NOW IN PRODUCTION...

 My feature screenplay, DARK HAVEN, now filming...







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And for your reading pleasure...

"A rollicking, sexy ride through the Hollywood maze."

Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen

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My journey from script to award-winning short horror film...

A Beast Is Born!


Never give up, never say never...



DARK HAVEN is a screenplay I wrote 20 years ago. Since then it's been optioned a handful of times, edged close to production three times and has sat dormant on the shelf for a number of years. 

But now, finally, contracts have been signed, tweaks to the script executed, and -- I'm quite pleased to say -- filming will commence today (September 16, 2020)!

Will the finished movie be any good? Your guess is as good as mine -- but at least I don't have to think about this one any longer!

But the takeaway here is this...

If you think you have a great script, stick with it. One day it'll pay off.

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Check out my new e-book!

And if you like novels about Hollywood and screenwriters, 
you'll want to check out Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen!

If you like novels about screenwriters in Hollywood (and c'mon, you know you do)...



Hollywood...

It wasn’t what I expected.
It seemed every other building along the boulevard contained a head shop, tattoo parlor, dive bar, or outlet for worthless, plastic souvenirs and T-shirts that boasted bullshit such as, “MY PARENTS WENT TO HOLLYWOOD AND ALL THEY GOT ME WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT.” Sure, there were pockets of glitz and glamour here and there, but mostly it was a trash heap. The boulevard itself is embedded with grimy salmon-colored and gold-embossed stars that boast the names of the currently known, the long-forgotten, and everyone in between.

This was Hollywood?

Then there were the people. The outcasts, the forgotten, the ignored. The angry young men and women—once bolstered by a dream but now dazed by a hard life—struggling against poverty, drugs, booze, madness, and railing mightily against whatever it was Mommy or Daddy or Uncle Joe supposedly did to them once upon a time. They populated Hollywood Boulevard and the surrounding area like cockroaches on a grease-encrusted sewer pipe.

(Excerpt from Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen, a novel by Jim Vines)
(Photo © Jim Vines




in paperback and e-book, from Amazon!


My first movie...


My first produced movie, The Perfect Tenant, was released in 2000. 
It did very well on the cable TV circuit, broadcast TV, and played all over the world (happily, I received foreign royalty payments from the WGA).

It ain't exactly Alfred Hitchcock -- but it's a fairly diverting 93 minutes. 

Hope you enjoy it!

To watch The Perfect Tenant, click here.







A Beast is Born!: A Screenwriter's Journey from Script to Award-winning Short Film
by Jim Vines
Get your e-book here!


MY NEW E-BOOK -- NOW AVAILABLE!



to Award-winning Short Film

(As of 9/29/19, a "#1 New Release in Screenwriting" on Amazon/Kindle store!)


A Beast Is Born! chronicles a writer’s arduous eleven-year journey to develop his short horror script Susie’s Beast from nascent idea to award-winning film. Compiled from emails, text messages, phone conversations, and personal journal entries, A Beast Is Born! demonstrates just how dogged perseverance and sheer determination are the screenwriter’s truest allies when searching for a filmmaker who can transform words on a page into a captivating cinematic entertainment. A Beast Is Born! is an absolute must-read for any screenwriter who believes their stories were meant for the big—or small—screen. 



A Kindle eBook!
(Also available from B&N, Apple Books, 
KOBO...pretty much everywhere!)


The exciting life of a writer!


Over the years I've been asked, 
"Jim, what's your typical writing day like?" 
I usually give some long-winded response. 
But actually, it can all be boiled down far more succinctly.

Click here!






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No witches, no warlocks, no vampires. 
Just a sexy, rollicking tale about a guy trying to hit it big in Hollywood. 
 "A great summer read!" 
"A sexy Hollywood tale!" 
"It's WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN for the 21st century!"

Why Studios Won't Read Your Pitch...




Whether you're a budding screenwriter or a budding novelist, I think you'll find some solid value in this video posted by filmmaker/writer Austin McConnell.


Why Studios Won't Read Your Pitch...










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If you like novels about screenwriters in Hollywood,
you'll love...
Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen