Leap On Over to Celebrate With Us!

We're inviting everyone to round up yer family and come celebrate 'Leap Day' with us for the release of our 2nd children's book: "The Legend of Ten-Gallon Sam and The Perilous Mine" (It's the story of Samson retold).

The event will be "open house" style with light snacks and hopefully some live Western music as well. So, mozy on over to shoot the breeze with The Miller Brothers (Chris & Allan to most of you), find out what God is doing in our author/illustrator careers, get a sneak preview of our upcoming youth-fiction novel, and purchase a copy of the new book ($12.99 signed + personalized).

For those who can make it, there will be a formal 20-minute presentation starting at 6:30 PM that will fill you in on all the juicy details of our current happenings.

Our last book-signing celebration was so much fun. We're looking forward to another great time and hope to see you there. We truly appreciate your support and prayers!

Details Below:

Friday, February 29th
5:30 - 8:00 PM
("speech" @ 6:30)

Valley Bible Church
14024 Stewart Road
Sumner, WA 98390

Better Late than Never!

As some of you know, the original release date for Ten Gallon Sam was scheduled for the 2nd of January. Unfortunately, the container that was being shipped from Singapore with our book on it was held by the FDA for a period of time in California. I guess they thought there were bugs on the container or something. Anyway, the good news is that last week we received word that our second book in the Heroes of Promise series was received by the publisher and shipped out to bookstores around the country. We expect our copies to arrive this Tuesday! Hooray!

We will be selecting and announcing three winners to be awarded an autographed copy of Ten Gallon Sam this Tuesday. Until then you still have time to find the hidden picture of us on the website http://www.heroesofpromise.com/ and earn a chance to win a FREE autographed copy for yourself. (PS - I posted a clue at the end of a previous post on our blog)

It's a Novel...and a baby!

There has been alot going on around here over the past month, which explains why our blog has been so silent.

First things first...a novel was born. We have been in a whirlwind of creative writing and re-writing to complete what will become the first in a three-part book series coming your way next fall (courtesy of Warner Press). As a result, we have been busier than ever, neglecting our blog, exploring new worlds and authoring an exciting adventure full of magic and wonder. We'll be releasing an excerpt from the book online very soon...so check back often. I can hardly wait to share it with you.

Anyway, the book is tentatively titled Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow and it is our first excursion into the youth fiction novel market. Just a few days before Christmas we turned in our completed first draft (all 397 pages) and breathed a huge sigh of relief that could be heard all the way from Seattle to Indiana (the home of our publisher). We made the deadline...barely.

So what is it about? Well, I'll tell ya.

Every ninth grade boy is ready for an adventure and Hunter Brown is no exception...only this time he may have gotten in too deep. Strange things begin to happen when Hunter encounters a mysterious book that reveals dark secrets about the world around him. His friends think the book is cursed, but Hunter is determined to unravel the mystery. It is a quest that takes him into a parallel realm where opposing forces of supernatural power struggle to control his life. On his journey to discover the truth about who he really is, he must battle with dark forces and hideous creatures to save himself from a fate worse than death.

The story has been something I've been kicking around in different forms for several years. I am very happy with the way it has turned out so far. We are still hard at work putting the final touches on some of the scenes and cleaning up some continuity errors throughout the story, in the next couple of weeks. I'd appreciate your prayers as we wrap up this monumentous feat.

One thing that impressed me through the project is how amazing it is to get caught up in the creative process. Sometimes I would start writing a scene and all of a sudden the characters would force me to make a different decision than I would have originally thought they would make. Very strange...whose in control here anyway?

Anyway, the second half of this post is about another addition to our family (even more important than the first). A few days after we delivered our first draft to the publisher, my wife delivered our second son, Truitt! I am so blessed to have such an amazing wife and family. It seems like only yesterday our three-year old Keegan was born. It is a not-so-subtle reminder how time stops for no-one and I am making sure to enjoy them both as much as possible.

Ten Gallon Sam Packs a Big Punch!

Yesterday afternoon, as I was coming home from a lunch break I discovered a special surprise waiting for me at my front door. An overnight package from our publisher (Warner Press). I ran inside and Allan joined me for the ceremonial opening of the first copy of our second book in the Heroes of Promise series.

This book is entitled, The Legend of Ten-Gallon Sam and the Perilous Mine. It was the first time either of us had seen the final result assembled. I have to say, the cover on this book turned out really cool. We chose to use a spot-gloss on the foreground characters and book title - and turned out to be very eye catching indeed. So much so, that our publisher has committed to printing our second run of Gid the Kid books with the spot gloss to match.

Anyway, tor those of you who have enjoyed reading the first book in the series Gid the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits you can rest assured that the second book is almost here. The copy we recieved was sent from Singapore to our publisher who overnighted it to us. It means that the first shipment of Ten-Gallon Sam books are on their way across the pacific on a shipping container from Singapore. Lord willing, the book will be in stores January 15th, 2008.

By the way, if you want a chance to win a pre-release copy of Ten-Gallon Sam (and all the bragging rights that go with it), all you have to do is visit http://www.heroesofpromise.com/ and click on the wanted poster. You'll be sent on a site-wide quest to find those notorious Miller Brothers who are at large. When/If you can find us, there is a link provided that will take you to our luminationstudios.com website to enter in a drawing. The drawing will take place on January 10th, and 3 lucky winners will recieve personalized autographed copies directly from us before they arrive in stores.

