The long and winding road...

Writers, at least when you are serious about being a writer, are busy people. Independent writers can also feel lonely and overcome by the challenges being an Indie present. I don’t mean loneliness as in ‘no friends’, ‘hiding from the World’ etc., rather, feeling as though you are ‘outside’ the publishing/writing world; a strange creature alienated from mainstream writing society. Regarding the challenges, well if you have ever tried to self-publish for the first time, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Suddenly you have to be an expert in Website design, Marketing, SEO, Blogging, Tweeting and a stack of other words that still haven’t found a home in the official dictionaries.

Many try to reach out to fellow authors on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but these attempts seem to attract more people selling editing and publication services than other writers. So it was with a feeling of having discovered the Holy Grail when I stumbled across the new site writer Amy Joy, and her hubby C.N. James, had created. It’s a Social Network just for writers like you.

Now in my surfing of the web, I have encountered other sites which purport to be oriented to Indie writers; some of these are allied with major publishing firms, others are more oriented towards feedback. In a future blog, I’ll scribble a little more about the pros and cons of these. However, these sites are not offering what the Indie needs. What kept me on the webpage, and makes me participate as much as time allows, were four little words:

Meet. Share. Learn. Grow.

These figure as the subtitle to the Indie Writer’s Network, and they have been chosen with studious deliberation. In those eighteen letters is the answer to many an Indie’s greatest desire.

Meet – the site is limited to Indie writers. Not others offering services allied to the business of writing. Its pages are written by writers for writers. Advertising of your own books is allowed, within reason, but you won’t find ads for editing services, marketing gurus or publishers; just writers reaching out to other like-minded souls.

Share – some have taken more steps on this road than others. The experience they have and are willing to share is a fundamental element on the site. If you are one of these people, you will find a place here to share your experiences, in the various site-wide or themed blogs and forums.

Learn – equally the blogs and forums are the home of great tips and insights from people who may be a little further along than you. This is often practical stuff like software to use for making book trailers, or how to orient your on-line marketing, to cite just two examples. The site is what we, its members, will make of it.

Grow – this is what it’s all about. By joining (it’s free) and participating, we will all evolve and achieve the success we are seeking. I personally have a small rule that I try to live by: never go to bed without having learned something new that day. This site helps me do that.

Now if the aforementioned sounds a little too ‘promotional’ for you, I need to state that I am a normal member of the Network, do not receive any remuneration of any kind for my activities there, and am writing this because of the positive feeling I have about the site.

There’s something for everyone: whether you write Action & Adventure, Thrillers, Non-fiction, Middle-grade writing, short stories & anthologies, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Horror, YA, children’s, Romance, Historical, Erotica, Poetry, Paranormal, Women’s lit, Screenwriting, etc. There’s also info about writing conferences and competitions, audio books, marketing, and a plethora of other good things. The site is flexible and open to suggestions. When I joined, there wasn’t a group for Thriller writers, so I messaged Amy who lost no time in setting one up. We now have several members in the Thriller Writer Group and blog who are contributing on a daily basis.

So if you’re an Indie, and are looking for a place to help you grow into that bestselling author you know you are, look no further. Come and join in today. It’s fun!

Link for the Network: http://indiewritenet.com/

See you there.


Eric @ www.ericjgates.com

A Writer's Lament

A Writer’s Lament

                                                By Enrico Graffiti

Words and words, I craft the flow,

Almost there; new book to go.

A story told; a tale is done.

Is this the end of all the fun?

New themes emerge; new twists to weave.

I need to write, would you believe?

Not now they say; under the gun.

Is this the end of all the fun?

I blog and guest, wall and tweet,

My reader’s needs, I have to meet.

It’s not a book, words by the ton,

Is this the end of all the fun?

From all this stuff I want to run,

To rest and think under the sun.

Ask myself, where it’s all gone,

Is this the end of all the fun?

That’s it, No More! I want to write,

Not blogs and tweets or similar blight.

New thoughts, new Pace, a book, a tale,

But if I don’t, I get… NO SALE.

This is the end of all the fun,

The words are gone, the writing done.

I’m not a poet, but the sentiments are genuine.

