Hi
Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James
Diablo Nights is a novel that takes you inside Mexico’s drug wars and introduces you to Detective Emilia Cruz, a conniving, fast-thinking, fearless crime-fighter who isn’t afraid to kick some ass. In short – a woman you are unlikely to forget in a hurry.
This is an international mystery and crime thriller that’s truly worthy of that description. One of the best novels I’ve read in some time.
Set in and around Acapulco, it’s fast-moving, intriguing and always surprising. The writing flows, drawing the reader in.
There’s a bonus for readers, too, in that even if you’ve never been to Acapulco, you’ll know it better than most tourists by the time you finish this book. The writer takes you beneath city’s postcard exterior to the mean streets – the side that tourists seldom see – where the drug lords rule.
So, pour yourself a margarita and settle in for an engrossing read! -Lance Morcan
I’m very pleased to announce that our multicultural, international romantic comedy My Cornerstone (starring Miss India Australia beauty pageant-winner Zenia Starr pictured above) has just today begun its 2nd week of cinema screenings! There were 114 cinema screenings Australia-wide in the first week alone and the feedback we have received from audiences and film critics alike has been overwhelmingly positive. So thank you to all who attended screenings at cinemas in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide during its first week.
The film continues to show in selected Event Cinemas and Village Cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in its 2nd week at the following cinemas:
Plus, due to public demand in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs we have booked the classy Ritz Cinema (Event Cinemas) at Randwick for daily screenings beginning late October (31st) until early November.
Beyond Australia, it will then release in selected markets internationally starting with India-wide cinema screenings before the end of this year.
Thank you so much for all your support.
See you at the movies!
James Morcan
Director: Stanley Joseph
Writers: James Morcan (screenplay), Stanley Joseph (story)
Actors: Zenia Starr, Romin Khan, James Morcan, Santosh Verma
Our multicultural romantic comedy My Cornerstone is in cinemas now and currently screening Australia-wide.
Screening locations include Morley (Perth) WA, Marion (Adelaide) SA, Garden City (Brisbane) QLD, Sunshine (Melbourne) VIC, Southland (Melbourne) VIC, Liverpool (Sydney) NSW and Burwood (Sydney) NSW.
Here is our new 30 second trailer which is currently screening on TV:
Here are some comments from a few of our key cast members:
Zenia Starr
“Working on ‘My Cornerstone’ was a truly unique experience for me as an actress; for the first time I had the opportunity to act in a film with both of parents and so our ‘on set family’ truly was family!
The production team, cast and crew collectively put in many long and hard hours of work to get this film shot in record timing. Contrary to our on-screen interactions for the most part of the film, many lovely friendships were made and belly-laughing memories created. I hope that the message of this film will resonate well with those who watch it.”
Romin Khan
“If the words love, faith and hope resonate with you then ‘My Cornerstone’ is a film not be missed.
I have experienced a lot of love working on set with ‘My Cornerstone’ team and we all had hopes regarding the faith of this movie to make it to the big screen and our dreams have come true indeed.
So please do come by and join us at the nearest event cinemas near you to celebrate this amazing journey of love, faith and hope called My Cornerstone.”
Gil Ben-Moshe
“I am a cast member of ‘My Cornerstone’ along with my identical twin brother Oren. Apart from being a cast member I also wore several hats within the crew department. I was the first assistant director as well as the production manager. Working on My Cornerstone was a great experience, as I got to work along some of the most incredible cast and crew I’ve ever worked with. I thank producer/director Stanley Joseph for the wonderful opportunity.”
Aishveryaa Nidhi
“It was a pleasure to play the part of Heather Pinto in ‘My Cornerstone’. Film was so well cast that on-screen family actually became a family after the shoot. Whole cast and crew were very professional. Everybody has worked long hours to finish not one but two films in record days, which is a big achievement. Stanley has worked very hard to produce and release the film. Hats off to him!”
And lastly, myself (James Morcan)
“Filming this ambitious international story was a mammoth undertaking and only achievable due to our highly efficient crew who pulled off untold miracles. Personally speaking, being an actor and screenwriter on the film was a tough dual assignment given the tight deadlines and the improvisational nature of the shoot. But fortunately with Stanley’s constant guidance and a very supportive cast and crew, I managed to deliver what was required.”
Thank you so much for all your support.
See you at the movies!
James Morcan
Director: Stanley Joseph
Writers: James Morcan (screenplay), Stanley Joseph (story)
Actors: Zenia Starr, Romin Khan, James Morcan, Santosh Verma
BOOK REVIEW:Orange Town: FIFO 3-2-1 – by Paul Rhoden
★★★★★
In a message to the reader, author Paul Rhoden says, “Orange Town: FIFO 3-2-1 is a book I have always wanted to write.” Well, in a message to the author, this reviewer says this is a book I have always wanted to read!
