The musings of Sean Paul Murphy: Editor, Producer, Screenwriter, Author. Or, Hollywood -- and beyond -- as seen from an odd little corner of northeast Baltimore, Maryland.
Sean Paul Murphy’s Chapel Street Mixes a Tragic Family
History with a Terrifying Demonic Presence.
May
8, 2020--Baltimore, MD--Sean Paul Murphy’s new supernatural thriller Chapel Street is set to release July 3.
After
enduring the death of his father in a car accident, Rick Bakos grew up to watch
both his brother and his mother succumb to madness and suicide. Nor were they
the first members of his family to kill themselves. After photographing the
grave of Betty Kostek, Rick finds himself drawn into a maelstrom of horror.
Each night he finds himself inexorably drawn closer to self-destruction. Rick’s
only ally is Teri Poskocil. She too has fallen under the suicidal spell of the
late Betty Kostek. The couple soon discovers their pairing wasn’t a
coincidence. Their great-grandparents were next door neighbors on Chapel Street
nearly a century earlier. Together Rick and Teri must solve the mystery of
Chapel Street before they find death at their own hands.
“This
is not just a product to me,” Murphy states. “I grew up in an actively haunted
house and experienced the tragic suicides of two siblings.” Murphy creates a
spine-tingling story about family, love, and good versus evil. Chapel Street will appeal to horror
aficionados ages eighteen and older. The horror is predominantly psychological
and spiritual in nature. By combining the tragedy of suicide and questions of
the afterlife, Murphy creates a compelling tale in the vein of The Conjuring and Hereditary.
About Sean Paul Murphy Sean Paul Murphy, a writing
instructor at Towson University, has written fourteen feature films including Hidden Secrets, Sarah’s Choice, The Encounter
and the Revelation Road trilogy. He
is a 2012 winner of the $50,000 Kairos Prize for Screenwriting. A series of
short crime films he wrote for the FBI won a combined six Emmys on the Pentagon
Channel.
About TouchPoint Press TouchPoint Press, a traditional
publisher of digital and print fiction and nonfiction, strives to be innovative
and energetic in all we do from acquisitions to promotion before and after
publication. We are proud to work with talented authors whose works have received
or were nominated for several awards. Our staff is comprised of professionals
whose collective experience in publishing, editing, journalism, design, and
marketing set the stage behind our growing fiction and nonfiction lists.
For
interview and review requests, contact Ashley Carlson at media
@touchpointpress.com.
###
You can pre-order the ebook here: Amazon
You can pre-order the hardcover here: Barnes & Noble
Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a multi-generational look at the movies.
We've been keeping it safe by staying at home and watching the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger this week. This was the third James Bond theatrical feature, and the one where all of the elements that define the series finally came together. If you love James Bond, it's because of this film. If you hate James Bond, it's because of this film. Listen to the podcast to find out where the members stand on that spectrum.
Here's a blog I wrote about my Ten Favorite James Bond films:
A little note. The podcast is now in a somewhat transitional period. Originally, Ralph wanted to do a podcast with me about the great films of the 1970s, which were little seen or appreciated by our Gen-X and Millennial co-workers and friends. Then he said we should invite a Gen-Xer and a Millennial onto to the podcast for the discussion, and that they should share the films important to them with us in return. Enter Al and Hassan. Seeing that the podcast was becoming a bit of a sausage fest, I recommended that we bring Wojo aboard for her insight and perspective. Now, we've been trying to return to a steady schedule, which, if only because of the pandemic, has resulted in a more rotating cast with Ralph's brother John joining the crew permanently. In the future, we will also anticipate bringing in more guests. So, even if we are losing our original concept of a multi-generational look at the movies, we hope we are still bringing the listeners a lively discussion of films.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's the second chapter of my upcoming paranormal thriller Chapel Street.
The prologue and the first chapter of the novel established the death obsessed protagonist Rick Bakos, who has been scarred by a series of suicides in his family. This chapter gives us the most recent face of our villain: Elisabetta Kostek. That name means nothing to Rick initially, but before long he will discover her damning connection to his family.
Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a multi-generational look at the movies.
We've been keeping it safe by staying at home and watching the Coen Brother's 1994 film The Hudsucker Proxy this week. You know, for kids. Wojo brought us the film, and she brought on her husband Brad to back her up in case we disagreed. Our millennial and Gen-Y members maintained social distancing from the podcast this week, but they'll be back soon.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's another chapter of my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God. It is my tale of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatally intertwined. The Kindle edition of the book is currently on sale on Amazon for .99 cents. That's a savings of seven dollars!
