Lee Stephen

The website of author Lee Stephen

The Next Big Thing

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TNBT Cast: Adam Gregory (Scott Remington)

Scott was five feet and eleven inches tall, with a body as toned as one would expect from a soldier fresh out of Philadelphia Academy. He was a handsome young man, or at least she thought so. And her opinion was the only one that mattered.
Scott was five feet and eleven inches tall, with a body as toned as one would expect from a soldier fresh out of Philadelphia Academy. He was a handsome young man, or at least she thought so. And her opinion was the only one that mattered.

 

Want to know what this is about? Check out this blog entry!

Though the pace of these entries has slowed down (I view this as more of a long-term thing as opposed to a bunch of quick hits, just ’cause hey – it’s fun that way), but I wanted to be sure I got this one before the audiobook dropped. I teased this in the last entry, so those who have kept up should have known what was coming. Epic is not Epic without Scott Remington…and we have our Scott Remington.

I’m going to be honest and admit that I wasn’t even sure I’d cast Scott in this series. He’s hard because he’s Scott, the “face of the franchise,” so to speak. He’s also the reader. As people read the story, they’re reading Scott’s head, his thoughts, his transitions from one idea to the next. I had feared that he’d be far too personal a character to put an image to. I am exceedingly happy to say, I was wrong.

 

[stextbox id=”black” image=”null”]Excerpt from Epic 3: Hero

Beside Scott, Nicolai kissed his blood-encrusted dog tag—the one belonging to the man he’d presumably murdered. Scott would have been disgusted if he hadn’t grown used to it long ago. He looked sidelong at Svetlana. She would never have experienced anything like this before. This was a different situation than the one she’d been in previously with the Fourteenth. Now there were twice as many Nightmen in the unit, and they were ten times more radical than the Nightmen before them, Anatoly and Baranov. This new crew took totalitarianism to the extreme.

At that moment, Scott did something that surprised even himself—he gently squeezed the back of Svetlana’s neck. Unspoken reassurance. For a moment, he felt her tension release.

“Coming down hot!” Travis yelled from the cockpit.

Scott latched on his faceless helmet. It attached to the clamps of his armor. He stared through its interior view screen, where a transparent map of the church appeared. He watched as Svetlana removed her helmet briefly to pull an insulated layer of rubber over her head. The blond tips of her hair disappeared, and she slipped her helmet back on.

The Pariah’s inertia shifted. They were about to drop.[/stextbox]

 

I came across Adam Gregory, ironically, while looking to fill another role in this casting series. The moment I saw him, that search I was on (and I don’t even recall who it was for) came to a halt, and I said to myself, “That’s Scott – I’ve got to reach out to this guy.” He was extremely gracious about the concept of this casting series and was completely down with my tabbing him as Scott for this entry. Believe it or not, this all went down over a year ago! Just goes to show you how time flies.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about Scott the character, because if you’re a fan of Epic, there’s nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know. If you’re not among the Epic faithful, all you need to know is that Scott Remington is the protagonist of this entire novel series. Not one of the protagonist. He is the protagonist. So putting a face to the name – even for imaginary purposes such as this one – is a really big deal. Without spoiling anything (and Epic fans just know this), Scott is a man of strong faith who has been to the depths of emotional hell and back, and who has a dark streak because of it. He describes himself in Dawn of Destiny as a “nice guy with a guy,” but I think we all know there’s a lot more to him than that. He’s a battle-scarred soldier with an inclination to take things over because, well, he can do it and you can’t. He’s a one-woman man who can’t seem to escape love-triangle-infused personal demons. In other words, he’s a very challenging cast. That I was able to ask for and receive Adam’s blessing for this is very, very meaningful. So I’m going to turn my focus for this entry on Adam himself, because he’s got some ridiculously cool things going on!

What most people who already know Adam will know him from is Bold and the Beautiful, where he played the role of Thomas Forrester for several years, and the CW’s adaptation of 90210, where he played Ty Collins. You can find ample information about those shows online, as they’re both ginormous and have massive, massive followings. But what I want to touch on in regards to Adam is something different that people may not know about – something called The Janus Project.

 

Adam Gregory is a bad, bad man.
Adam Gregory is a bad, bad man.
(he’s actually not)

 

The Janus Project is listed as a psychological fantasy thriller, which is a category in and of itself that catches your eye. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember ever hearing a title listed as that sort of “genre” before, so it’s immediately intriguing. There’s a lot of info about how and where the film is being produced, and the tagline for the trailer, which you can see below, is pretty direct: The relationship of SHANE, an ex-special ops soldier, and LEXI, a gifted psychology student, is tested as supernatural forces threaten to transform reality as they know it. Targeted by this evil, an ancient secret society called The Vii, SHANE must overcome the trials of his past to embrace his true self and unlock his power.

