The Night: An Obsessed Author's Memoir

With only two days left until the release of my first novel, "Night of the Chupacabra", I thought I would give a timeline to the project and how it came to be the 300-page book it is today.  Some may find it interesting, while others who always secretly dreamed of putting your own story to paper - or Kindle screen - find it motivating, and then some of you (family and friends) may not have realized your influences, so this is kind of a "thank you" to you as well.  (This next part may not be the best sales pitch for my novel) but know that I did not take any special classes in English or Journalism outside of the required college courses; I just had an ambition.  However, that being said, the more you know about the rules of English literature, the easier the process.  This journey has led me down a long, long road, and after 20 years, it has definitely been one of my strongest obsessions.

It really began while attending an original one-act play festival at my two-year community college, Orange Coast College, where I spent six years as a student.  If memory serves, this was around 1992/1993.  A friend, Eric Person, had written and directed a play that focused on a group of victims being trapped inside a saloon, while some sort of creature (werewolves, I think) where trying to claw their way inside (sorry Eric if I'm totally off, but this is how I remember it).  It was the first time I saw the cross genre of western and horror, and I was immediately obsessed!  I had always been a fan of horror, but more importantly at this time, Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" had won Best Picture, a movie I love and got me excited about westerns.  I wanted to write my own horror/western.

My idea first started as a serial killer in the Old West.  I don't remember how or why, but the villain suddenly changed into a creature, and although I was excited to write my story, I was still heavily involved in theatre, relationships, work, and just being 20-something movie fanatic geek.  Basically, it took me four years to jot down enough notes to compose my story, which was a screenplay at that time.  Welcome, 1996.

I wrote my screenplay, then called "Dark Sunrise", creating a creature that I birthed on my own with a simple background, until a roommate of mine had posted an article on our refrigerator from the Orange County Register about a man in Santa Ana accusing the death of his infant on a "chupacabra".  That article hung on the fridge for over a year because this roommate thought it was hysterical (the kind of sick individual she is and the only person who will remain nameless).  This was the first I heard of this creature but thought nothing else of it until I watched an X-Files episode… you all know the one I'm talking about… about a chupacabra.  I was suddenly intrigued, and because the creature I created for my story was nearly identical, I changed it to the crypto "chupacabra".

Good friends and soon-to-be colleagues, Gia Quinlan and Bryan Prince, liked the finish screenplay, so much so that we formed an independent production company and named it after my script, "Dark Sunrise Productions, Inc." but after three years went by and two small projects did not get the company off the ground, the company silently disbanded, and that failure was very difficult for me.  I began second guessing my writing abilities even when I had the inspiring words of my former college professor, Alex Golson, "You know, you're a better writer than you are an actor."  At the time, it was a big "Ouch!" but I eventually came to appreciate his comment.  Yes, I wanted to be an actor, but I suppose Alex saw I had more passion about writing, and it was a few years after he made that comment, did I realize it myself.  Still, original college plays aside, everything I had written had failed.  The real world was much tougher without the support group of family and friends, and "Dark Sunrise" (the screenplay) was put on the shelf.

…until 2003!  You can never keep a writer down.  By this time, I had a steady relationship, life was good again, but I was bored.  I had missed writing, so dusted off "Dark Sunrise", gave it a new name, "el Chupacabra", and took a year to rewrite about 50% of the story.  I, then, started submitting it to screenplay competitions, where it placed: Finalist at "Writer's Place", Semi-Finalist at "Screenplay Festival", Semi-Finalist at "PAGE International Screenwriting Awards", and Finalist at "Shriekfest Film Festival", but it never WON.  So, I did more rewrites, and then submitted my script to a professional script analyst recommended by the Screenwriter's Association, Sarah Chen, who came back with some fantastic notes, but more importantly, inspiring comments.  I was ready to win a competition, but life happened yet again… it needed another reboot; although this time, I was not deterred from writing - it was just life being life.

From 2006 to 2010, I tweaked and twisted sections of "el Chupacabra" (but by this time, I had removed the "el"), I wrote a sequel script called "Curse of the Chupacabra", and I was just biding time - letting the "Chupacabra" script breathe new life before sending it back out in the competition circuit again.  And while I waited, I wrote and published a children's picture book, "The Night After Christmas" and it dawned on me that perhaps "Chupacabra" would do better as a novel.  So, I started writing the adaptation with the condition that if I struggled, then it wasn't meant to be.  The words poured out.  All the background and small side-stories I always kept locked up inside my head but were left out of the screenplay (because they would never work in that format) were finally free - like being paroled and released after 18 years of imprisonment.  And with a screenplay to use as a comprehensive outline, I was able to finish the first draft of the novel adaptation in a month and a half.

