Its Valentine's day and Andy Crowe has been dumped. He's also driving to Birmingham with his most hated rival, and it's raining. Could things get much worse? Oh yes. Three small-time villains are about to pull off a job, and they are heading for the same motoroway services as Andy and Rob...
It is often suggested that there are 'secrets' to comedy or that it is 'lightning in a bottle', but the craft of comedy writing can be taught. While comedic tastes change, over time and from person to person, the core underpinning still depends on the comedic geniuses that have paved the way. Great comedy is built upon a strong foundation. In Writing the Comedy Movie, Marc Blake lays out – in an entertainingly readable style – the nuts and bolts of comedy screenwriting. His objective is to clarify the 'rules' of comedy: to contextualize comedy staples such as the double act, slapstick, gross-out, rom com, screwball, satire and parody and to introduce new ones such as the bromance or stoner comedy. He explains the underlying principles of comedy and comedy writing for the screen, along with providing analysis of leading examples of each subgenre.
Tales of horror have always been with us, from Biblical times to the Gothic novel to successful modern day authors and screenwriters. Though the genre is often maligned, it is huge in popularity and its resilience is undeniable. Marc Blake and Sara Bailey offer a detailed analysis of the horror genre, including its subgenres, tropes and the specific requirements of the horror screenplay. Tracing the development of the horror film from its beginnings in German Expressionism, the authors engage in a readable style that will appeal to anyone with a genuine interest in the form and the mechanics of the genre. This book examines the success of Universal Studio's franchises of the '30s to the Serial Killer, the Slasher film, Asian Horror, the Supernatural, Horror Vérité and current developments in the field, including 3D and remakes. It also includes step-by-step writing exercises, annotated extracts from horror screenplays and interviews with seasoned writers/directors/ producers discussing budget restrictions, screenplay form and formulas and how screenplays work during shooting.
The craft of sitcom is possibly the hardest of all screenwriting genres, demanding a complex set of skills. How NOT to Write a Sitcom is a troubleshooting guide aimed at both the novice and the practising sitcom writer. It illustrates and explains the many pitfalls in concept, characterisation, plotting and dramatic/comedic writing,which pepper the hundreds of scripts submitted every year. Each point is illustrated with an example of the error and each section contains practical suggestions and exercises for the writer to apply to their own writing. The book makes no assumption of the reader other than an interest in the form. It contains interviews with current producers as well as interviews with successful practioners of the craft. Marc Blake is a script consultant, writer and teacher of writing for sitcom. In this book he acts as a `script mechanic' for writers - stripping a sitcom down to its component parts, isolating the faults and fixing them. What script editors and producers are looking for are scripts that work. Naturally they want a genius in embryo, but above all they first want to see something that is roadworthy.
Rox Matheson is newly arrived from Manchester, out to recoup some money ripped off her by a bunch of London gangsters. She wants to take on the South London scammers in their own backyard. Reece is a minicab driver who falls for her despite being indebted to the same family that she is after. Davey K is snakey operator who wants to make life difficult for both of them. While Steve and Archie are muscle for the family, but also are trying to run a little moneyspinning scam of their own on the side... This group of heros and chancers form the basis of Blake's cuttingly funny new book which will expand his market more than ever...
During the Blitz of 1940, many thousands of Londoners were forced to take shelter in the Underground. On the very first day, twelve-year-old William Lumley, his mother, and little sister Aggie are bombed out. Fleeing to the safety of the Tube, they begin a subterranean existence and Will befriends the station marshall, Mr Sands. Although they are sheltered from the constant bombing above, there is great danger underneath the streets. There's a gang of spivs as well as temptation and frustration in the form of Will's fickle cousin Evie. But worst of all an evil, malignant being lurks deep in the tunnels, appearing at night to steal the children away. Only Will has seen the beast, but can he find a way to convince others of the danger amidst the chaos and destruction of war-torn London? This young adult thriller from award-winning author Marc Blake is set during one of the most fascinating and dangerous periods in London’s history and will make a perfect addition to any mystery fan’s bookshelf.
