Video Contest Winner announced.

Congratulations to Jeremy Rovny and his cast and crew for submitting the winning video to the Exiled Video Contest!

Watch this incredible submission below.  After you're done, scroll down and read the interview with Jeremy.

Congratulations, Jeremy, great work on the video.

Where do you hang your hat?  Simply based upon some of the accents in the video I would guess south of the Mason-Dixon line?

Indeed, we're all from Texas! I was hoping that wouldn't show, but once I met Kenny Harris (Master Ammoncourt), I thought, "Well, so much for the Gandalf sounding wizards." Haha, that's actually how I imagined his character sounding at first--like Gandalf. But Kenny is a true Texan. So just imagine...cowboy wizards.

It looks like you gathered quite a collection of actors to shoot your video.  Are they friends, volunteers, family? How did you bring everyone together?

Actually, this was the first video I've made where I sent out casting calls and such. Previously I would just use my family (which was great as I have 5 siblings), but since we're growing up, getting busy, and going to college, that doesn't really work anymore. Also I wanted the experience of directing people I've never met. It was actually really great; they were so easy to work with!

What is your background in film/acting? Are you in school for either currently?

So far, I'm totally self taught. I realized at a young age that I really want to be an actor/filmmaker, so I just started doing it. I totally took over the family camera and started making videos of every vacation or major event in our lives. But I'm in school for filmmaking right now. I'm finishing up my basics and just transferred to UT Arlington to get a BFA in Film/Video/Screenwriting.

How did you hear about the contest?

I found the contest through onlinevideocontest.com (OVC). I had won 3rd place in an international Ihop contest video in the summer of 2012, so I was encouraged by that.

What made you decide to enter (other than the obvious winning prize, that is)?

The contest stuck out because it was for a fantasy video. I love the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and hadn't made a video like that yet, so I really wanted to try it out. Yes, I'm a nerd. I love the Lord of the Rings films and books, and I've read nearly all of Terry Brook's Shannara books.

Is that Final Cut Pro you used to edit the film?

I did use Final Cut Pro!! My first few videos (some of which are pre-youtube) were made on iMovie, then I used Final Cut Express (which was actually my brother's copy--he was into making videos at first too, but then went off to do physics for some reason), then I switched over to Pro not terribly long ago.

In hours, how long did it take you to shoot versus edit?

Shooting was comparatively way shorter, which is saying something considering the first shoot (the council chamber one) was about 11 hours non-stop. I was expecting that shoot to be maybe 3 or 4 hours...I still feel bad for everyone that came to set that day...So shooting over all took about 17-22 hours.Editing itself--like splicing the footage together--didn't take too terribly long. Probably longer than shooting though. But then I got to color grading and vfx. Oh man. That took forever.

I read on your youtube channel that you’ve been involved in filmmaking since you were fourteen.  True?  

Not entirely true--I've been into filmmaking since before 14. I loved movies in general, but that's not saying much--many people do. Then my siblings and I discovered the home video camera, and we started making videos with it. I began my main youtube channel and the name "TorchFire Productions" around the age of 14. Like, it was probably around then I decided it was for sure what I wanted to do. I made many videos before that point though, most of which were funny family videos--sometimes not even anything resembling a story, but just experimenting with the camera and learning what I could do with it.

I just watched your Life of a Villager video…hilarious. I used to play Age of Empires all the time. So funny.  I guess you play (or used to)?

Haha, yay for Age of Empires fans!!! Man, AOE II the Conqueror's Expansion is one of the greatest games of all time.

You have quite a bunch of creative videos on your channel, do you write?

I did write most of these videos. Some of them my siblings have helped write though.

About the cast…You played James, correct? How long have you been acting?

NO! I didn't play James!! None of that happened! He was played by...my evil twin!! Okay, yeah, that was...me. I just don't like admitting it because that's easily the worst acting I've ever done. As I said before, we've mostly just done comedic videos, so that's what I'm used to--comedy. Even all the plays I've done have been comedic. It's natural for me. So when I saw this role I thought, "Hey, now I can finally try to act serious!" I had only really done that one time before in a short film I made with one of my brothers when I was 15ish called "Knife Hunt." I think I just over thought it and tried too hard while acting for Exiled. WAY too hard. My worst scene is where I looked shocked after seeing the memory orb thing. The script was originally written to include James's master getting consumed and killed by fire. So when I acted that I thought, "Okay, you just saw a guy who was like a father to you get burned alive. Also, you're an angsty teenager who's being falsely accused of murdering your own master. Go long." 

As a young filmmaker, I always struggled to find older cast members. You were able to find two great actors to play Ammoncourt and Akil.  Where did you find those guys?

I'm pretty sure I found Kenny (Ammoncourt) and David (Master Elder) through shortfilmtexas.com. They responded to the casting calls I wrote. Yeah, I was a little afraid of directing people so much older than me at first! Also, I don't know if any of them knew that their director was also acting... But I was so happy they all took me seriously considering I was the youngest one on set. Plus, I don't know why anyone would listen to a person wearing such a ridiculous wig. They never even saw me without it. In fact, I ran into Eric Weiss (Red Guard 1) in a later production we were in together, and he didn't recognize me at first without the wig! But they were all so courteous and compliant.

As a writer, I was shocked when I first saw Charles Johnson (who played Akil). Based upon the description in the book, he was a dead ringer.  Were you able to cast him simply based upon his appearance?

Yes, Charles was a friend from church--I had no idea he could act, yet he probably did the best of all of us!! If you recall, I emailed you early on asking what Akil looked like, as he wasn't described at all in the first chapter. You responded with a description that perfectly matched this guy I knew. Charles instantly popped in my head when I read that email. I laughed at the idea of him playing the character because I don't think he'd ever acted before. But he totally killed it..

David Eaton (played Master Elder) was very creepy.  I think he pulled off his role so well.  His facial expressions alone were enough to make my skin crawl.  Did he require much direction?

Yeah, David Eaton did great with playing a total creep...which was funny considering he was the kindest guy on set!! He was super cooperative. I actually gave him (and Kenny, really) a lot of direction. David was so nice and subdued I guess you could say, that in reality I think it was difficult for him to become a maniac. Most of his expressions actually came naturally, but I worked with him a lot on how he said the lines, especially volume-wise. My method of making the actors feel comfortable was to act out what I wanted them to do except twice as exaggerated. I think that helped them relax a little.

Kenny Harris (Master Ammoncourt) looked very comfortable in front of the camera.  How much acting experience does he have?

I don't think Kenny had a whole lot of experience before this role--he had maybe acted in a few projects before this one. He has insisted over text that he's much better now and wants to do something else! Haha, obviously I am eager to take him up on that offer.

Are you working on any other projects right now?

Oh goodness, don't get me started. Okay, I'm editing a wedding video right now, then I have a short video to make for one of my brothers, then I have to finish the behind the scenes video for the Exiled video, I have to make a video for the gym I work at, a video for the parkour program I'm starting there, a video of a parkour jam I attended recently, I want to get another short comedy sketch made soon (I have about 50 different ideas to choose from), and there's a feature film I've been trying to work on. 

Any plans for the prize money?

Well, I gotta tithe some of it, provide promised pay to some crew members, and then see how much is left. I'd also like to keep some to offset the budget of making the video...which ended up being a little bit more than I'd like to admit. If any substantial portion remains, I'd like to put it toward purchasing more film equipment. I still need an external field monitor to attach to my camera--if anyone knows of a good one to buy for a 7D, let me know!

Jeremy Rovny is co-founder and owner of TorchFire Productions. His goal is  "to make awesome feature films." He works as a  tumbling, parkour, and freerunning coach at Maverick All Star Tumblers, and more recently have begun work as a freelance filmmaker/videographer. 

YouTube channels: 

"Rovnys" My old channel; hardly worth visiting unless you want to find some of my older stuff.

"MavsTumblers" Containing only tumbling, parkour, and freerunning videos. Cool stuff. I believe you'll find them different than other videos of the same genre.

