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Post by PokerKitten on Aug 3, 2003 13:35:05 GMT
Harry emerges from the Book Club, blinking at the spotlight trained upon him! I thought HD and JB deserved their own thread as there is a lot going on in their lives. Not least of which is the release of the fifth in The Dresden Files series (Death Masks) and the second audio book (Fool Moon) available next month, read by the astonishingly vocally versatile... JM!! Yay!
But Jim is hitting the big time, with a new series of books having been snapped up. Hardback, the works! And with the Dresden Files being optioned... So we may eventually get to see Harry on screen (big or small, I'm not worried, just make the right choice when casting Harry... and we all know what that means!).
There has never been a better time to get into Jim's works... and also fall in love with Harry! (or Bob, that naughty guy has a large following of his own!)
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Post by PokerKitten on Aug 3, 2003 13:43:29 GMT
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Post by PokerKitten on Aug 3, 2003 13:45:05 GMT
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Post by nightnurse on Aug 7, 2003 2:00:47 GMT
;D Am half way through Book 3, and gotta say really enjoying getting acquainted with Harry ..and Bob.!! I've never been into fantasy books, but I'm def . being drawn to the genre by Jim's Dresden novels
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Post by PokerKitten on Aug 28, 2003 13:06:28 GMT
Horror with a dash of fantasy has always been more my thing... and I love a noir feel. So these books are perfect for me! I am only a wee way into Grave Peril right now, but it is possibly shaping up to be my fave so far. You know how I said the books have been optioned now? Well, there is a campaign just beginning to have James considered for Harry shgould a movie or series ever find its way into production. Our friends at Marsters Mobsters have set up a fledgling site to start the ball rolling. Take a look - www.marsters-mobsters.com/jamesisharry.htmlSlayerchick says: Right now, I would like to get the campaign started off with a write in postcard campaign. Go ahead and use the artwork at the top of the screen and print it off as a postcard and send it to the adress listed. I am hoping that letting the studio know that we see James as Harry will get things rolling for the first phase. Post this to as many sites and forums as you like. I am also looking for any help any one wants to give. Any ideas are more than welcome and anyone who has artistic/and or web building skills would also be more than welcome to lend a hand *hint, hint* Edited to update the url.
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Post by azazel on Sept 1, 2003 6:48:23 GMT
Im just starting the first book, but think I should of left it for a bit before I started as Ive just finished Laurel K Hamiltons Anita Blake and theres to much similarities and its bugging me. Hope I can get into it though because they sound good books
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Post by PokerKitten on Sept 4, 2003 21:03:45 GMT
Jim and James met at last, at Dragon*Con! Hope Mr B doesn't mind me reproducing the Jamesy bit of his Dragon*Con report from the McAnally's list.... he posts there often, so every fan should join! Oh, and I finally got to meet James Marsters. He wanted to set it up and I wanted to meet him, but the weekend was booked pretty solid. Fortunately both fans and his staff wanted to make it happen. I had to get past Julie Caitlyn Brown, who was there evidently helping to run things for several actors. She was under considerable stress, and her assistant squared off in front of me asking 'Who are you?' while meaning 'why don't you go away?'
So I got to stammer, "Uh, well, I'm an author. My name is Jim Butcher and James read my--"
"Jim BUTCHER," says the assistant, and grabs a friend to point me out. "This is Jim Butcher! We love your books and we're on several mailing lists where they talk about you all the time!"
I stood there with my mouth open for a second, and then closed it and tried to look like I hadn't been startled silly. "Oh. Right, uh, well, I'd be glad to sign autographs, sure, and I just wanted to set up a short meeting with James just to say hey."
Long story short, Julie was happy to work something out, and later that afternoon they halted the Marsters-graph line (which was at some points as much as eight HOURS long) to have James come out and meet Shannon and I in a service hallway, glowery bodyguard looking on.
James opened up with shaking my hand (OW!) and saying, "Man, I freaking love your books."
Which automatically makes him very cool.
We chatted, and I told him how much I enjoyed his reading and how I'd only started watching Buffy because a line he delivered as Spike made me blow spaghetti out my nose. We agreed on both the setting-appropriateness of the Wookie T-shirt I was wearing, and concurred on the grave responsibility of father figures to play video games as a way to relate with kids, though James seemed to be a little more fond of mindlessly violent explosion games than me.
Which is SAYING something.
We talked about being geeky gamer types, and how my wife and I first got together at a D&D game. James talked about how much respect he had for writers, how insane the convention was, and we both speculated over the possibilities for a Dresden series at some point in the future. (James assuring me that he loved doing the readings and would not be offended if the show took flight without him, me assuring him that I didn't have a vote in the matter but that if I did, he'd already have it.) He was extremely friendly, smiling and laughing a lot, and was a lot more intensely high-energy than I had anticipated. It was a fairly brief meeting, but he was really nice, laughed at my jokes, was warm and deferential to my wife, making sure to keep her included in the conversation. I like him.