Featuring winning scripts from THE SITCOM TRIALS. The Sitcom Trials is the comedy show where brand new sitcoms compete and the audience vote for the winner. It began on stage in 1999 and has enjoyed successful runs as a touring show and on TV. This collection includes scripts that were performed during the 2004 and 2006 seasons of the 'Trials', a Sitcom pilot developed for TV with stand-up comedian and comic author Marc Blake, as well as a crop of other as-yet unperformed Sitcoms.
Sarah Rutherford, using her job in Fuengirola as a cover, is investigating her sister's death. Mike Trent is drawn into her quest after witnessing the death (and being nearly drowned by the splash) of a hotel manager at the hands of a sinister Scotsman. Meanwhile, things are hotting up among the British ex-pat criminal community. All their paths will soon cross in a comic collision of death, double-crossing and wild dogs.
Think you're funny? Writing successful comedy isn't just about having a gift for gags; you need to hone your talent and polish your humour to earn a living from making people laugh. If you want to write stand-up comedy, sketches, sitcoms or even a comic novel or film, How to be a Comedy Writer tells you all you need to know and more about the business, the structure of jokes and the nuts and bolts of a craft that can be learnt. This new ebook edition has been specially formatted for today's e-readers.
Everyone loves - and hates - sitcom. On TV it's the goldmine genre, the one watched by millions. There's a special place in our hearts for Fawlty, Frasier, Blackadder and Brent. An absurd predicament, witty banter, a group of hilariously dysfunctional people: it all seems so easy. But is it? If you've ever said 'I can do better than that', then this is the book for you. How to be a Sitcom Writer will encourage, test and pull you through the comedy boot camp that is writing narrative-led character comedy for radio/TV.
This book should answer that perennial question: What did she/he really mean when they said Written by seasoned comedy authors Jasmine Birtles and Mark Blake, this hilarious book will mean that never again are you left in the dark When she says: Lets be friends, what she means is: Get the hell out of my life. When he says I feel comfortable with you, what he really means is You're ugly.
The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is a symbol not of the end, but of transformation and rebirth. This is the genesis and root of Thirteen: Stories of Transformation. The twenty-eight authors of this collection are voices—new and old—who are not afraid to explore what comes next. Whether it be a life after death, a life without love, a life filled with hunger, or the life shared by a ghost. These are stories of the weird, the mythic, the fantastic, the futuristic, the supernatural, and the horrific. The ghosts of the past have been eaten by the children of the future: this endless cycle of birth, death, and renewal is the magic of thirteen. Do not fear change. Embrace it. Let Thirteen be the handbook for the new you. With stories from: Liz Argall M. David Blake Richard Bowes George Cotronis Amanda C. Davis Julie C. Day Jetse de Vries Jennifer Giesbrecht Daryl Gregory Rik Hoskin Rebecca Kuder Claude Lalumière Marc Levinthal Grá Linnaea Alex Dally MacFarlane Juli Mallett Lyn McConchie Fiona Moore Gregory L. Norris Adrienne J. Odasso Cat Rambo Andrew Penn Romine David Tallerman Tais Teng Richard Thomas Fran Wilde A. C. Wise Christie Yant
With programmes like Big Brother making celebrities out of complete nobodys there's never been a better time to write a book about how to be a celebrity. This book shows you how to be famous for being famous, and love yourself a little along the way.
Here is a compendium of also-rans and never-made-its. We're talking Betamax, the Sinclair C5, puffball skirts, sporks, the Millennium Dome... and countless other products that never quite cut it.
