We're not in Hazzard County anymore!

The transition from book writing to screenwriting has taken an interesting turn.

Monday, I attended my first-ever Film Festival, the CineFlix Festival, held in D'Iberville, Mississippi.
Actor/Director John Schneider, as part of John Schneider Studios, ran the four-day event of diverse movies and documentaries.
Before I go on, yes that John Schneider, best known as Bo Duke on the Dukes of Hazzard TV series (I didn't bring it up to show my age. Plus, I heard he's grown tired to being referred to the old 80's show).
I mainly used the festival as a learning experience to seek out advice from John about the film business.
At the same time, I met another filmmaker/artist named Trent Dion Soto. I also picked his brain about making films.
Their advice was simple: write and get a film made by someone who's done movies before.
Wish me luck in the next step.

Instant Replay

Good morning!
          Words can't describe when the Cannes Latitude Film Festival informed me yesterday that my short screenplay, Instant Replay, was selected.
           Still, I've got a long way to go. I hadn't reached the semifinal or final stages. But to reach this point, I must've pleased the judges and beat out 300 other people in the event.
           Instant Replay, the story of Ryan Walton losing his mother to cancer. His ex-girlfriend Carrie Ann Remick, attends the funeral. They get together and think about reuniting.
           What's scarier: since I submitted Instant Replay, I've constantly worked on it. The current version is better than the contest entry.
           I'll present both versions to a producer since my foot's now in the door.

Looking back: two teachers provided inspiration

Forty years ago, my first-grade teacher, Rosemary Cherry, placed high expectations on me. When one can speed read at age three, those things happen. She always knew what buttons to push and kept me in line when I didn't act right.

No teacher came close during the rest of my days at Cottondale Elementary. My grades were okay, but those teachers couldn't reach me.
Until my junior year at Holt High 30 years ago. Up to that point, I was inconsistent through junior high and two years of high school.
I signed up for a class called Speech Communications,  taught by Gail Cates.  The year-long class was a mixture of making a newspaper, making speeches, broadcast TV, school, newspaper, advertising and acting.

The year was a turning point for me. I decided to major in journalism. Under Cates, I found out writing was my true passion.
I've won countless awards as a newspaper reporter, written 36 E-Books and four printed books.
I can't imagine my success without the impact these two teachers had on me.
Cherry and Cates each have dedications in my print books, but their value to me is much more.

Weighing success

Good Morning!

As a longtime sports journalist, I have always used athletics as a measuring stick in the working world.
Professional boxing, a sport I covered at the Biloxi Sun Herald from 1992 until 2014, is the perfect way to illustrate my successes.

Here are my levels represented by weight classes:
Lightweight
My greatest success as a sports writer. I was a major part of a Pulitzer prize winning newspaper in 2006 for the newspaper's coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Recently received an Outstanding Sports Supporter award from the Gulfport Sports Hall of Fame, honoring my 25 years of community service.
Welterweight
Moved up a division as a successful free-lance writer for magazines Alabama West, Crimson and Black Voices. No awards, but was in demand for two decades (1992-2007).
Junior Middleweight
Decided to fulfill my lifelong dream of writing Electronic Books in 2008. Wrote 36 original E-books for three different publications. Fifteen were Top 10 best-sellers at Red Rose Publishing and four Top 10 at ARE.com.
Middleweight
Made the transition with four Print books. Still a work in progress.
Light Heavyweight
Screenwritng is my greatest challenge. Million-to-one odds of making it as a screenwriter. Sent four screenplays for submission. May take several years to get a break. An empty space on my shelf is reserved for this.

Happy summer, everyone.
KT BISHOP

Spicing up Louisiana

Good Morning!
 I'm proud to announce my latest release, Louisiana Spice. It's available at many locations, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Louisiana Spice chronicles the lives of Jennifer Cotton, her daughter, Gabrielle, and their cousins, Dana Rossi, Heather Morgan and Divina Wells.

Blurb
-A childhood friend seeks revenge on Jennifer Monet-Cotton for serving time in jail in Cotton & Silk. Will she succeed?
 - Gabrielle Cotton dreams of owning a National Hockey League Franchise in Cotton Candy, but she doesn't have enough money. She turns to an unlikely source for the cash.
 -Dana Rossi was hired to convince Teddy Anders to leave Cuba for the NBA, but finds herself falling in love with him in Jackpot of Hearts.
-In Game Changer, Heather Morgan loses her job and husband in the same week. Sparks fly when she meets Milwaukee Bucks owner Simon Brooks. Can she win his heart?
- Attorney Divina Wells has a difficult challenge trying to Gator Bonk off charges of cockfighting in Cajun Games. The more time Divina spends with Gator, she starts falling in love.

Here's the buy link: www.amazon.com/Louisiana-Spice-KT-Bishop/dp/1532827180/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462216149&sr=8-2&keywords=kt+bishop
Have a great day/KT Bishop

Prince created Controversy in my life

Good afternoon!
It's been almost a week since Prince Rogers Nelson died. Like Prince's multi-million fan-base, I'm still in shock and continue to mourn his passing.
To say Prince had an impact on my life is an understatement. My musical taste began and ended with Prince (despite my mother's wishes).
I was about to get baptized at my church in Tuscaloosa, Ala. As part of the ceremony, I had to learn the Lord's Prayer and the Apostle Creed, two crucial p
ieces of giving your life to Christ.
Somehow, Prince provided assistance.  I was listening to the radio one afternoon and they played Prince's Controversy. In the extended version of the song, Prince recited the Lord's Prayer.
My cousin, who was stationed overseas in the Army at the time, sent me and my sister a tape of Prince's Controversy album. I got caught listening to the song and reciting the Lord's Prayer.
It didn't go very well. I'd love to  repeat what my mother and grandmother said, but for Political Correctness, I decline.
Several years later, my military cousin got us a bootleg copy of Purple Rain before it was released. The movie and album changed my life. I slipped out one night to attend his concert with some friends in Birmingham months after the release. Seeing Prince live was worth the punishment I later received.
The experience inspired me to help name our high school newspaper The Purple Reign. 
I didn't like any of Prince's music after Purple Rain, except Adore, mainly because I was chasing this girl at Pre-med (Later becoming the basis for my well-received College Love 101 series at then-Red Rose Publishing).
Rest in Peace, Prince and thanks for the memories.

Leaping forward

Good morning!
 I'm looking forward to Easter week at the end of March. I'm having a Book Signing at WHICH Wich in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on March 26, the day before Easter Sunday.
Since my first E-book was published in 2008, I've always wanted to do a Book Signing. Unfortunately, I lacked a print book to do so. With three books in print available (Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com), the timing's perfect for me to have a signing.
 A Book Signing at a Sandwich eatery is unusual, but that's how I roll. I'm different. My writing's different. Researched signings online and saw several authors had theirs at restaurants and coffee shops. Why can't I do the same thing?
My goal is simple. I've got a box full of Books. If I run out, that means it was a success. Just to have a signing in my hometown is awesome.
Thanks for reading/K.T. Bishop

P.S.: Here are the buy links- http://www.amazon.com/Intentional-Grounding-KT-Bishop-ebook/dp/B0151UGF8O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456761338&sr=8-1&keywords=kt+bishop

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Unlimited-K-T-Bishop/dp/1517742889/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456761338&sr=8-2&keywords=kt+bishop
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Holiday-KT-Bishop-ebook/dp/B0151UGN7W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1456761338&sr=8-3&keywords=kt+bishop