Eric  @ www.ericjgates.com 

The Future of the e-book - Part 2

In Part 1 I took a brief look at the way hardware evolution would affect the e-book as we know it today.  I have since been asked why I see the e-book reader taking on other functions. I realise I did not make this clear in the preceding section; my glass sphere must have been a little foggy. The principal reason I see the e-book reader evolving in this manner is the potential proliferation of devices we now seem to need to ‘survive’ in the twenty-first century. Historically, every time a new gadget has emerged, it has carved a niche for itself, with well-defined boundaries, initially, then gone on to push those limits, invading the terrain of parallel devices. If you are old enough to remember when the first mobile phones hit the streets, i.e. if you are under thirty, this will sound like science fiction, they were hulking boxes, essentially ‘standard’ phone handsets, sitting on a combination radio-transmitter/battery box. They were heavy, awkward, with practically no coverage to speak of. As they became smaller and more portable, their number increased exponentially. I can remember having to carry three different phones at the same time on my person at one point. Then they received a healthy dose of power in the shape of more efficient ‘operating systems’. This efficiency was then exploited by having them do some of the tasks that Personal Digital Assistants, PDA’s, used to perform, such as maintaining a calendar planner. Now PDAs no longer exist, all of their functions having been absorbed into the most basic mobile phone you can purchase today. This is what’s going to happen to the dedicated reader. The e-book reader as a stand-alone device will die, its function being absorbed by a hybrid phone/netbook/e-reader in the short to medium term.

Now in this part of my crystal-ball gazing session, I’m going to concentrate on the more interesting side of the whole issue, at least for me as an author: the content. In order to illustrate the distinct elements I am going to describe, I intend to use my ‘2012’ novel as a reference. I do this purely for convenience, and am fully aware that many other writers have created a holistic environment for their works also.

Currently the ‘2012’ e-book is the main element of a passive immersive experience. Wow! Sounds good, but what in Hades do I mean by that? The book contains the first piece of the journey – a link to my website www.ericjgates.com where a reader can discover an interview with me regarding the writing of this novel; read an anecdotal account of how I researched some of the scenes; read some of the hidden secrets (I call them Winks) contained within the narrative, such as geo-mapping coordinates for places that figure in the book or where some of the characters’ names originated; even check out a book trailer on YouTube. And, of course, find information about forthcoming novels and where to purchase them. All good stuff. The website backup to a novel is fairly standard these days and generally these contain pretty much the same elements. Occasionally you come across other interesting items, such as an analysis of the profanity frequency per novel which one popular writer (John Sanford) has included on his website.

Yet all of this is Passive. The interaction with the reader is one-way.

I see the e-book, enhanced content version (+EC - again you read it here first) having three broad sets of additional content: Passive, Active and Marketing.

Passive Content

When I switch on my reader and select the ‘2012’ novel from my electronic bookshelf for the first time, I will be asked to set a few parameters. This will include the usual stuff (text size etc.) as well as options such as voice activation (“next” to ‘turn’ a page for example), spoken text, and… Show links in text. If I have selected this option, any references to passive support material will be highlighted, giving me the option to follow the link and read the item there and then. If I choose not to select this option, all of this passive material will be available at the end of the book’s narrative text. Now, as a writer who spends time trying to generate a rhythm in the tales I write, I’m not too happy with the idea of readers interrupting my carefully crafted flow to read an external footnote – this is a novel not a white paper, after all. However, the decision will be the readers, not mine.

Additional passive content to that mentioned above, will include video interviews with the author and mini-documentaries. The latter would be fun. An example: recently I read on the web of one of my own favourite authors, Stephen Leather, how he had travelled aboard a cargo ship for three weeks as part of his research for a new novel. The article Stephen wrote was interesting, but just imagine if that had been a short documentary film. Similarly, I enacted my closing scene in ‘2012’ at Lake Baikal in Russia. Now in the ‘2012’ +EC edition, there’s a documentary about the lake and its importance. Yes, if these are reminiscent of ‘the making of…’ then you’ve grasped the idea.

Active Content

Here the main objective is to incite the reader to interact. I am aware of some gimmicky attempts at this by certain authors by writing e-novels where the reader can choose between any of a dozen different endings. This is the old ‘Choose your own adventure’ books concept: If you want John to climb the tree and take the Magic Apple, turn to page 112; If you want John to see this as a trap, turn to page 128. I’m sorry, but this is not a novel in my definition, but a game. Yes it can be entertaining, I suppose, at least once, but… I’m old school, I follow the dictates of the King of Hearts (Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”) “Begin at the Beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop”. I craft an ending, not leave it to the whim of the reader.