P.S. If you are having trouble finding us on the website, I can give you a clue if you highlight the sentence below.

Spoiler Here >> Take some time to click through our Gid the Kid book online.

The Making of a Movie - Part 2

Follow "Gid the Kid" from book to DVD movie

So just how exactly do you fund a DVD movie production?

Traditionally, back in the hayday of direct-to-video releases (1990's), distributors themselves would pay a handsome amount up-front to secure distribution rights. From what we've learned about the market today, this is not so common. No, our route will have to be more of the private investment kind.

However, we know from talking first-hand with families who have bought our book that people care about seeing quality, moral-based content produced. It's what they want to show to their kids and grandkids. So, Chris and I spent some time considering how we could allow the people who care the most about seeing this film produced to get involved in the production process of our "Gid the Kid" movie.

We looked at what our typical supporter was already doing. Many of those who have bought our book have been faithfully spreading word about it, giving them as gifts, even adjusting them on store bookshelves so they would be better seen (we love you guys!). Beyond simply getting a great book out with a great message, the reality is that each book sale from our supporters' efforts generates a profit which, in turn, becomes a very real investment into the "Gid the Kid" movie production budget. Additionally, the more books that make their way into households, the greater the awareness of the "Gid the Kid" story will be - making the eventual DVD release that much more successful. Both financially and, even more importantly, socially, our grassroot supporters will be the ones to make the biggest contribution to this DVD's success in the marketplace.

With all of that in mind, we are excited to have developed a program by which our supporters can get involved in the "Gid the Kid" movie production. The idea is simple: keep doing what you are already doing - telling your friends about the book. For every 10 book sales you refer, you'll earn a movie credit as a "Production Partner" AND earn the chance to make a cameo appearance in the "Gid the Kid" movie.

We'll keep you posted on how this unique program works out. Until then, get on over to our website to see about getting your name in the DVD credits too!

(heh, heh... like our cameo in the ad?)

www.luminationstudios.com

---

[ Read Part 1 ]

---

The Making of a Movie - Part 1

Follow "Gid the Kid" from book to DVD movie

"Is this a movie?"
That is the #1 question we are asked when people see our book, "Gid the Kid", for the first time.

Those of you who know Chris and I are probably familiar with our long-standing affinity for animated films. It goes far beyond just watching them. Even as kids, we had set up our own "animation studio" with drawing boards and light tables for studying and practicing the art of animation. It was that same passion for the art medium that led us to both pursue degrees in "Computer Animation & Multimedia" from the Art Institute of Seattle.

Granted, while our careers to date have steered us through non-film related paths so far, with our background and love for animation, it's no coincidence that our book illustrations for "Gid the Kid" have that "animated feel".

So, to answer that #1 question, "Is this a movie?", we say "Not yet. But that's what we're working on!"

Ever since the release of "Gid the Kid" in July, we have been exploring the market for making this story into a DVD movie. There has been a lot to learn, but no shortage of helpful individuals to learn from. Our research has put us in touch with some really great people who have worked on DVD projects from VeggieTales to Boz to Angel Wars at all levels of production, marketing and distributing. There have been talks with several high-profile distributors who have expressed their interest in the film. At each stage of the process, we have been excited by the positive response and enthusiasm over "Gid the Kid".

From the past months of networking and research, we have emerged with a solid budget, an exciting production studio partner, and several distributor options. Now we head off into the thrilling stage of Funding!...

---

[ Read Part 2 ]

---

Millions Meet The Miller Brothers

[Allan writes:]

Earlier this week, on Wednesday morning, Chris and I appeared as guests on a "live" international TV show called The Harvest Show. Our publisher, Warner Press, arranged to have us on the show for a 10 minute interview; even flying us all the way out to South Bend, IN! Wow!

The 6+ hours it took to fly each direction were not particularily enjoyable, but our brief time on the "live" set was special (So special, we both got to wear makeup - "manly" makeup I'm sure). Seriously, though, the entire production staff for The Harvest Show were very professional and made us feel right at home. While I know it was the prayers of our family and friends in our VIP Club that were most instrumental in calming the of nerves during the interview, the staff certainly did a great job with their part.


Watch the interview on YouTube™

After our TV appearance, we had a few hours to poke around South Bend. We had a quick bite at the local Steak and Shake restaraunt (Mmmm! Split Shakes!) and made a quick stop at the University of Notre Dame (see pic of Chris in front of statue).

While at the restaraunt, though, we had the chance to observe a young mom and her two sons, probably 5 and 2. It didn't take Dr. Phil to see that this was not the 2 year old's day. In the mother's own words, he was "awnry". Helpless to change his attitude, she finally had the waitress change her order "to-go". Through it all, Chris and I were both struck with how well she handled the situation and impressed by the reminder of how much a mother gives to her children when she chooses to stay at home. It gave us a little glimpse of a day-in-the-life-of for our own wives; something we don't get to see that much as working fathers. So, "Thanks Moms!". We appreciate all you do, and all you endure for the sake of loving your children.

And thanks to all of you who prayed for our safe travel and successful interview.