 

 

You guys should know by now that I’m a big fan of being different and taking chances. That’s one of the allures of this project to me. It most decidedly looks different, and as far as independent films go, budgeting one for between $10-30M is a pretty big chance. So I have this one slated as one I’d like to see, however it ends up being distributed. I can say this with all certainty: I’ve seen a lot of independent films advertised, as I tend to run in those circles with moderate frequency. This is hands-down the highest-quality one I’ve seen, judging by the trailer and sheer size of the production. I almost don’t even want to call it independent, but it is what it is. The production value is definitely several steps up from what you’re likely accustomed to seeing in indie film. I don’t mean that as a slight in the least to other indie projects! This one just seems to have a truly titanic budget to work with.

There are other projects, of course, that Adam has either in the works or being released, such as Saints and Soldiers – the Void, which released about a month ago, all of which you can learn about by tracking Adam on IMDb or at his Twitter account here. What you’ll find (and it’s always refreshing to find this) is a normal guy doing the whole husband/daddy thing when he’s not busy on set. I can relate to him on a lot of these counts, as we both have toddlers at about the same age. You’ll find a lot of kid photos, and family-related tweets, which is always just nice and a reminder that people aren’t the roles they play. I’m so grateful that I was able to discover Adam and that he was kind enough to lend his likeness to Epic’s little casting series.

It’s getting those blessings that makes this casting series what it is – something above the norm of just sticking people’s photos on a blog entry. Hearing back from someone I contacted and hearing that they’re game for this just makes it special. Adam is a perfect Scott Remington, from his look, to his style, to who he is as an individual (he, like Scott, is a man of strong personal faith). It actually can get a little bit frustrating, as finding these spot-on actors and actresses just makes me want to start filming a movie! But that’s a good kind of frustrating. It’s the kind of frustrating that makes you want to push harder and reach further. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.

Thank you, Adam, for your willingness to be a part of this. I’m excited to see what Janus has in store.

No more casting entries in the immediate future, folks, though I have some targets on my hit list! But there will be a kind of “Season 1 summary” entry coming up, just kind of recapping where this unique little set of entries is now. There will be more to come at some point!

Take care, people!

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Epic Interview: Kevin Tye

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for another interview! Kevin, the most recent entry into our The Next Big Thing casting series, was gracious enough to join me for an interview where we touched on everything from music production to the World Cup.

NOTE: I mistakenly stated during the interview that the current leader of our Lightning Round had three points. In actuality, there is currently a two-way tie for first place with two points a piece. This is important!

TRIVIA LEADER BOARD
1. Andrea Drepaul (2.0)
2. Mark Elias (2.0)
3. Mishael Morgan (1.5)

Keep up with Critical Imprint at Soundcloud or on Facebook here. Don’t forget to also follow Kevin on Twitter @thekevintye, @the_magic_cube, and @criticalimprint!

 

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE.

 

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

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TNBT Cast: Kevin Tye (Logan Marshall)

Marshall looked exactly like he did in his bio. Same shaved head, same scars, same warrior’s stare. If this mission went bad, he could be trouble.

Want to know what this is about? Check out this blog entry!

There’s been a ton going on lately, yes, on the writing circuit, but none of which I can talk liberally about (yet). It’s not all Epic-related, but nonetheless it’s been taking up a major piece of my time. That’s the most I can explain right now regarding my slowness in getting these up, but you’re gonna have to trust me! I also have a toddler. There’s really…not much more I need to say, there. If you’ve ever had a toddler, you understand.

The style of this entry is going to be a little bit different. Instead of focusing on Logan Marshall, the Australian commando from book four whom you guys should know already, I’m going to focus more on the actor who was awesome enough to lend his face to this little endeavor, Kevin Tye. Truth be told, with some of the newer characters in this series, such as Logan, who was introduced in the latest installment, it’s almost impossible to even talk about them without spoiling some pretty major events. For those who have read Epic 4: The Glorious Becoming, you know that the fact that we come across Logan at all is a spoiler in itself. I’m honestly not even able to find a quote generic enough to use in this piece without giving some element of the story away. So here’s what you need to know about Logan Marshall: he’s good, he’s bad, and he’s mad. The Epic faithful will understand!

Tye-02

If you pay attention to the entertainment industry, you’re going to realize that there are very few one-trick ponies out there. Most actors are also musicians, or visual artists, or producers, or writers. As an almost-all-of-the-above myself, I can really relate to this. In addition to writing, I produce. I’ve also been an amateur guitarist since my teenage years. Creativity knows no bounds, so we usually end up expressing it in a smattering of different ways. Kevin falls into that in truly epic fashion.