I say this book is my tale of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatally intertwined. This chapter, Saved!, starts the first faith portion. It is, perhaps, the longest chapter in the book so I did condense it a bit during my read. (All the more reason for you to pick up the Kindle edition to read the unabridged version.) So far, I have been using real photos to show the people and places depicted in the book. I could not do that with this chapter since the subject is more more esoteric. Instead, I mainly uses renaissance period religious paintings and the illustrations from Catholic prayer cards I found at my grandmother Rita's house after her death. Most of the cards were at least a century old. Some of them even had Bohemian text. Interestingly, a number of them were used as small post cards with personal messages handwritten on the back.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Here are other author reads:
The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking With God:
Below you will find some uncorrected sample chapters of the book. I can't guarantee how long the publisher will allow me to keep them posted. You can pre-order the novel HERE.
I was saddened to hear about the death of Fred Willard. He was a great comic actor and a great guy, too. He possessed the kind face of a genial but slightly befuddled grandfather that hid a wildly absurdist mentality underneath. You never knew what he was going to say. I never saw him give a bad performance. He stole every scene he appeared in.
I had the honor to work with him on my faith-based comedyHolyman Undercover. In the film, Fred wonderfully played a gun-crazed television network executive.
Fred was the perfect choice for the role. However, he was not the first choice .
Before I go any further, let me explain how low budget films work. People are more likely to watch a movie if they recognize the names of the actors. That was particularly true of the faith-based films I made with PureFlix. The actual leads in those films tended to be actors recognized in the faith-based genre only, but had little to no mainstream appeal whatsoever. However, even fans of the faith-based genre preferred films with recognizable mainstream actors in them. Therefore, PureFlix would wisely pepper their films with recognizable names in the supporting roles for "box appeal."
As a screenwriter for such films, it was my job to create roles beefy enough to attract well-known actors, but small enough that all of their scenes could be shot in one day. Then we got the value of their names at the least possible expense. Ideally, the role would be one of an authority figure the hero would have to answer to three or four times throughout the course of the film. That way it looked like the name was in the entire film. The Fred Willard role was a textbook example of the craft.
As I said, Fred wasn't the first choice for the role. The first choice was actually Mr. Luke Skywalker himself: Mark Hamill. Someone had an "in" with him. At the time, he was mainly doing voice work, so he certainly seemed getable, if he liked the role. One of the producers was going to meet him for lunch. My partner Tim Ratajczak and I were instructed to rewrite the role to suit Hamill. The producer insisted that we add some Star Wars references. I advised against it. This was one of those periods when Hamill was reputedly very bitter about Star Wars, but we did as we were told. Hamill was not amused.
Next in line was Joe Pesci, another fine actor whose work I admired. Pesci seemed to be in a state of semi-retirement at the time. I don't know what our "in" was. However, we were instructed to tailor the role to him. I can't remember what we did, but Pesci didn't bite.
Next the role went out to Fred. My partner and I were very excited. We were both big fans and, although Fred wasn't as big a name as Hamill or Pesci, he certainly fit the role as originally conceived much, much better. When he said yes, we were delighted!
In addition to Fred, other talented comic supporting actors like Edie McClurg, of Ferris Bueller's Day Off fame, and Clint Howard, of Clint Howard fame, joined the cast. We even scored an extended cameo by John Schneider, of The Dukes of Hazard fame, who provided the much needed levity to my previous film Hidden Secrets. With those old comic hands aboard, I was certain we'd have a nice little comedy.
Although PureFlix didn't pay for our travel, Tim and I still flew out to Hollywood to visit the set. Naturally, we scheduled our visit so that we would be there when Fred Willard made his appearance. The production definitely gave him the star treatment. On the day of his shoot, everything was completely scheduled around him. We were kept informed of his impending arrival, and, once he arrived, where he was at all times. Then, when he finally arrived on the set for his first shot, Fred did something no other actor did on any of my films.
He shouted, "Are the writers here? Are the writers here?"
Tim and I had been watching quietly from the next room. We immediately rushed onto the set. I had no idea what to expect. Perhaps he had a problem with the script. Perhaps he wanted to add something...
When we arrived, he just said, "I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the script. It's very funny."
Wow. Fred Willard thought we were funny! Talk about praise from Caesar! That was a genuine career high!
Fred Willard wasn't the first actor to compliment our work. But none of others had called us out in front of the entire cast and crew to do so. Plus, he didn't have to do so. It didn't benefit him in the least. Tim and I weren't powerful figures in the industry. He wasn't going to make one additional penny by flattering us. He just enjoyed the script and he wanted everyone to know.
That's true professional generosity.
What a great freaking guy!
And he was great in the movie. From the day he signed, I was curious how Fred would handle the material. He had a reputation as a talented ad-libber. I expected that he would use the script only as a point of departure. However, he came prepared and stuck more or less to the script. He must have liked it!
I only wish we rewarded his efforts with a better movie.
