There will be no further updates on this part of the blog.
Thanks!

1. I had a nice rendezvous with the H1N1 flu and we battled mightily. It came in hard and took me down for about 48 hours before I was able to mount a counter-offensive that has lasted ever since. Nasty wanker of a virus, this thing. Not to be trifled with. Finally got back into some push-ups today and then spent the afternoon raking leaves. Felt good to be active again after two weeks of pretty much doing diddly-squat.

2. HELLstalkers has gotten some nice media mentions of late. While Vodafone will shepherd the launch across most of Europe, Verizon customers will be able to enjoy the adventures in the US & UK (Vodafone owns Verizon, so that works out pretty nicely.) Additionally, both networks are planning a nice bit of publicity and supposedly, co-author Joe Nassise and I will enjoy some exposure to approximately 250-350 million cell phone customers. Pretty nice, indeed.

3. Along those lines, I’ve signed a similar deal with Blackbetty to release Parallax and Vicarious for cell phone users as well. The deal and parameters are the same as the deal for HELLstalkers and you’ll be able to find both books (y’know, in case you haven’t read ‘em yet >gasp!<) on both the Vodafone and Verizon networks.

4. Been working the ol' buttocks off on THE FIXER. We'd initially been slated to shoot the pilot starting November 1st, but due to some legal issues, we've pushed the production back to January 2010 now. No worries – we're still on-track for a 2010 debut of the series. And it's going to be incredible. The principals that have been lined up are stellar – all of them perfectly suited to the roles they'll play. It's incredible to see actual talented professionals playing the characters that I created on the printed page starting to come to life. Can't wait to get them all in front of the camera.

5. We're working right now on bringing out a brand new trailer for the series. This will be the first of several that we release to help build buzz and anticipation for the series. It was shot on our glorious new cameras (3 of 'em) in full 1080p high definition. The footage is absolutely amazing. The days of bloated production budgets and enormous crews may be coming to an end. The equipment and technology have gotten to the point where a tight group of visionaries can get everything done. We expect to release the first trailer next week sometime, the post production crew is tweaking things right now.

6. Speaking of which, if you haven't been over to the Facebook Fan Page for THE FIXER, then you’ve missed a glimpse of the new logo for the show. Or you could just head over to THE FIXER website and see it there. And yes, the website is currently being re-designed. The new design is breathtaking. Just wait…

7. I turned 40 on October 24th and got an iPhone, which is the monkey’s balls as far as I am concerned. How the hell did I function without this thing for so long?

I’m probably forgetting a few other things, but that will do for now. Anyway, I’m stoked to be almost 100% healthy again. Time to get back to training!

About a week later, I got an email from Mexico from this same guy saying, “It’s good, Jon. Real good.” He went on to say he wanted to pretty much reach everything I’d written, did I have any scripts I could send him, that sort of thing. He also sent along a bio sheet about himself and the company he helped found in Los Angeles. Being the sometimes cynic that I am, I was still finding this all a bit much, but what the hell, it could turn out to be something…

I sent him 30 pages of a script I’ve been tinkering with over the years. It’s not finished by any means, and to be completely honest, it sort of meanders, because I didn’t really have a clear grasp on the story itself. But it’s fun and I like it.

This past Monday, I get a phone call. It’s him.

Without going into too many details, it is exactly the type of phone call a lot of writers dream of getting. And for someone like me, with all sorts of ambitions beyond writing books, it was rather an amazing conversation. Last night, we spoke again – this time he was in Las Vegas where he lives part time due to the fact that he produces one of the most successful shows out there – and finalized things.

I am very happy to announce that I now have myself a manager. Christopher Pratt of Elements Entertainment will be handling my Hollywood career. Christopher and Elements are a young, aggressive talent management agency and I couldn’t be happier. First up is for me to send over an overview of what I’m working on, what I’ve already done, and what I’d like to do. I have a conference call next week with Christopher and another partner as we lay out a game plan for how they’re going to “introduce” me to Hollywood. This not going to be like what happens with 99.99% of authors who get their stuff optioned and then their work lingers in development Hell for years (no offense to those authors, it’s just that I don’t want to earn a few measly grand every so often from options.) Christopher and Elements have a plan and I’m damned excited about the future.