"TorchFireProductions" The main channel which I hope will soon be consisting of quality and entertaining videos of all different genres.

Jeremy's VIMEO Account

Facebook (Jeremy Rovny) 

Twitter (@JeremyRovny).

From Jeremy;
 
Thanks for the interview, it was my first time to do one!!! It's been fun! More, BETTER videos and films to come, I promise!

The entire, unabridged interview is available HERE (on my website, TheNeverChronicles.com)

~In the book world, word of mouth is king~

Coming soon....
Evasion
the second book from The Never Chronicles

Available now from J.R. Wagner...

A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.

Available Now!

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores

 

Cover reveal -Tristis Manor

Well, as promised, here is the cover for my upcoming novella.

The main character (not to be spoiled who it is just yet) is one of the characters from Exiled. The story is about his/her past.

I expect to release Tristis Manor in February if all goes according to plan.

I'm very excited about this story for many reasons.  One in particular is the genre stretches beyond fantasy.  A synopsis will follow shortly.

Thank you everyone for your continued support!

JRW

My Maine Adventure photo journal

By J. R. Wagner

I recently traveled to Maine with my family for a little rest and relaxation.  It is a twelve hour drive so we typically leave in the evening and drive through the night. Around 3:30am the car was filled with the yelping of my dog, Sorin (pictured below).  The kids woke up, my wife pulled the car over and I hopped in back to see what was up.

Somehow he had managed to cram his paw in between two pieces of metal behind one of the seats and couldn't get it out.  I gently slid his leg out, took him for a walk to ensure everything was okay and onward we went.

Sorin and my daughter in for a long ride.

I knew when I saw this sign we were getting close!

We made it! Beautiful views, gorgeous weather and wonderful people.














Proof that
a. I was on the trip and
b. still refuse to dress my age

 

Me

 




There is a really cool beach made up entirely of these small stones.







Below is a video of the waves coming in and out on this beach. Turn up your volume and listen to the sound as the water recedes. What you're hearing is the sound of the super-smooth cookie-sized stones dragging across one another as they're pulled out by the tide. How cool is that?!


Tasty lobster, lots of exploration and equal amounts of relaxing.  A great trip!

-----------------

As always, find interviews, writing samples, videos, contests and more on my website.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores now

The Lost Journal Volume 31

As always, find interviews, writing samples, videos, contests, more from the lost journals visit my website.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores now

Speaking Engagement

 I'll be speaking at the Oxford Public Library tonight! 

Details are below.

Teens &Tweens - Book Talk with author Josh (J.R.) Wagner

When: Tue, May 8, 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Where: 48 S. Second St. (map)

Description: Author Josh (J.R.) Wagner will be here to discuss his new book Exiled. All tweens and teens are welcome. No reservations required.

Stop in and say hello! I may have a giveaway or two!

Hope to see you there!

--------------------------------------------------
As always, find interviews, writing samples, videos, contests and more on my re-vamped website.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores 6-5-2012

Another Kindle give away plus signed copy of Exiled and MORE

Okay, 


if we reach 5000 likes on MY FACEBOOK PAGE  before my release date (June 5th), I will hold a contest and offer the winner... 

A signed copy of Exiled...

 A signed Exiled poster

 $30 to spend at The Never Chronicles store

 AND... a kindle loaded with the Exiled eBook. 

The inexplicable disappearance of Karma Radwyn

by J. R. Wagner

She punched the glass.  Not once, but repeatedly as the tears ran down her cheeks. With each strike she envisioned the face of a different girl behind the mirror.  Carolyn. Nancy. Amanda. Heather.  By the third girl, the mirror split.  By the fifth, a fist sized hole of shattered mirror replaced where her face had been reflected moments ago.  Bits of broken glass ripped apart her knuckles. She went on. Sobbing, cursing, bleeding, punching. The pain was there, but she was projecting it onto her victims as if they were feeling the throbbing of her wrist (certainly broken), the tearing of her flesh (what was left of it).

