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Stuart Land

Stuart Land

About

About Stuart Land

I began writing while working as a sculptor in Los Angeles on many well-known films such as Aliens, Predator, The Abyss, Poltergeist 2, Beetlejuice, Independence Day, and many others. I was mentored in film directing by Jim Pasternak, Dov S-S Simens, and others, and mentored in film producing by Fred Caruso, all well-known industry professionals. I also pick the minds of the various actors, directors, and writers from the movies I worked on for creative insight. 

I wrote/produced/directed/edited four short student films, and a spec TV series. I’ve written 19 screenplays to date.

As well, I write narrative fiction where I've published 8 novels in various genres. A short story is included in the anthology, Lost in Thailand. The book, How to Write Dialogue, includes dialogue samples from several of my novels.

At the end of 2015, I finished a teaser trailer for my own supernatural thriller that was shot in Thailand. www.nightkillmovie.com.

I’m now writing an historical fiction novel based on real events. CURRENTS OF WAR is a story about a German Jew growing up in the Weimer Republic and pre-war Nazi Germany, and his eventual incredible journey of escape. This isn’t a story about soldiers at war, but of normal people caught up in the throes of war, of fear, courage, and survival.

*****

Awards for Screenplays:

TODD MCCOY'S ADVENTURE WEST (family adventure) – won the Grand Prize in two contests in 2014: action adventure category for Table Read My Screenplay, and family category for Screenplay Festival.

THE MACHINE (YA sci-fi) – sold script to Chinese production company 2012

CLAIMING LIVES (crime thriller) – won 2nd place, One In Ten 2012.

DHARMA (spiritual animation) – won 5th place, Writesafe 2005

MICHAEL’S GARDEN (psychological surreal thriller) – finalist, Writesafe 2005; semi-finalist, Filmmakers International Screenwriting Awards 2005

Awards for Novels:

BACK FROM THE DEAD: the true sequel to Frankenstein - Finalist WriteMovies 2005.
(2013 approached for option by Lawrence Konner, writer/producer - Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire)

SHADOW HOUSE – quarterfinalist, Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Awards 2009

ORIGINAL BLOOD: Gailene’s Vow (book 1, vampires series) - quarter-finalist, Writer’s Network; semi-finalist WriteMovies 2009.

EPIPHANY & ORIGINAL BLOOD – both nominated Reviewers Choice Award: best read of 2011, Paranormal Romance Guild – EPIPHANY won, and went on to be a best seller on Amazon at #9.

CLAIMING LIVES & CROSSING THE DOUBLE YELLOW – nominated best in thriller & action adventure, respectively, Paranormal Romance Guild – 2012

ENDLESS SKY - placed 3rd in Reviewer's Choice, science fiction book of the year, Paranormal Romance Guild – 2013

Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places

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Description

<p>FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES<br /><br />At barely nineteen, Angelica Donovan became one of the more successful winners of the T.V. show Our Next Super Model. The world assumed she was destined for a happy, fairy tale life as ‘Angel,’ the beautiful girl who was living the dream; sadly, that wasn’t to be the case. As the years passed, she flashed her million dollar smile to all her fans and fought to stay on top in a profession where you never knew who it was safe to trust while the fashion industry took big bites out of her heart and soul. And trust was a constant challenge for Angel due to the painful childhood secret she guarded as carefully as she did her heart. As a result, she never did find her true love on earth.<br /><br />When she wakes up ‘dead’ from a heart condition a month before her thirty-fifth birthday, Angel is at first relieved to find there is no death, just a change of state, like ice to water, and then she’s scared because her biggest and most important adventure is about to begin.<br /><br />Angelica is chosen to be an angel in training as a spirit guide for three souls on earth! Her assignment is to help two women to gain the courage and confidence to find, recognize and embrace the love that had eluded Angel in life. But her biggest challenge will be to save a very special little girl from the same evil experience that had poisoned Angel’s own earthly happiness and altered the course of her life.<br /><br />Will Angel be able to heal her own shattered soul in the process? And will the three souls she is guiding be able to recognize her, not as a ghostly threat, but as one of those ‘friends in high places’ we all have; the kind who often end up earning their wings.<br /><br /> </p>

Story Behind The Book

Ever since I was married to the daughter of a witch, I've been interested in paranormal stories. Now that I think about, I've always been interested in the unusual and arcane. Since I'd be hunted down and disemboweled if I revealed any real secrets to those I meet in passing, I decided to make up my own stories. Original Blood is one such endeavor. I have many more. Keep in touch...

