July 4th weekend how is that possible? Time flies by. Hopefully we'll be seeing a MEG movie July 4th of 2011. No formal announcement yet, but the private financing is coming together nicely. Hopefully, we'll be signing a top director soon, then we'll announce the news. Please if you haven't purchased a copy of MEG: Hell's Aquarium now would be a great time. As promised, this newsletter also announces a NEW character contest for PHOBOS, the third book in the DOMAIN series PLUS breaking news and video about a Hollywood starlet being attacked by a monstrous Great White Shark!

Yikes!

DOMAIN Movie Deal
Last month, I announced that DOMAIN, translated in Spanish as El Testamento Maya, remains a huge best seller in Spain, Mexico, and is being optioned in Central and South America. Manolo Cardona, who has been in films in the States (Beverly Hills Chihuahua), but is a big star in Columbia, has optioned the dramatic rights, along with my script. We expect to sign the contracts next week. Manolo, who is in Chichen Itza as we speak, will star in the film as Michael Gabriel, and he'll be great. Domain is probably the most difficult of my novels to adapt, and being a 2012 piece, must go into production soon to be ready before the "Mayan Doomsday." I am confident Manolo will have a big hit. It will be a major Hollywood Release in English.

Actress Lana Wood attacked by monstrous sharks!
Hollywood actress Lana Wood, who once played Plenty O'Toole opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever, was attacked by what eyewitnesses say was a Megalodon, a 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the Great White shark. The attack occurred in the waters off the coast of Monterey, California in the pages of New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten's new release MEG: Hell's Aquarium.

Lana Wood, a former Playboy centerfold, has an extensive career in the movies, and wrote a best- selling memoir about her late sister, actress Natalie Wood, back in 1986. She contacted Steve Alten a year ago and asked the author to make her a character in his new MEG book, the fourth and best story in the series.

"My grandson and I love shark stories, and we're both huge fans of the MEG series. I contacted Steve, and he agreed to write me in as a character. I just finished reading the book -- oh my gosh, what a thrill ride, I was exhausted by the time I finished it! Steve is the new Peter Benchley, and MEG is JAWS on steroids. And my character's scene is so scary but you'll have to read the book to find out if I survive."

In his review of Hell's Aquarium, Steve Donoghue, Managing Editor of Open Letters Monthly states, "Alten writes the whole thing in hyperkinetic present tense, with turns and twists in every scene until it squeaks there's a scene late in the book involving a shark autopsy that any thriller-writer would give a tonsil to have thought up! The whole thing fizzes with the kind of fun delirium only the most effective giant killer shark novels dare to attempt."

Lana Wood will be appearing at Comicon in San Diego July 16th - 19th as a featured guest in a special area that will house the "Women of James Bond." George Lazenby, who played 007 in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" will also be appearing. Lana says she will offer free autographs to anyone showing up with a copy of MEG: Hell's Aquarium.

This year marks Comicon's 40th anniversary. Record crowds are expected. TO INTERVIEW STEVE ALTEN: e-mail at Meg82159@aol.com

See Lana Wood being attacked...

Character Contest: DOMAIN 3: PHOBOS
I will begin writing the novel in late July and I NEED character names! Since we are pushing sales for MEG: Hell's Aquarium, the contest will aim to promote that release. A little hustle and you could be immortalized! CONTEST DATES: July 6th - July 16th, 2009

OBJECTIVE: To spread the above PRESS RELEASE & LINK (Actress attacked by shark) to as many media outlets as possible over the next 10 days. Simply cut and paste the story in an e-mail and send to newspapers, TV, and radio shows. Be sure to include the link and submitted by (YOUR NAME). Any e-mail leading to a TV, radio, or newspaper story/interview is an automatic winner, with a top 100 newspaper article or TV appearance making the e-mailer a MAJOR character!