From one Down Under bloke to another…It’s fair dinkum brilliant mate!
Firstly, the title intrigued me. Even though, in another time, I worked in the mining industry in Outback Australia, and mixed with many of the (types of) colourful characters who feature in this must-read novel, I wasn’t familiar with the term FIFO. Now I know: it’s the description given those hard-nosed, hard-working, hard-drinking, hard-living individuals who ‘Fly In Fly Out’ to earn a living in Aussie’s unforgiving earthmoving, construction and mining industries.
Rhoden focusses on hard case Brent Williams – better known as ‘Rooster’ – who morphs from a cattle ranch roustabout and bareknuckle fighter to a charismatic, smooth, lady’s man who scales the corporate ladder during Aussie’s mining boom of the early Nineties. In the process, he manages the biggest FIFO contract around.
Unfortunately for Rooster, he carries a dark secret around with him. Though this may be unfortunate for him, it’s very fortunate for the reader as it adds another beguiling dimension to this breathtaking novel.
Love the humour, too. It’s humour Colonials will relate to, but this is a novel deserving of a much wider audience.
Summary: This is one you have to read, mate! (The ladies will enjoy it, too). -Reviewer Lance Morcan
Our international romantic comedy My Cornerstone debuts in cinemas this Thursday Oct 9th Australia-wide. There will be over 100 cinema screenings in the first week alone.
Please spread the word far and wide!
Screening locations include Morley (Perth) WA, Marion (Adelaide) SA, Garden City (Brisbane) QLD, Sunshine (Melbourne) VIC, Southland (Melbourne) VIC, Liverpool (Sydney) NSW and Burwood (Sydney) NSW.
MY CORNERSTONE is an international romantic comedy filmed at various locations all over Sydney and greater NSW as well as in Mumbai, India. The story, which is a dynamic blend of East and West, covers contemporary issues in both Australian society and Indian communities in a fun and sexy fashion.
The film debuts in cinemas (Event Cinemas and Village Cinemas) this Thursday Oct 9th Australia-wide. Screening locations include Morley (Perth) WA, Marion (Adelaide) SA, Garden City (Brisbane) QLD, Sunshine (Melbourne) VIC, Southland (Melbourne) VIC, Liverpool (Sydney) NSW and Burwood (Sydney) NSW. More cinemas are likely to be added soon due to public demand in certain areas.
Later this year the film, which is the first Indian-Aussie cross-over movie in cinema history, will also screen in cinemas in various countries worldwide, followed by an eventual international DVD release.
The film’s multicultural cast includes some of the brightest up-and-coming actors from Australia and India. My Cornerstone’s lead actress, 24 year-old Indian-Australian Zenia Starr, was recently crowned Miss India Australia and was a contestant in the 2013 Miss India Worldwide beauty pageant. As a result of her role in My Cornerstone and other productions including the recent Australian indie film Backyard Ashes, Zenia is becoming a renowned name in both the Bollywood and Australasian film industries.
“Like other successful cross-cultural films such as Bride and Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, My Cornerstone has the potential to become a mainstream crowd-pleaser with both traditional Australian audiences and ex-pat Indian cinemagoers alike.” -Don Groves, Inside Film (IF)
A book reviewer who happens to call Fiji home has described the historical adventure novel Fiji as “poignant and nostalgic” in his 5-star review on AmazonUK.
Fiji: A Novel resonates with Fijian national.
Here’s the review in full:
★★★★★
Well-thought out tale. You could hear the waves, feel the sea breeze, hear the rain thundering through the thick forest canopy, Nathan’s change, Susannah’s love, feel the pain in the Qopi warriors’ sacrifice … it was all a truly remarkable read set in the lands to which I proudly call home. London is certainly far removed from paradise. -AmazonUK reviewer @JonFiji
Fiji: A Novel is book two in The World Duology.
The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel).
Our soon to be released Indian-Australian feature film MY CORNERSTONE – which will screen in cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide & Perth from October 9th and then internationally later this year – has featured again in the Inside Film (IF) Magazine, the Down Under film industry chronicle.
The article, by IF Magazine columnist Don Groves, follows (unabridged):
My Cornerstone, an international romantic comedy filmed in Sydney, greater NSW and Mumbai, opens in cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth on October 9.
Scripted by James Morcan, the plot covers contemporary issues in both Australian society and Indian communities in a fun and sexy fashion.
