I'm writing the first act of a new script and coincidentally living what seems to be the first act of my writing career. Last week I was notified that I was named a finalist in the TrackingB competition, another respected screenplay contest hosted by a panel of industry insiders. The host, aptly named, "The Insider" has been incredibly supportive of my work. I've been on the phone over the last week with several producers and reps discussing my material and my goals, all from the help of this latest contest.

I've had some flattering offers but ultimately decided to let people much smarter than me handle this stuff from here on out, namely my manager, Justin. He called last night and informed me of the Manolo progress which is really taking off. We're gaining some great buzz and he's sent it off to some serious studios and prodcos in town, so hopefully with the Sundance fellowship meeting, the finalist news and my mangers dedication I'll have some rewarding news to share soon. I wish I could share some of the names that have been thrown around with this script, it's totally humbling. You guys will find out soon enough, fingers crossed. I'll be meeting with Sundance in a few weeks by the way for inclusion into the lab in June.

I just got off the phone with Ariel at ICM and he invited me out to lunch, an unexpected pleasure, he's a great guy and has been really supportive as well. I'm going to discuss the new script with him next week. He's my agent's assistant by the way and thankfully very easy to talk to, my nerves have finally settled when I see the ominous ICM letters on my incoming calls now.

The new script is really coming along. I owe it to my manager, he really opened my eyes to finding the truth behind this story and developing it. The script follows these two strangers that are forced to reconcile their differences while grieving over the death of a woman they both love. The rough patches are inside the drug use, there's some heavy shit going on with a couple of the characters and consuming myself with their lives gets depressing. Fortunately my kids snap me out of it when I pick them up after school. I can always count on their big smiles and love to make it all better.

I'll catch up with you guys later.

Oh, almost forgot. My hobby has found a home! Go visit www.patchworkcomics.com right now, it's finally launched. Pick up a couple comic-books while you're there.

-a

Hi everyone,

Great news! I got a call from my agent last night, one of those possible career changing ones. The director of the Sundance Labs wants to meet next month for inclusion in the second Sundance Lab this year in June. He mentioned to my agent that my entry was one of their favorites. How awesome is that!?


For those that don't know, this is one the more prestigious competitions in the screenwriting world. A couple thousand scripts are entered every year and only 12 writers are chosen to be flown out to Sundance for a week long intensive in Utah. Tons of great contacts ensue, but the value comes in the lab itself with insightful learning sessions.

Past winners include, Paul Thomas Anderson's HARD EIGHT , Quentin Tarantino's RESEVOIR DOGS, Walter Salles' CENTRAL STATION , Darren Aronofsky's REQUIEM FOR A DREAM Joshua Marston�??s MARIA FULL OF GRACE, and Lisa Cholodenko�??s LAUREL CANYON. Allison Anders, Walter Bernstein, Todd Graff, Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, Walter Mosley, Mike White, and Doug Wright.

I'll be following in some incredibly talented footsteps. I know I'm not being very humble about this but it's been such a rough year, this news was much needed and I'm so excited to finally break through with a solid project. More info on the Labs can be found at the Sundance website.

Thanks for listening, more good news to follow. Take care, and happy holidays!

Just a quick update. I'm on a new writing assignment for a small production company and my Agent at ICM is still working on the Manolo script. I have a new manager that is helping me develop a new script, had a great meeting with them last week. Still working the comic-book thing on the side and will have a couple books out in December. Stay-tuned, some good news on the way!

Quick update. I have a meeting at ICM next Wednesday. Wish me luck, the nerves are setting in (just a little).

Here is page one of Manolo coming in January. Pencils & inks by John Amore.

Howdy!

Been moving into a new place with the family the last week so I haven�??t been around to update much. Here�??s the latest. My new venture, Patchwork Comics is really kicking ass. We�??re having a blast bringing it together. We have a few mini-posters for new titles up at www.patchworkcomics.com so go check that out. One is an adaptation of my script, The Mask of Manolo. Everything is still on schedule to launch in January and we�??re real close to making a solid distribution deal.



The Mask of Manolo screenplay is in the juggernaut hands of ICM (Agency) right now so I�??m banking on some good things out of that soon. The State of Poem is through the first rough-cut and I�??m on my way over to the Editor�??s studio soon to polish that sucker. The Tailor is still in production hell right now but we�??re still hoping to have screener�??s ready by mid-September, so hold tight if you�??re cast & crew, you�??re used to holding tight by now, so what�??s another few weeks? Just wrapped a couple rewrite assignments and hoping a couple more come in soon, but I think the well has dried in that department for the time being. Oh, The Overground comic series just got picked up over at wowio.com and should be up soon, keep an eye out.