Since April of 2011, "Night of the Chupacabra" has undergone edit after edit and now, here it is October 15, 2012, two days before the novel's release date, with yet another title change (because it seemed more fitting for a novel and paralleled with titles of all future Chupacabra Series books, "Curse of the Chupacabra", "Legend of the Chupacabra", "Dawn of the Chupacabra", and "Return of the Chupacabra").  The process has been long but extremely rewarding, and if I had it do all over again, I would in half a heartbeat.  It's a dream, a checkmark off the Bucket List, a personal goal, and a chance to entertain as many people who are willing to pick up a copy and read 68,000 words.  If this is not an obsession, I don't know what is.

By the way, only 36 hours left to pre-order as of this post (hint, hint).

Long live the Goat-Sucker!



Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La

Okay, I freakin' love Christmas.  The lights, the tree, the weather, it's all a little obsession.  And I'm sure as most of you know by now, I have even written a children's picture book called 'The Night After Christmas'.  Some of my favorite memories growing up are also Christmas memories.  In fact, if I have to pick a favorite day out of the year over any other, it would be Christmas Eve with the Heblers, where the centerpiece to this annual tradition is a family recipe of Hungarian noodles made by the Hebler men.  This tradition is at least 20 years old and started the year my Grandmother Mickey told my Grandfather Ray, "You want noodles?... do them yourself!"

Yes, the noodles are a pain in the ass to make, but oh so worth it.  I could post a Christmas Festival that would put my recent Halloween Festival to shame but then, what would I do next year?  Better I divide it up into groups, and besides, I don't have the time and energy to put forth the effort into an-all-around "Christmas" post to do it justice.  So, instead, I will substitute my monthly "I CAN'T GET 'song title here' OUT OF MY HEAD!" for a list of my 12 songs for Christmas, which would be accurate anyway since all month long, I have one Christmas song stuck in my head after another.  I have even started this on my 'The Night After Christmas' Facebook page, but instead of spreading them out until Christmas, I'm just going to list them all here, right now.  It's kind of a 'naughty' feeling, like opening you Christmas present before Christmas.  I love it!!!

So, here they are, in no particular order, the songs you'd hear me sing at the top of my lungs in the shower, car, or anywhere else where I think I'm alone (and hope so too, especially in the shower).  I hope you obsess about at least one of these holiday classics as much as I do:

1.  "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by Thurl Ravenscroft, written by Dr. Seuss for the classic 1966 TV special, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  You know you've all head this song before.  The lyrics are fun as well as having a catchy tune.



2. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Olivia Olson, written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff.  This is probably my favorite contemporary Christmas song.  I even like Mariah Carey's version; however, Olivia Olson's version from the scene in 'Love Actually', is the film that introduced this song to me in 2003 even though the song was written in 1994.



3. "Sleigh Ride" composed by Leroy Anderson (1948), lyrics by Mitchell Parish (1950).  As is with most Christmas songs, there are a million different versions, and even though I like most versions of Sleigh Ride, every one from Debbie Gibson to T.L.C., there is nothing like the original musical version, before the lyrics that came two years later, conducted here by my all-time favorite conductor, and little obsession, John Williams.  To me, there is something special about the absence of the words the sound of the cracking whip.  Besides, this version is my first memory of this song.

4. "Winter Wonderland" written by Felix Bernard.  Again, another classic Christmas song recorded and re-recorded on just about every Christmas album since its inception; however, of all the artists who have sung this song, there is only one version I've heard where it sounds like the artist was BORN to sing this song, and she is the amazing Annie Lennox.

5. "Christmas At Ground Zero" by Weird Al Yankovic.  The first time I heard this was on Dr. Demento's Christmas Classics album (which has a lot of great songs like 'Green Christmas') but this has got to be the funniest, original Christmas song I've ever heard.  I do want to give props to South Park's version of 'O, Holy Night' sung by Cartman, but I don't want to interfere with the original version, which is also a favorite, so Weird Al definitely gets the spot for the funniest.  The lyrics are priceless.

6. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" sung by Burl Ives, written by Johnny Marks (1965).  All those cheesily great stop motion TV classics from the 1960's and 1970's bring back some of those special memories I spoke of earlier, and "A Holly Jolly Christmas" is the best song to flip those memories on like a switch.  This song was written for the 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' Special and is the most popular song to be written originally for any one of those Christmas specials, and nobody will ever sing it better than Mr. Ives himself.



7. "(There's No Place Like Home) For the Holidays" music by Robert Allen, lyrics by Al Stillman (1954).  This song was originally written to associate with the Thanksgiving holiday, but it has become even more popular as a Christmas song.  Perry Como recorded this song twice during his career, but my favorite version is sung by the soft, pitch-perfect voice of Karen Carpenter (damn, she's skinny).  I know it'll be difficult, but try to ignore the '70's cheese and enjoy the song.



8. "We Need A Little Christmas" by Johnny Mathis, written by Jerry Herman.  Now, I didn't know this until I did the research for this post, but this song was written for the 1966 Broadway production of 'Mame' and originally sung by Angela Landsbury.  However, it is not Christmas unless I have Johnny Mathis's tenor ringing in my ear, and I love this song for its jubilant and festival spirit.

9. "Somewhere in My Memory" by John Williams (1990).  Again, I've fallen victim to my little obsession with John Williams, but his original song for the film 'Home Alone' has become a Christmas staple for me.  It is truly a beautiful song, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and like 'The Color Purple', it should have won.



10. "Carol of the Bells" (aka 'Ukranian Bell Carol') by Mykola Leontovych.  I could not find a year when this piece was written so I think it's unknown, and probably the oldest song on my list.  What I love most about 'Carol of the Bells' is the rise and fall of tempo's and crescendo's.  It is an extremely lively piece that, for me, builds a picture of what Christmas was like before all the contemporary hoopla I see today.  I imagine a much simpler time not filled with presents and merchandising, which allows me to appreciate the holiday's roots.  Enjoy this a Capella version by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.



Okay, so I was really, really torn with what version to post, so for this one time only, I also want to post the Trans-Siberian Orchestra version.  This version goes against the purpose of this post and negates what I said about the origins of celebrating Christmas as a holiday, but I love it, and it is the polar opposite of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version, which is almost like a completely different song all together, so enjoy.



11. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" lyrics by Noel Regney, music by Gloria Shayne Baker (1962).  I'm not really sure why I love this song so much.  I've tried to analyze it and pick it apart, but I just can't - it's a mystery.  All I know is that I was obsessed with this song for two Christmas's in a row during the late 1980's.  I actually have other songs I'm more obsessed with now, which should take this #11 spot, but I used to love this song so much, it seems like a crime not to list it before I reach #12.  So, here it is, as sung with elegance by Mr. Bing Crosby:



12. "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg (1980).  Some may or may not consider this a Christmas song just because it takes place on Christmas Eve, but they play it on KOST FM here in Southern California during their 24/7 Christmas song marathon, which runs from mid-November to December 25th every year, and that is where I first heard this song and fell in love with it immediately.  This is a chilling, haunting, but beautiful song.  I think it's the perfect song to end this series as it makes me feel the same way I feel when we reach the end of another year, reminding me how quick life goes by.  In my research for this song, I discovered Mr. Fogelberg had passed in December 2007 to prostate cancer.  He has a very large fan base and this is the song they chose for his tribute:



Well, sorry to end it on a downer but there you have it.  Of course, there are so many wonderful Christmas songs out there, I barely skimmed the surface.  I actually feel like I'm betraying other favorites like 'O, Holy Night', 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!' or 'The Christmas Song' but it wouldn't be the 12 Songs of Christmas with 13 or 14 songs... so too bad.  Maybe next year.

And if you actually sat there and listened to each and every one of these songs, I'd be amazed.

The "Muppet" Connection

Today, I have come across a blog post written by my good friend, Maria Palmer (reading voice of my video audiobook, The Night After Christmas) which you can watch here:

(IF YOU VIEW IT, PLEASE "LIKE" IT AND LEAVE A COMMENT)

Maria "runs" the blog 'Running To Get On The Bus', which is linked in the sidebar of this blog.  This is a very special blog Maria organizes because 'Running To Get On The Bus' is about telling stories of the children who are involved in the Get On The Bus program, which is near and dear to Maria's heart.  This special program accompanies children to see their incarcerated parents once a year for a special Mother's Day/Father's Day visit and to intermingle her own stories of running and personal triumph.

"But what does this have to do with the Muppets?" you ask.

"I'm getting to it!  I'm getting to it!"

As a follow-up to my latest post about how I couldn't get the Muppet version of "Forget You" ("Cluck You") out of my head, I thought I would share Maria's own Muppet story that she has posted on her blog, making Maria my first involuntary guest blogger.  I can relate to Maria's comparisons of herself to the Muppets and think she should transport her mind back to the 1990's and come up with her own poster, "Everything I Learned, I Learned From The Muppets" because I've already learned everything from Yoda and need new inspiration.

So, you can read Maria's Muppet blog post here then stay and poke around some of her other posts if you have a minute.

Anyone Want To Guest Blog?

