Lee Stephen

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EUPCE: Mark Elias Interview

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for our much overdo interview with Mark Elias, who was cast as Epic’s The Next Big Thing selection for everyone’s favorite Irishman, Becan McCrae! Mega kudos to Mark for taking the time to sit down and chat while he’s working like a crazy person on his web series, The Adventures of Lewis and Clark.

This also marks the first time that the Lightning Round – a ridiculous staple of these interviews – will actually have a leader board. Last go around, Mishael Morgan rocked the Lightning Round with a whopping 1.5 points that she basically talked me into giving her. Did Mark fare better? Listen and find out!

By the way, if you’re not keeping up with Mark, what the heck is your freaking problem? Check him out at the following links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markelias

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.elias1

 

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. 

 

Want to be a guest? Send me an email or tweet me on Twitter!

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The April Round-Up!

This entry’s been a long time coming! As many of you know, April was a ginormous (wow…spell-check apparently considers “ginormous” a legitimate word…what have we come to?) month for Epic. In other words, there’s a LOT to talk about.

But I want to start with this:

THANK YOU. Seriously. THANK YOU. To everyone who posted reviews on Amazon, to everyone who spread the word about the promos Epic had going on, to everyone who did anything whatsoever in support of the series this month, you cannot imagine how unbelievably appreciative I am! For those unfamiliar with what’s been going on this month, here’s the 30-second summary. During the month of April, Epic ran several free promos on Amazon, two with Dawn of Destiny and one with Outlaw Trigger. All in all, over 18,000 copies of the two books were downloaded on Kindle. The goal was to introduce Epic to a wider audience and hopefully draw attention to the series as a whole, now four books strong and growing. The determining factor as to whether or not this worked was whether or not the subsequent books in the series experienced increased sales. So did it work?

Resoundingly, yes.

This month, with a day left to go, the Epic series has sold over 1,400 copies. It may even threaten the 1,500 mark. Epic has sold more copies in April 2013 than it has in any other year. During its free stretch, Dawn of Destiny reached as high as #14 on the best-selling free Kindle book list for all free eBooks in all genres in America (and seriously, is there a more appropriate number it could have hit than 14?). It also became the most downloaded, as in #1, free eBook in science-fiction. Basically, the doors of promotion were blown open.

April has been a game-changer for Epic, and honestly, for myself. Now, one month is just that, a single month. But what it’s done has shown the potential of what Epic could be. Though 1,400 copies sold in April doesn’t guarantee 100 sales in May, it shows that these kinds of numbers are possible. The goal now is to maintain. That’s the tricky part – the part no one can do for me. I have never been a promotional powerhouse. It’s just not my strong suit. But though the challenge is hard, the goal is worth it, that goal being to achieve true commercial success. For as much as Epic has been able to sustain itself, it’s never been a series I’ve profited from. The profits have always gone into the costs of production. I’ve stayed afloat. The thought of that changing in the positive is very, very enticing. After going at this for seven years, I think I’m ready.

It would be completely inappropriate of me to write all of the above but fail to mention Duolit, the self-publishing duo of Toni & Shannon who took me on as a client several months back. Saturday marked the last of our twelve weekly sessions together, during which we completely remodeled Epic’s platform. It was my “author boot camp.” The challenge with Epic has always been the total lack of marketing savvy on the part of its author, me. It doesn’t matter how sound a series is, if there’s no fuel in the promotional engine, it’s not going anywhere.

I could probably write ten pages worth of praise for what Duolit was able to do with me and the Epic series, but for the sake of keeping this all in one entry, I’ll sum it up with the following: teaming up with Duolit was the single best decision I’ve ever made as an author. In doing their job, they’ve etched themselves a chapter in Epic’s history. If I was one to label chapters, I’d call it The Turning Point. Everything that Epic has become as an online presence is because of the groundwork they laid and the direction they provided. From a redesigned website to the revival of the Epic newsletter, no stone was left unturned. They deserve all the credit in the world for this month and the two months prior. It will be a joy to share with other authors how Duolit saved this series.

So what’s next? Well, quite a bit! Those of you who signed up for the newsletter know that a major emphasis is being placed on pure writing speed, as I attempt to transform from a once-every-three-years publisher to something a bit more speedy and consistent. That’s huge right now. I’ll have some more specifics regarding that soon, but that will once again likely be a newsletter feature, as that’s more a behind-the-scenes issue than a goings-on of Epic one. But to sum it up quickly, there’s a plan being put into place for speed concerns. It’s time to start pumping out literature.