Like other successful cross-cultural films such as Bride and Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, we believe My Cornerstone has the potential to become a mainstream crowd-pleaser with both traditional Australian audiences and ex-pat Indian cinemagoers alike.
Later this year the film will screen in cinemas in various countries worldwide, followed by an eventual international DVD release.
The director and producer, Indian-Australian filmmaker Stanley Joseph of World Pictures Australia PTY Ltd, is a well-known musician and Bollywood composer turned director who lives in Sydney.
The storyline reflects some of his own experiences as an Indian migrant in Australia. My Cornerstone is Stanley’s second feature film to date (with a third feature currently in post-production and due for release in 2015).
The film’s multicultural cast includes some of the brightest up-and-coming actors from Australia and India. My Cornerstone’s lead actress, 24 year-old Indian-Australian Zenia Starr, was recently crowned Miss India Australia and was a contestant in the 2013 Miss India Worldwide beauty pageant.
As a result of her role in My Cornerstone and other productions including the recent Australian indie film Backyard Ashes, Zenia is becoming a renowned name in both the Bollywood and Australasian film industries.
Amazon has advised its authors it will be welcoming submissions for English-language books in Romance, Mystery & Thriller, and Science Fiction & Fantasy genres under its new publishing program. The news follows last week’s announcement that the publishing pace-setterplans to launch a crowd-sourced publishing program that will see participating authors receive US$1500 plus 50% royalties on net eBook revenues.
It appears at this early stage the program is only available to authors resident in the U.S. – or, more exactly, to authors “with a valid U.S. bank account and U.S. social security number or tax identification number”. Even so, it will no doubt appeal to those many thousands (tens of thousands?) of authors who are eligible…
And if Amazon’s recent expansion of its territories, book-lending arrangements, Kindle ereader sales and the like is anything to go on, it’s very likely the new publishing program will be expanded beyond the U.S. before long.
Regardless, here’s the letter (unabridged) we’ve just received from Amazon, explaining its progam in more detail:
Dear Author,
Thanks for subscribing to receive updates on Amazon’s new publishing program! We’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening for submissions in a couple weeks.
We’ll be welcoming submissions for English-language books in Romance, Mystery & Thriller, and Science Fiction & Fantasy genres. Any adult with a valid U.S. bank account and U.S. social security number or tax identification number is eligible.
It only takes 15 minutes to complete a submission. Here are the things that you should prepare to successfully submit your book:
Complete, never-before-published manuscript & book cover image – We’re looking for 50,000 words or more in Word format and a book cover image that reflects the essence and uniqueness of your book. Make sure your work is ready for others to read. Only the first pages will be posted to the website (approx. 3,000 words).
Book one-liner – A very short pitch (no longer than 45 characters) for your book that will be used on the homepage and throughout the website. Think of examples like “Space opera meets the Middle Ages” or “How far will one woman go to save her family?”
Book description- Help readers understand the content and quality of your book. Keep the description to 500 characters or less.
Your bio & picture – Give readers a chance to learn more about you. You will also have a chance to answer relevant questions regarding your book and personal story in a short Q&A section.
We’ll also ask you to review and accept our submission and publishing agreement that grants us a 45-day exclusivity period to post your excerpt and tally nominations. If chosen for publication, you will receive a $1,500 advance, 5-year renewable term, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions, and Amazon-featured marketing. If not, you automatically get all your rights back at the end of the 45-day exclusivity period.
We’ll send you an email as soon as we’re open for submissions.
As per the above poster at Event Cinema’s theatre in Liverpool (Sydney) NSW, posters are now going up in cinemas Australia-wide for the theatrical release of My Cornerstone.
We shot this movie at locations in Mumbai, India and Sydney, Australia with an Indian/Australian cast and crew.
My Cornerstone is the first Indian-Aussie cross-cultural feature film in cinema history.
Our poster stand at the cinema multiplex in Burwood, NSW
On Thursday 9th October 2014, My Cornerstone will be released in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in participating Event Cinema venues. Please check Event Cinema websites nearest to you for session times in the coming weeks.
The following Thursday being 16th October 2014 will see the release in other key Australian cities including Perth and Adelaide.
Then later this year the film will be released in cinemas in various countries worldwide, followed by an eventual international DVD release.
Check out our film’s trailer:
Thank you so much for all your support.
See you at the movies!
James Morcan
Director: Stanley Joseph
Writers: James Morcan (screenplay), Stanley Joseph (story)
Actors: Zenia Starr, Romin Khan, James Morcan, Santosh Verma