Although all of my little obsessions are fun, they have been keeping me quite busy these last few weeks.  The writing (completing the first draft of book 2 in my Chupacabra Series, "Curse of the Chupacabra", outlining book 3, working on TV spec at the request of a producer, making some final adjustments to book 1 "Night of the Chupacabra"), the fall TV season (catching up on my favorite shows while trying to find new ones to become obsessed out), beta testing a new video game and beginning this season's marketing for my children's book "The Night After Christmas", which is what caused the long hiatus last year after starting this blog. This list doesn't even include all the attention my cats Luna & Hermione demand on a daily basis, which any pet owner will understand (and sympathize).  So, I'll say it again... "incredibly busy".

Unfortunately, because of everything, its appears this blog has, once again, fallen into the shadows of unimportance when it really is not unimportant to me.  I swore I would not push it aside again.  So to keep this blog active and allow me time to clear my plate from the endless buffet in life, I would like to open the door to guest bloggers.  You can write about anything you are even remotely obsessed about.  My golden rule about these little obsessions is... if you're passionate enough to spend time writing about something then you're obsessed enough to be included into this blog.

Opening the door to guest bloggers was originally part of the plan from beginning anyway, I just did not expect to be doing it so soon.  I do not need to agree with your obsessions, although I do have some ground rules:  1) And probably the most important, no (or limited) negativity.  I do not want to hear how obsessed you are about hating something or someone as that's not what this blog is about.  There's already enough negativity in this world, I don't want to add more to it.  This blog is just about sharing a positive opinion and perhaps informing others of people, places and things (flashback of Schoolhouse Rocks right about now) of why something is important to you.  2) No pointless advertising or plugging.  I'm not saying you can't advertise or plug something, just make sure it's tied into an obsession.  3) No porn. This is a PG-13 rated blog, so yes, profanity is welcome.  4) No politics or religion. Both subjects would just suck the fun out of this blog as they are extremely sensitive subjects which easily offend people these days, in fact, I'm probably offending somebody right now with this statement.

So if you've ever wanted to express, in detail, why you are passionate about something or maybe you're curious about posting on a blog (testing the waters to start your own blog?) then send me an email expressing your little obsession to michaelhebler at gmail dot com and let me know what it is you would like to ramble about.  The hits on this blog are growing daily so the more the merrier!

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! So this is why I disappeared...

You could call it an obsession, or you could call it work.  When you love your job, it can go either way.

Immediately after my last post back in October (2010), I published a children's book called "The Night After Christmas" that pretty much took up all my time in marketing, publicity, guest readings, etc.  Most authors hate, hate, hate this part of the process because whether you're a self-publisher or one of the lucky few who are published through a publishing house, you still have to do your own marketing.  Considering I have a background in publicity, I don't hate this part at all.  In fact, I kind of enjoy it.  For me, it stirs up the pot and satisfies both sides of my brain, of which I've always believed I've been evenly split down the middle.

So once Christmas and the holiday hoopla was over, I thought about picking up this blog where I left off... until I needed to help my mother move the rest of her belongings to Alabama (by the way, moving is definitely NOT, NOT, NOT an obsession of mine).  This pretty much took the whole month of January, plus a few extra days.

So, February roles around and my sweet little sister, Melissa, a stage diva, asks me if I will perform in a show with her because one of the actor's was having health issues.  Now, being an ex-theatre geek, turning down roles that are offered on a golden platter is difficult, but I DID turn her down... initially, which is why they found another actor, who ended up having heart issues and thereby making the role available again.  So, I took the role in "Man of La Mancha".  Not one of my favorite plays, but I had a lot of fun in the show that swallowed my blogging time.  By the way, that actor is doing fine.

However, (in my very bad Shakespearean accent:) amidst the glory the being on the stage again (end accent), I decided that I had so much fun writing "The Night After Christmas" that I was going to write an anthology based on the legendary creature, el chupacabra!  You would think I would start lite with just a novel, but no.  When I become obsess about something, I go the whole hog.

Hence my time from March to July was pretty much engulfed by writing, rewriting, writer's block, more rewriting, more writer's block, prelim marketing, and more writing.

And now, currently writing my second novel while my first novel is in the process of being edited, and after completing a short story that leads to the events of Book I, "Night of the Chupacabra", I decide to add more food to my writing plate and rekindle this blog that I had once been so obsessed about.

So, I'm back, and I'm not planning on going anywhere.  I'll continue juggling my chupacabra anthology while posting messages here because that's what obsessed writer's do.

So, like any good publicist, I would be remiss to not plug my books right about now:

"The Night After Christmas" - www.thenightafterchristmas.net
The Chupacabra Series - www.wix.com/michaelhebler/chupacabraseries

By the way, my short story "Hunt for the Chupacabra" is actually a free download that works on iPhones, iPads, Kindle, PDF, etc. Just follow the links on the website.

You can also view the book trailer for the first novel here: