campus, in the community and around the world. Learn more online at www.Perkins.org

Photos courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind

CONTACT: Marilyn Rea Beyer, Media & Public Relations Director Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA Tel: 617-972-7478 Cell: 617-513-5569 marilynrea.beyer@Perkins.org

NHK CONTACT: Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Associate Producer NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, USA Tel:310-991-9599 Fax:323-932-1220

CBS loves Hewitt for AEI and Hallmark Hall of Fame's 'Valentine' TV film







'Ghost Whisperer' actress will star with Betty White
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER



Jennifer Love Hewitt is back at CBS -- and she's bringing along media superstar Betty White.

Hewitt and White are set to star in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movie "The Lost Valentine," set to air in early 2011 (if the title's any indication, perhaps in February). Hewitt will also exec produce the movie, which will shoot in Atlanta this fall.

The "Hallmark Hall of Fame" telepic reps a quick return to the Eye for Hewitt, who just wrapped five years on CBS' "Ghost Whisperer," which wasn't picked up this spring for another season.

Based on the novel by James Michael Pratt, "The Lost Valentine" will star Hewitt as a journalist working on a profile of a woman (White) whose husband was declared MIA during WWII.

Darnell Martin ("Their Eyes Were Watching God") will direct the longform; scribes Ernest Thompson and Jenny Wingfield are adapting for TV. Joining Hewitt as exec producer is Brent Shields; Andy Gottlieb and Barbara Gangi producing [with AEI's Ken Atchity and Chi-Li Wong].

Hewitt most recently starred in Lifetime movie "The Client List." She's currently shooting an episode of "Law and Order: SVU" and also released her first book, "The Day I Shot Cupid."

Hewitt's other credits include ABC movie "The Audrey Hepburn Story," as well as the Fox drama "Party of Five."

It's also been a busy year for White, who stars in TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," among dozens of other gigs.