Zampano Photography has been on a roller-coaster lately, slammed one week, dry the next. But the help of my new partner has really alleviated a lot of the stress which allows me to focus on Patchwork Comics and other endeavors. The family is doing awesome, the boys start back to school in two weeks along with soccer and Little League and Erin is great, still kicking ass at CBIZ and taking care of her trio of stinky boys. That�??s it folks, thanks for letting me ramble on about myself. Onward.

Myself and a few colleagues recently financed a new publishing endeavor. We are preparing to launch in a few months. We're looking for comic-book creators! Below is our stuffy sounding submission guidelines. Give them a read and submit away if interested. Please spread the word. Good luck!

Patchwork Comics is an independent publisher of literary art. We cater to diverse, poetic voices married to fresh, sequential art. Our foundation is built on quality print reproductions that are well executed in both the craft of storytelling and production design. We have distribution in place and plan to launch in January 2009.

Patchwork will begin with five, creator-owned titles and an anthology of webcomics. We are currently seeking creators of both. All genres are welcome however we are not interested in super-hero titles at this time. All creators of print will receive a generous % of sales and ample copies of their title. Amicable contracts will be signed by both parties. Patchwork Comics is a grassroots campaign, by artists, for artists. We will pay a stipend to the creator upon publishing but by no means a large amount. We do promise high visibility and aggressive marketing. We will work our hardest to sell your title.

To submit, please follow the directions below for both print and webcomics. If these guidelines are not followed your submission will not be read. All submissions must be emailed to: info@patchworkcomics.com

For print submissions please send us a brief synopsis (pitch) of your book or series in the body of the email. If interested we will request the first five pages within the spec. guidelines below. The final book or series must follow these guidelines. Interior pages must be b&w and can be up to 24 pages in length. Covers can be in color. We have unique spec guidelines below. Be sure to follow these size requirements. We are not printing standard size comics at this time. Emails with attachments will be deleted and not read. In the subject line, please write, �??print�??. In the body of the email please include your name and contact information along with synopsis. Please also include a brief bio. If there are other creators involved in your submission, please include their names and contact information.

Submission specs if requested:
Trim: 6x9�??
Live Area: 5.375x8�??
Bleed: 6.25x9.25�??

Webcomic submissions can be any genre, any length. The webcomics section of our website will be free for visitors, to follow your series or one-shot. There are no profits made from this part of the website and is only there to promote creator owned projects and entertain our readers. With that said, please write, �??webcomic�?? in the subject line. All print submission guidelines apply except for size. All pages must fall within 750px w x 500 px h.

Thank you for considering Patchwork Comics!
"little stitches of literary art"

About a week ago a good friend of mine, Billy Brazier passed away. He was also a contributor (poet) to a documentary I shot last year. My editor being the cool guy he is, grabbed some of the raw footage of Billy and cut a quick tribute. Sorry for the sound and quality, it's raw footage. I hope this reaches his other friends and family. I think the editor placed a song from an artist Billy enjoyed in the cut as well.

I don't want to get into any sort of eulogy here, I've had enough death over the last two years to last me a lifetime. I'm frankly a little numb over it and I've been through the spectrum of emotion with his passing. But I do want to mention his smile. Billy had that intangible "it" factor that demanded your attention from across the room. His smile was the beacon that grabbed you and never let go. He was amazing, and I miss him.

The caramel fingers of Lucia Baroquez
snap the levee and flood the--

Tennessee tract of Miss Lola McGinley
and her fortunate vacation.

Hours from now she is moist by the cylinder
of her flight home and familiarity.

Hours ago, seventeen kilometers separate
her from the all-inclusive.

In Oak Ridge she was the terse pink canopy
on rusted legs with very little oil and time.

The hold out of Montgomery Lane.
The woman with a peculiar way about her.

But this was miles from a bored August.
Her tongue pops like hot concrete worms.

Her empty now occupied by the slow
Cuban Piston of Cayo Coco.

Tangled under hours of moreno skin,
the smell of avocado in her hair.

This gypsy owned her bones and tango.
The boats drift by with the sweet hum--

of drunken fishermen and Latin engines.
Miss McGinley was no longer simple cotton.

Lucia measures the distance between sun and water.
She wonders what time the café closes.

She cracks her elbow to settle the timely kink
and the naive meal ticket shakes about.

Her weathered finger, right on time.
And with subtle bend and moan,

she waits for her white payment and
whistles a mild tune of insurrection.



This is not one of my favorite pieces but it has one of the stronger storylines. It started with a script idea that never reached paper. I wanted to write my Casablanca. The heroin was this trailer trash from Tennessee that 'escapes' her trappings and splits to Havana on vacation. She falls in love with another woman, a Cuban prostitute who treats her like shit. I'm such a romantic. Anyway, I never wrote the script but settled on a quick poem to alleviate my anxiety over it. It'll never be settled though and I have bitter thoughts about the whole thing, including the lack of execution here. It's not very clear and I never quite articulated what I was going for. Oh well.

Alveraz Ricardez

Horseback on a clay trail in Jalisco
I find two vanilla-cream scorpions,
one on it's back and one in tears.

I ask the sad scorpion if he knows
the way back to Colima.

His sun-cracked voice
whispers between spittled sand.
'Save me from being without my Isabella'.

Our eyes meet at her waist--
The wake of his affair.

Inside this familiar resolve,
between chapped lips,
I find the quiet and swallow.

His eyes roll back and his arms
lift with the rise of my boot.

I scoop the dead lovers into my palm
and bury them on the side of the
clay trail in Jalisco.


This poem has been published in 9 different publications, I'm still not sure why. I guess people enjoy sad poems, I don't. As an exercise I wanted to write a murder-suicide poem. I still missed the mark in having the narrator do the killing, but it was at the scorpions request, so it still worked. It started much simpler than what I've posted here. This is the "redux" version most people have not seen, so I posted it instead of the standard five stanza piece that was usually published. It's interesting actually. This version was published by Abyss & Apex. When they looked over the first version they requested that I "fill in the gap". They could not articulate the "gap" but suggested I find it, fill it in and send it back to them. So I simply stuck in two pithy sounding stanzas to bulk it up a bit. They bought it. Suckers.

Alveraz Ricardez

The first issue of my comic-book series, The Overground is completed and online:

http://www.myspace.com/overgroundcomic

Thanks!

Blind but inspired by the smell of dogshit
Ludovisio named her rutabaga
The hot rocket of 1849 sidecars

The discipline of opiates and American showtunes
A mild cacophony of perfect crimes within crimes
He was the new landscape racer

Quick like moustache and seared boots
Something the town of Willingham, Virginia
Would never forget

The last day of puritan picnics and pompa
The slam of antiquated storefronts
Would ring like elephant symphonies

The speed of her plume and floral gate
Matched only by his mother's last words
Die, Ludovisio, die

The layered grin of gladiators and proletariats
The wind like chocolate across his lips
The taste of pomegranate in his dreams

Warm panties surround the last noise
To swim in geometry and spilled intestines
Wrapped around the only tree ever planted

Within the walls of payback and love
We settle into pools of mud
The pound of sidecars and the desire to float

Goodbye and strike the candle again little pail
The boiled stench around this final oak will
Remind the sweaty bold of penis and placenta

Campione!


This poem was a mix between my admiration for a kid I coached in Soccer and my skeptical hesitation towards nurturing his abilities. This kid was being groomed to be the best, period. His father stood on the sidelines, wet palms and furrowed brow, every practice, every game. The kid was the best and he was beginning to know it. He pumped his fist at every goal and winked at the cheering crowd. Though I wish him a fruitful life, I hope he yields to its tree.

Alveraz Ricardez

Cotton Dupree was a lampshade maker
Bellied within the cracked cement pastures
Of Haleytown, Georgia

Sing us a song of white plum trees, Cotton
Read us a story of wormwood and jam

The freeway below was a bed of lucid oysters
The burn of oil in his lungs was magnificent
The slow cut over his left eye reminds him of duality

Sing us a song of melted pumpkins, Cotton
Read us a story of daddy's tambourine hand

Little girls twist over hot leather seats
To get a glimpse of the man who would
Otherwise love them

Sing us a song of how the closet screams, Cotton
Read us a story of sharp rusted chains

The red eyes of copulating angels remind him of Luanne
The weight of his shame over boiled down dimples
He toes pigeon shit, spits over one empty can

Sing us a song of wet kitty whiskers, Cotton
Read us a story of the buried and maimed

There was no subject/object with her, no "other shore,"
Only forty years separation by the taste of salt on his lips
He bathed in her last breathe and the human smell

Sing us a song of Canary blood, Cotton
Read us a story of loose soil and soaked braids

On the other side was lemon-water and melon
Somewhere the balance of both burning ends
Blessed the stain of thine womb, O father forgive me

Sing us a song of scooped catfish, Cotton
Read us a story of fresh linens ahead

He lifted with obscurity into smog and debris
The smash of two-hundred pounds
The crack of one pound of teeth