How wonderful that one of those exciting and innovative women artists of the 60s should be recovered and celebrated in this way.'– JULIE CHRISTIE 'Brings the British pop artist, Pauline Boty, into vivid focus' - VANITY FAIR Pauline Boty (1938 –1966) was a founding member of the British Pop Art movement and one of its very few women. She attended London’s Royal College of Art at a watershed moment when its students included David Hockney,Peter Blake, R.B. Kitaj and Allen Jones. Dying tragically young at the age of 28, she is now seen as central to British Pop Art and an icon of Sixties culture. As well as her work as an artist, she appeared on the stage, TV and in film (including alongside Michael Caine in Alfie) and was a regular contributor on BBC radio. She was photographed by David Bailey and other society photographers and became a key player in 1960s London’s golden age. Outspoken, provocative and charismatic, she refused to accept the oppositions between sexual woman and serious artist, between celebration and critique, between high and low culture. Observer and participant, feminist and hedonist, subject and object, Boty’s ‘double vision’ was decades ahead of its time, and prefigured a diversity of artists—everyone from Cindy Sherman to Madonna. Having been largely forgotten after her death, her reputation has been growing steadily since the rediscovery and exhibition of her works in the early 1990s. As well as cropping up regularly in various books, documentaries and newspaper articles since then, she features as a central character in Ali Smith’s novel Autumn (2016) and one of her works sold for $1.4m at auction in June 2022. After seeing her work at an auction in 2013, author Marc Kristal has spent almost ten years researching her life, interviewing the people who knew her and delving into archives and libraries. This is the definitive biography of her life and work, appealing to both those interested in art but in this creative period of British culture.
This Fist Called My Heart: The Peter McLaren Reader, Volume I is “at the same time an homage, a gathering, an intellectual activist’s...toolkit, a teacher’s bullshit detector, a parent’s demand list and an academic’s orienting topography. This collection of essays...represents some of the most central and important work of Peter McLaren; work he has done on behalf of people’s liberation and humanization over more than three decades. [It provides] readers with an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of McLaren’s intellectual history and academic development, and the thinking processes that lead to his current framework and intellectual/philosophical/political situatedness in humanist Marxism. Through these gathered and sequentially presented essays, readers will be able to ‘see’ McLaren in the process of his theory construction, over time, without missing his essence of struggling for a just society that promotes the full humanity and liberation of all people. [Here,] we have curated some of the most exemplary essays along the trajectory of Peter McLaren’s long and impactful career. These pieces track and document Peter’s intellectual grow as one of North America’s most important intellectuals and advocates for critical pedagogy; his theorizing of the discursive and the everyday through post-modernist and post-structural lenses; his contributions to the literature and practice of critical multiculturalism; his stirring work on capitalist empire, and valiant struggles to resist it; through to his foundational, long held connection and cutting edge contribution to the field of humanist Marxism.” “Whether you are a neophyte to McLaren’s work or a long time student of it; an Enlightenment modernist or an avid poststructuralist; a liberal, social democrat, Anarchist or Marxist; an undergraduate, emeritus professor or a community activist; a feminist, critical race theorist or LGBT scholar; an educationalist, sociologist, engineer or physicist, it is our sincere hope and belief that you will find provocation, inspiration, solidarity and hope in the work of Peter McLaren that we present here.” Marc Pruyn & Luis Huerta-Charles “This Fist Called My Heart: The Organization of These Volumes.”
This vibrant history of London in the twentieth century reveals the city as a key site in the development of black internationalism and anticolonialism. Marc Matera shows the significant contributions of people of African descent to London’s rich social and cultural history, masterfully weaving together the stories of many famous historical figures and presenting their quests for personal, professional, and political recognition against the backdrop of a declining British Empire. A groundbreaking work of intellectual history, Black London will appeal to scholars and students in a variety of areas, including postcolonial history, the history of the African diaspora, urban studies, cultural studies, British studies, world history, black studies, and feminist studies.
Get expert, step-by-step guidance on a wide variety of both open and interventional cardiac surgical techniques. Atlas of Cardiac Surgical Techniques, 2nd Edition, helps you expand your surgical repertoire and hone your skills with a vividly illustrated, easy-to-navigate text and pearls and pitfalls throughout. This revised atlas covers the surgical procedures you need to master, including minimally invasive techniques, robotic surgery, aortic dissection, and much more. Seven brand-new chapters cover Hybrid Coronary Revascularization, Aortic Valve Repair Techniques, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery, Surgery for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Approaches and Techniques to Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, and Pulmonary Endarterectomy. Multiple new contributing authors offer a fresh perspective in their areas of expertise. A consistent chapter format guides you quickly from surgical anatomy and preoperative considerations through operative steps and postoperative care. More than 400 full-color images, line drawings, and intraoperative photographs clearly depict the step-by-step progression of procedures.
