My (male) cousin Ashley got married this past weekend at the Grandview House atop the oh-so-scenic Lookout Mountain here in Chattaboogie, TN. I served as a groomsman. The earliest all the guys could get together for a bachelor party was the night before the wedding, so that’s when we had it.

Perhaps not the wisest of decisions.

While no one was hanging over the rail the next day, so to speak, we definitely didn’t feel like running any marathons. But what’s important was, Ashley didn’t seemed phased…even when the storm clouds gathered to blot out the sun a mere half hour before the wedding (Did I mention the ceremony was to be held outside? No? Well it was).

However, there was no need to worry. I simply used my god-like abilities to clear the sky and call forth the sun (My control over the weather is my second-best power, coming right after my ability to turn on the refrigerator light without opening the fridge door . I’m doing it to your refrigerator light right now. Don’t believe me? Go check. You’ll see.).

Anywho, the ceremony went off without a hitch. The groom was dashing and the bride radiant. Afterward, they wanted to dance on into the night. But as my fellow groomsmen and I had already spent seven hours (I’m not kidding!) in our suits (dress was casual) without having fully recovered from the previous night, most of us opted to retire to our respective homesteads.

Overall, it was a great time. The Berryhills gained a lovely new family member and I gave my infant niece her first dance, twirling her around at the reception.

Now, onto the doubly famous stuff.

Click on the link below to read my interview with the Demon Hunterologist herself, Alethia Kontis (alla Ingram Books). To learn more about Lee and her work visit alethiakontis.com. She’s also on myspace.

http://www.ingramlibrary.com/MRKNG/FD/0608/ra/Genre.html

Kickstart Productions has, at long last, officially announced that the movie rights for Chance Fortune are up for grabs. Lil’ ol’ me even has a couple of pages at Hollywood.com, which apparently is a cross between Fandango.com and E News. Click on the links below and take a look. Holl-ee-wood! Da-da-da-da! Holl-ee-wood!

http://www.hollywood.com/movie/Chance_Fortune_and_the_Outlaws/5248195

http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Shane_Berryhill/5229397

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Happy Independence Day!

Shane

www.shaneberryhill.com

Kickstart Productions, Inc. recently entered into a deal to develop the first and second books in author Shane Berryhill’s The Adventures of Chance Fortune series, Chance Fortune and the Outlaws and Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone for the screen. Mr. Berryhill has been contracted to write the screenplay.

Chance Fortune and Outlaws is the story of young Tennessee native Joshua Blevins, a normal human boy who secrets his way into an academy for superheroes using a false identity. Under the moniker of Chance Fortune, Josh rises among the ranks of his fellow students through wits and sheer force of will.

Kickstart Productions, Inc., is a full-service production company specializing in live action film, animation, and visual effects. Kickstart’s credits include the live action The Cat in the Hat, Mike Mignola’s Amazing Screw-on Head, and the upcoming Wanted starring Angelina Jolie.

Chance Fortune and the Outlaws was originally published by Starscarpe, Tor’s young adult division, in August 2006, and is currently available in hardcover and paperback. Chance Fortune and the Outlaws, is an official selection of Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader Program, the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age, and the Texas Lone Star Reading List. The second volume of the series, Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone, is to release later this year.

To learn more, please visit the following webpages: www.shaneberryhill.com, www.kickstartent.com, www.tor-forge.com, and www.pmalitfilm.com.

CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS releases in paperback tomorrow, January 2, 2008. The book is an official selection of Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader List, the NY Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age, and the Texas Lone Star Reading List.

Anywho…Last night, Lesley and I spent our New Year’s Eve at a party hosted by a couple we are friends with. The couple in question just purchased a swank new home in a gorgeous Chattanooga neighborhood—the kind where my presence immediately causes the property value to plummet. Regardless of this, they were kind enough to open their doors to us and forty or so other guests to kick off the New Year.

Of those, not counting our gracious hosts, we really only knew one other couple, and spent the majority of our time conversing with them. Now the latter are as fun and fancy free as Lesley and myself, so when our hosts’ fourteen-year-old daughter and her friend came in with a load of balloons filled with Helium, there was only one thing for us to do!

Yes, we rang in the New Year gulping adult beverages and singing what sounded like the Chipmunks’ version of everything from Willie Nelson to Def Leppard, busting our guts laughing the whole time!

Most of the other guests either looked at us with dumbstruck faces or ignored our hijinks entirely. Well, too bad for them. If I ever begin take myself so seriously, please smack some sense into me. But, over all, it was a great way to send out the old year and ring in the new. Good times!

Wishing you all good FORTUNE in ’08,

Shane Berryhill

www.shaneberryhill.com

CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS chosen for the TEXAS LONE STAR READING LIST

(November 12, 2007) 

The first volume of THE ADVENTURES OF CHANCE FORTUNE series, CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS, has been chosen for the Texas Lone Star Reading List. The Texas Lone Star Reading List is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books. Each book on the list has been favorably reviewed for grades 6, 7, and 8 in a professional review source. For more information on YART or the TLSR please visit http://www.txla.org/groups/yart/lonestar.h tml on the web.

CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS is also listed with Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader Program and the New York Public Library’s 2007 BOOKS FOR THE TEEN AGE. YA Books Central proclaims ’OUTLAWS the perfect book for reluctant boy or girl readers.

CHANCE FORTUNE AND THE OUTLAWS releases in paperback January 2008. The second volume of the series also releases in 2008. For information regarding advance orders, please visit www.starscapebooks.com.

The New York Public Library recently selected Tennessee author Shane Berryhill’s novel Chance Fortune and The Outlaws for inclusion in Books for the Teen Age 2007. This list, now in its 78th year of publication, selects the best of the previous year’s publishing for teenagers, 12 to 18 years old. All the titles chosen have been read and reviewed by teenagers, young adult librarians, and teen literature experts and recommended for this special publication, which will be available on March 24th.

This annual resource offers titles on subjects ranging from stories of urban teens and poetry to mysteries, biographies, romance, adventure and sports. Free copies of Books for the Teen Age are distributed to local New York City libraries, schools, and community-based organizations. Books for the Teen Age is sold to school and public libraries in all 50 states, as well as internationally.

Chance Fortune and the Outlaws is also on Renaissance Learning’s Advanced Reader reading list. The Renaissance Learning (TM) - Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is designed to help accelerate reading growth. The program encourages children to be “Read To”, “Read With” or “Read Independently” AR books and take a computer based quiz to assess their comprehension of the story. The program is designed to promote individual reading, improve children’s critical thinking skills and build the intrinsic love of reading. Children enrolled in schools that participate in this national program can now earn points/credit for reading Chance Fortune and The Outlaws.

Chance Fortune and The Outlaws is the first book in the series The Adventures of Chance Fortune. Author Shane Berryhill was raised in southeast Tennessee and currently lives with his wife in Chattanooga and continues to work on the next books in the series, along with several other novels.

Chance Fortune and The Outlaws is available at Books-A-Million, Waldenbooks and Barnes and Noble. It may also be purchased online at amazon.com.