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Reviews

<div style="margin-left:.5em;"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;">2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:</div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"><span style="margin-right:5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:middle;background-image:url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide-2._V181831333_.png);width:65px;height:13px;background-position:-30px 0px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>Bloodlust in Déjà-Vu</strong>, March 14, 2011</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <div> <div style="float:left;">By </div> <div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2YZXM4XK856ZG/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Charles <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Burke</span></span></a> (Thailand) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2YZXM4XK856ZG/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">See all my reviews</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&amp;nodeId=14279681&amp;pop-up=1#RN" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;"><span class="cmtySprite s_BadgeRealName" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:middle;background-image:url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-communities._V197398854_.png);width:57px;height:13px;background-position:0px -390px;"><span>(REAL NAME)</span></span></a>   </div> </div> <div style="clear:both;"> </div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"><strong><span class="h3color tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#e47911;font-size:x-small;">This review is from: </span>Original Blood (Kindle Edition)</strong></div> So Zondra, this 22-year-old coed and sometime sculptor, doesn't know any more about vampires than the splatter-drivel we've all seen in movies. Then one of them gets a powerful thirst and attacks her while she's out ice skating on a pond within sight of the Washington Monument. <br /><br /> And she dies - not like she's bitten into an undead state - I mean she actually dies. Falls through the ice and drowns. But then she wakes up. Lying in a hospital bed being chatted up by a handsome but mysterious doctor whom nobody else can see. <br /><br /> Thus begins the seemingly uncontrolled skid of Zondra's life into a wild new direction. <br /><br /> She has always known that she was adopted, though she had questions when, at age 18, she was presented with a strange necklace allegedly worn by both her birth mother and grandmother before her. Then there's the matter of that odd birthmark on her hand. And the peculiar strangers who stare wonderingly at her, ask about her birthmark, then disappear in a blur before anyone else sees them. <br /><br /> You know, the usual stuff any normal kid goes through growing up. <br /><br /> But one of the odd side effects of having died seems to be a progression of terrifying visions - visions that abruptly commandeer her mind and throw her two hundred years back into the past where she experiences in real time the shocking events that had occurred to a woman named Gailene in the 18th century. <br /><br /> This switching back-and-forth between the centuries stitches together a surprisingly compelling story. Now, I'll admit it - I was a huge fan of Anne Rice when her first three or four Lestat novels were released, and I... well... I devoured them. But by the time I'd gotten through The Tale of the Body Thief, my thirst for more vampire blood had been slaked. I laid the whole genre aside and paid it no more attention until this book crossed my desktop (yes, I read it in ebook format). <br /><br /> And I have to admit, Original Blood not only held my attention, it gripped me. As in, I couldn't close the damned thing to go get some sleep. It's just simply a powerful read. <br /><br /> The character exhibits a certain gravitas despite her youth, and although she has plenty of both attitude and mouth, she's basically a level-headed girl who's tough minded enough to stick up for herself in a scrape. She's mostly a loner with just one close friend. Zondra is on good terms with her adoptive parents, but considers herself adult enough not to lean on them. In other words, she's a self reliant young lady accustomed to standing on her own two feet, but with a life that's rapidly turning to quicksand. You'll find her to be a likable character grappling with serious problems, and all the way to the last page, you'll be pulling for her to win. <br /><br /> Stuart Land has written several books, but his concepts are generally so original that the traditional industry gatekeepers - the agents and publishers - have been unable to slot his books into the simplistic marketing pigeonholes they so love. That used to be a bad thing, because so many really exciting books never made it past the gatekeepers to reach the public eye. <br /><br /> But with the coming of ebooks and self-publishing, you and I now have direct, unmoderated access to writers and stories that were formerly kept from us. Original Blood is one of these, and