Home Base: Los Angeles, CA
Bio: I wrote my first story when I was seven, and it’s been a bit of an obsession ever since. Even when “real life” intruded, forcing me to “grow up” and get “jobs” that paid “money”, I never lost that passion.
Over the years, I’ve tried on every type of writerly hat: film, playwriting, novels. I’ve even churned out twenty-three volumes of poetry—which I promise never to subject anyone to without permission.
When I enrolled in UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, I found my niche in television writing. Erica was one of the amazing mentors I found there who have helped give me the Swiss Army knife of skills to make the transition from the solitary world of novels and poetry into the collaborative art of television.
Press Coverage: Hollywood Reporter, December 11, 2016 Issue
UCLA Writer’s Program Interview – http://writers.uclaextension.edu/2015/12/14/winning-inspiration-finalists-of-the-2015-feature-television-writing-competitions-tell-all/
Script Portfolio – Loglines:
Supernatural: Kill Bill & Ted (Spec) — When legendary hunter Bill Brody is murdered, Sam & Dean Winchester track down the mysterious biker who killed him. But when they discover the biker is another hunter who claims Bill was in league with the monsters, the Winchesters must decide who to trust.
Hawai’i Five-0: Pakalaki / Unlucky (Spec) — When a murder is staged to look like a teenaged suicide, McGarrett, Danno and the team quickly discover the killer—but will a spate of bad luck, from witnesses disappearing to accidental evidence contamination, keep them from proving it?
Southern Gothic (Pilot) — A woman’s return to her sleepy Southern hometown after her mother’s death coincides with a sudden rash of comatose children. Only nothing is really coincidence when your family is also a coven of witches, and your entire town is the power source for an ancient magical tree that holds a dark, dangerous secret.
The Checklist (Feature) — A wry, sharp romantic comedy about what happens when two people are right for each other, but don’t fit the mental checklist each has in mind for the perfect match. Will they stick to their lists, or admit that sometimes in love, what we want isn’t always who we need?
Why I Write: I love telling stories. I tell stories to my friends, my neighbors, my cat— myself, if there’s no one else around. It’s the best way not just to escape life, but to make sense of it. In reality, nothing is ever perfect—but the imperfect bits and pieces can be written together into the perfect story, and there’s nothing more satisfying to me.
Inspiration: Everything. That’s a cliché, and I hate myself for even thinking it, but it’s just so damn true. Everything I see or experience inspires me in some small way. I’m constantly filing away little moments to add into a story later.
Brand: I write funny drama, dark comedy and lots of action. And I firmly believe everything’s better with a little romance. Or dragons. Definitely dragons.
Writing Process: I used to hate outlining, writing on a schedule, all of that. I believed in that more “organic” process of waiting for the Muse to strike. No surprise, that doesn’t get you very far, so now I start with an outline—I learned a great trick of hybridizing the outline with a beat sheet that lets me get more done in a shorter span. Once I have the outline to refer to, the actual first draft gets done pretty quickly.
Writing Schedule: I have a day job in the industry, so my only times to write are late at night or on the weekends—which usually means writing in bed. I do my best work when there’s no one else around, but if I can’t manage that, I’ll get some kind of white noise generator going. I like ASoftMurmur.com—it has all these ambient sounds, like birdsong, wind, thunder, fire crackling, and you can layer them as you like.
Actions I’ve Taken To Further My Career: Taking classes, attending seminars, entering competitions and applying for fellowships, networking at parties—basically everything they tell you to do.
What’s Worked: The competitions have been the most useful so far. I was a winner of 2015’s UCLA Screenwriting Competition and that has gotten me a lot of good press and positive responses. And it’s always fun to be able to tag on “award winning script” to your cover letters.
Finding a reliable writer’s group, with people whose opinions I trust and whose talent I envy just enough to motivate me, has also been incredibly helpful.
What Was a Waste of Time: Nothing has been a complete waste of time, but industry parties can be really difficult and exhausting. The best thing I’ve gotten out of them is when I can make a one-on-one connection with someone—but that’s a hard thing to do when everyone else is trying to connect with that same “someone.”
