Writing – Sterban, “Oak Ridge Boys,” endorses “A Season Of Miracles”

With literary guru Donald Maas

Sterban: “A very special book. Baseball, inspiration, and childhood memories – a great combination. I couldn’t put it down!”

Touched: A Season Of Miracles Novel/ Screenplay

Accepting the Kairos Award

Montesquieu rightly said “Writers are not content with boring contemporaries; they insist on boring generations to come.” The past two years, 2008 and 2009, have been a revelation in new opportunities to possibly bore generations looming on the horizon. My screenplay “Touched” won the Gideon Media Arts Contest, shocking me and my family. A second place finish followed in the 2009 Kairos Prize screenwriting competition for my script “Touched.” My wife and I were flown to the Movieguide Awards in Beverly Hills and I was presented the prize by Oren Aviv, the President of Production at Disney Pictures. God is way too good to me.

You can watch the video of the award presentation here.

My toughest and best editor, my wife Rebecca.

In the Christian Writers Guild 2009 First Novel Contest, I was a Finalist for the novel version of “Touched.” This was particularly gratifying given that no judge knew I had written a screenplay and my Kairos Prize was not announced until after I was a Finalist for the novel. Was that last sentence too “wordy?” Are you feeling bored yet? I think I am . . . Anyway, Kregel offered me a publishing contract. I thought long and hard for about 45 seconds before accepting. The novel, now titled “A Season Of Miracles,” is available now at Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com, or Christianbooks.com or barnesandnoble.com or other fine bookstores.

Chaotic Motion . . . Novel

I’m working on a supernatural thriller. Does anyone write “natural thrillers” or “supernatural bore-rers?” The spellbinding suspense happens mostly in a Nursing Home. Sound crazy? So am I. I mean, yes I am. Chaotic Motion is my attempt to highlight the reality of Evil and the Victory of the Lamb. Humor abounds, even as the tension spirals. You’ll like it.

Allah’s Fire . . . Screenplay Adaptation

My screenplay adaptation of “Allah’s Fire,” the novel by Gayle Roper and Chuck Holston, won First Place for “Best Screenplay Adaptation” at the 2010 Gideon Media Arts Conference. Roper and Holton wrote a great novel, so I didn’t have any excuse if my screenplay was not up to snuff!

Finishing Well . . . Screenplay

This was a semifinalist at the Movieguide Awards in 2010. It’s a sweet sentimental story of how youths and seasoned citizens can reach out to each other and serve and enjoy each other. A ten year old boy and a seventeen year old girl (with her dog Oreo) frequent a Retirement community and learn abundant life is not something only young persons enjoy.