Tag: circus

The winning bidder of an eBay auction will have the rare opportunity to enter an alternate universe on the historic night lunar eclipse coincides with winter solstice.

An auction to benefit The First Amendment Project has brought together prominent authors of different genres to offer bidders opportunity to have their name in a future novel or script. The auction is has been divided into four tiers. The third tier ends on December 20, 2010, and one individual will win an historic prize.

 Author Anastasia Blackwell has offered bidders the opportunity to not only have their name used for character, but also to enter an alternate universe as a fully developed character. The winner bidder will determine age, sex, physical characteristics, occupation, and whether they are good or evil. The novel, titled “The Chamber of Curiosities”, is set in a carnival on a deserted bastion overlooking a seaport in a mysterious land on the brink of industrial revolution. A key moment in the novel is the night of a lunar eclipse, when a remarkable transformation occurs and changes the destinies of the characters and the evolution of the land. The love story revolves around a charismatic circus freak giant and a beautiful young trapeze artist. The novel’s estimated publication date is late 2011, with screenplay to follow.

 ther participating authors include Jenji Kohan, the creator of the Showtime series “Weeds”, Andrew Sean Greer, Ayelet Waldman, Ben Katchor, Chris Ware, Dan Chaon, Dan Gutman, Dave Eggers, Derek Haas, Elinor Lipman, Francine Prose, Jane Smiley, Janet Burroway, Joshua Ferris, Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Lorrie Moore, Margot Livesey, Mona Simpson, Nami Mun, Patrick DeWitt, Phillip Margolin, Rick Moody, Robert Mailer Anderson, Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Stacey D’Erasmo, Stuart Woods, Suzanne Brockmann, T Campbell, Thomas Perry, Vendela Vida and Walter Kirn, Laura Benedict and Lisa See.

The auction is a benefit for First Amendment Project, the Oakland, CA-based nonprofit organization that provides free legal services on public interest free speech and free press issues.

 Auction continues until December 27, 2010, most notably with opportunity to bid to have named used for character in new “Weeds” episode, by Jenji Kohan.

 More information about The First Amendment Project at: http://www.thefirstamendment.org/news.htmlhttp://

 EBay Auction: http://stores.ebay.com/Auction-Cause/First-Amendment-Project.html

Christmases come and go, and we rarely remember what we received the previous your, although at the time each gift seemed very important. This year you will have the opportunity to give a gift to a loved one that will last forever.  The Gift?  Their name featured in a published novel.

The First Amendment Project has come up with the unique idea of auctioning the opportunity to have your name, or the name of a friend or loved one, immortalized in a soon to be completed novel.

The auction is a benefit for First Amendment Project, the Oakland, CA-based nonprofit organization that provides free legal services on public interest free speech and free press issues.

In addition to the character name, the winning bidder in the “Weeds” auction will receive a signed copy of the pilot script, the box set of DVDs of the first five seasons of the series and a “Weeds” baseball cap. Among the other opportunities available at the auction, which can be found at http://3.ly/fapauction include the chance to be an FBI agent or a stripper with a heart of gold in the next entry in Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series; a villain or a victim in Thomas Perry’s next entry in the Jane Whitefield series, a wounded World War I soldier or drunken Bohemian in Andrew Sean Greer’s next novel, as a character in a new musical by Janet Burroway, or a character in a cartoon series by Ben Katchor, Chris Ware or T Campbell. Young adult authors Dan Gutman and Kevin J. Anderson are offering character names in the next entries in their Baseball Card Adventures and Star Challengers series, respectively.

I have offered the opportunity to run away and join the circus in my new novel "The Chamber of Curiosities". The love story between a freak show giant and a beautiful young trapeze artist is set in a deserted bastion overlooking a seaport in a mysterious land. The winner bidder will not only have a character named after them, they will be alllowed to determine personal details and relationship to other characters.
This is the third character name auction for First Amendment Project. The first two auctions, held in 2005 and 2006, earned over $170,000 for the organization.

I have begun work on a new novel titled "The Chamber of Curiosities" that features a love story between a charismatic freak show giant and a beautiful young trapeze artist. The story is a romantic suspense set in an mysterious land on the cusp of industrial revolution. For adult  fans of novels that incorporate elements of fantasy with gothic realism, such as Harry Potter and Twilight, the book will offer a provocative look into the world of a unique carnival, and of a passionate love that is as innocent and pure as it is fierce and determined to prevail. 

Late 2011 has been targeted for completion of novel.

My novel was not only influenced by Cavalia, it was also influenced by Cirque Du Soleil. Few know that the Cirque began as a few vagabond players on street on street corners in Montreal  Such acts fill the scenes of my book, and I look forward to seeing the new show. The integration of every medium of art is truly inspiring. My passion for the flying trapeze began in the little circus that came through my small town as a child, but grew to a passion after seeing the performers in these shows.

You can check out schedules for all shows at  http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/default.asp

Picture take by David Wilson while filming trailer inside Chateau Tivoli in San Francisco