Merry Christmas and may 2025 be as interesting as 2024 but in a nicer way...

 Merry Christmas one and all. 

I'm not going to lie, 2024 has been a challenging year but then, haven't they all? There have been some real highs and some spectacular lows. 

I set up Filmmakers United CIC and Envisage International Film Festival which is already receiving lots of film submissions, and I have realised a tonne of things, both metaphorical and actual. I've watched some amazing films whilst hosting the Stratford on Avon Film Festival and the Birmingham Horror Film Festival and I've been nothing but impressed by the standard of the films and documentaries. 

Now that I'm watching and rating the submissions that are pouring in for Envisage International Film Festival, I'm humbled by the talent I see around me, so much so that recently whilst watching a much acclaimed film on TV by a globally-known director, I ended up comparing the new films to that older one. 

The acting in the old film is still phenomenal but everything else has suffered the curse of the passage of time. The dialogue was dated, the camera skills clunky and it was too heavy in close-up "dramatic shots". But more damning was the attitude and concept of the film which centred around the fact that a man had been imprisoned for rape but - and get this -  it was most likely wrongful imprisonment because the prosecuting lawyer "had buried" the fact that the "girl was promiscuous". Sorry, what? 

I'm not going to delve into societal changes which are now reflected on our screens - that's a whole different conversation. My point is that line would never have been written in a modern film - and the world is a better place for that shift. And yet I am jarred by the realisation that I have found myself emotionally back where I was in my twenties, striving forward, desperate to change the world for the better, but this time filled with less hope and more acknowledgement that I am but a minute speck in the universe. 

Recently having had Covid for the umpteenth time I missed a social event I was due to attend and afterwards I was told I was missed. I think the surprise on my face showed. I can't imagine anyone missed me at all. And yet this year has brought great validation for my work from both my peers and from those much more established and higher up the industry ladder than I. 

My little animation got five film festival nominations, one of which was from the Royal Television Society no less, and I have genuinely lost count of the amount of people who told me they were touched by it. TV commissioners have gone out of their way to tell me how much they love my scripts and people I have worked with have given genuine praise and  congratulations. I've been told over and over that I'm a joy to work with and that my work deserves success and yet I feel like a coiled spring inside. 

All my life I've aimed to make the world a better, kinder place. I've rescued animals, I've volunteered for charities, I've done a tonne of stuff that might have impacted one or two lives for the better, but never really made a huge difference anywhere. My plan remains to use the profits from my various companies to do the job better. But there is still so much cruelty everywhere. I turn on the news and am bombarded with sickening images and stories. Instagram and social media in general is a scroll through cruelty interspersed with vacuous people sharing pointless posts. 

I spent two days this week trying to find the owners of a very ill cat I'd found before it got put to sleep; I rescued lots of pigeons and birds which didn't make it and my soul aches with the seeming futility of it all. And then yesterday I saw the most beautiful, lush fox in my garden, and I was reminded that there is still so much beauty in the world. So much to still keep fighting for. 

Next year I shall be launching several new books and have a lot of exciting news to announce so until then I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. But if you are like me and not currently filled with the joys of the season, just remember you're not alone in feeling more than a little blue. 

Until 2025... x 

 

Envisage International Film Festival

Two days ago I pressed a button which set a chain of events into motion. Perhaps you'll remember that I said I had 5 big announcements to make? Well this is the first of them. 

Envisage International Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing all independent productions of a science fiction or fantasy nature. If you've never really thought about those genres then let me be more specific. This includes space opera (think Star Wars and Star Trek, A Space Odessy, etc), dystopian works (the likes of The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games) and so on. 

As a writer of science fiction it's always fascinated me when people tell me they don't like science fiction or fantasy genres... and then tell me the films and TV shows they do like, such as Avatar, Fantastic Beasts and Stranger Things. Because guess what? Those things exactly fit the genres I love so much. 

So back to Envisage. It's brand new and brought to you by the team behind Stratford On Avon Film Festival and Birmingham Horror Film Festival. It's going to debut at the amazing Millennium Point in Birmingham, and its entry fees are super affordable, starting at £5 for a micro short submission. 

So what are you waiting for? Get submitting. Click here to read more about the festival. 