In addition to co-writing the script, I also edited the film. I thought the initial edit was very funny. The other folks on the production team agreed, but there's a reason there aren't many faith-based comedies. Disaster befell the film when it began being shown to the "gatekeepers." The folks at PureFlix began cutting anything that the gatekeepers found objectionable. Then they preemptively started cutting anything that anyone anywhere at any time could possibly find objectionable. That didn't leave much!
Eventually, the edit was taken away from me, but the cutting continued in Hollywood. They started making arbitrary cuts to keep the pace fast. Ideally, you want a brisk pace in a comedy. However, in this case, they sometimes cut the punchlines of jokes while keeping the setup! I could have hardly been more disappointed with the final released version. (Rumor has it that they will one day release "the funny version." I hope they will, but I'm not holding my breath.)
Fortunately, Fred Willard's scenes more or less survived the scissors. Not sure why, but it's probably because he was so good!
Rest in peace, Fred, and know that the laughter you brought this world will ring on long after you are gone.
And thanks for the kind words. They meant the world to me.
Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.
You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a multi-generational look at the movies.
We've been keeping it safe by staying at home and watching The Thing From Another Worldthis week. New member John Quatrucci brought this 1951 sci-fi classic to the group. If you listen, you'll soon find out if all of the members feel it deserves its status as a classic. Our millennial and Gen-Y members couldn't make it this week, but the mighty Wojo is back and my lovely wife Deborah also makes an appearance.
If you want to see how I rank The Thing From Another Worldagainst the other horror films of the 1950s, check out the link below:
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's another chapter of my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God. It is my tale of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatality intertwined. The Kindle edition of the book is currently on sale on Amazon for .99 cents. That's a savings of seven dollars!
I have to make a confession. I have abridged this chapter. I wanted to keep this video under twenty minutes. It was difficult. When I originally wrote the book, I devoted three chapters to my childhood. My first editor, Trish Schweers, ran her red pen through many of my incidents and anecdotes, recommending that I only keep stories that forwarded my themes and foreshadowed upcoming events. She was right, of course, but she left me with one very long chapter. It is not, however, the longest chapter. That would be the next one. It might be a few weeks before I post that one!
It's becoming real, folks. My novel Chapel Street is set for release by TouchPoint Press on 3 July 2020.
This is a big deal for me. It was always fun when one of my movies was released, particularly when we had a real premiere, but it is entirely different with my books. Most of my films were commissioned works. Although I always tried to incorporate something emotionally compelling to me in those assignments, I realize that the bulk of my films, in the eyes of the producers at least, were products designed to generate a profit.
That was never true with my books. Of course, I would like my books to be successful and generate a profit for both myself and my publisher. However, they are not simply products. In my books, I only deal with subjects and themes that have haunted me -- sometimes literally. I can write a commissioned screenplay in a couple of weeks without breaking a sweat, but I only want to write books that tear something out of me at great emotional cost. That's only fair.
There's a huge difference between the way movies and books interact with their audience. Movies wash over an audience. The production team and the cast make all of the decisions about what the audience experiences. What they see and hear. A book is different. In a book, the author provides the words but the reader provides the sound and pictures in their mind. The relationship between a book author and a reader is more collaborative than the relationship between a screenwriter and a viewer. It also takes more time and effort to read a book than to watch a movie. Therefore, I feel the reader deserves greater effort on the part of the writer as well. So far, I feel I have lived up to my part of the bargain. There is blood on the pages of my books.
Here's the details about the release.
The ebook is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Click Here
The pre-order price is $2.99. After it is released, the retail price will go to $7.99. Talk about savings! I'd buy it now!
Within the next couple of days, the ebook will also be available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble, iTunes and other fine locations.
The hardcover (yes, hardcover) is available for pre-order at Barnes & Nobles now. Click Here
I don't know about you, but I've already pre-ordered the hardcover version despite the fact that I'm getting a couple of them for free! (If you live in Baltimore and buy a hardcover, reach out and I will sign it for you.)
The paperback version will be live on Amazon on the release date. The paperback will be available at Barnes & Noble and other retailers shortly after the release.
I don't know if this will entice you or deter you from buying the book, but below you can listen to me reading a few chapters:
You can read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:
Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a multi-generational look at the movies.
We've been keeping it safe by staying at home and watching Smokey and the Banditthis week. Podmaster Ralph brought this little slice of Trans Am heaven to the group. However, it has been on our must see list since the death of star Burt Reynolds, who once upon a time punched a guy I knew in the ear. (Another reason for me to love Burt!) Sadly, the mighty Wojo wasn't able to join us this week and provide us a woman's perspective, but we were joined again by Ralph's brother John. He'll be bringing a black and white sci-fi classic to us next week.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