Even though I came to find Kevin for his acting chops for the purpose of this casting series, a quick web search of him would turn up a ton of music and production work. He’s the founder of Critical Imprint, an independent record label that specializes in electronic music, meaning he’s also a serious musician himself. If you’re into electronica, you’d be hard-pressed to not find enjoyment in Kevin’s work. This is inspiration music, for those of us who need to sit back sometimes and let ideas just boil. It’s music for mental stimulation.

 

 

To get a full overview of Kevin’s style, check out the YouTube video I linked above, which is thirty minutes’ worth of The Lightside Sessions, an EP from English Ghosts that Critical Imprint released earlier this year (you can find more of Critical Imprint’s releases on their website). Music orientation is purely subjective, but for me, this is a fantastic sound – I enjoyed it enough to purchase it. Kevin lists one of his inspirations as Hans Zimmer (a composer whom you should all know), and you can hear the similarities in his pieces with darker, brooding undertones. I write Epic to this kind of music.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Kevin’s music has found its way into gaming and film. If you’ve ever found yourself dancing to the songs C-Squared or Mellow in Dance Dance Revolution, guess what? That’s Kev. He’s also done a lot of scoring, ranging from indie shorts to full-length films, the most recent of which was movie called Grief that approaches the tragic subject of suicide and how it impacts those around the victim. You can see the trailer for Grief (which he also acted in) below:

Kevin has also worked on two film projects recently called Cathedral Canyon and Crushed Velvet, the latter of which you must watch, if for no other reason, to see Kevin sporting what is quite possibly the largest multicolored mohawk known to mankind. I’m serious. It’s almost the size of Delaware.

Last, but by far not least, is a TV series called H.O.P.E., which is currently in the arduous process of being prepped for pitching. This is a show that looks pretty darn interesting and includes Kevin as one of its cast members. At the moment, H.O.P.E. is in the pilot stage, so while it’s not ready to be rolled out yet, well…you never know where a show like this can go. It’s a little sci-fi, a little mystery…heck, almost a little Fallout 3 in a place or two (if you’re familiar with the game and watch the H.O.P.E. trailer, you’ll get what I’m talking about, as it’s a really specific part). I don’t know too much about it yet, as there’s not a whole lot out there, but it definitely has me intrigued. H.O.P.E. has a Facebook page here that you can check out that seems to be updated fairly often.

I know I’ve been posting a lot of videos in this particular entry, but I want to post one more of a guided tour Kevin did of his home studio. As a novelist, I get to take the easy route when it comes to “manual labor required.” Same goes for actors and to an extent, visual artists (the only one of those aforementioned who need to buy any sort of supplies). But music and vocal work, especially when taken to the professional level, requires pretty much a redesign of part of your house. This is something that’s always blown my mind, and it just underscores how much freaking work goes into this profession before you can even do anything. Check this video out:

Kevin has been unbelievably patient with this blog post, considering I first contacted him about it pretty much a year ago. Like me, he’s neck deep in being a husband and father, and he understands how the latter has a way of grinding other things to a halt. Just the same, his patience and willingness to be a part of this have been hugely appreciated. I definitely want you to be able to keep up with what he’s doing, so be sure to follow Critical Imprint on Facebook or Twitter.

I’ve gotta say…when I first decided to undertake this little casting adventure, I had no idea what to expect. Through it, though, I’ve gotten to know and learn about some pretty incredible people. There are still more to meet! And there’s another lined up. And you’re gonna like him. I’ll give you a hint…

…it’s Scott freaking Remington.

To pass the time, go watch some TV. Maybe go find a soap. This one looks neat.

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TNBT Cast: Danielle Larche (Tiffany Feathers)

The brown-eyed blonde, Tiffany Feathers, unzipped her flight suit. “You two are totally meant for each other,” she said, smirking.
The brown-eyed blonde, Tiffany Feathers, untied her ponytail. “You two are totally meant for each other,” she said, smirking.

 

Want to know what this is about? Check out this blog entry!

O.M.G.

(and yeah, that felt completely appropriate for an entry about Tiffany Feathers)

But seriously. OMG. The time span between my last TNBT entry and this one has just been ridiculous. For those who want the in-depth explanation as to why this took so long, go read my last entry right before this one titled, “A Difficult Year.” I’m not even going to give you the abridged version. This is Lee Stephen, movin’ on.

So yes, the wait has been long, but oh so worth it, as I’ve got three awesome entries in TNBT series lined up for everyone. And that lineup begins with Tiffany.

Tiffany, like all awesome characters, was an unexpected arrival. I’m just gonna be honest: she completely ripped the spotlight away from Catalina Shivers. Both characters made their arrival in Epic 4: The Glorious Becoming. Catalina was intended to be the star of this little dynamic duo, with Tiffany serving the role of fun-loving sidekick. Then one thing led to another, plot lines twisted and turned like they always do, and all of a sudden…well…a new blond fan favorite was born.