Apparently, I’ll also probably have more “staff” in the near future – including a Hollywood agent and an entertainment attorney to navigate the vast complexity of film & TV contracts (been needing one of those anyway re: THE FIXER). So things are getting interesting, to say the very least. I’m going to be getting a fantastic education and I can’t wait.

Come along on the ride!

I’ve been hinting a lot at a “big” thing and it is pretty much a done deal. I’ll be co-authoring a new series that I think you’ll all get a huge kick out of. My co-author is a great friend of mine and we watch out for each other in “the biz.” The spectacular things about this deal are the particulars, which I can’t discuss just yet (unfortunately!) as our agent works with the publisher to get some last minute things cleared up. But trust me: you’ll be hearing a lot about this deal because it’s quite…innovative, let’s put it that way. As for what the series is about, let’s just say that it will contain elements of what I already write, so if you’re a fan of my work, you won’t be disappointed.

Received a great phone call from Hollywood last night. I may have mentioned that in the past month there’s been a lot of interest in Parallax for film rights, etc. As so often happens with these things, a lot of it fizzles out. But every once in a while, you get the kind of phone call you really hope to get – something that will help propel your career forward in potential leaps and bounds. Last night’s call was just that. I won’t reveal details on that, either. But should be able to let something loose by the end of the week, perhaps. If everything works out the way it should, you’ll be seeing a lot more of my work coming out of Hollywood. So please keep your fingers crossed.

I’m extremely pleased with this apparent convergence of spectacular energy. I don’t often talk about how I reach my goals, because I don’t feel it’s my place to tell someone else how they should be living their life. Living mine is tough enough, why on earth would I imagine I could advise someone else how to do it? (When you think about it, most of the people who do spend their time making judgments about others, do so because they are probably deeply unhappy with the state of their own existence and simply find it easier to cast dispersions rather than try to dig up the courage to change their own lives.) But I am a big believer in visualization and projecting positive intent.

Many of you know that I study Ninjutsu, and that ninja of legend were supposed to be able to bend the universe to their will using a combination of finger-weaving, thought projection, and a specific series of syllables intoned properly. This system of study is known as “Kuji Kiri” and involves a great deal of work. It’s not something I would ever claim mastery of, either, because at it’s core and in order to actually “work,” the person doing it needs to first understand themselves and their motivations with crystal clarity. But you don’t need to study ninjutsu to use visualization. All you need is the courage to have complete understanding of yourself and who you are. You have to be able to look into the mirror and see the reflection for what it is: a representation of you. If you stand there gazing at the mirror and start making excuses, then excuses are all you will ever have. The ability to see yourself for who you are means embracing the positive aspects of your personality with the faults you have as well. You are the sum total of your parts, not just the shiny surface you hope everyone else sees.

Once you’ve grown somewhat comfortable with this process (because, frankly, it is not a comfortable feeling looking deep inside and examining all of your faults to try to figure out how to move past them) then the method of visualization becomes much easier. You understand why you may desire things, what your motivations are and what their underlying foundations are. With this understanding of yourself, you can project the future you want to happen.

This doesn’t mean you have to sit in a lotus position and ohm your way into tomorrow. It simply mans being able to see in your mind’s eye the future thing you want to have happen. By virtue of being able to clear out the clutter that often disguises our true self, the image you conjure in your head will be that much richer in detail and vitality. Then it’s merely a matter of repeating the visualization hundred or thousands or tens of thousands of times until the universe catches up. I’m fond of saying that the universe doesn’t keep the same timetable that I do and our schedules are often out of whack. But eventually we synchronize and when that happens – pow!

