Zombie Zombie - This Road Until Death Sets You Free

From Second Skin to Sick Hipsters

Here we go! My novel has been optioned by Pure West Films and I couldn't be more excited. Not only are these guys excellent filmmakers but they are excellent people.


The Pineiro Brothers - Juan Carlos, director, and Victor, producer/writer - are currently riding the wave of critical success generated by their first film, the award-wining documentary Second Skin. The film delves into the world of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) like World of Warcraft and Second Life. While I'm not much of a gamer, I was instantly caught up in the lives of the people who play these games obsessively. From star struck lovers who have never physically met to a man hopelessly addicted and suicidal, Second Skin literally gets under the skin of MMORPG gamers. It's fast paced, funny without being condescending, and beautifully realized. You can watch the trailer for Second Skin and learn more about it here. Even more importantly, you can enjoy the film in a theatre near you this fall.

Victor is currently at work adapting the novel and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have him working on this. Not only does he really "get" 6 Sick Hipsters but he's made it his own. All the references (even some of the more obscure ones) are within his startling scope of pop culture/geek knowledge. The man is like a long-lost twin. We talk frequently and each and every discussion makes me giddy with excitement at the prospects of this movie. I will be attending the NYC premier of Second Skin Sept. 5th and will have photos and the like to share from our first "official" meet up.

I should mention that we're talking indie film here. That means tricky but it also means loads of freedom. I know writers who've had big studio films made of their books that turned out, well, disastrously. Sure, they got paid loads but the resulting flick was not only rated PG-13 (when the novel was a hard R) but it was changed from a drama to a comedy. Ouch. While I would love to retire to a mansion in Florida with Hollywood winnings, I'm much happier knowing that 6 Sick Hipsters is in good hands. Victor and Juan Carlos not only want to keep me involved, they want to stay true to the novel. What more could I ask for?

This blog will become (in addition to news about forthcoming novels - Very Mercenary *hint*hint) home to my "production process" diaries. Stay tuned, the fun is just beginning.

Another hint

Here's another hint regarding the identity of the mysterious "---" who've optioned 6 Sick Hipsters. We're planning on coordinating our announcement of the deal to parlay some press. Hang tight.


uploaded to Flickr by mhuang 8.4.08

Press & Sun-Bulletin review