She couldn't help the anger. Couldn't control the pain.  Not physical but emotional -the worst of the pair. What made it the most infuriating was the reason behind their malice.   There wasn't one.  Karma hardly knew any of these girls before Monday.  She'd never had a problem with any of them -in fact, she didn't even realize several of them went to her school.  So why did they direct their hate at her? This she couldn't understand, would never understand and none of them, not one was willing to offer an explanation.

Small bits of shorn flesh mixed with broken glass meandered down the streams of blood toward the bottom of the mirror. The sound of the impact like a hand slapping the surface of a still pond.  On she went. Punching. Screaming. Raging.

Was it because she wasn't like them? Skinny, blonde, tan.  When Karma saw the girls she knew in the hallway,  she tried her best not to wince at the ridiculousness of their appearance. Orange skin from either a bad spray tan or time in a tanning booth. Hair so light she could see clear through to their scalps. Makeup so thick she wondered if, when they blinked, their eyelids would become stuck. So skinny they look malnourished.  She truly pitied them. Was that it? Her pity?  Had they seen it in her expression as they passed in the hall?  Could they have been so perceptive?  She doubted it.  They were too self-involved to notice anyone -especially someone like her.  Quiet, intelligent, creative.

A large piece of glass slid away from the lower left section of the wall-sized mirror and crashed to the floor.  Karma was in the old section of the school so she wasn't concerned about someone hearing the crash (or her screams and curses). The school had gated off the old section to 'preserve its antiquity' and only allowed people inside during parents night. Karma was on the school newspaper and frequented a basement supply room where new building met old to retrieve various items during one of their after-school brainstorming sessions.  She had seen the alcove before but never bothered to pay it any attention until, by chance, she dropped a large roll of paper.  Rather than coming to a stop on the floor, the paper rolled, picking up speed as it went, until it reached the semi-circular alcove. As she stooped to pick up the paper, Karma noticed something on the wall.  Line-of-sight from the hallway would have prevented the causal visitor to the supply room from noticing the cast iron ladder bolted into the wall just above her head.

As the echo from the glass receded, a sharp pain surged up  Karma's arm to her elbow. Despite the pain, she cocked her arm back to throw another punch.  Something made  her pause.  She thought it was a result of the light of the slit-like windows reflecting off the broken glass so she stepped to the side where the mirror was still in relatively good condition. There it was again.  A flicker in the distance -like a candle.  Impossible yet it was there.

It grew brighter revealing a passage.  That's it, she thought. I've driven myself to madness.  The enormity of the situation sent a surge of fear and anger through her body.  Without my mind, I am nothing, she thought.  She charged at the broken mirror head-first, hoping to knock out whatever hysteria had taken over. With powerful thighs, Karma pushed herself forward...and was gone.

As always, find interviews, writing samples, videos, contests and more on my re-vamped website.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores 6-5-2012

March short story contest 4th place

The  Dragon  Prince  By  Sarah Munro

　

I stared the dark dragon in his eye. It was glowing amber, bright and appealing compared to my dull blue irises. I could see his dark blue and purple, almost black, scales glinting in the moonlight, along with the saliva the clung to his razor fangs.

　

"Mai," the dragon whispered, a curl of black smoke escaping his mouth with the word. I shivered at the mention of my name, the hot summer night suddenly feeling colder than raindrops in winter.

　

"Kona Willdore," I managed to whisper back and bow my head, acknowledging the dragon in the polite way of my people.

　

The dragon huffed. "Just call me Kona, no formalities."

　

And then Kona began to change. His long, winding dragon body shrunk and closed in on itself until a tall, handsome young man stood in its place. Kona as a human was as regal as his dragon-self. He still had the luminescent amber eyes, pale skin, and his wavy hair was black, but shimmered with purple and blue in the light. Kona held himself with the air of a dangerous prince. Which, I knew, he was.

　

I was the princess of the Griffin Realm, and Kona the prince of the Dragon Realm. The two creatures of flight had been at war for centuries, until the Kings, our fathers, had made a treaty. To ensure the peace, their children would be married.

　

Kona was my fiancé.