Coming soon...

 I have loads of exciting news but right now I'm not at liberty to tell. So here's a quick peek at just one of my big announcements coming soon. 

Guess what this is...click here.

Sad but not sad...

        

Just James didn't win an award in its category at The Royal Television Society but I really didn't mind. 

To be nominated alongside three other animations from large, established and very professional teams was enough for me. One day Rodders, one day...

More award nominations

Just James has been nominated for a further two awards! I can't tell you how much this means to me - I'm absolutely stunned but very thrilled. 

As well as the Royal Television Society nomination, it has just been announced by Birmingham Film Festival that it has been nominated for "The Audience Vote Award" and also "The Bull Award," which is presented to the best film of the entire festival! 

And don't forget, I also write books. 

RTS award nomination

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that Just James has been nominated for an RTS award.  

I created and wrote this story a few years ago but it's always remained in my heart.  

What's next?

 

There's a new book coming soon. Girl Displaced is a Young Adult romantic mystery and I hope you'll love it. 

Here's a little excerpt:

He looks up sharply. He hadn’t known that I’d seen Caelan then. I immediately wonder why that is and then almost just as immediately dismiss it. Why should meeting me be such a big topic of conversation between the cousins?

“I saw Caelan in the church grounds yesterday,” I say and watch how he tries to keep the surprise from showing on his face.

“He didn’t say.”

I feign nonchalance. “Why would he? I mean you barely know me.” The beauty of the English language is profoundly satisfying under the circumstances. He can’t possibly know if I mean ‘you’ as in him, singular, or as a plural covering both of them. Which is just as well, because I don’t know which way I mean it either.

“How much more of you is there to know?” His question is equally simple. Equally ambiguous.

I force myself to laugh lightly. “Not a lot really.” But we’re both aware that he didn’t mean it like that. His eyes travel to my lips and I think that at any moment he will kiss me…

So while you are waiting for this one, take a look at some of my other books you might have missed. 

To read a bit of Cursed for FREE click here.

To read a bit of any of my other books click here. Alternatively you can 

put my name into the search bar of Google or Amazon. 

AND MANY MORE...

I know that I have just announced that I have a new company, but there's even more news coming. The Stratford-upon-Avon Film Festival is almost here.

Get your tickets now.

Screenings 2024 | S-O-A-FilmFestival (stratford-on-avon-filmfestival.com)

Filmmakers United has been incorporated!

 

It brings us immense joy to announce that our company, Filmmakers United, which has been organising film festivals in the UK since 2015, is now officially registered as a Community Interest Company in Britain.

We are delighted to introduce the new directors of our company:

CARMEN CAPUANO a respected author, screenwriter, and producer;

GARY ANTHONY ROGERS, a Director of Photography, filmmaking tutor, and film festival director;

and LALIT BHUSAL, the founder of Filmmakers United and an award-winning filmmaker and film festival director.

Our Community Interest Company is dedicated to promoting sustainable film festivals/ film production and providing a range of services to support filmmakers in their endeavours.

Soon we will release list of film festivals which we are actively running in United Kingdom and in Europe with our international partners.

Thank you for your love and support.

ASCENSION

I'm excited to announce that I am about to re-release Ascension.

I originally wrote this book around 2010 and it was published by a traditional publisher but now I'm releasing it under my own publishing brand. It's a very dark novel and a very important one to me, as it was one of the first books I ever wrote.

I hope you enjoy it. x

Recipes...

Are you someone who tries to eat healthily? If so I have the answer to your prayers: let me introduce Recipes for Performance Sports.

Devised and edited with nutrition in mind, this little book is packed with great recipes, and at £2.55 it's a steal. 

AWARD NOMINATION

I'm delighted to announce that this sweet little short has been nominated for an award by Midlands Movies. I loved creating and writing the story. 

My Name Is Climate...

I've lots of announcements to make in the coming weeks but first up...

I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of such an amazing and worthwhile organisation. More details coming soon.

Future Perfect has arrived...

 Timing the launch of new books is never easy but this year I've gone all out to publish two new books for World Book Day and for International Women's Day which falls on the following day. 

So if you'd like to take a look at Future Perfect for FREE, simply click on this link.