This is an example of positive intent being projected out into the universe, which is always a great thing. And we all know that the opposite is also true. There are people in this world who spend their time projecting hatred and negativity out into the universe as well. And the universe, being what it is, brings that energy into existence just as it does the positive. Interestingly enough, projecting negative energy takes far less work than projecting positive. As a result, we tend to see far more negative realizations than we do positive one. The reason? Discipline.

Remember your biology class when you talked about chaos? I’m paraphrasing but at its essence, chaos simply means that any “system” left on its own will revert to that which requires the least amount of energy to maintain. Being a positive force for good in the universe takes a lot more work than being a negative person. Negative people are often masters of projecting their energy because they do it so often. Some of them wander around grumbling all the time. Others attempt to use subtle snide commentary to conceal their venom. Still others play passive-aggressive and others still are pure hatred.

Positivity means being able to confront our negative aspects – what we might call our faults – and accept the fact that they exist. We work to become better people through effort and positive intent. Just taking the time to do that can be enormous. Add to it the future we want to create for ourselves and our loved ones and you can see why positivity requires a helluva lot more work than negativity does.

“Great, Jon, thanks for the mumbo-jumbo talk – what’s your point?”

My point is this: this thing called Life happens (as far as I can tell) but once. My father died when he was 48 years old. I turn 40 in October. So I know what I want to accomplish just in case my card gets punched at the same age. That means the future I have is a direct result of the work I do now. And when things come to pass, do I want to look back and say, “Well, I played it safe but I wonder what would have happened if…?”

Nope.

I want to look back on my life and say, “Holy shit, that was awesome! I dared greatly, failed often, experienced everything I could, and succeeded when it mattered most.”

I hope those of you reading this embrace the same positivity that I try to every day. I won’t lie and say it’s easy. And you should be able to take a day or two off every once in a while, if for no other reason than to better understand what negativity is like. But don’t stay there. If you’ve got dreams, make them a reality. If someone else doesn’t approve of your life, or how you’re living it, don’t waste your time with them. More often than not, those people are living in a personal Hell they’ll probably never escape.

There are great things out there that you should be experiencing.

Who Dares Wins.

1. Have you cast all the roles for the series?

The short answer is no. The detailed answer requires more of an explanation. THE FIXER will have very few constant roles. We’ve already cast the most-important role of Lawson, who will be played by Brandon S. Stumpf. Aside from Lawson, the character audiences will see the most of is Niles, Lawson’s Control. We haven’t cast Niles yet. Other characters that will “pop in” from episode to episode are Arthur (grizzled ex-Fixer in his 60s from the UK), Talya (Lawson’s on-again-off-again love interest who is Asian/Eurasian and hot as all Hell), Martina (bookish but beautiful blonde who works as the armorer at the Council building in Boston and pines for Lawson). In Season One, there are also appearances by Jack (the Invoker Lawson has informally adopted as something of a son), Benny the Phreak (uber-computer hacker) and a variety of others (some of whom have already been cast). Naturally, we’ll need villains, although the recurring bad guy for Season One has also already been cast. Lesser villains and characters will always be needed, as well as extras. So if you’re interested in putting your face into the mix, you can email me at jonfmerz AT verizon DOT net with your vitals. We are working with a casting director, so any interest will be forwarded to them as well, although since this is my baby, my vote counts a lot because of the way I want this series to look.

2. Are you looking for producers?

No. And I don’t like getting emails from people I don’t know asking about the status of our finances.

3. Okay, are you still looking for investors?

Sure, if you’re interested in coming on-board as an investor and earning a 50% ROI, the minimum buy-in is $10,000. Contact me for details. (Email is in answer #1 above)

4. What about crew?

We’re looking for talented crew members for a lot of positions, so feel free to apply. Email is in answer #1 above.

5. I just graduated and don’t have much experience. Does that matter?

While I hope you know the rudimentary aspects of whatever job you’re applying for, I’m less concerned with experience than I am with your personality and work ethic. A lack of experience (within reason) can be effectively neutralized by a kick-ass attitude and tireless work ethic.