SUGGESTED SUBJECT LINES IN E:MAIL:
ACTRESS LANA WOOD ATTACKED BY 70 FOOT SHARK
BOND GIRL ATTACKED BY SHARK
Breaking Story: Playboy centerfold attacked by shark.

This is the fun part, use your creativity and imagination to hook the producer or writer to read the e-mail.

WINNERS: The first 50 winners will be selected as characters.

HINTS: This is not as hard as it seems. It's a great story, with great B-roll on the website. Google TOP 100 US NEWSPAPERS to get a list. E-mail your local radio & TV AM news shows. An hour of hustle can reach dozens of outlets. When I am contacted, I will ask who sent them the story. The ten day deadline allows us to tie-in Lana's appearance with the release.

MEG-5 CHARACTER CONTEST:
The contest is in full swing and the competition for the top 50 spots is still wide open! Go to the below link to enter or see the weekly updates (posted every Friday).

Enter & See Contest Updates...

MEG-5: Night Stalkers
For those of you who have read Hell's Aquarium, you know there will be one more MEG book. I plan on writing and releasing MEG: Night Stalkers so that it coincides with the MEG movie. And yes, it will most likely be the last MEG book.

Next Release: The SHELL GAME paperback
This is actually an entirely NEW edition, the changes and outcome reflecting an Obama Administration in office when the next 9/11 false flag event strikes. It is far more terrifying and even more real. I hold nothing back this time around. The book will be released the week of 9/11/09.

SHELL GAME blurber taken hostage
On June 30th, 2009, the humanitarian vessel Spirit of Humanity was attacked and boarded by the Israeli navy 23 miles off the coast of Gaza. Former U.S. Congresswoman and Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney is among the 21 human rights workers taken prisoner off the ship. A day earlier, Cynthia has approved a blurb for the Shell Game paperback literally minutes before boarding a plane for Cyprus. Years ago, during the 9/11 "investigation," Cynthia was the only member of Congress who dared question Donald Rumsfeld about the wargame exercises taking place on the morning of 9/11 that diverted all jet fighters from intercepting the four hijacked planes. Rumsfeld blew her off with his noncommittal responses, the commission never followed up, and Cynthia, a six term Congresswoman, was defeated by a GOP challenger with (surprise) far more funding. She was the Green Party candidate in 2008. Cynthia is not just a politician, she is a doer who tries to make the world a better place for all. That her situation has received little press is, sadly, par for the course. I am encouraging all of my readers to reach out by any means to the White House, to the international media, to the Israeli embassy in Washington and by whatever means they can to protest this attack on a humanitarian relief effort and to ensure the safety of all aboard.

LIVING TIPS: Sun Tea = Bacteria risk
Using the heat of the sun to make this popular beverage is a great past time no matter where people live. It's easy and fun, and a rather nifty way of harnessing the sun's energy. However, making sun tea is really not a healthy thing to do. Apparently, the warm 130 degree temperature of the water is the perfect medium for brewing a nice batch of bacteria. According the Center for Disease Control, brewing sun tea for long periods of time, actually encourages the growth of bacteria. Apparently there's a type of ropey bacteria called Alcaligenes viscolactis which is commonly found in tap water. Since water must be heated to 195 degrees for 3-5 minutes to kill bacteria, the relatively low temperatures of sun tea just isn't hot enough to kill anything, either in the water or the tea. To be safe, boil it. IF YOU WANT TO SHARE A LIVING TIP, SEND IT TO Steve at Meg82159@aol.com

RECIPE of the Month: Seven Ingredient Tomato Sauce
(Takes forever to make, but so worth it) 2 tablespoons olive oil, 7 cloves garlic, minced, 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, 2 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves, 1 pinch white sugar. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute garlic, being careful not to burn it. Pour in tomato paste and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, pepper, salt, basil and sugar; stir. Cook on low for three hours, stirring occasionally.

*IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at MEG82159@aol.com Put RECIPE in the subject line.

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That's all for now. Stay well, stay safe and know this author appreciates you very much.

Sincerely,

Steve Alten