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Steve Alten Newsletter November 2004
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in this issue
-- Jan De Bont Will Direct MEG
-- Tragic News
-- Presidential Election

READER POLL: What Alten novel do you want next? I've been busy working on screenplays for MEG and DOMAIN, and preparing for the launch of my guaranteed best novel to date, THE LOCH, set to be released May1st, 2005, along with the paperback of MEG; Primal Waters. It'll be a summer 2005 CREATURE DOUBLE FEATURE!

But what to write next? As always, I want your input. So here's a few choices for a summer 2006 novel:

A: SORCERESS (the sequel to Goliath)
B: PHOBOS (the last book in the DOMAIN trilogy)
C: MEG 4; Hell's Aquarium - The final chapter of MEG ???
D. Something original. (Shh, can't tell, sort of a political thriller)

Cast your vote on the home page of SteveAlten.com The winning selection will receive a sneak preview in the hardback copy of The LOCH. I'll also be announcing a contest soon, calling for CHARACTERS to be in the novel.

Jan De Bont Will Direct MEG
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MEG movie news - Jan De Bont will direct MEG movie I confirmed this awesome news in the last newsletter, that the director of Twister will be directing the MEG movie...using MY screenplay! Jan and the entire Hellboy team (who are producing) have been giving me great direction and input on the script, and the changes will make the movie better than the book, while still staying true to the story and action.

However..while we are in negotiation with one major studio, at this writing, we do NOT have a movie deal yet. That means no release date, because nothing has been signed off on yet. But if and when it happens, you guys will be the first ones to know, because you are the ones supporting my work, spreading the word about the books, and ultimately making it happen.

Stay tuned.

The LOCH contest:

Very soon, we will launch a new LOCH contest, where the winners will receive prizes, including the chance at an all-expense paid vacation to Scotland and Loch Ness! Newsletter readers will have the inside track on competing in the Loch Ness Investigation Game. Clues can be found at the LOCH link on www.SteveAlten.com


Tragic News
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Vito Bertucci, famed fossil hunter, a.k.a. The MEGALODON MAN, drowned several weeks ago while scuba diving in dangerous shark infested waters in the Ogeechee river in Georgia, while searching for MEG teeth. On Vito's third dive the tide shifted. His partner surfaced. Vito did not. His body was recovered several days later, his air tanks empty.

I had spoken with Vito a week earlier. He was excited about the MEG movie prospects and had recently been hired by my publisher to help promote the Primal Waters paperback, using his shark teeth jewelry. I met Vito at the 1998 Venice Beach shark tooth festival, in Venice Beach, FL. We stayed in touch, became friends, and he used his massive 10-foot high Megalodon jaws to help promote my work at the 2003 NEA event and the recent Book Expo in Chicago. His character is mentioned in Primal Waters, along with several other shark tooth vendors. His museum is promoted in the back of the novel.

Vito was 48. He is survived by his wife, Kim. He'll be missed.


Presidential Election
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Many readers have been asking me who I am voting for on November 2nd. And, like you, I have been inundated with telemarketers, commercials, and negative ads. Living in Florida, it's impossible to avoid these nuisances. As a proud American, it's sad to see how the media uses itself as a tool to slander, slur, and attack the political process. God-knows what will happen in swing States that have close races. Something has to change if things are to get better.

In the past, I have voted mostly Democrat but have also voted Republican. I consider myself open-minded to the issues at play. On this election, I base my final decision on several factors; conversations with American soldiers/fans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, my research into Global Warming, the importance of stem cell research, and most of all - the importance of maintaining what this country stands for - freedom for all her citizens, including the right to express oneself.

We are NOT a Christian nation, we are a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, and we welcome all to our melting pot who contribute positively to our society. The Bush Administration blurs the Constitution's separation of Church and State in its attempt to please the radical right. More worrisome, it covets information, turns it inside out, or removes what they just don't what us to see. This includes excising 28 pages from the 9-11 report regarding the involvement of the Saudi government, altering the science in the Global Warming reports, and VP Cheney's refusal to identify the key players in his energy summit. These things scare me. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And so, on Tuesday November 2nd, with confidence and conviction, I will be voting for John Kerry and the Democrats. Whether or not you agree with me, I respect your right to express yourself, and hope we can all work together to reunite this country following what could be another nasty election.

That's all for now. Stay well, stay in touch, spread the word, vote, and know I appreciate you.

-Steve Alten