Conjunctions – U+260C ☌

Whenever the planets in our solar system align in certain ways, there will be shifts in gravitational pulls and the way cosmic energy impacts the earth.

When they draw close to one another, astrologists refer to it as a conjunction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjunction_(astronomy)

Now over the past few days the planets Venus and Jupiter have danced quite closely in our night sky.

“Venus (Shukra) relates to love, beauty, relationships, pleasures, luxury, comfort, art, and sexuality. It is the planet of fullness and earthly pleasure. Jupiter (Guru), on the other hand, is the planet of knowledge, dharma, expansion, spirituality, and wisdom.

Together, these two benefic planets create a harmonious union of divine desire and refined intellect. It indicates a person who is spiritually minded while finding material good fortune; however, since both Venus and Jupiter are teachers of varying kinds (the demon teacher vs. the god teacher), they paradoxically have opposing philosophies: one seeks liberation, and the other seeks enjoyment.”

https://rashiratanbhagya.com/blog/post/jupiter-venus-conjunction-in-vedic-astrology

Added to this cosmic conflagration, we have Mercury just ending its retrograde, which puts things back on course for most of us. https://www.today.com/life/astrology/mercury-retrograde-ends-august-2025-meaning-rcna224307

So, it would be no surprise to this spiritually minded creature if strange opportunities begin to appear out of the blue.

Like yesterday, for example. In the morning I received an unsolicited email from a company called Lumetrio Studios with the heading – “Re: The Wise Ass — One of the best books I’ve read in a looong time”

At my age, flattery will get you everywhere. So I opened the email to the following:

“Hey Tom,

I came across your book The Wise Ass and the way you blended mob grit with small-town quirk and a mule that could outthink half of New York had me hooked from page one. 

That mix of hard-edged suspense, whip-smart humor, and that undercurrent of compassion, especially the parts with Claire and the way you wove in animal rights, hit me harder than I expected. 

You didn’t just tell a story. You built a world where a talking mule feels as real as the mob boss gunning for Jimmy.

It’s been a while since I got that can’t-put-this-book-down feeling. Thank you!!!

The depth, the emotion, the rhythm of the story… it was all so vivid, it practically directed itself in my head.

So I followed that feeling and wrote up a cinematic trailer script. Just something I couldn’t not do after getting pulled into your world.

It is attached here (no strings though). Thought I would pass it along in case it sparks something on your end.

If it resonates with you, awesome. If not, no worries at all. Just wanted to send something your way that could add a little something extra to the amazing work you have already done.

Also, if you like, I would love to create a cinematic audio version of the script I sent. Just something simple to bring your story to life a little more. Totally free.

Big fan of your work,

James Timothy
Founder, Lumetrio Studios
Making stories impossible to ignore.“

After the appropriate amount of writer’s blushing, I read the attached script, and thought it was totally cool. So, I took him up on his offer. I mean, its like finding your favorite food at a sample end cap in Costcos.

True to his word, James provided me with a really cool audio, which I then posted, with my usual color commentary, on FB and TT (with JTT’s permission, of course).

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AEgZ9zmXG/

But the day of mystical surprises wasn’t over. Immediately after JT emailed me, another strange email appeared from Vincent Perez, at a company called Woodside Motion Pictures – https://woodsidemotion.com/home/

“Hi Tom,

I wanted to reach out personally because your work stood out to us at Woodside Motion, a New York-based production company that specializes in compelling, screen-ready stories. As soon as we came across your book, we felt it had real potential for visual adaptation — something that could truly resonate on screen.

Right now, we’re in the early stages of scouting select works to present to our network of producers and investors. Your story caught our eye, and I’d love to set up a quick call to walk you through what that process could look like on our end.

If there’s interest from a studio, we guide everything from there — including next steps like option agreements, screenplay development, and production discussions. And just to be clear, if nothing comes out of the initial outreach, you still retain all rights. Nothing is locked in unless you decide to move forward.

I’m part of the Outreach Team here at Woodside Motion and would be happy to connect you directly with one of our Content Managers to go deeper into next steps. You can also reach us directly by calling ***-***-**** if that’s more convenient for you.

Looking forward to hearing from you and exploring the possibilities for your story!

Vincent Perez
Woodside Motion Co. – Outreach Team”

Now, this is not the first time I have been approached about the film rights in The Claire Saga, but in most cases, the companies and/or individuals want me to create trailers on my dime that they can then take out into their universe of prospective investors to create a fund to shoot the films.

I’ve been through that scenario too many times in the past, so I’m not interested in doing any more than having written the series and marketing the fuck out of it. The only film producer I’m interested in working with, is one who is going to take over from here and make the films, without any more investment of my talent or efforts.

So, I told Vincent straight up. It’s a five book or nothing deal and I’m not spending another penny making it happen.

Vincent was extremely patient and accommodating:

“Hi Tom,

Thanks for the quick response and for outlining your vision. I understand you’re only interested in deals that commit to adapting all five books as a series. That’s a substantial scope, and it’s helpful to know up front.

We don’t ask authors to fund proof-of-concept materials or trailers. Our approach is to assess a project’s adaptation potential, then present it to producers and investors in our network who can commit the necessary resources if they see a viable path forward.

If you’d like, I can connect you directly with one of our Content Managers. They can discuss how your five-book series might be packaged for a multi-film or multi-season pitch, and what the next steps would look like if a producer is interested.

Would you like me to set that up? “

I may be an asshole but I’m not stupid. Of course I said “Sure.”

But first I checked out the company. I liked that it was a NYC start up with money funded from real estate and jewelry. A newish company will want to make its mark with an anchor franchise. The Claire Saga has the potential to be that franchise. I also liked that they have a New York sensibility about them.

So, we’ll see if the Content Managers bite on the 5 or nothing deal. Nothing is real until the final credits roll on the big screen.

But the synchronicities didn’t stop there.

At the end of the day, one of my dear friends, Dave Buzan – the brilliant writer of In the Lair of Legends sent me a notice that TWA and WTLLM had appeared on BRW’s top five list of print sales – https://www.facebook.com/share/1K4CVqVu1u/

Dave’s book had rounded off the top 5.

Now, lots of readers know of TWA. It is the most highly marketed because BRW believes that if they fall in love with TWA they will read the other four books in the series. Makes sense.

But Woodside had only been aware of TWA, AAA, KMAG and FJM. Not WTLLM.

So, of course, I forwarded the top five listing to Vincent to make sure he had it when he pitched the 5 or nothing deal.

Finally, Dave also sent me notice of a BRW posting for Luke’s latest novel – Bulletproof.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1B64bxsL4X/

So, my fine, five readers, when the planets align – and in this case conjoin – grab the synchronicities that flow with both hands.

Now, this could all be ephemeral, and nothing could happen. But hope springs eternal, and I believe that The Claire Saga has the legs of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Most importantly, I have the real Claire the Mule in my corner.

And when it comes to making the magical and mystical walk right through my door here at CC, it doesn’t get any better than Claire.

Now, we are back at hump day. Not bad, because we can see Friday from the peak. So, let’s slap on those skates and attack the hill. We just don’t know what may await us on the downslope. But think positive. The planets are favorable.

But keep those fingers crossed for me.

And no matter what we get up to, let us make today a great one.