Sing us a song of milk over embers, Cotton
Read us a story of the best time to die

The gates were closed and the bulbs all broken
His tendons ablaze against a technicolor fire
Cotton Dupree was a lampshade maker



About ten years ago I was reading a lot of morbid material. Maybe I missed what was going on in my life at the time as I don't know why the fascination with mortality and dark overtones filled my bookshelf that year. Anyway, one book I picked up at the time was a biography on Ed Gein, the serial killer. There was one particular chapter that detailed how Gein would sever the nipples from his victims and sew together a "nipple belt" that he would proudly wear around his Appalachian dwelling. This was the inspiration for Wormwood. Not one of my proudest writing moments, but the smell of this poem is pretty poignant I think.

Alveraz Ricardez

Here's a picture I took of my family at Santa Monica pier on my son's birthday:



Alveraz Ricardez

Last year I was really into writing poetry, it was a cathartic practice to keep me busy between writing gigs and spec work. I haven't written a poem in a long time but I wanted to share some of my previous work in here for those that never read my poetry blog. I'll post one a day in here so it looks like I'm a real blogger. Enjoy.

Wingless Willeby

2:20pm
8 year-old, Meredith Baxter of Chesapeake Lane clips the
wings of her de-saturated yellow canary, Willeby.
Nine minutes before he dies.

2:21pm
With the smack of her squeal, Willeby is tossed from the 7th story window
onto passing, Agusta High-School Bus, number 434.
The colors bleed from his primary-overts onto his pale talons.
Eight minutes before he dies.

2:22pm
Willeby smiles at the wipe of concrete bridges, the stink of clouds.
Blood climbs his yellow plume and spills over the windshield.
Seven minutes before he dies.

2:23pm
The pop over manholes twist cartilage and return Willeby to
the present-moment; the center of sinewy tissue.
He finally tastes the fresh-oiled seed and sticky honey.
Six minutes before he dies.

2:24pm
His seven remaining tertials swim in the sideways rain.
Willeby pecks at exposed muscle to stay awake.
Five minutes before he dies.

2:25pm
Beneath the fine black lining his eyes waltz with the hum of engines.
This was the ease of sincere fruit, the freedom of every bird in town.
His last song would be his finest.
Four minutes before he dies.

2:26pm
The strings were angel hairs, the brass, bone of Roman Gods.
The beat of this drum reminds Willeby of Mother.
Three minutes before he dies.

2:27pm
The balance of soot and acrid wind surround his keel breastplate.
Wet the beak and bellow for the caged birds, Willeby.
He does, and the company of tailing pigeons listen.
Two minutes before he dies.

2:28pm
Willeby soars over the metropolitan expressway and steadies
his missing wings for the final flight.
One minutes before he dies.

2:29pm
Good day to you, Willeby. And good night to your captures.
Tomorrow you will have a Golden Alula and ripe feathers.
He swallows and weaps for the trapped children below.
Then, Willeby dies.


I wrote Willeby after watching the film, Momento. I wanted to play with time and structure, having contrast between movement. I'm not sure I completely succeeded in this but it was fun practice. The theme dictates the pace I think. The bird moves through pain and truly experiences every moment. As the clock winds down he evolves and understands his position in life again; contrast with backwards movement maybe. The clock rolls on as he returns to darkness.

I thought children would be a nice characteristic to open and close with; the little snot-nosed girl at the top panics and whips Willeby out of the window, and the quiet of his resolve while children play below him in the end.

Alveraz Ricardez

Sweet...


Alveraz Ricardez

A few new pages from my series, The Overground...







Alveraz Ricardez

After four years of production, screeners of the first feature I wrote & directed, The Tailor will be available for our anxious distributors on the 13th. I'm also reserving screeners for cast & crew. If you've found this update and were part of that fabulous team, please drop me an email at info@zampanofilms.com and leave me your address.

In honor of those months in desert-production hell, I present you with a glimpse into the pain and suffering this selfless team went through to produce my humble vision. This is Ken, our fearless editor, shortly after waking with a high fever and barfing on himself during a 4-hour tumultuous scene wherein he laid naked in 100 degree sand, covered in ants...


Awesomeness.

Want to see a trailer for The Tailor? Visit www.myspace.com/thetailor

Here's a few more sample pages from my comic-book series, The Overground...

My brother is taking over half of Zampano Photography which gives me more time to concentrate on my writing projects. He�??s moving up later this week, I�??m real excited. If you�??re in Los Angeles and need any portrait, corporate or event work done be sure to swing by www.zampanophoto.com

Some killer pages of The Overground and notes on the journey so far, coming soon.

