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.

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….”

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.

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. 🙂