according to the author, several more of his very novel novels are due in short order. <br /><br /> I am glad to give this book my highest recommendation. <br /><br /> Charles Burke <br /> Author, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OL2OGY/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">The Business Owner's Quantum Cash Pump</a> (Kindle book) <br />   <div style="padding-top:10px;clear:both;width:621px;"> <div style="float:left;padding-right:15px;border-right-width:1px;border-right-style:solid;border-right-color:#cccccc;"> <div style="padding-bottom:5px;"><strong class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:#666666;white-space:nowrap;">Help other customers find the most helpful reviews</strong> </div> <div style="width:300px;"><span class="crVotingButtons"><span class="votingPrompt">Was this review helpful to 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style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AJ4OL1G6AOAY0/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Voracious <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Reader</span></span></a> (PA USA) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/AJ4OL1G6AOAY0/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">See all my reviews</a></div> </div> <div style="clear:both;"> </div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"><span class="crVerifiedStripe"><strong class="h3Color tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#e47911;font-size:x-small;margin-right:.5em;">Amazon Verified Purchase</strong><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;">(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">What's this?</a>)</span></span></div> <div class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"><strong><span class="h3color tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#e47911;font-size:x-small;">This review is from: </span>Original Blood (Kindle Edition)</strong></div> Gailene and Zondra live in two different times and places, but both are suddenly ripped from the comfort of their lives, and thrown into situations seemingly beyond their control. As the story switches between the present and the past, the tension builds. Both Gailene and Zondra slowly discover that they are impacting eachothers' lives as their timelines come closer to merging. Both learn to drawn on strengths they might not have expected to find to survive. Gailene leaves England to become a driving force in the new nation forming on another continent. As Gailene and Zondra uncover the ties bind them across generations, one sacrifices herself so that the other can fulfill their haunting love for the same man. The sensuality they share with those they love is warm and sometimes unexpected. <br /><br /> Stuart takes a very unique perspective on vampires, while staying within much of the traditional &quot;rules&quot; regarding their physical behavior, strengths and limitations. I really enjoyed the closing line in the book, and hope that it is a teaser of things to come.  <div style="padding-top:10px;clear:both;width:621px;"> <div style="float:left;padding-right:15px;border-right-width:1px;border-right-style:solid;border-right-color:#cccccc;"> <div style="padding-bottom:5px;"><strong class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:#666666;white-space:nowrap;">Help other customers find the most helpful reviews</strong> </div> <div style="width:300px;"><span class="crVotingButtons"><span class="votingPrompt">Was this review helpful to you? </span><a class="votingButtonReviews" 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sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">Comment</a></div> </div> </div> <div style="clear:both;"> </div> </div> </div> <p></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div style="margin-left:.5em;"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;">1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:</div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"><span style="margin-right:5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:middle;background-image:url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide-2._V181831333_.png);width:65px;height:13px;background-position:-30px 0px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span>5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>COUNT DRACULA HAS NOTHING ON JEREMIAH &amp; ZONDRA</strong>, April 3, 2011</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <div> <div style="float:left;">By </div> <div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1QAFWI0AUOW0M/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">J. D. Michael Phelps &quot;Michael <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Phelps&quot;</span></span></a> (Miami, Florida) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1QAFWI0AUOW0M/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">See all my reviews</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&amp;nodeId=14279681&amp;pop-up=1#RN" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;"><span class="cmtySprite s_BadgeRealName" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:middle;background-image:url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-communities._V197398854_.png);width:57px;height:13px;background-position:0px -390px;"><span>(REAL NAME)</span></span></a>   </div> </div> <div style="clear:both;"> </div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"><span class="crVerifiedStripe"><strong class="h3Color tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#e47911;font-size:x-small;margin-right:.5em;">Amazon Verified Purchase</strong><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;">(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">What's this?</a>)</span></span></div> <div class="tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"><strong><span class="h3color tiny" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#e47911;font-size:x-small;">This review is from: </span>Original Blood (Kindle Edition)</strong></div> As a boy growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana I was forced by my big Sis to go to the Hollywood Theater's Saturday Matinee of &quot;COUNT DRACULA&quot; series of B-Movies on more than one occassion. <br /><br /> I was always into World War II, Air Force, cops &amp; robbers, Superman, Dragnet and Perry Mason. My sister Janet was always into Tarzan, Count Dracula, Frankenstein, Roy Rogers &amp; Dale Evans, The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry and Zorro. <br /><br /> HAVE I GOT A BOOK FOR HER!!! <br /><br /> ORIGINAL BLOOD by STUART LAND was a great departure in my normal and preferred reading. <br /><br /> When I first read the historic settings of Holly-on-Brighton, England, and then jumping to Gerogetown, Washington D.C., I was hooked. Then comes the election of my favorite President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln's bold mandate to free the &quot;Slaves&quot; precipitated the CIVIL WAR (another of my favorite historic topics). In all of my readings of the events of the Civil War, I missed the fact that families of VAMPIRES were quite active! There is Gailene, the Matriarch and Fenton, her want-to-be lover who becomes the nemises of Jeremiah who is her lover. You read about people living to be 100, 107 , 110 years of age. Well, little did I know, VAMPIRES can live for centuries - without the need for anti-aging cremes, plastic surgeons and hard phsyical work-outs at the Equinox Gym. <br /><br /> Enter ZONDRA, Gailene's great granddaughter. A beautiful college co-ed who had been adopted at birth by a nice young couple in New Jersey. She meets Jeremiah and transcends time. Love is in the air. In the two hundred plus years it takes for STUART LAND to weave this MASTERPIECE, trials and tribulations come face to face with Zondra, and she handles every situation with the calmness of a pro. The VAMPIRE families remind me of the New York, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Las Vegas Cosa Nostra families - always feuding about something with often-time bloody results. <br /><br /> STUART LAND had me turning page after page in awe, anticipating the next bite on my neck, feeling the blood being sucked from every vein and artery in my body. I was facinated as I read this tightly woven tale of fiction to the point Gailene, Fenton, Jeremiah, the twins, and Zondra seemed so real to me. <br /><br /> Shortly before two A.M. (Sunday morning, 3 April), I could not keep my eyes open, I had to leave the last coulple of chapters for the morning. <br /><br /> Funny thing, at just before seven-thirty this morning, I felt this cold, wet touch on my neck - I was startled, thinking it was Jeremiah! I jumped into an upright position, only to see the fangs on my beloved German Shepherd! He wanted to go for his ride to the park! <br /><br /> FIVE STARS is not enough for ORIGINAL BLOOD by STUART LAND! This is a terrific book and his attention to historic detail and descriptive words for the settings are outstanding. His character development is pure perfection! Each character fully evolves and fills their intended position to make ORIGIAL BLOOD a facinating and truly enjoyable book. <br /><br /> I purchased and read the Kindle Edition - NOW, I have to purchase the REAL BOOK to place in a prominent position on my bookshelves. IF you enjoy reading about VAMPIRES, or you just want to take a walk on the wild side, I highly recommend getting your copy of ORIGINAL BLOOD by STUART LAND. Having read this book, I wonder . . . DO VAMPIRES really walk among us? <br /><br /> I certainly will be reading STUART LAND as long as he keeps on writing. <br /><br /> Michael Phelps <br /> Author <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081190797X/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">David Janssen - My Fugitive</a> <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0578007274/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">The Execution of Justice</a> <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XCLUMO/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003399;text-decoration:underline;">THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE (&quot;The Mike Walsh Detective Novels&quot;.)</a></div> <p> </p>