Also, I want to make it absolutely clear that if someone applies for a position and tries to bully their way in to some kind of leadership/control/creative position because they think they’re the be-all-end-all of film/TV production, they will NOT work on this series. Jaime and I want people working with us who fit in and get along well with the people who have been there since the very beginning. If you’re a lone wolf, prima donna, or a bully, this ain’t the set for you. We’ve worked far too hard and long and put too much into this production to even consider seeing it jeopardized by that crap.

6. Is the production union?

It will be as soon as we file all the paperwork with AFTRA.

7. When will the series air?

For right now, we’ll plead the 5th.

8. THE FIXER website hasn’t been updated in ages – what gives?

We’ve been working on other aspects of the production (like finding investors) and will start doing updates to the website soon. Also, our Facebook “group” will be going away and transitioning to a Facebook “fan page” so be on the lookout for that.

9. Jon, when are the Lawson Vampire books going to be re-released?

Soon. But in the meantime, if you’ve got a publisher you think ought to be bringing them out, feel free to contact them and urge them to do a deal now, before they miss out.

If you’ve got other questions, feel free to post them in the comments section below! Thanks!

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all having an amazing summer! It’s been weird in the northeast – we had lots of rain and now the heat and humidity have finally caught up with us. My boys go back to school in a few weeks and the seasons will turn again shortly. Funny how fast time flies!

First and foremost: I’m doing a book giveaway out on my Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/jonfmerzfans – one lucky winner will get a signed copy of my latest Rogue Angel novel: Footprints. It’s not due in stores until mid-September, but you can win a copy just by being a fan out on Facebook and commenting on the giveaway thread. In Footprints, Annja Creed hunts for the elusive Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest and, as usual, gets herself embroiled in a ton of other danger along the way.

PARALLAX continues to sell nicely as an ebook, priced at just $1.99 on Amazon for Kindle readers or direct through me as a .pdf via my blog at http://jonfmerz.wordpress.com Interestingly enough, in the last few weeks, I’ve had interest from four producers out in Hollywood in turning the novel into a film. Nothing’s ever definite until the check clears, but I always enjoy speaking with folks in the movie biz. So we’ll see where that goes. I love the attention the book has been getting, especially since New York publishers won’t touch it (despite all the editors who have loved it) because they can’t label it as one genre or another. It would be pretty amusing to see it get picked up for a film and not even have a print deal.

I’m thinking about a new venture and would love to hear from you as to whether it would be something you’d be interested in or not. I don’t want to give away too many details yet, but if you’re interested in hearing about it, drop me a line at jonfmerz@gmail.com and ask. Your feedback is vitally important to this venture, so please don’t hesitate to contact me. The more people I bounce this off of, the better. Some of you have already been contacted about this, so no need to contact me again (unless you didn’t get back to me the first time). Confused? Yeah, me, too. Let’s move on, lol…

By the way, I’m giving away an old very short story of mine called “Rip.” You can get it as either a .pdf or .prc (Kindle) format just by emailing me at jonfmerz@gmail.com You can also check out the silly video I made on Youtube by going here: http://www.youtube.com/jonfmerz (make sure you comment and subscribe to my new channel!)

I’ll be yanking The Fixer Files ebook compilation down and will no longer sell this massive half million words compilation of all the Lawson adventures to date. Since I expect to sell the series to a new publisher soon, there’s no need to keep it up. But I will sell it a little while longer. Say, until next week. So if you want all four original novels PLUS the long-awaited 5th (the Kensei) PLUS the novella I wrote for Myspace.com (The Courier) PLUS two short stories all for a measly $9.99, then head out to my blog at http://jonfmerz.wordpress.com and grab a copy before it’s too late. No telling how long it will take NYC to get these things into print.