I see interactive content more along the lines of instant reader feedback, both to the Great Wide World and to the author. Imagine, you have just finished ‘2012’; its controversial ending leaves you thinking and you want to make a comment about this – don’t look for a PC to go online; do it there and then from your reader! You write your thoughts and these are (according to your choice) Tweeted, blogged, F/Booked etc. You feel strongly about the way I ended the book, or just want to say how much you enjoyed it, click on Send to Author, write what you want and send this directly to a special capture area on the WWW where the author can obtain direct reader feedback whenever they wish. Then page down and have a go at one of the competitions based upon the novel you have just read. You could win a free download of “Full Disclosure”, the author’s next novel, a character named after you in a future novel, or a trip to Lake Baikal for dinner with the author! The possibilities are almost endless.

Active content will allow authors to be more in touch with their readers by permitting them to see exactly what the readers like and dislike about their novels and adjust this, if they wish, for future works. After 200,000 requests via “Full Disclosure” +EC edition to bring back Kris and Snow, I might start work on a sequel!

Marketing Content

It is already possible to browse e-books via a reader and then purchase them. So including this feature in this section is a given. But how different would it be where after finishing ‘2012’ +EC, instead of reading an extract from “Full Disclosure”, you also had a video of me reading it! And… access to comments by others who have read this before, an author interview telling you what to expect, snippets of the addition content in the +EC edition, and being able to pre-order, at a special price, ‘the CULL’ six months before it comes out and receive it a month before its official publication date!

Now the sad part

The technology to make all of the above possible exists NOW. It could, without too much effort, be incorporated into e-books for tablets tomorrow. It will take a little longer for the hardware to make mono-functional e-readers capable of handling this, maybe a year or two. And that’s another factor why the dedicated reader will die. But this is just the start.

And the good news

There is repetition of the ‘Extinction of the Dinosaurs’ currently taking place amongst Publishing Houses. As they try their best to ignore the e-book, burying their collective heads deeper in the sand and lamenting the tactics used by Amazon et al, they will die off. This is good news – there’s no place in the future for the barriers the editorial outfits, and old-school literary agents place on the world of publishing. They need to find a new role; to think out of the box. One area they should explore is the Enhanced Content concept. Most writers want to write; not to be SEO wizards, Marketing Gurus, Website designers etc. That stuff is, maybe, fun at first, then boring, then downright onerous. We have neither the time nor inclination, and often nor the funds or expertise, to produce the additional content for our novels. All we want to do is WRITE – that’s where we get our kicks. So a smart publisher needs to beef up its abilities in this area.

As I tweeted last year, all a writer really wants from a publisher today is Editing and Marketing. That’s how you, the Publishers, are going to survive as the e-book takes over, not by licking your wounds and crying “foul!”. It is said that the World’s first three publishing houses in five years will be Amazon, Google and Apple.

The future is written, only those who refuse to read will be taken by surprise.

Now it’s your turn. 


What would you, as a writer and/or reader like to see in the +EC editions of e-books?


Eric at www.ericjgates.com

The Future of the e-book - Part 1

Professionally I’ve done quite a bit of public crystal-ball gazing. Sometimes I’ve hit the nail on the head, with predictions that happen so accurately I wonder if I should don a gypsy outfit and pitch a tent somewhere. Other times, I’m left waiting for the events to happen. Examples of both are the use of biometric recognition on cell phones (happened three months after I published the prediction with the introduction of a fingerprint scanner on a phone made by a French firm) and large scale denial of service attacks using smartphones (still waiting).

I’ve been toying with the idea of directing my foresight (or should that be fore-sight?) toward the issue of e-books. As a writer I’m obviously interested in the media that carries my words. Although I confess not to owning an e-book reader (Kindle, Nook et al.) yet, I have two e-book format reader programs on my computer. If my predictions come true, then I’ll be called a Guru (again). If I’m wrong, then these are the “random scribblings of a novelist” as the blog’s subtitle declares. Upon reflection, I’m probably going to be both.

So what’s my take on the future of e-books/e-readers?

First the support.

Processor speeds are increasing exponentially, and getting smaller. With nanotechnology being applied to bespoke processor chips for these devices, the amount of space required for their innards will reduce. Quad-core processors will be the norm, offering more than enough power for e-readers and freeing up further possibilities.

There’s a huge amount of effort going into the development of high-definition screen technology. I don’t mean OLED, although that shows promise for big screen TVs once the prices drop. Rather I’m thinking about paper-thin, full colour flexible displays which can be rolled-up into a support bar when not in use. I see these support bars as being a couple of centimetres wide and maybe a centimetre thick, with an array of buttons which facilitate page navigation running vertically along their face. Using accelerometer technology, by flipping the support bar though 180º, you will be able to pull the “page” either out to the right or left and the display will adjust automatically. Once extracted the page screen will remain semi-rigid, allowing you to read and drink your morning Joe at the same time. The pages themselves will of course be touch sensitive, thus allowing even more possibilities. The action of pulling the screen out, and collapsing it, will switch the device on and off, thus saving on buttons and preventing battery burn-up if left on accidentally.

The device will also have a small speaker and earphone socket, allowing e-books to be read automatically where this is required. 

On the subject of battery power; these will obviously improve with the introduction of the new silicon-based anodes on Lithium-Ion batteries giving up to eight times the life of existing units, or perhaps the commercial development of Lithium-air cells. Both technologies will be combined with Kinetic and low-light photo-voltaic cell charge technology to optimize their hours  of service. Additionally, the e-paper screens will operate in two modes, thus reducing battery consumption: a less bright hi-def image for reading e-books and full brightness hi-def colour for other uses. What other uses, you may ask? Well rather than carry around your smartphone and e-book reader, this will be replaced with a Book-Phone, or BF, (you heard it here first, guys) that will give you the best of both worlds.

So it will be small (10x2x1 cms), lightweight (100 grams) and highly portable. Incidentally, it will have biometrically-activated use to help protect from theft. As your fingers curl around the ergonomically-shaped back of the support bar, a built-in reader will check you out. Should you decide to prop up the device, to read hands-free, pulling out the small stand fitted flush on the support bar will automatically switch off the sensor, once it you have been initially identified.

When will this little marvel be around? It’s February 2012 now, yet I can see all of us unwrapping an BF at Christmas 2020. Only eight years to wait. Maybe less. Price, you ask? My guesstimate is less than 50 US dollars.

In Part 2 I’ll tackle the way content, i.e the e-book itself, will evolve according to my crystal ball.

What do you think about the prediction so far? Would you buy one of these? 


Eric at www.ericjgates.com

My conversation with an alien

The other day I found myself talking to an alien.

It all started with a visit to a friend’s house. They asked me how my new novel was progressing and we chatted about this for a short while. Little did I realise their young son was listening. He joined the conversation by asking why I bothered producing a paper-based copy of the novels. An innocent enough question, at first glance, especially given to way e-books are clearly taking over and will certainly become the main choice for readers of this lad’s generation, if they aren’t already.

I tried to explain how my love of books, and writing, stemmed from the great memories I cherish, associated with the tales I read, and often the circumstances of where I read them. I cited three examples to illustrate why these memories have persisted.

I was a precocious reader and devoured books by the tree load. My parent were quite happy for me to grab a book, once homework was out of the way, but not too pleased when I insisted on finishing a chapter before going to bed. Little did they know, I frequently snuck the book up to my room where I continued reading under the bedclothes with the aid of a flashlight. (This is one instance where back-lighted e-reader screens have a distinct advantage).

As my second example, I recounted a journey made on a ferry from the UK to France when I was 15, where I was violently seasick. The crossing was anything but smooth and I had read one and a half James Bond novels during the trip (I can speed-read when I want).

My third memory was of four months condemned to bed, recovering from a serious illness. I was so out of it, the only things I could do were watch “Falcon Crest” or read. There’s only so much Angela Channing a human being can take, so I read 47 novels in the first month alone (including all that Robert Ludlum had written at the time). After that, people kept turning up with suitcases full of books to keep me fuelled.

As a ‘bonus’ I added the unique experience of reading “Out of Africa” by Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke) while sitting outside the very same farmhouse where she lived, when I was in Kenya in the ‘70’s, eons before Hollywood got its hands on the tale.

These examples, just four of many, where being able to escape from the mundane into worlds populated by spies, robots, conspiracies, spaceships, great journeys and a long etcetera, brought added dimensions to enrich my existence.

For me, a major part of the remembered experience is the tactile sensation associated with the read: the all-enclosing, warm security of the sheets as the words whisked me off to distant planets with Asimov’s “Foundation Trilogy”; “Goldfinger”, with one hand grabbing a rail as the boat was tossed willy-nilly in the Channel; or looking up from anecdotes set in the Ngong Hills, to see the very same landscape and smell the red dust suspended in the dry air. Magic Moments all.

You could argue the same experiences could be enjoyed with an e-reader. I won’t attempt to deny the possibility; however the sensory input was completed for me by the texture of the pages between my fingers, not the smooth plastic of a Kindle or Nook.

So the alien asked me if it was just nostalgia. I reflected for a while and eventually agreed that he was probably right. As long as it is still possible, I will continue to produce a paper-based copy, even if it’s just one, so I can see it on my bookshelf at home and remember all the events that brought it into existence. You can’t point to a Kindle and have the same feeling: “see that thing you can’t touch, smell, hear or taste in that plastic box over there, well I remember…”

Vapour-ware we used to call it.

Why do I say he is an alien?

This is the generation that will have almost no reference of paper-based books when they are my age. I feel sorry for them. It’s like they are from a different planet, certainly a different culture.

How much of your memories are stimulate by what you were reading at the time?

Eric at www.ericjgates.com

A cautionary fairy tale for the writers of this world…

Once Upon a Time there was a writer of thriller novels who liked to do things right. He is also a fan of westerns. His latest book is set in a small town in Southwest Texas in the present day. He thought it would be a nice tribute to one of his favourite films, “High Noon”, to name the town after the one that featured in the film. Incidentally, the town is never named in the film; its identity is revealed just after the opening credits (minute 4:39”) in a sign on the railway depot. Furthermore, the action in the film takes place in New Mexico Territory.

Now this innocent also likes to include what he calls ‘Winks’ into his novels. These are Inside Secrets hidden within the tales he weaves, but highlighted on his webpage. As part of the tribute, he was going to explain the town name reference and illustrate it with a still (one image from the 122,400 that go to make up the complete film), explaining how he thought the town was an unaccredited character in this classic western. So he wrote to MGM seeking permission to use the image in this context. MGM quickly responded indicating they no longer have the copyright to that film. Much digging later, this misguided soul wrote to Stanley Kramer’s production people, who still hold the copyright.

The rapid response consisted of an e-mail from Kramer’s Hollywood lawyers, where, in menacing tones, they indicate their belief that the novel must be in breach of Kramer’s copyright, as it is a “derived” work – note: the Big, Bad Wolf has not read the novel, and was given a two-line synopsis where it clearly stated that the use of the town name was the only reference. Of course, they also indicated that the use of the still and the “derived” storyline could be licensed, that is to say, in exchange for money. They needed to see the work to decide if it was “derived” and how much they needed to charge.

After walking round the woods for several days, he was not lost, just angry, the writer responded indicating that the town name had been changed and there would be no reference to the film in any shape or form in the novel. End of Story.

They all lived happily ever after?  Why does the writer have the sensation that the Big Bad Wolf is waiting for publication to see if he can blow the house down?

Now just a few more breadcrumbs… (I know I’m mixing fairy tales)

1)      ---There are at least 2 other towns in the US with that name, neither in New Mexico or Texas.

2)     ... The film’s scriptwriter, Carl Foreman had to buy the rights to a novel (‘The Tin Star’ by John W. Cunningham) when it was pointed out his screenplay was too similar, and looked “derived”.

3)     ... Mr. Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) wrote a short story, published in 1899, called “The Man that corrupted Hadleyburg” – I wonder if the Hadleyville of the aforementioned film (1952) was “derived” from this? Just A thought.

4)      ...The US Copyright legislation, in its section on ‘Fair Use’ would have allowed the reproduction of the still without prior consultation or permission-seeking, as long as it was correctly attributed. Anyone visiting the writer’s website will see at a glance how any references to other people’s Intellectual Property is not only attributed, but where possible links are provided so interested readers may purchase their works or read more.

5)     ... Incidentally, the Big Bad Wolf says that this incident is covered by “attorney-client privilege” and thus cannot be discussed. They’ve obviously never heard of the First Amendment, either, nor the definition of attorney-client privilege under US law. But, maybe things are different in Hollywood Fairy Tale Land.

Fairy tales usually have a moral, and this is no exception. In this case our moral is provided by a third party:

"No good deed goes unpunished"

-          Clare Boothe Luce, dramatist.

Eric at www.ericjgates.com

Is this a good thing?

Continuing the food and drink theme of the last post, I've just read, in this week's on-line Popular Science weekly summary, how Scottish scientists have recreated the hundred year old whisky Ernest Shackleton drank. 

Is nothing sacred?

In my opinion, part of the lure of enjoying Scotland's liquid treasures is the inherent impermanence of their availability.  

Why are we all so obsessive about recreating our past. What's next? The Black Death -oh, that'll be fun!

Eric at www.ericjgates.com

Three Kings

Santa takes second place, here in Spain, to the Tres Reyes Magos, the 3 Wise Men (Maji becomes magic). During the night of the 5th of January, the 3 Kings bring presents to children throughout the country. The tradition starts with letters addressed to their favourite King, Melchor, Gaspar or Baltasar, where they state what presents they want. The kids know if they have not been good during the year, the Kings will bring them coal instead of gifts. Coal, made from blackened sugar, is available in all the cake shops and supermarkets just in case it's needed. On the evening of the fifth, spectacular parades are held in every Spanish city, celebrating the arrival of the Kings, where they and their Royal Pages throw handfuls of sweets to the people watching. The parades started in the 1850's in Alcoy, also the home of the most famous Moors and Christians Festival held there in April every year. Next children have to shine their shoes and leave Turrón (almond sweets) and Milk for the Kings, as well as water and bread for their camels, overnight. Magically, the Kings will visit overnight and leave gifts or coal (or both) by the shoes.

Not too much sugar

For the adults, as well as the children, there's more to come. Another tradition is the Roscón de Reyes, or the King's Bread. This is a yellowish, doughy, sweet bread made into an oval or circle (smallest I've seen was about 25 centimetres in diameter, the most common being over twice that), covered with confectioner's sugar and candied fruit, and optionally, with a filling of whipped cream. Zero Calories! Many accompany generous helpings of Roscón with hot chocolate, just to ensure their energy levels are maintained. Incidentally, hidden within the dough is a surprise, usually a small figure, and whoever ends up biting down on that, either gets an emergency visit to the dentist, or, as the tradition demands, has to buy another Roscón. What is it about the Spanish and sugar?

When I come down from my sugar high, I'll try to do some more work on the latest novel.

More Roscón anyone?

Happy Reyes to all.

Eric at www.ericjgates.com

Magnificent writing

I've just finished reviewing "The Physics of Love and Letting Go" by Kasia on YouWriteOn.com.

Not often do I come across a piece of writing so enjoyable, it makes me sit back with a stupid grin on my face, but this is the case here. The author behind the pen-name of Kasia has really made my day with this beautifully written introduction to a novel.

This sums up all I like about YouWriteOn. Over the nine months I've been reading and reviewing submissions by fellow writers, I have come across a few that have stood out from the mean. And that's not to say that the mean is by any way "average". The general standard of writing on this site is exceptional. What's even better is the spirit with which almost everyone reviews each other's work in such a positive fashion. You do get the occasional exception, but the site's moderators quickly put an end to people who don't understand the word "constructive".

Although the site is UK in origin, the writers are from all over the world. If you write, join in. The input from the reviews I receive for the introductory chapters for my new novel have been invaluable. Also if you just like reading and wish to discover the names of tomorrow, this is the place. It's 100% free.

Eric at www.ericjgates.com

Bob Anderson R.I.P.

Who? you may ask.

Well, if you've been to the cinema in the last 60 years, you will probably have seen his work. A member of the UK Olympic Fencing Team, he was subsequently recruited to train Errol Flynn for The Master of Ballantrae in 1953. That was his introduction to Hollywood. His list of credits is awesome and includes, in no particular order: the Banderas Zorro films, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, Alatriste, a couple of the Bond films, Highlander... but for me, a fellow swordsman, his most outstanding sword fight arrangement was in The Princess Bride.

My sincerest condolences to his family.

Eric