In the meantime, stay tuned. There’s a lot coming up even in the non-Epic realm, including my podcast interview with Mark Elias, the Next Big Thing cast job for Becan McCrae. Look for that to be posted this week (soon). There are also more cast jobs to be done period, so get ready for new faces in the coming months! Though the casting series isn’t my primary focus, it is something I’ll be diving into every now and then, probably in 3-4 character spurts. As always, it’ll be fun!

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My Life in Christ

If you’ve read any of Epic whatsoever, whether it’s the entire series so far or the first handful of chapters in Dawn of Destiny, you’ve undoubtedly come away with the realization that I write from a perspective of faith, specifically, Christianity. Though I never profess Epic to be a Christian series (for those curious, it isn’t), my experiences with Christianity no doubt shines through on a number of occasions, be it through the thoughts of the protagonist – a struggling man of faith – or the events that unfold around the rest of the cast. At the end of this Easter Sunday, I am prompted to reflect back on how my life has been as a follower of Christ.

Though I’m far from an in-your-facer or a Bible-thumper, I don’t shy from spiritual discussion. My testimony is easy to find, and I mention it in the author biography of every novel I publish. On numerous occasions, I’ve gone back to reread it with the intent of updating it or tweaking it to make it sound more “polished.” But in every attempt, I’ve come back with the realization that it was written exactly how it was meant to be written, in a way far more mature than the author was at the time of its writing, a fact that only serves to reinforce to me that the words weren’t my own to begin with. And so in all of these years that it’s been available online for others to read, it remains unchanged from the first day it was posted.

One of the greatest struggles a follower of Christ faces is putting into words exactly what being a follower of Christ means – and by that, I mean inwardly. On the outside, most of us follow the modern commandments of, “Thou shalt not curse, thou shalt listen only to Christian music, and thou must answer every ‘how are you?’ question with ‘fine!’ since you’re a Christian and that’s how things should be.” All too often our walks as Christians get muddled in the exterior, where we try to cover up our dented chassis with fresh coats of paint and those scented hangie-things that make our front seats smell like pine trees. More often than not, our outward appearances are lies. We’re not perfect, either.

But the inward reality is the one that counts, for it is in the expression of this reality that we find our testimonies – our witness to the amazing change that accompanies one’s decision to surrender their life to Jesus Christ. Perhaps no one captured that inward reality in better words than the Apostle Paul, who said things such as, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway,” and “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” Or in layman’s terms, “The Christian life is very, very, very hard.”

Hard, but so worth it.

One of the first things I always say when attempting to express the essence of Christianity is, “Don’t judge it by looking at Christians.” In our culture of comfort, conformity, and political correctness, we’ve lost a great deal of the groundedness that our forerunners, such as the Apostle Paul and the other men of the New Testament, gained through lives of difficulty and persecution. We’re spoiled. We want to be liked. So we opt to stay in out comfort zones and not offend. After all, it’s a nice thought to say that everyone gets to Heaven in the end, right?

If you’re waiting for me to tack on to the end of that last statement something like, “But we know that’s not true,” don’t worry. As much as any amount of spiritual truth that I know, I also know that statements like that, for purposes like these, aren’t going to convince anyone. And I’m not trying to convince anyone. That’s not my job. God has more powerful forces than me to evoke senses of incompleteness and conviction. So here’s what I’ll say:

The words in my testimony were true then, and they remain true now. Every single one of them. Accepting Christ simply does something that cannot be explained, not in flowery words or pointed calculation. When you know Christ, you know God, and when you know God, you experience Him. I don’t mean in fleeting thoughts that could or not could be our own imaginations, or unexplainable “feelings” that prompt us to do things that we wouldn’t ordinarily do. I’m talking about in real, tangible, “Wow” moments. Moments that aren’t the conjurations of our overactive imaginations, or coincidences that we try desperately to pawn off as God’s will miraculously revealing itself. I mean direct communication. Seeing things that should not be seen – being led to places you should not go. No, I’m not talking about hallucinations. I’m talking about conversations that are as tangibly evident as any I’d have with a coworker or neighbor. A relationship that is unlike any other, in which both parties speak and are spoken to in ways that simple explanations will never do justice. The knowledge and awareness of a living God, living in you. It is something that to this day, with four novels under my belt and over two decades of writing experience, I still cannot put into words.

