I’m Victor Greywolf: writer, low budget filmmaker and actor. One thing that I have noticed, especially with artists who have struggled with their works, is there are many myths about making it. Here’s how I’ve learned to cope with the situations, as I lived through them: Myth: If you are older than 40 and haven’t made it, you will never reach your goal Fact: This is a self-imposed limitation. You believe that filmmakers are only looking for the young (pre-teen to 25) crowd, and because you are in your 40’s, it is the end. That is nothing but a bunch of crap, and that is being polite. A lot of filmmakers cannot fill their demand for adults, especially in the older roles. Older roles are out there, and they are looking for you. You just have to know where to look. Look for roles in independent films or theater or even videos. People get things done when they get things done. You don’t know if the story is even true, depending on the source. What do you do? Learn how to question those stories. You are on your own journey. You are doing what you do. Eddie Murphy made it at 19, but Rodney Dangerfield didn’t make it until he was almost fifty. Fifty! You aren’t in competition with anyone. You will make it when you make it. Enjoy the ride and go with the flow. Myth: People say that I am a legend in my own mind, so I am not worth following. Fact: There will always be those who get you and those who won’t. Don’t let the fact that detractors are out there get you down. Sometimes, they are your biggest publicists, because they’re talking about you, right? People talk. Let...

I met acclaimed author Jeff Lane through another Amused Now Featured Artist, filmmaker Aaron Thomas. Jeff and Aaron are working on a film project based on Jeff’s best-selling book This Paper World, the story of how 18-year-old Jim Hunt confronts his destiny. When I asked how he and Aaron met, Jeff explained that Aaron reached out to him after hearing This Paper World podcast as a serialized audiobook. Aaron was listening to the book and fell in love with it. The two started communicating via email. When Jeff noticed that Aaron was a filmmaker, he checked out Aaron’s work. “It just kindda blew my mind. Here’s this very talented filmmaker who likes my art.” The two stayed in touch and, eventually, Aaron said, “I want to do something with this book” and they’ve been working on the film ever since. I’ve seen a few of the trailers and the finished film should be fabulous. Jeff studied Music and Video Business at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He worked 2nd shift in a bank call center. Jeff claims he wrote This Paper World to stave off boredom while working at the bank, so I asked him, “When did you decide to become an author?” At the time, Jeff worked at night and his wife worked during the day, so one day he went into his home office, opened a blank document and started writing. Initially, Jeff didn’t really plan to write a novel. He didn’t have the entire story sketched out in his head. Jeff knew that he wanted to write a classic hero’s tale. The story grew organically as he started writing about Jim. What was Jeff’s inspiration?  You’ll see Star Wars and Stephen King’s Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger references with a...