Well, the poor guy had been going for days straight, and after getting wrung out in my own modest autograph line, I was deeply impressed with how much focus and determination it would take to be /that/ energetic with many more people for many times as long as me. It was a good meeting, we both expressed a hope that we would get to work together in the future, and he had the last portion of the waiting throng getting restless in the autograph line. So off he went to continue making people happy, and off I went to get dinner and go to bed early.
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Post by marilyn on Sept 4, 2003 23:23:33 GMT
Thanks PK....very nice.....HE was very nice and seemed completely unaware or unaffected by his popularity....lots of fans gathered to meet him!!
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Post by PokerKitten on Sept 5, 2003 9:37:39 GMT
Well, he's a geek boy himself, having been so much part of the gaming/role-playing world! And he does make himself very accessible on the net, which is lovely.
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Post by nightnurse on Sept 5, 2003 16:37:14 GMT
;D OK finished Death Masks last week, when is book 6 coming out? It's very inconsiderate of these authors..not writing quickly enough!! ;D Jim seems like a really nice bloke, and he obviously gets brownie points being a JM fan!!
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Post by azazel on Sept 6, 2003 14:22:44 GMT
Like that review and still proves to me that James is a decent person even with all this fame and adoration. JB sounds fun too _____________________________________________ Right finished 1st book and have now ordered the next two, so wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be, but still not quiet as good as i hoped (If that makes sense) but Im hoping the first was just a taster of whats to come
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Post by PokerKitten on Sept 9, 2003 22:58:28 GMT
Oh my goodness gracious! Jim himself has taken the "Get the Dresden Files on and JM as Harry" campaign by the scruff of the neck and is urging us to make our presence felt as fans of the series (and of James!). And it so close to happening guys!! He has even suggested the wording for a campaigning email, gawd love him!! Again, hope he won't mind me pasting his message: Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 17:17:29 -0500 From: Jim Butcher Subject: [mcanallys] BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Hey guys!
Let's cut straight to the chase: the Dresden Files are on the home stretch in Hollywood.
In two weeks, Morgan Gendel, together with Nick Cage's production company, Saturn Films, will be meeting with some heavyweight network types about the Dresden Files. Morgan is aiming at an hour-long weekly series, and if the suits like the idea and think it could be a winner, they'll buy it, and it will be the real deal.
It's more than I ever dreamed or really hoped might happen to my career, or to the stories I wrote.
But let's give credit where credit is due: you guys, the fans, are the ones who really made the Dresden Files fly. I know that there are more than a few people out there who have proselytized the books with fanatic intensity, rearranged bookstores, casually loaned copies out to hook a new reader, or otherwise gone out of their way to spread good words about my work. I do not doubt that there are some people out there who have spent more time selling other people on my work than I have writing it. Thank you.
Others have come to the books more recently, through the dulcet readings of the good Mister Marsters, and James' fans are more than simply welcome. They've been an enormous boost in terms of sales and a worried young writer's morale. So also to the more recent Marsters fans who have helped me out, again, thank you.
That said, I need everyone's help.
One of the critical factors in the negotiations over the series will be the presence (or lack thereof) of a grassroots fanbase for the series. IE, the suits want to know that SOMEONE is going to want to watch this show. So I got together with Morgan, and here's the deal. He's setting up an email address for the sole purpose of receiving mail from fans in support of the books as a series.
Let me say that in a slightly different way: FANS are going to have some say over whether or not this show is going to go into production, as WELL as over who might be approached to be cast in the series.
How many SciFi fan groups have rallied together in an effort to save their favorite cancelled show? It worked once, with original Star Trek. Other efforts were made with equal intensity but lacked success, and the corpses of shows like B5: Crusade, Farscape, Beauty and the Beast, Jules Verne, and many, MANY others now lay in the Hallowed Halls of Syndication or are lost in the Catacombs of Obscurity.
But I don't think ANY of them had a fan base helping them get STARTED.
This is pretty much a historical first, guys. For people who have longed to have a voice of any kind in the future of SF television, here is a place to begin. If you want to see the Dresden Files launched as a television series, you need to send email to the address below and SAY SO. If you want a particular actor playing a particular role (*kaffkaff*MarstersasDresden*kaffkaff*), you also need to send email to the below address and SAY SO.
A strong fan presence behind the Dresden Files is going to make a huge difference when everyone bellies up to the negotiating table. I mean come on, how many producers could show film execs a few thousand fan emails for a show that hasn't even been CREATED yet. What's more, if that same fan presence has a strong desire to see a particular actor playing the part, it is going to send a big old message to the producers, who will treat that desire seriously.
At the end of this email, I'm including a template email that you can use to send to the fan-support mailbox for the Dresden Files going to . Feel free to write your own should you wish, but I want to provide the template so that all you will need to do is cut and paste the template below, filling in your own answers.
I cannot stress enough how perfectly serious I am about this. If Dresden is to hit the screen, I will need as much support (and as many emails) as we can possibly get. So don't feel you have to be a member of a fan club or mailing list to send in your opinion. You don't. Your opinion counts just as much as everyone else's, and I urge everyone who loves SF&F television to lend their voice to Dresden's cause, and to asks other fans of the genre to do the same.
