Wm. Shakespeare: Playwright or Strawman?

The Only Verified Portrait of Shakespeare, First Folio, 1623.

The idea that only an educated aristocrat could write Shakespeare's plays is haughty and naive. Shakespeare himself wrote the plays bearing his name.

The overwhelming trait required to write the Bard’s plays was artistic genius, a product of neither upbringing nor birthright. Shakespeare had the good fortune to be born with exceptional gifts as well as middle class parents who could afford to send him to grammar school.

Second, the playwright needed theatrical experience of more than a superficial kind, something an actor could certainly possess, but not a nobleman of this era. Witness the evolution of the Bard from his early, sub-par output to his later masterpieces, plus the changes in text over time as the theater company and Bard learned what worked with audiences and what didn’t.

Shakespeare's writing also required a modest understanding of literature, science, politics, etc., and his modest education, combined with a hip life as a man about town in London, proved more than sufficient in these regards.

Roland Emmerich's film Anonymous has stoked the old anti-Stratfordian flames, but check out James Shapiro's Review in The New York Times for a sobering critique.

Holiday Special on Dasha

From now through December 31, Dasha will be available on Kindle and Nook for the special price of $2.99. This fantasy romance and satire of modern life is designed to put on a smile on your face. Read an excerpt here: Dasha Kindle Edition

Shadow Fields the Movie

The film adaptation of my debut novel continues to gain momentum.

On April 15, 2011, a group of actors and I met at Ripley-Grier Studios in New York for a full reading of the script. Midtown Manhattan was an ideal setting, as the energy of the neighborhood's bustling streets flowed right into the studio, where the actors were excited about the script and engaged in their quality performances. Indie film producer Tom Mulligan and I walked away with insights and resumes, and after taking everyone's thoughts and notes into consideration, I edited our blueprint for the movie.

Seems I might have outdone myself, because my mother tells me the script is even better than the novel--and she's a big fan of the book! With the screenplay in marketable shape, it's now making the rounds in Hollywood, where we're drumming up interest in a movie deal. Yours truly is the helmer for what will be my directing and screenwriting debut.

Shadow Fields Screenplay Coming Along

Each milestone in this journey of becoming an artist has been deeply rewarding, even though the pressures are high and the rewards are nebulous. I like to set targets and stick to them, which makes the final push for any project a life-altering experience.

The Shadow Fields screenplay is coming along as expected. I finished a substantially edited version last week, and to be clear, I'm the editor. That means it was a lot of work. But rewarding? Absolutely. Each time I dive into the world of Shadow Fields, the characters reveal more and say things I never expected, even though I created them.

Now the screenplay is making its way to Southern California, where it will continue its journey into pre-production.

A Special Offer

Marketing has never been a big focus of mine when it comes to my novels. My passion has been and remains the creation of a unique canon of literary art. However, I do garner reviews and I've run a number of Buy X Get Y promotions on Amazon, where I've been co-marketed with literary masters such as F. M. Dostoevsky and many contemporary winners of the Pulitzer Prize and Man Book Prize. Needless to say, I find these associations flattering.

The books are highly topical, beautifully written and even essential, so with that in mind, I'm running Kindle promotions through August 31st on Dasha ($2.99) and Snooker Glen ($4.99). I've also dropped the regular price of Shadow Fields ($9.99), a prophetic book about Wall Street published in 2005, because Amazon no longer requests a Kindle price that is identical to the paper one. More people need to discover my books, which many readers tell me are treasures.

I appreciate and admire my readers, now several thousand strong in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. They're sophisticated and independent-minded book lovers. They're hip, savvy and well-informed. And they love a good time. They get what I'm doing and revel in it. So I dropped the Kindle prices with some trepidation: what if I end up attracting people who want mass manufactured beach reads, or worse, who want to read only the kinds of books that the dying New York publishing Establishment peddles? What if, by golly, the readers don't really like to think for themselves?

That might be a problem. I don't want a herd. I want a sophisticated following. So I'm monitoring this promotion carefully and may, if I decide it's not working as intended, end the program at year-end and suspend it indefinitely. Grab the chance while you can, and thanks in advance for your support!

Welcome!

With Amazon.com phasing out its author blog program, I know it's time to pack the wagon and move on. Although I've posted several hundred thousand words on other organizations' blogs, I've never had one to call my own. It's exciting! I hope you'll come back here in the future to see what I have to say.