January 2008 Blogs

The January Video of the Month is my first real attempt at a documentary-style short film. I filmed the footage for this at the Cape Fear Crime Festival in October 2007. I've got a hunch that I'll probably continue to grow in this film-style direction in 2008.

Sunday February 3, 2008
I'm sitting here with Susan watching Tom Petty on the Halftime show of the Super Bowl, and I thought it'd be wise to get in here and update the blog. January was busy, and I'm gearing up toward a very busy February and March.

Last week, I had a friend of mine in town from Arizona. Matt Peterson has recently published his first novel. We did an interview at the TV studio for The Artist's Craft...



Coming up in February, I have a panel discussion next Saturday at McIntyre's in Pittsboro with authors J.D. Rhoades and Alexandra Sokoloff.

The following Friday (February 15), I have another interview scheduled at the TV studio, and then on Saturday the 16th, I have a panel discussion scheduled at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.

That panel will include authors Diane Chamberlain, Luleen Anderson, and Adam Shepard. I'll be moderating, and The Artist's Craft film crew is planning to film this discussion to air on RTN.

Classes at NC State are going well, and Susan and I spent this afternoon working on our taxes. Lots of receipts...

Well, Tom Petty is done, and the second half is getting ready to start. Keep it real, people.

Stacey

Sunday January 13, 2008
Well, this is my first post of 2008, and I'm happy to bring you another interview from The Artist's Craft filmed for Time/Warner cable on Friday. Our guest in the studio was Jock Brandis, who has worked in the film industry with David Cronenberg, David Lynch, John Travolta, Alan Alda, Stephen King, and a host of other folks.

In recent years, Jock has turned his attention toward humanitarian causes. He is the inventor of the Malian Peanut Sheller, which has enabled folks in Third World countries to increase the efficiency of peanut shelling for their villages from 2 pounds an hour to 125 pounds an hour.

He also founded Fully Belly Project, a non-profit organization designed to develop similar techonologies for impoverished countries around the world.

The interview was directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, and we had Will Neary helping out on the TelePrompter. It's on YouTube in 3 parts.

Stacey

Monday December 31, 2007
It has been a whirl-wind year, but somehow I've made it through. This year, I saw my writing career dramatically move forward. Prior to 2007, I had done a total of about four author events. This year alone, I've done more than 50 bookstore, library, and other assorted speaking engagements.

Additionally, I managed to bring together an amazing crew of folks to start a television show, and we completed our first full season back in early December. We're now three episodes into season two, and will film our fourth episode this Friday.

I've watched the growth of my son from newborn to now-cruising 13-month-old.

For 2008, I have regular monthly author events in Wilmington and Raleigh, and I'm close to securing a monthly gig in Charlotte as well. I would like to expand to Washington DC and Atlanta for bi-monthly events, and would like to continue to hone the TV show, bringing in other regular correspondents.

Of course, my goal is to find a publisher and literary agent for my novels. I would like to also find a broader distribution for the TV show and to begin pitching to major national networks.

Stacey

Saturday December 15, 2007
I've got a new interview from The Artist's Craft. On Thursday, I interviewed three members of the Raleigh Area Women Writers group, Anne Woodman, Lynn Mercer and Trina Allen.

Monday December 10, 2007
Well, we're into the heart of the Christmas season, and Susan is in the kitchen making Christmas cookies! While she's finishing up, I decided to take a minute to write a blog to let you folks know how things're going.

My English class at NC State had its final exam today, and I've started grading this evening. This Thursday, I've got a big interview at the TV studio with the Raleigh Area Women Writers, and then on Friday I have another interview with a writer named Angela Williams.

On Saturday, I'm scheduled to address local filmmakers at the Producers' Workshop for the Raleigh Television Network, and I'm working to finish up a last-minute revision of my novel Roman Phoenix, in order to submit it to a contest for unpublished authors by the end of the month.

On December 20th, I'm televising an Open Mic Night Contest I'm organizing at a local public library, and on Sunday December 30th, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to moderate a "How to Publish a Book" panel discussion with authors Brooks Preik and Luleen Anderson at Pomegranate Books.

Here's a video I made yesterday of Sam eating fish sticks.

Thursday November 29, 2007
Well, I'm in the midst of a very busy weekend. This evening I moderated a panel discussion at the Cameron Village Public Library with authors Sarah Shaber and Alice Osborn. Tomorrow morning, I'll be interviewing author Luleen Anderson at the TV studio, and in the evening, Susan and I are throwing a birthday party for our son Sam, who will be one year old.

Saturday, I'll be moderating a panel discussion with authors J.D. Rhoades and Alexandra Sokoloff at the Borders Bookstore on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. And then on Sunday, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to interview an author Richard Satterlie at Pomegranate Books for the Wilmington Write to Publish Group.

Classes will be finishing up for the semester at NC State next week, and my class's final exam will be on Monday December 10.

I shot this footage of Sam and Susan on Monday, following the Thanksgiving weekend. In the film, we're discussing what to do with leftover turkey. This is slice-of-life stuff, folks. Enjoy...

Also, I finished up my first short film documentary. This is from the Cape Fear Crime Festival, which I attended a month ago down in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Friday November 16, 2007

I've got a new interview from today's shoot of "The Artist's Craft" on the Raleigh Television Network. Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, our interview was with author Danny Bernstein.

Danny's book is Hiking the Carolina Mountains, published by Milestone Press, and we discussed how she wrote the book, how she sold it to Milestone, and how she has sold articles to newspapers and magazines.

If you're interested in non-fiction writing or in hiking, I think you'll get a kick out'a this one.

Stacey

Tuesday October 30, 2007
We've got a new author interview this week for StaceyCochran.com from our TV show "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest this episode features authors Tim Dillinger, Christine Moughamian, and Christy Judah discussing the subject of "How to Write a Book: From Idea to Finished Manuscript."

Additionally, I'm experimenting with a new hosting platform, Google video. The plus is that through Google video the whole 30-minute interview can be embedded in one TV screen. Let me know which one you prefer (or if you can even see the Google TV screen below).

Sunday October 21, 2007
We have a new interview for StaceyCochran.com from this week's episode of "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, this interview with newspaper columnist Barry Saunders will air on Raleigh Television Network and Time/Warner cable later this fall.

Its online version is available through YouTube in three high-resolution parts. Enjoy...