Those who count themselves among the body of Christ know what I’m talking about. And so I suppose that the culmination of this message is a simple statement intended for those who don’t. Those who don’t count themselves among followers of Christ, or of any organized religion, or of any anything. I am intelligent. I am a thinker. I was given a gift of creativity and rationalization, and I approach life, more or less, as a skeptic in most things. I even frequently test my own faith. To this day, I have never been left disappointed. And so I would say this to my fellow skeptics in the world, with whom I share a complete love, understanding, and empathy: don’t take my word for any of this. Don’t even take the Bible’s word.

I said this in my original testimony, and I’ll say it here again. There is zero – absolutely zero – harm in asking God to show Himself. To say, honestly, “God, I don’t believe in you, but if you’re up there, I’m open to your showing me.” But to truly ask it. To truly be open. To seek. And if you come back with no answers, well, I suppose that’s your answer. But I’m not worried about that. Because the God I commune with says, “Seek and you will find.” But you have to truly seek. Just give it a try. Humor Him, to humor me. Just be ready.

Just be ready.

As always, I love to hear back from people, especially as it pertains to spirituality (be it good or bad). A million emails about favorite characters can’t rival one from a person writing about their faith experience. Those tend to put everything in perspective. And sometimes, we could all use a little perspective – and a small step of faith. I’d love to hear about yours.

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TNBT Cast: Mishael Morgan (Esther Brooking)

 

Her eyes were large and brown, and they followed Scott with heightened timidity. She was tiny, and slender to match. She looked like a scout.
Her eyes were large and brown, and they followed Scott with heightened timidity. She was tiny, and slender to match. She looked like a scout.

Want to know what this is about? Check out this blog entry! For those who want to cut to the chase and get right to the podcast, scroll all the way down. For the rest of you (and we hope all of you!), read on about Mishael’s role with Epic’s The Next Big Thing cast.

Admit it. You’ve been waiting for this one.

There are hundreds of named characters in Epic. It has more than its fair share of stars. But if you had to break everything down, if you had to name one – just one – character who transcended all of that…one superstar…you’d be hard-pressed not to consider our next entry. Yes, this is Scott Remington’s series. Yes, characters like David Jurgan, Becan McCrae, and Jayden Timmons have been there since day-one. Yes, Svetlana Voronova came onto the scene as a stalwart. But to put it simply, there is no character, in any series, in any medium, in any anything, like Esther Brooking.

If you wanted to define Esther by the book, you’d say she was a tactical observations specialist from Cambridge, England. But if you’ve read Epic, you know that nothing about Esther could remotely be described as “by the book.” Just the same, tactical observations is her role. She’s a Type-2 scout; that’s what Type-2 scouts do. While the rest of the squad is laying down suppression fire in the city streets, Esther’s the one scaling the rooftops and slinking behind enemy lines to slit a few throats and tell her sniper where to shoot. She’s black ops. And do fans love that? Absolutely. But that’s not why they love Esther.

They love Esther because of the other things she brings to the table. Attitude. Unpredictability. An insane amount of cleverness and wit. She’s biting sarcasm with a side of romantic drama and a pinch of slapstick comedy. She’s entertainment and intensity. Epic’s official little spitfire.

[stextbox id=”black” image=”null”]The American was on Esther’s side of the corner. He shouted between bursts of gunfire. “There’s no way all twenty Bakma took the same hall! I’m guessing there’s six down there, tops. We can take six if we charge.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“I’m never wrong.”

Esther looked at his nametag. When she read it, her mouth fell. “Custer? Your last name is Custer?”

The soldier fired again. “Yeah, so what?”

Esther fell back to the wall. “We’re all going to die.”[/stextbox]

It’s no secret that Esther is one of my favorite characters. Heck, I made her Epic’s official character ambassador. She’s also, by far, the most inspired character in the series. She’s the only one with whom I regularly argue. I have planned out more scenes that you could possibly imagine, only to have Ms. Brooking show up and say, “You know that plan you thought you had? Yeah, I’m going this way instead.” She challenges me as a writer, which makes her incredibly fun to write.

I have to watch how much I say about Esther, because I know a lot of people reading this will be unfamiliar with the Epic series. The most entertaining aspects of her would definitely fall into “major spoiler” territory. But for the purpose of this entry, I can give you the basics. Esther makes her debut in the second installment of Epic, Outlaw Trigger, as a rookie scout straight out of EDEN Academy. She joins Scott Remington’s unit with high marks from her combat courses and a skill-set that ranges from extraterrestrial culture to world-class swimming, eager to prove herself a battlefield game-changer. She’s highly ambitious. She’s also never seen live combat. And that’s the best way to introduce Esther without giving away too much. But trust me when I say that her story alone is worth the price of admission. There’s a reason she’s known (by fans) as Epic’s most complex character. Some characters are scene-stealers. If it was up to Esther, she’d steal the whole series.

[stextbox id=”black” image=”null”]“For whatever reason,” Esther went on, “their captain is choosing not to respond. If there were any outward signs of a fight, not only would we have heard it on the ground, but it would have been seen from the Vindies in orbit. Even if he’s under duress from hostiles outside his transport, he should be able to relay that to us.” She paused. “I think he has a gun to his head.”

That was much more in-depth than Scott had ventured to think. He’d simply reached the conclusion that something was wrong.

The scout continued. “That tells me there are Noboats on the ground, which in turn tells me they’re waiting for something—possibly for us to approach. I think it’s an ambush. If I may make a prediction, I believe we will continue to have no communication until we’ve drawn close, literally in the Bakmas’ sights. The Bakma are extraordinarily cautious, particularly in ambush situations. They play things remarkably safe, when they can muster up the courage to gamble at all.”

Scott stared at her in silence. He had no idea how to respond.

“Bakmanese Tactics and Customs.” The scout smirked. “It’s a 300 course.”

Scott looked ahead once again. “Well, there we go.”[/stextbox]

Esther grabbed Svetlana’s pistol from the floor and jammed it hard into her hand. “Do you know what this is?” “Of course—” “Then next time, use it.”
“This is like my dream role.” – Mishael Morgan on Esther.

Normally, this is the part where I’d tell you something interesting about Mishael Morgan, the actress cast for Esther’s role in The Next Big Thing. But I don’t need to. Not this time. We’re upping the stakes here at Epic HQ, brazenly going where no series has gone before!

Get ready for fifty minutes of awesome. That’s right. Fifty minutes. It’s like Inside the Actors’ Studio meets Late Night, as Mishael joined me in cyberspace to talk about everything from her life as an actress to whether or not a dwarf planet still counts as a planet (for the record, I say no), the latter of which became a topic for debate in the Lightning Round, where Mishael experiened the joy of trying to answer ten random trivia questions in sixty seconds. Trust me – this alone is worth the listen. I won’t tell you what she scored, but, well…let’s just say her law background came in handy. Needless to say, Mishael Morgan is currently #1 on the Lightning Round leader board. By default. Will anyone top her? You’ll just have to wait and see.

Enough of this sodding chin-wagging!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE.
Be sure to follow Mishael on Twitter! You can also check out her official site and her profile on IMDb. Also, if you’re a working actor in the Toronto area, be sure to check out Mishael’s page for TAG!

Want to be a guest on this podcast? Send me an email or tweet me on Twitter!

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The Next Big Thing Cast: Mark Elias (Becan McCrae)

As he kicked to his feet, one word came to Scott’s mind. Energy.
As he kicked to his feet, one word came to Scott’s mind. Energy.

(for those wanting to know more about this casting series, click this link)

There is no one in Epic like Becan McCrae. There is no character who makes his intentions as blatantly well-known at every turn. With Becan, what you see is what you get–and more often than not, what you get is someone who’s going to do something that embarrasses you in public.

Without a doubt, I hear more, “I love Becan!” from people after they read Dawn of Destiny than I do for any other character. As Epic’s resident Irishman and one of its biggest stars, Becan comes out of the gate at full force and never slows down. He’s ridiculous. He’s hilarious. He’s completely sincere. And every now and then, when you least expect it, he shocks the living daylights out of you.

[stextbox id=”black” image=”null”]David and Henry’s weapons trained ahead as Becan and Zigler sidestepped from behind. As Becan stopped behind David, he peered back into the commons. Everything was silent and still. He stared at the false colors of the TCV for several seconds before drifting his hand to his visor. His finger floated over the TCV switch, and he clicked it off. All color faded. The world was thrust into blackness. He lowered his stare to the ground. Not even his feet were visible. Becan swallowed and reached back up to flick on his visor. A massive spotlight burst from his helmet and rayed into the commons.

“Veck!”

Everyone in Team-1 jumped and slammed against the wall. Their gazes darted to Becan, who frantically groped his helmet. The spotlight went out, and the halls were once again dark.

“What the hell was that?” Zigler spat out.

