Saturday, May 17, 2008

Where have I been?

Right here, but it just dawned on me that I haven't updated this blog in three weeks or so! Things have been busy for me. I've written two scripts in that time (a western, and the first episode of a limited run sit-com for CRT), and recorded a couple of new programs. I am planning on moving soon, so I have been dismantling the house where I live now and looking at new places (so far in Derry NH and a townhouse in Lexington); so it's going to be a hectic summer. Monday night we are recording our 11th FATHER BROWN MYSTERY program, and another show on Wednesday.

Also, I have been getting a lot of email lately asking about the future of POWDER RIVER. We haven't recorded a new "half hour" episode in almost two years, and although we did GUNS OF POWDER RIVER and POWDER RIVER AND THE MOUNTAIN OF GOLD last summer, fans of the show want more episodes. It's great knowing that people care enough to write to me, and that they like the show. It's funny how people tell me how involved they get in the characters, and the town of Clearmont (which I only visited once in my life and was not even a town when the series takes place). When I allowed two episodes to be released on a podcast, someone made the comment that the characters had no depth to them, and the story was shallow, or something like that. Well, that might true if you just listen to two episodes out of 60, and yet others write to me and tell me how real the characters are.
Funny how that works.
Still, all I can do is try, and hope for the best.

I am writing a new sit com at the moment. Aside from THE DIBBLE SHOW, I don't get much of a chance to write comedy. This has been a very sad and difficult two years for me, and comedy writing is a good diversion. We have some very talented kids at CRT, and they don't get many chances to perform at the microphones (but wait till you hear them this fall in THE HALLOWEEN TREE - which is, I think, our best show to date), so I thought I would write this comedy series to give some of them a chance to take center stage. Plans are to start recording in a couple of weeks, and I am hoping to do 5 to 10 episodes. They should air on our XM Radio Show sometime in the fall.