John Grisham News

Underscore Theatre's Musical Theatre Festival is back with a bumper crop of new and original musicals. What's chaff and what's wheat? Read on!

Underscore Theatre Company presents its second annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, featuring an unprecedented 13 world-premiere musicals by local artists. Created to showcase Chicago's burgeoning field of musical theatre creators, this year's festival will include ten full-length musicals and three one-acts.

Bay Street Theater has announced that FIVE PRESIDENTS, the new play by Emmy Award-winning writer Rick Cleveland (Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and House of Cards), will extend its run for an additional week due to popular demand. The production will now run from tonight, June 23-July 19. 

Bay Street Theater has announced that FIVE PRESIDENTS, the new play by Emmy Award-winning writer Rick Cleveland (Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and House of Cards), will extend its run for an additional week due to popular demand. The production will now run from June 23-July 19. 

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to announce the line-up and full casting for its second annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, featuring an unprecedented 13 world-premiere musicals by local artists. Created to showcase Chicago's burgeoning field of musical theatre creators, this year's festival will include ten full-length musicals and three one-acts.

Public media meets the publishing world this week at one of the biggest events in the book world.  The Bookview/Detroit Public Television crew are in New York to capture and live stream BookExpo America and BookCon, starting Friday, May 29 through Sunday May 31 thanks to funding from the Wyncote Foundation. Book View Now, www.BookViewNow.org, will give book lovers everywhere the opportunity to learn about the newest releases and hear directly from major authors and celebrities in the comfort of their own homes.

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to announce the line-up for its second annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, featuring an unprecedented 13 world-premiere musicals by local artists.

Welcome to the real-life Bates Motel where guests check in…but, don't always check out. Stories straight out of horror films that gave you nightmares are now coming to life with Investigation Discovery's new true-crime series

Birmingham, Ala.

Amazon today announced its best-selling books of 2014, best-selling Kids & Teens books, as well as the Most Gifted and Most Wished For books of the year-just in time for last-minute holiday gifting. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is the best-selling book overall and John Grisham's latest novel Gray Mountain comes in at number two

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation's largest retail bookseller and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced its top book picks for every interest, providing another great resource to help customers find the perfect gifts for the adults on their list. The company's booksellers have chosen from personal recommendations and customer favorites to compile a list of books that adults will love, with categories including 'For Thriller Fans,' 'For Mystery Lovers,' 'For On Screen Buffs,' 'For Business Readers,' 'For Sports Fans' and many more.

NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced the launch of the NOOK Christmas Shop, a dedicated section on NOOK.co.uk featuring curated book lists and great offers to help customers discover the best books for the Christmas season. The site features a special Christmas sale, with prices starting as low as 59p on a wide range of select popular books, as well a list of the NOOK Editor's Choice of the Best 100 Books of 2014, and many more great lists and offers, the NOOK Christmas Shop (www.nook.co.uk) is a great resource for people in the UK who love to read.

John Grisham's new novel, GRAY MOUNTAIN, is available today.

MARK MY WORDS 2014: A WICKED COOL EVENING, tonight, October 21 at 8:00 p.m., is a once-in-a-lifetime event - a conversation between the creators of the book and Broadway smash Wicked. Gregory Maguire wrote the original novel Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Stephen Schwartz, legendary composer and lyricist of Pippin and Godspell, adapted Maguire's twisted take on L. Frank Baum's universe into one of the most successful musicals in history. Moderated by Connecticut theater legend Frank Rizzo, this is a unique opportunity to hear these creators talk about writing, music, theatre and, of course, the Wonderful World of Oz.

Wagner College Theatre's Stage One presents the Island debut of The Thugs, the Obie Award-winning play by Adam Bock, from October 7 - 12. Wagner Professor David Ledoux (WCT's Scab) returns to direct.

MARK MY WORDS 2014: A WICKED COOL EVENING, on Tuesday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m., is a once-in-a-lifetime event - a conversation between the creators of the book and Broadway smash Wicked. Gregory Maguire wrote the original novel Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Stephen Schwartz, legendary composer and lyricist of Pippin and Godspell, adapted Maguire's twisted take on L. Frank Baum's universe into one of the most successful musicals in history. Moderated by Connecticut theater legend Frank Rizzo, this is a unique opportunity to hear these creators talk about writing, music, theatre and, of course, the Wonderful World of Oz.