The creative team for my comic-book series, The Overground has been finalized; Randy Valiente on pencils/ink, Alexander Tobler on colors, and Oren Kramek on letters. These guys are pretty amazing at what they do and we�??re off to a smokin' start...

In the world of cinema, I received some reassuring news from the producers of my feature script, The Mask of Manolo. They are working with another Producer, David Grifiths (The Hunted, Collateral Damage) and he�??s giving them a hand with packaging now. It was always a possibility he would come on board to help, but it�??s a sure thing now, and the ball keeps rolling along. They're attaching talent now and working with Endeavor I believe.

Next up, some insight into a revelation I'm having about the current state of poem.

One-thousand years following the final ice age...

The United Democratic has become a vast and secure nation underground. Above, Earth is only known as the Overground, forgotten through history; rekindled in old testaments and children�??s fables.

The political system has developed into a stable Oligarchy, presided by three Queens, separate in their delegation but equal in control. Humanity is now peaceful and egalitarian by nature, however capitalist venture and greed has gained momentum over the last century, causing separation in class and for the first time, subtle but distinct unrest.

All of humanity is encapsulated within miles of shapeless, pearl walls that reach high into a vast manufactured sky. The lands are lit by enormous fluorescent orbs that hover in a regulated thick mist, twelve hours a day. Survival is paramount and the sciences are a priority, ever developing new, sufficient agricultural and sustainable means of nourishment.

Some passive evolutionary changes have occurred such as acute vision, giving the iris a distinct illumination. Skin has all but lost its pigment. There are a few documented cases of progressive evolutionary changes. One such case is Dr. Clayton Shaw.

And so begins my first comic book in a 12-part series, The Overground. The last few weeks I�??ve been consumed by this new world of ominous oxygen systems and tyrannical Queens. Our artist, Ryan Valiente lives in the Philippines, so there�??s a 15 hour difference we�??re dealing with. So after my days of writing and rewriting panels and dialogue I check back into the late hours for updated sketches of my new world, miles below the Earth�??s surface.

Shall I work backwards? Twas a whirlwind month, my friends.

My latest feature screenplay, The Mask of Manolo was recently optioned by a real enthusiastic and determined production team. They have 52 days left on the option agreement, not that I'm counting. I feel good about them and think they'll strike a deal soon. If not, I was approached by a couple investors ready to finance the project, with me at the helm. It's a win-win situation and in 52 days I may be going into pre-production. Woo-hoo! Check out a recent write-up of the script here.

I finished writing the first issue of a 12-part comic book series, The Overground. Our fabulous artist, Randy Valiente has begun preliminary concept sketches and should have the first two pages ready later this week. I'll post a few in here when time permits. The color and letter folks will join us next week. We should make the San Diego Comic-Con by a nose.

The Tailor, a feature Western I wrote/directed back in '05 is finally in the last stages of post-production. It is now in the capable hands of Kilyoung Baek at Los Angeles Recording. After the final 5.1 mix we'll be returning to Kyler's editing suite for titles and finishing. Then, we'll get screeners in the hands of the growing list of distributors we've accumulated over the last three years. Holy mackerel, has this film taken forever or what?! Check out the trailer here.

The State of Poem, a feature documentary we shot last year has finally found an editor, Paul Pieulle. We haven't decided yet on a final format. We're still looking at a webisode series but we can't shake its potential as a feature film either, and too many distributors have interest at this point to pass that up. I'll keep you posted on that. Check out the trailer here.

I've been on a couple pretty awesome script assignments lately. I did a polish for a real cool zombie-horror being released next year. I signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I have to keep quiet about it...for now ;) The other screenplay was a re-write for a thriller, not as cool as zombies eating cops, but still pretty awesome.

My headshot business for actors, Zampano Photography has really taken off over the last few months. I haven't been able to handle the workload with writing taking priority, however my brother Alex is moving up here to L.A. soon and will become an official partner. Need headshots? Know someone who does? Swing by the website here.

Finally, my kick-ass family is doing very well. My wife, Erin was recently promoted to Director of Human Resources at her company, CBIZ! We're all very proud of her and it was well deserved, she's the real worker around here ;) Our kids are doing great, Parker starts basketball next week and Carson starts a soccer clinic in two weeks. I work from home so we'll be spending the entire Summer together; lot's of camping and sports!

Stay tuned, kiddies, more to come soon!

Alveraz Ricardez

How strange. I just read the posts below this one, from 4 years ago. I don't recognize that guy. So much has changed, so little has changed. Once I fix this outdated blog template I'll post an update.