Becan’s heart pounded. “I hit the wrong flickin’ switch.”[/stextbox]

It is easy for Becan to fall under the umbrella of “comic relief” in Epic, yet those familiar with the story know that there’s so much more to him than that. He is passionately, almost angrily loyal. He’s the kind of fearless that gets itself into trouble. He is perpetually underestimated and consistently dominating.

If you want to know my opinion, the reason readers are so enamored with Becan is simple: he does what they wish someone would do. He stands up to punks. He tells off those who deserve to be told off, right to their faces. He presses that button that no one is supposed to press. He is a person of pure impulse, and for so many of us who keep our impulses restrained, it’s relieving to find someone who just acts, for better or worse, every single time. You never go into a Becan scene wondering “if” he’s about to do something. You’re just waiting to enjoy it when he does. This taps into the no-consequences side of all of us. Are there consequences? Of course. But Becan never sees them. The cart is always before the horse.

[stextbox id=”black” image=”null”]“I can’t wait to meet her,” Becan said.

Scott could definitely wait for Nicole to meet Becan. Without guilt. “She already feels like she knows everyone. She’s heard stories about the whole crew.”

“Yeh better not be tellin’ her lies abou’ me.”

“Everything I told her was true,” Scott said. “Like the time we were in Turkey, and you forgot to bring ammunition.”

“Grand. Thanks for sharin’ tha’ one.”

“And the time Jay crippled that canrassi, and you tried to ride it.”

Becan cocked his head back and cackled. “Class.”[/stextbox]

Becan’s story is one of an orphan trying to leave his mark on the world, carrying the McCrae name on his back in the process. Though he enters Dawn of Destiny as a rookie, he quickly becomes one of Scott Remington’s most trusted comrades and confidants. As important as Becan’s ability to lighten a mood is, so is his worth on the battlefield. Jokester or not, Becan is more than capable of taking care of himself in combat.

He also bears the distinction of being the only character for whom I have actually received death threats! Yes, that’s right. I have received more, “So help me God, if you kill off Becan…” messages than I can recall. He has a way of winning people over like that. And that’s why we love him.

8916_269645545513_2425374_n
Like a BOSS.

Becan is a hard, hard cast. There are a slew of qualities that have to be met, including the unique ability to be both lovable goofball and no-holds-barred tail-kicker. With Becan, you can’t be one or the other. You have to be both at the same time. And for that, we turn to Mark Elias.

If you watch crime dramas regularly, just wait – you’re bound to catch sight of Mark eventually. Making runs on shows such as CSI, Southland, Criminal Minds, and most recently Castle, he’s apparently struck the right cord with cop shows. But if you want to catch Mark right now, right this minute, look no further than The Adventures of Lewis and Clark, a web comedy for which Mark acts as both actor and producer (see: creator).

As those who know me know, I’m a fan of hard-working people. I harp constantly about the entitlement curse that’s sweeping America, so it’s always awesome to me when I find someone busting their butt to make it in entertainment, which is a notoriously difficult field to succeed in. Seriously. You try writing a novel series. You try producing something on-camera. It’s all fun and games until you’re doing it yourself, when you have that sudden, “good grief, this is hard,” brick-to-the-face reality check. Are you willing to go full throttle, balls to the wall, one thousand miles-per-hour, seven days a week, for the possibility of gaining absolutely nothing? If so, welcome to show biz! It might sound like a sobering description, but ask anyone involved in entertainment. I can tell you as an author. Mark can tell you as a producer. You have to have a non-stop mentality. You’ve got to love it.

Well, Mark loves it. He has a non-stop mentality. And lo and behold, he’s doing things! Hilarious things, that people are loving, because he’s willing to invest more time and energy than most people even realize they possess in order to do so. And to me, that’s just fantastic.

We’re all underdogs in this business. Yeah, it’s cliche to say, “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, yadda, yadda, yadda,” but it’s a popular adage for a reason. Well, the fight in Mark is big (a trait he shares with Becan McCrae). Watch him. Keep track of him. Because you’re going to see more and more of him. And that is an exceedingly good thing.

Twitterheads, you can follow Mark right here. And while you’re at it, follow me too. ‘Cause I write freakin’ books.

BONUS POINTS: Mark has actually become a fan of Epic through this process. Quite frankly, that just rocks.

Colonel Lilan…check. Natalie Rockwell…check. Becan McCrae…check. Who’s the next big thing in Epic’s Next Big Thing? Oh, you’re going to love it. Trust me.

You’re going to sodding love it.