'It's exciting!' Michele Barszcz can hardly contain her excitement. 'I have always loved reading, and now I'm actually publishing books that I like. It's a lot of hard work, but I love it.' So says the founder of the latest small publishing house to hit the markets, with unbound enthusiasm. Once upon a time, such a fairy tale would have been impossible, as giant publishing conglomerates fortified their castles with alligator-filled moats and high walls that were virtually impenetrable. Back then, if Michele had been really lucky, she might have gotten a job plowing through 'slush piles' of unsolicited submissions for a few years to prove herself worthy of a higher position, but she would most likely have remained a cog in the publishing house bureaucracy forever. With the rise of computers, advancements in printing, and numerous companies offering direct marketing services, however, small entrepreneurs like Michele can turn their publishing dreams into reality. It was just as difficult for authors, if not worse, in the old days. After possibly spending an eternity writing, editing, proofreading and polishing a cherished masterpiece, authors often languished for years trying to claw their way through the fortress barriers, often spending months to find an agent and even longer to convince a mega-house to begrudgingly deign to read their manuscript. Since first-time submissions from unknown authors are rarely accepted on the first try, the cycle of submission-rejection-submission tends to repeat itself over and over. Acclaimed author John Grisham was one of those rejected repeatedly. Before Harry Potter became a worldwide sensation and a series of blockbuster movies, more than a dozen publishers rejected the book and its unknown author. At the time, they all said, 'J.K. Rowling? Who is that?' Now those publishers all know who she is, but only long after passing on the chance to cash in by publishing her works. The marriage of technology and creativity has proven to be a heavenly union for small publishers and authors alike. Many authors have made fortunes self-publishing after others rejected their work, but some things remain constant. A book still must be good to sell, no matter who publishes it. And a golden opportunity doesn't guarantee a golden outcome. The old moat and drawbridge were there for a reason. Without them, there is nothing to keep the barbarian hoards from storming the castle, and the market is now filled with substandard, poorly written garbage published out of some yokel's basement, making it harder for a true masterpiece to rise above the refuse. Michele sees it this way, 'Even with all the technology, it's still critical to find the right books to publish. Books that people will want to buy.' So what can readers expect from Munched Kitty? If the house's first two books are any indication, quite a variety. The first book scheduled for publication is "Judging Professional MMA," by Mixed Martial Arts judge, Glenn Trowbridge. The following act is a comedy horror love story by veteran Joseph Tatner called, "Floyd and Mikki: Zombie Hunters." Glenn has never written a book before, while Joseph has made his living as a writer for more than 20 years. Michele sees a solid market for both books, and that is what drives her decisions on what to publish. Despite the obvious goal of making money, Michele isn't greedy about it. In fact, she is on a mission to keep books affordable. '$19.95 for a paperback is ridiculous, not matter how good it is,' she opines. 'With the cost of everything going up, people want to escape their troubles in a good book. My goal is to keep it affordable for them. If we can sell books at a lower price, we will make about the same money, but we'll reach more people and build brand loyalty. You can't put a price on that.' Just who is the Munched Kitty in the logo? Munch is a happy survivor. She was abandoned and then rescued off the streets of Las Vegas. Her mangled left ear and missing half of a right fang weren't the only things munched when she showed up. The frail feline had a large patch of skin missing from the back of her neck. Fortunately, tender loving care by her adopted family brought her back to full health. 'I couldn't think of a catchy publishing name that wasn't taken. Then I decided to name the company after Munch. After all, she's living proof that you can succeed against all odds.' No doubt Michele will succeed as well, one way or the other. Munched Kitty Publications (mkpubs.com) is a little publishing house with big ambitions and grand hopes.

Queens Theatre will present the Tony-nominated play Say Goodnight Gracie, starring Alan Safier as George Burns, written by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and directed by Michael White. The show will be at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park) today, September 27 at 2pm & 8pm and on Sunday, September 28 at 3pm. Join Rupert Holmes, Alan Safier, and Moderator WABC's Sandy Kenyon for a lively talk-back after the 3pm performance on Sunday, September 28.

Actors Co-op announces its first show in its 2014-2015 season (and 23rd year of producing theatrical excellence in Los Angeles!) with an immersive and environmental production of the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical 'Whodunit,' THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, choreography by Julie Hall, musical direction by Jake Anthony and directed by Stephen Van Dorn. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will begin previews tonight, September 17 and Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.