Monthly Archives: December 2025

The Next Step for the “Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy”

Posted on by
5

For those of you not familiar with The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy, my latest books written with my Cheyenne co-author, Pete Risingsun, here’s an update I wanted to share. If you’re not subscribed to the books’ website, I encourage you to do so if you want to keep up with the latest developments which will hopefully lead to the books becoming a TV series along the lines of Longmire, Dark Winds, and Yellowstone.

You can also learn more about the stories, watch book trailer videos, and read the 5-star reviews each book received from Readers’ Favorite and see the other awards the saga has earned. I have numerous blogs on that site, too, which relate to Native Americans and other subjects that tie in with that series. This site is primarily for reviewing the books I read to relax along with an occasional rant.

The past few months have been busy as well as exciting. Back in October I seized upon an opportunity to pitch the Dead Horse Canyon Saga to producer, Lisa Bellomo. Lisa is a Creative Producer and Senior Production Executive based in Los Angeles who’s experienced in developing and producing critically acclaimed independent and studio feature films. Look her up in IMDB.

Bryan Reynolds

My meeting with her went very well. She was receptive, asked targeted questions, and offered the following comments on the story:

“The project’s blend of government conspiracy, murder mystery, and supernatural suspense gives it commercial appeal. The thriller aspects–high-stakes intrigue, a cover-up, and a protagonist caught between two worlds–make it attractive to financiers and audiences alike. The story’s pacing, tension, and sense of danger position it well within a proven genre that performs well across both streaming and theatrical markets.

“The story features two emotionally rich, complex, and heroic lead roles: Charlie Littlewolf, a 30-something Native American protagonist on a spiritual and moral journey of revenge and reclamation; and Sara Reynolds, a strong, resourceful woman grappling with trauma and lost memory while seeking justice for her husband’s murder. These roles offer depth and range–ideal for attracting talented actors–and allow for meaningful representation of Indigenous characters in a contemporary thriller setting….”

Charlie Littlewolf

Lisa provided a “road map” on how to proceed toward becoming a limited series. That is what I have been working on since our meeting. I have written what is known in the film and TV industry as a “treatment” that describes various elements of the story including a breakdown of episodes. I have also put together a synopsis and written the script for the pilot.

After these documents go through various review and feedback loops, then it’s time to find key creative collaborators, such as a director, lead actors, and producing partners. Needless to say, including at least one Native American filmmaker or writer will be essential for ensuring the retention of authenticity and cultural accuracy that Pete and I worked so hard to achieve in the novels.

Sara Reynolds

It has been quite a revelation switching from novelist to a screenwriter. The format for scripts is very different and well-defined with it not a simple matter of cutting and pasting the dialog from the book. Scenes need to be described, but not too much, since the producers and directors will have their own ideas, plus there may be budget considerations as well. While an author can describe what a character is thinking and feeling, in a script it’s far more succinct and left up to the actor to portray.

It has been an amazing adventure so far and I look forward to the next steps as the material makes it through the various hoops. I’m working with Voyage, an organization that helps individuals make the contacts they need for their work to be developed into a feature film or for TV.

I look forward to what the new year will bring as we move forward with the next exciting step for our multi-award winning trilogy! Stay tuned and wish us luck!

P.S. I used Photoshop to create the picture of our TV with the pilot’s opening screen for my vision board. I just couldn’t resist. Pictures of the main characters in the story are courtesy of Adobe Firefly. 🙂

“Duet” by Inger Margaret Foster

Posted on by
1

Another wonderful story from the lovable characters in Beauville, NY. I love the ongoing characters like Meg and Mary, then folks cross their path and add another touching story to the series.

This book is actually two combined, “Mandy’s Dream,” and “The Rule of Thirds.” Warning, both are tearjerkers and so very touching! “Mandy’s Dream” is the story of Meg and a new character, Jessica, who’s a gifted young artist, helping a young girl named Mandy who has been mute since both her parents died in a horrible accident. Spending time with the girl and introducing her to expressing her feelings through art plus interacting with a special horse helped the girl to heal from her trauma. In the story they write a book for Mandy to express her feelings which is included with beautiful artwork and also sold separately for young children dealing with grief. Beautifully done on both literary and illustration levels.

“The Rule of Thirds” title relates to art design, yet in this story ties in how often a group of three has meaning in our lives. In this story, Jessica’s journey as an artist continues as well as a surprising and exciting development in her life. Saying anything else would be a spoiler so I’ll leave it at that.

I love this series and highly recommend it. While the main characters are high school age living back in the 70s, their situations are apropos regardless of the decade. The author has a gift for creating warm, relatable characters and touching situations most will encounter at some point in their life. I would have loved these books as a teen and do today as a great-grandmother. Highly recommended.

I’m extremely excited that “Elke’s Magic” in this series is a screenplay that is in pre-production! I can’t wait to see it on TV someday!

You can pick up your copy of “Duet” on Amazon here and available thru Kindle Unlimited.

Historical Fiction at its Best

Posted on by
Reply
Cover of the book "The Wall Between"

Review of “The Wall Between” by Inger Margaret Foster

My binge marathon on Inger Margaret Foster’s books continues!

The point of historical fiction is to take you to some time in the past and live it. This story definitely does that and more! I’m old enough to remember much of what went on back in the 70s. I also remember when President Ronald Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin wall. But never did it have the impact as it did in this amazing tale of a couple separated by it and the horrible policies that were in place when East and West Berlin were separated.

That was the situation at the end of WWII when Communist Russia got East Germany and the allies got West Germany. What it required to cross from one side to the other was solid identification, then being escorted by an armed guard who kept his eye on his watch to make sure the meeting didn’t go longer than it was supposed to.

I’m glad that I read “Elke’s Magic” first, though it’s not required. Nonetheless, it gives you a glimpse of the situation and you get to know the main character. You can also understand why Elke missed her idyllic little cottage back in the States. When she was washing dishes in her humble apartment in West Berlin and remembering the dried herbs hanging above her sink in her little house I could so totally relate! When I lived in Texas I was able to grow a multitude of fresh herbs that I dried in the house, just like that. I hope to be able to do so again, maybe next year, though some won’t survive where I live now in New York State, where it’s so much colder.

I absolutely loved this story and it touched me deeply. I read it in a single sitting, unable to put it down. Highly recommended to understand what the people in Germany went through during those dark and trying years.

You can get your copy on Amazon here, for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.