In Marc Krulewitch’s gritty new mystery, perfect for readers of Robert Crais and Marcia Muller, a beautiful missing woman and a mysterious wine lead Chicago shamus Jules Landau straight toward a killer with very bad taste. Jules Landau’s father was mobbed up, as was his father before him. Jules takes a different path: He’s a licensed private eye, currently collecting his paycheck in cash from a young ex-con looking for his missing girlfriend, Tanya. But as Jules scours Chicago’s North Side, he realizes that any number of people might want to make sure Tanya stays gone. At the heart of her disappearance seems to be a thriving black market for expensive French wine—a vintage so lucrative that Tanya may have paid for it with her life. Following a trail of cash and power with more twists than a corkscrew, Jules traces a criminal conspiracy back to a corrupt New Jersey cop. With nobody telling the truth, Jules knows he has to act fast . . . because a perfect crime only gets better with age. Praise for Gold Coast Blues “A highly recommended mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.”—I Heart Reading “If you need an escapist beach read, or a good noir mystery, this might be the book for you.”—Seattle Book Mama “[Jules Landau is] an engaging character, well developed, interesting and easy to relate to.”—Splashes into Books “Landau is a likeable fellow with a penchant for getting in over his head. . . . But he has street smarts when he needs them.”—Reading Reality
In A Mirror for History, author Marc Egnal uses novels and art to provide a new understanding of American society. The book argues that the arc of middle-class culture reflects the evolution of the American economy from the near-subsistence agriculture of the 1750s to the extraordinarily unequal society of the twenty-first century. Fiction offers a rich source for this analysis. By delving deep into the souls of characters and their complex worlds, novels shed light on the dreams, hopes, and goals of individuals and reveal the structures that shape character’s lives. Additionally, paintings of the time periods expand upon these insights drawn from literature. Egnal’s lively exploration of the changing economy, fiction, art, and American values is organized into four expansive periods—the Sentimental Era, Genteel America, Modern Society, and Post-Modern America. Within that framework, A Mirror for History looks at topics such as masculinity, childhood, the status of women, the outlook of African Americans, the role of religion, and varying views of capitalism. Readers will be enthralled to find discussions of overlooked novels and paintings as well as discover new approaches to familiar pieces. A Mirror for History examines over one hundred authors and dozens of artists and their works, presented here in full color.
28 stories of strange people, places and times. To survive, always have an exit... two is better. These stories encompass far-flung space flight, dystopian situations, Artificial Intelligence, aliens with twisted endings and deception.... all for your enjoyment. The first story starts with a young woman racing to save her life in a long-buried survival enclave. From there we join an interstellar trader who has a strange cargo forced on her. Other stories pose questions such as can you steal a planet, what will world leaders do when faced with an alien invasion is only 20 years away...The last stories two are of a different color, the fist a twisted reality and the second a more contemporary trial of personal struggle to make sense of what needs to be done when faced with tragedy.
Where have all the stars gone? Living ten billion years in the future, twelve-year-old Darby has plans to follow in the footsteps of her explorer uncle Max and her lost father, to see the universe, or what’s left of it. She uses her unique talents to clear her path. Spaceships, AIs, and a once human friend are her tools. Twenty years later, her final destiny is not what she or anyone else could have expected. CHAPTER 1 excerpt Uncle Max says, even at twice the speed of light you can't outrun your past or your future. Mom says not to listen to him. We're the last, but everyone says the final thing is a long way off. Max isn't so sure. He told me he's looking into it. On my last birthday, I was twelve; the universe was fourteen or thirty-two billion, depending on who you listen to. If it's thirty-two, it's lasted about two billion more than it should have, after the discovery, give or take a few hundred million years, I guess. While it will probably go on forever, nothing living or moving will last; the big stretch will see to that. Physicists say that the apparent time extension is because everything has slowed down or sped up, or there's more energy or less than they thought, long ago. In other words, they don't know spit about it. Mom doesn't like it when I spit. She says it's unladylike.