This is beyond exciting, and of course I will keep the list posted as I get new information. Email template follows.
Jim
TEMPLATE
******************************************
To: dresdenfiles@linkline.com Subject: Dresden Files Television Series
Dear Morgan,
I am in favor of the production of the Dresden Files to television and/or movies!
On a scale of one to ten, I would watch the series with the following frequency. _______ ("1=Eh, whenever" to "10=Each and every week, possibly in costume.")
Given a choice of actors to play the part of Harry Dresden, I think that
________________________________ would be an excellent choice.
Sincerely,
(Your name here)
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Post by azazel on Sept 11, 2003 10:39:16 GMT
Well looks like he needs all the e.mail support he can get. I have only read the first, but dont see why it cant be made into a film and as for having James in it Yes purlease so I think this should be pasted on as many forums as possible. PK would you mind me pinching the whole thing and posting it up at SS? I assume the address to post it to is the mcanallys@iago.net one?
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Post by PokerKitten on Sept 11, 2003 11:25:19 GMT
Az, I've already done it and NO! The email addy for the campaign is given in the template.
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Post by azazel on Sept 26, 2003 2:16:17 GMT
To organised that PK Well Im halfway through the second book and the books are growing on me and the similarities to the Anita Blake books are not as irritating so hopefully by the third book I'll just be another addict who has to buy the rest. I am beginning to see James as Harry solets hope he gets (Takes) the part
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Post by PokerKitten on Oct 6, 2003 22:36:13 GMT
Here's the latest from Jim B:
POSSIBLE SERIES PRODUCTION REPORT *************************************
The three-week meeting about the project apparently got tossed out. But I swapped email with Morgan Gendel last week just before I left town, and learned that he is working 24/7 to get ready for not just a meeting, but a series of meetings over the next three weeks. I choose to interpret this as a very encouraging sign, so huzzah and my fingers are crossed. Feel free to join me.
Reader's Digest version: it's still moving and my hopes are still high!
MARSTERS FOR DRESDEN EMAIL CAMPAIGN REPORT ********************************************
After receiving a hundred emails in the first HOUR after dispatching the announcement, Morgan was impressed with the obvious support the project had. He received a total of 1300 emails or so which was a bit less than I had hoped for, but still.
The good news is that there is still time to send in a support letter! So if you're behind the notion, I invite you to get your own email into the support email address in the original announcement asap. Or I could beg you, if the invitation doesn't float your boat. Please. Pretty please. Don't make me go all Gollum with the begging.
Under good advice, I'd like to ask a favor--please, when you send the email in, send in your own letter rather than using the form. That way, it won't look like it's an automatic web-form process. If and when you do, maybe you could add in a bit more emphasis on being excited about the series, even independently from being excited about the Marsters/Dresden notion. The studio might not be impressed with a core fan group sending email in if they're just bubbling for more James, and don't much care how they get him. That's not a pan on Marsters, btw. I'd love him in the role. But ya can't see James as Dresden if they don't get enough support to do the Dresden project in the first place.
At the risk of sounding like Jackie Chan's animated Uncle, one more thing. If you're a male fan, particularly, the project needs your help. Send email. A more balanced gender demographic (surprise surprise, women make up about 80 percent of the emails to date ) will look a lot stronger.
One more thing--if you aren't a fan of the series or of the inestimable Mr Marsters, I'm not asking you to write in with an insincere letter. I would LOVE to have the support of total strangers, don't get me wrong, but I'm not trying to hustle this project through under a cloud of donated spam. I think it would bother me if that was the reason the project went through, and I hate botheration.
To sum up: There is still time, so please please please help!
I think that's about it. If I forgot something, I'll get it out to the list as an addendum.
Jim [glow=red,2,300]MORE MESSAGES PEOPLE! aND GET YER MEN TO DO SOME TOO![/glow]
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Post by PokerKitten on Oct 30, 2003 23:48:08 GMT
There is a brand new forum dedicated toi Jim Butcher and his works... and I mean brand new! Hop on over and take a look and lend it your support ;D www.fftv.it/arcane/index.php
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Post by marilyn on Oct 31, 2003 0:39:30 GMT
Thanks PK.....I even registered and posted...tada!
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Post by PokerKitten on Nov 7, 2003 16:48:06 GMT
Chiara could do with some more support at the above-mentioned forum to get things going. Just pop over and join in a thread or two, or start one of your own. She says anything goes, and as a real fan of James, he can most certainly be a topic! ;D Marilyn, is this how Jim B looked at Dragon*Con? www.jim-butcher.com/jim/He reminds me of someone now he has the longer hair and the more tamed beard, but I just can't think who... it is driving me crazy!! Could be a Brit wacky comedian... but maybe not...argh! No, wait!! it could be Kim Newman, the film critic and writer....
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Post by PokerKitten on Nov 8, 2003 0:26:09 GMT
Latest publishing news from Jim B:
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