My website at http://www.jonfmerz.net continues to evolve nicely. Nick, my web guru is handling the work and I’m loving it so far. There’s going to be a LOT of content when we’re finished, so check by often!

Next month we’ll be getting going (finally) on THE FIXER TV series. So there’s going to be a LOT of news around that. We’ll be tweeting from the set and various other places. News will be via my Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/jonfmerz so make sure you swing by and join the 13,000 other folks who enjoy my various tidbits of tweetdom.

That’s all for now – thanks for reading! Have a great summer!

Best wishes,
Jon

Everything went great today. Will was in good spirits and I got a good night’s sleep, which made it easier for me to act like a giant goofball and keep him smiling. My wife was amazing as she always is and we got Will down to the hospital in good time, driving in from outside of Boston.

We knew going in that Will had a fantastic surgeon assigned to him. Dr. Mandel is actually the CEO of Children’s Hospital in Boston and having met the man a few times, he’s absolutely fantastic. His confidence, demeanor, and way with kids is astounding. He’s the kind of guy who makes you feel great just being around him. Definitely a plus.

As we waited, we knew the anesthesiologist would be coming around to visit before the surgery as well. We overheard one of them talking to the family next to us and cringed. Every other word out of her mouth was “pain” and “hurt.” All we could think was, “Please don’t come over here.” When our dude showed up, he was awesome. He totally picked up on the “magic journey” vibe we were using with Will and our silly wisecracks, and in no time had Will laughing and smiling. My wife and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Children’s lets one of the parents come into the OR and wait with their child, so I got suited up in my funky hair net, respirator, and coveralls and went in with Will. (And yes, I’ll post the obligatory pic of us in my typically ridiculous fashion) Once we got him on to the bed proper, they got him squared away and put the mask over with the grape smell that he liked. Thirty seconds later, he was out.

That was the toughest moment for me, having to leave him there and walk out of the OR. I knew he was in the best hands possible, but the idea of leaving him behind…yeah, definitely a toughie.

Outside, we waited and about an hour later, Dr. Mandel came out and gave us the good news that everything went perfectly. Again, his demeanor was incredible. Can’t say enough great things about him and his team.

We went in about twenty minutes later and Will was already awake, eating a cherry popsicle. He was a little out of it, naturally, but seemed well enough to request an orange popsicle after that. By about 11:45 we were in the lobby getting ready to hit the road for home. But not before the obligatory gift shop stop where we grabbed him and his brother some balloons, and a few other gifts.

And that’s it. Nothing too serious, but you’ll forgive me if I don’t go into exact detail about what this procedure was for. It’s not germane to the conversation at hand. And I think it’s enough to say that everything went exactly as it should have, much to the relief of his cool, calm mother and his neurotic father, lol…

Once again, thanks to everyone who chimed in. It means the world to me.

Now, this isn’t something serious (thank god), but he does need to go under general anesthesia. I’m not nervous about the procedure itself, because it’s pretty minor. But I’m nervous because this is the first time he’s going to have to deal with being scared of something he’s got to go through. In other words, mom and dad can’t handle it for him.

I’ve often told people that when I was younger, I thought I knew what fear was. I’ve been in plenty of bad situations and have gone through many encounters and met plenty of bad folks along the way that pretty much gave me a fairly good idea of what fear was and how to best handle it. Well, I also tell people that I was wrong to define it only based on myself. Because as soon as I became a parent, fear took on a whole new meaning. Any parent will tell you that there’s nothing quite so scary as suddenly realizing that your children will have to go through their own bad times and face their own forms of evil…without you around to rely on. The best any parent can do is to try to prepare their children as well as they know how and hope for the best.

So tomorrow’s one of “those times.” My wife and I have tried to make it fun for him, but I know that when he wakes up tomorrow and we drive in to Children’s Hospital, the poor little guy will have that gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach. It’s a feeling I know all too well. My little man is going to have to take a deep breath and walk through it.

I’ll be taking my own deep breath as well. Probably a lot of them.