A thrilling, critically-acclaimed account of the Cold War spies and spycraft that changed the course of history, perfect for readers of Bomb and The Boys Who Challenged Hitler. The Cold War spanned five decades as America and the USSR engaged in a battle of ideologies with global ramifications. Over the course of the war, with the threat of mutually assured nuclear destruction looming, billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives were devoted to the art and practice of spying, ensuring that the world would never be the same. Rife with intrigue and filled with fascinating historical figures whose actions shine light on both the past and present, this timely work of narrative nonfiction explores the turbulence of the Cold War through the lens of the men and women who waged it behind closed doors, and helps explain the role secret and clandestine operations have played in America's history and its national security.
Thirty years ago, they came together on a war-torn frontier. Now, they’ll stand together once more—to honor one of their own... It’s a thousand miles from snowbound Montana to the Arizona Territory. But for Trap O’Shannon and Clay Madison, it’s a journey they’re duty bound to make—for the bravest man they’d ever known had made it clear: Captain Hezekiah Roman wanted to be buried in Arizona’s dusty red soil. A train takes the fallen hero south, along with his two fellow Scout Trackers and a Nez Perce woman who once fought by their side. But as the veterans recall a tale that begins with a moment of blood and agony decades before, they cannot know that death is stalking this train... or that to a bury a hero, they’ll have to risk their lives one more time. Mark Henry brings the violence and raw beauty of the frontier to life in a bold and brilliant new saga that takes us on an unforgettable journey across the American West. "Crackling with authenticity and page-turning tension. Mark Henry will become a legend." —Richard S. Wheeler, 2005 Spur-winning author of Vengeance Valley
In this second book of poems, oncologist Marc J. Straus addresses the hopes and the tragedies of his profession. The work is a commentary on his experience in the medical field and a collection of rich, vivid monologues written from the points of view of both doctor and patient. These poems show a rare sensitivity not only to those who are suffering but also to the details that distinguish each life.
This book examines the affinity between “theory” and “deconstruction” that developed in the American academy in the 1970s by way of the “Yale Critics”: Harold Bloom, Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartman, and J. Hillis Miller, sometimes joined by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. With this semi-fictional collective, theory became a media event, first in the academy and then in the wider print media, in and through its phantasmatic link with deconstruction and with “Yale.” The important role played by aesthetic humanism in American pedagogical discourse provides a context for understanding theory as an aesthetic scandal, and an examination of the ways in which de Man’s work challenges aesthetic pieties helps us understand why, by the 1980s, he above all had come to personify “theory.” Combining a broad account of the “Yale Critics” phenomenon with a series of careful reexaminations of the event of theory, Redfield traces the threat posed by language’s unreliability and inhumanity in chapters on lyric, on Hartman’s representation of the Wordsworthian imagination, on Bloom’s early theory of influence in the 1970s together with his later media reinvention as the genius of the Western Canon, and on John Guillory’s influential attempt to interpret de Manian theory as a symptom of literature’s increasing marginality. A final chapter examines Mark Tansey’s paintings Derrida Queries de Man and Constructing the Grand Canyon, paintings that offer subtle, complex reflections on the peculiar event of theory-as-deconstruction in America.
The most up to date and authoritative book on the complexities of structuring annuities. The author takes an unbiased point of view and articulates the complexities of all the major aspects of variable annuities and riders to allow them to become more understood by financial advisors and annuity owners alike. He clearly notes the benefits of variable annuities as well as the pitfalls which to look out for! Showing you the strategies that experts utilize within these investments while also detailing significant failures of cases where they were misunderstood and not structured properly. Can be used as a perfect reference guide on specific aspects of variable annuities as well as providing insight into the business of how variable annuities are sold. This is a bold and concise approach that allows the truth to be seen without reservations.
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