Tiffany entered Epic as a Vulture transport pilot fresh out of EDEN Academy. As a character, she defies the pilot stereotype. She’s not ice cold. She could actually come off as a little bit dingy. But that’s where the beauty of Tiffany comes into play. She’s a gifted, borderline genius trapped in the body of a girl from San Fernando Valley. She’s a character who begs to be underestimated.

[stextbox id=”black”]Travis rolled his eyes.
Tiffany inhaled sharply. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, I didn’t.”
She sneered back. “You totally did. You did like this,” she said, rolling her eyes in demonstration.
“What? I so did not!”
Her eyes narrowed scathingly. “You’re a sucky eye-roller and a liar.”[/stextbox]

It’s difficult to get into too much detail when it comes to Tiffany simply because her role in The Glorious Becoming is both huge and spoiler-laden. One could almost make the argument that of all the characters who move the plot of book four along, none do so to the magnitude that Tiffany does. Those who know the story, just think about that. If not for Tiffany, what happens to the Fourteenth? To Novosibirsk? In a book with a million dominoes, she’s among the first ones to fall.

Without knowing the ins and outs of the character, it might be easy to classify Tiffany as a humorous, quirky plot device who happens to be good at what she does. But that would be such, such a major disservice to the character. There is a lot about Tiffany that readers don’t know yet, some of which will be revealed in Epic 5: Enemy One. But if you paid attention to her through TGB, you might have caught those little moments (they are few) where those layers hint at themselves.

[stextbox id=”black”]

Leaning her head back, Catalina blew out a breath. Running her hand through her hair, she fell solemn. “You think Remington had days like this?”

Tiffany smiled. “Like, yah. Who doesn’t?”

“You never have days like this, Tiff.”

The pilot laughed. “Whatever. I’ve totally had days like this. Remember the onion stain?”

Caught off guard, Catalina cackled. “Right, the ‘onion’ stain. That was definitely an emergency.”

The mirthful grin remained on Tiffany’s face before the corners of her lips slowly leveled, her bemused expression becoming heavier. “Some days can be worse than today,” she quietly said.

Catalina’s brow arched curiously at the Valley Girl’s change in tone, before she too was struck by a new emotion. Sitting upright, she moaned remorsefully. “Oh, Tiff. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even…”

“It’s okay.” Tiffany smiled through shimmering lids. “I know.”[/stextbox]

If you enjoyed Tiffany, if you found yourself caught up in her story in TGB, just wait. Of all the characters in Epic, I would count her personal story among the most emotional. One of the challenges of Enemy One will be giving that personal story justice in what’s already to be a jam-packed novel. It needs to be in there to its fullest capacity.

 

Danielle Larche
Danielle Larche

For those who’ve been keeping up with these entries, you know that behind every character cast there’s an incredible person who was generous enough to grant me permission to reference them. Danielle Larche is anything but an exception. If you live in the US of A, you’re probably not familiar with Danielle. That wouldn’t be the case if you hailed from Down Under. That’s because in 2008, Danielle was crowned Miss Australia Globe. But believe it or not, that’s not the most impressive thing she’s done.

I love to see people use their success as a platform for making a difference. Few things get me as excited. That’s why I love to hear stories like Danielle’s. Shortly after winning Miss Australia Globe, Danielle founded Project Dovetail, an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of underprivileged children. So what does Project Dovetail do, exactly? Something that I feel is vastly overlooked. They give children joy. It’s very easy to look at a child, see their immediate needs, then assume that once those needs are met, the child will be fine. But that’s not the case, and that’s where Project Dovetail steps in. Beyond just having food, clothing, and shelter, Project Dovetail recognizes that underprivileged children need something to look forward to – a reason to believe they’re special beyond just having their basic needs met. This can range from taking children on camping trips, to having volunteers bring them cake on their birthday, to making sure they have access to toys and good school supplies. These are the emotional needs, the “I matter to someone” needs. These are the needs most often taken for granted.

If you want to make a donation to Project Dovetail, get in touch with them at info@projectdovetail.org to find out how. I would love to implore you to consider donating. It’s become somewhat cliche for organizations to say, “every little bit counts,” but in a case like this, it’s absolutely true. Five dollars won’t get you much here in America (or whatever first-world country you’re from), but it could completely fund a child’s school supplies in another country. Those dollars can go farther than you could possibly imagine.

Danielle, thank you so much for allowing us to reference you for this casting series, but thank you even more for stepping up and using your success for something truly special. You’re making such a difference.

Anyone who wants to keep up with what Project Dovetail is doing can follow their Facebook page here!

All right, I’m getting that back-in-the-groove feeling. I sense another entry over the horizon. Stand by for character no. 6! He’s not happy. Not one little bit. Kick back, make yourself a Vegemite sandwich, and wait for the show.

“Har, har.” Untying her ponytail, Tiffany shook her head back. Her hair fell down in shiny locks.

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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!