Married At First Sight

Writers Beware! 

NDA's and Copyright will not protect you from these predatory networks and prodco's! There is no justice for people like me, hardworking talent fighting to make it. The laws favor and are created by powerful corporations who are out to steal your work.  They actually hire people whose only job is to troll the internet looking for shows to rip off.  Do not post your work on TV Writer's Vault! That's where my show was stolen!  That NDA is worthless!  Remove your work from TVWritersVault.com immediately before it gets ripped off!

A judge ruled to dismiss my case today because the law as it is written now does not protect writers of reality shows. It is ridiculous to say that copyright law does not protect reality shows because it is just an idea and ideas are public domain. I wrote a five-page treatment detailing every episode for an entire season, and they copied it, even the title!  They even used some of the same verbiage in promoting the show.  But, a treatment is not considered intellectual property.  They say a reality show is unscripted, but we all know that is not entirely true.  The way the law is written, this network could have admitted to acquiring my show and signing the NDA, but because they tweaked it and made a few minor changes, it is legal.

This just isn't right.  It is beyond unfair and unjust!  I have been robbed before, but it didn't hurt like this because I could count on the law to make it right.  Even though I was unable to recover what was stolen, the thieves were held accountable and punished, and I felt some vindication.  I don't like losing.  I hate losing my work, and I hate losing this case before it even began.  This was not a fair fight.  I will never get over this!

I am beyond devastated.  Don't know if I will ever recover. Meanwhile, they're making millions off my hard work while I struggle to survive.  I am literally on the verge of becoming homeless.  I just feel like giving up. You have no idea how hard I worked to come up with something original and good! And they just ripped it from me!

If I could find my inner warrior, I'd go to the Supreme Court and try to change this law.  It needs to be expanded to cover reality shows.  This is a new genre, so the law needs to be updated.  Just as in the case of the Internet as it relates to music, tv shows, and movies, the laws had to be expanded to protect these media from being illegally downloaded and sold.

Who's with me?  If there are any writers out there who have experienced something similar, holla at me.  Share your experience in the comments below.  I know there are many writers out there who, like me, didn't even get the chance to fight for their rights in court, getting cut off at the knees by gutless judges who sided with these shady networks by granting their motions to dismiss!  Or unable to even file a lawsuit because they could not afford an attorney.  Just like anything else, nothing changes until people stand together and fight injustice!  I  can't do this alone.

Read the TMZ article that picked up my story when I filed the lawsuit several months ago...

 http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/18/married-at-first-sight-lawsuit-stole-idea/

Is there a support group for victims of copyright infringement?  Sign me up!

Dust Yourself Off

...And Try Again.

I haven't posted anything in a while.  Been busy trying to keep my head above water since life started kicking the shit out of me last year. 

I've decided to submit my screenplays to a few competitions again.  Two weeks until the first screenplay contest deadline.  I've dusted off and begun rewriting the first screenplay I wrote over 10 years ago.  I haven't given up on it yet.  
My short story "7 Lucys" is the prelude for this screenplay.  

So, 8 pages a day, then I try again. 

Wish me luck!

I'll keep trying 'til I'm old and grey!

What do you think of the title "7 Lucys"? Do you think I should come up with another title for the screenplay?

Start reading 7 Lucys now: http://ylcantrell.blogspot.com/2014/08/7-lucys-excerpt.html

One Year Anniversary

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVE MAKERS!

Get it now! Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, Nook, etc.

Join my Facebook page for a chance to win a free autographed copy!

https://www.facebook.com/YLCantrellbooks

I can't believe it has been one year since I published my first novel!  It has been a crazy and emotional year of ups and downs.  I have sold a few books and received some excellent reviews (scroll down to read a few), but mostly I have learned a great many lessons.  After sacrificing everything to pursue my dream of becoming a writer, I am grateful for my accomplishments as well as my failures.  I have had to put things on hold due to a few setbacks along the way, but I am slowly getting back on track to meet my four books a year goal.  I have also ventured into creating TV shows, but I'll tell you more about that later.  Lots of drama there!

If there is anyone out there who is afraid to go after their dream, just do it.  I know it sounds trite, but just do it.  You are going to fail.  That is unavoidable and necessary to developing your muscles.  Go for it with all you've got and never give up.  Do it because you love it and because it makes you feel alive, even if you don't get rich.  Remember...

A setback is a setup for a comeback.

This has been a wonderful experience for me, and I hope to one day be able to do nothing else but write great stories.  There is more to come, so stay tuned!