　

At first I’d desired him – he was physically gorgeous. But he lacked beauty on the inside, too. In fact, he lacked anything remotely decent on the inside. Kona and his people could  shift into dragons. The same goes for me and my people, except we shift into griffins. A griffin slayed the prince’s mother, and he’s held a grudge against my people ever since. But the Queen’s death also left him with only two emotions: anger and pride. And over the years, he mastered the ability to get what he wanted with fake charm.

　

But this time, even his phony charisma wouldn’t get him out of marriage with me.

　

The dragon prince sauntered over to where I stood, and picked up a piece of my long, golden hair, which looked darker in the dull light of the moon. He twisted it between his thumb and forefinger, casually examining the strands. I could smell the scent of pine needles on him, along with something musky. He took a step closer and I held my breath.

　

"Pretty," he murmured. Kona dropped my hair and reached his hand out to cup my cheek instead. I felt his slender but calloused thumb run back and forth across my skin. It tingled where he touched it. "Too bad you’re one of them."

　

He jerked his hand away and took a step back, so I let out the breath I’d been holding. I wanted to avoid Kona’s critical gaze, so I stared at the trees instead. They were tall pines, planted loosely to let in light. Animals didn’t like us, so there were none that could be heard or seen. I felt colder than before, like I’d fallen through the ice of a frozen pond, but I only had on my summer nightgown to keep me warm. I wished Kona hadn’t asked me to meet him there, or that I didn’t agree to it. Why did I do such a careless thing? I knew meeting Kona alone at night was dangerous. I had to leave.

　

I sighed to myself, turning so I could walk back to my castle. But a sharp pain stopped me. A long arrow protruded from my chest, right above my heart. And then the pain came searing through my body, first locking all my muscles, and then making me feel so weak. With all my remaining energy, I glared accusingly at Kona, but he stared back in horror. It wasn’t him, so who was it?

　

Distantly, I felt my body hit the ground. It hurt, but not as much as the agonizing pain in my chest. I heard a loud thump, a dragon’s growl, and then the shriek of some creature that cut off abruptly. I closed my eyes for a few moments, and when I opened them, I saw a beautiful face staring down at me, concern etched in the features.

　

"K-Kona," I choked out. It was becoming hard to breathe through all the agony. "What h-happened…?"

　

The prince’s hand came down and stroked my hair, trying to soothe me. It mildly helped.

　

"The satyrs have been angry about the treaty our fathers made, and one shot you. He probably hoped that we would be at war again. But don’t worry, my love, I took care of him, and nobody will ever harm you again!"

　

Was I delirious? Was the pain making me hallucinate? Kona had never shown any care for my wellbeing, nor had he shown any sort of kindness towards me at all. Maybe I was dead, and the afterlife showed you what you wanted to see. A caring Kona would be every girls’ dream.

　

"Why’d you call me ‘my love’?" I’d slurred it out without thinking. If I didn’t have an arrow in my chest, I probably would’ve blushed at my idiocy.

　

"I’ll get to that…" Kona said. He gently slid my body onto his lap, and began pulling the arrow out. To distract me from the wood sliding out of my flesh, he began talking. "I wanted you to meet me here because I have something to tell you. But once I’d worked up the courage, I got angry again. I don’t know why I get angry so much, but since mother’s death, that’s just the way it is…

　

"I decided that I didn’t care much for you after all, until that damn satyr shot you. That’s when I realised that I can’t let you die, no matter what. I need you, Mai, and I don’t have too much pride to tell you that. And, to be honest, I can’t wait until we’re wed."

　

I looked up at the prince, tears of joy in my eyes. The arrow was out now, and still clutching it, he leant down and kissed me. The touch of his lips on mine was bliss. I didn’t want it to ever end, but I knew it would, sooner or later. When Kona pulled back, there was an odd glint in his glowing eyes.  His face held a light smile that it pulled back into a mocking grin.

　

"Just kidding," Kona said playfully. And then he stabbed the arrow back into my chest, this time straight in my heart.


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Find information about my next writing contest, interviews, book news and more on my website.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores 6-5-2012