Jinxed
Thommy Hutson
Publication date: March 13th 2018
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Young Adult
High School Can Be a Real Killer
Break a mirror
Walk under a ladder
Step on a crack
Innocent childhood superstitions …
But someone at the secluded Trask Academy of Performing Arts is taking things one deadly step further when the campus is rocked with the deaths of some of its star students.
Layna Curtis, a talented, popular senior, soon realizes that the seemingly random, accidental deaths of her friends aren’t random—or accidents—at all. Someone has taken the childhood games too far, using the idea of superstitions to dispose of their classmates. As Layna tries to convince people of her theory, she uncovers the terrifying notion that each escalating, gruesome murder leads closer to its final victim: her.
Will Layna’s opening night also be her final bow?
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Author Bio:
Born and raised in Upstate New York, Thommy graduated from UCLA and launched his career co-writing the story for the Warner Bros. animated hit SCOOBY-DOO IN WHERE’S MY MUMMY? He followed that with co-writing the concept and additional material for CHILL OUT, SCOOBY-DOO!
His career then took a thrilling turn when he wrote and produced several definitive genre film retrospectives for television and home entertainment: SCREAM: THE INSIDE STORY, NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY, MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD and HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13th.
He was also a staff writer on Hulu’s daily web series “The Morning After,” a smart, witty, pop culture program aimed at getting viewers up-to-date on the latest entertainment news and celebrity interviews.
Thommy also produced the critically acclaimed feature THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH, an insightful relationship drama starring Lea Thompson and John Shea. He also produced DREAMWORLD, a quirky, romantic dramedy.
He co-wrote and produced ANIMAL for Chiller Films and Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films. The project debuted in iTunes’ top ten horror films (reaching #1) and became the network’s highest-rated original movie.
Continuing his passion for uncovering the stories behind the story, he went on to produce CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13th, which is the most comprehensive look at the popular film franchise.
As an author Thommy crafted a limited-edition coffee table book detailing the making and legacy of Wes Craven’s 1984 classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. A trade version distributed by Simon & Schuster reached number one in Amazon.com’s Movie History & Criticism category. He also has a deal with Vesuvian Media to write a YA thriller trilogy with the first book due out spring 2017.
He produced and made his feature directorial debut with THE ID, an independent psychological drama/thriller. Filmmaker Magazine stated it was “a deeply unsettling thriller that’s as moving as it is frightening…with skillful, provocative direction that has echoes of early Polanski.”
Most recently, Thommy wrote the screenplay for CineTel Films’ supernatural horror film TRUTH OR DARE. He is also directing, writing and producing a documentary with Clive Barker’s Seraphim Films in addition to developing other film and television properties with the company.
As an author, he is currently writing another book that definitively details the history, making and legacy of another fan-favorite genre film from the 1980s.
A member of the Producers Guild of America, Thommy continues to develop unique, compelling and provocative projects across multiple genres for film, television, publishing, and home entertainment through his company Hutson Ranch Media.
GIVEAWAY!
*Guest Post*
Writing Books vs. Writing for Film
FADE IN
INT. DEN — NIGHT
A WRITER, 30s, sits at a large, oak desk. He type, type, types away with the only light coming from what must be an antique lamp. His fingers work feverishly and his dart back and forth as he tries to get the thoughts in his head onto the page quickly.
The phone next to his monitor rings. He ignores it. Type, type, type.
It rings again. He’s annoyed now. Type, type, types faster.
Another ring starts, but before the tinny sound of the bell can finish, he grabs the receiver.
WRITER
(into phone)
What? You called me for that? Yes, I’m in
the middle of writing. No, a book, actually—
He laughs at whatever the caller said. More like a sarcastic chuckle, really.
WRITER
Fine, heads you win. Writing a book is different
Than a screenplay.
—
Both the caller and the writer are correct. It sure is different. Having done both, I won’t say that one is more difficult than the other. Really, they each have their own challenges, their own rewards.
My professional writing career started with me writing screenplays, which started with me writing treatments, which started with me writing, well, stories. So, in a way, at least for me, screenplay or book, book or screenplay, the words have always been interconnected.
But there are differences, to be sure.
One of the biggest that was a hurdle for me is length. A typical screenplay comes in around, say, 110 pages. That sounds like a lot of pages and, in general, it is. But keep in mind your 110 pages is formatted much like the above. And, no, your eyes are not deceiving you: that’s a lot of white space on the page! So, I learned very quickly that screenwriting is an exercise in being economical. You have a lot less time to convey information. For instance, in a script, a character is usually introduced and described in just a few lines. In a book, you can use a page to talk about their looks, their clothes, their age, whatever needs to be told. There just isn’t time to do that kind of thing in a screenplay because you have to get to the action and dialogue, which propel the story. There isn’t any space on the script page for internal thoughts, feelings or desires. It takes up valuable real estate because it can’t be seen on the screen.
I suppose I was lucky in that I tend to be, shall we say, verbose, so when writing scripts I was always cutting, trimming, excising as I revised. But in a book, I had free reign to delve as deep as I wanted, and needed, to go. It was refreshing. Finally, I could write about what my characters were thinking instead of just having them do something or say something.
All that said, I have fallen in love with both mediums and hope I am lucky enough to continue in both. They allow me to express my thoughts, ideas, creativity—and me—in different, but equally satisfying ways.
FADE OUT
Thanks for being on the tour! 🙂
Thank you for having me and for helping spread the word about Jinxed!