Which comes first – the book or the movie?

With his fourth mystery, Stuff to Die For,  slated for release by Oceanview Publishing in September, award-winning author Don Bruns decided to take an unusual approach to generating advance buzz for the book.  While the typical chain of events is book first, movie second, Bruns is doing just the opposite with the release of the Stuff to Die For movie this month, a professionally-produced short film based on the forthcoming book.  30-second, 60-second and full length clips are available for view on the author’s website www.donbrunsbooks.com, on the publisher’s website www.oceanviewpub.com, and on YouTube and MySpace.   This Fall, the movie will also be featured in a number of movie theaters in Miami, where the book takes place, as well as on television stations in selected markets.

Dubbed “the buddy caper of the year” by award-winning author Claudia Bishop, Stuff to Die For (Oceanview Publishing, $24.95, 978-1-933515-10-6) introduces James Lessor and Skip Moore. James and Skip may have the right stuff to start a business, but chasing the American dream will leave them running for their lives in this witty, gritty mystery about big dreams, big ideas – and big trouble

According to Bruns, “Book trailers are all the rage among authors, but most of the trailers are pretty simple.  I write visually and always envision my books as movies and wanted to create something out of the ordinary for Stuff to Die For.”

The first step, says Bruns, was calling the University of Miami Film School where he was referred to Big Guy Productions, a film production company started by four graduate students.   After the team at Big Guy read the manuscript, Bruns received a call, and within weeks, the Stuff to Die For movie was scripted cast, and in production in Miami.

Bruns says he is thrilled by the result: “The actors are absolutely superb. James and Skip are a lot like what the Hardy Boys would be like at age 24 and the team at Big Guy Productions really did a phenomenal job bringing the story and the characters to life.”

In the end, says Bruns, it’s all about standing out: “It’s a crowded market for books and authors today and there are a whole lot of authors clamoring for attention. Ten years ago, creating a movie to promote a book would have been almost unheard of, but now, with the internet as such an important vehicle, authors have so many more ways to reach potential readers.”

Don Bruns is an award-winning novelist, songwriter, musician and advertising executive who divides his time between Ohio and South Florida. He is the author of Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat and South Beach Shakedown, a music murder mystery series featuring entertainment journalist Mick Sever. Bruns’ South Beach Shakedown was recently awarded top honors in the mystery/suspense/thriller category of both the Best Books 2006 sponsored by USA Book News, and the 2007 Indie Excellence Awards, sponsored by PubInsider Magazine, and named a finalist in the mystery/suspense category of both the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, and the Benjamin Franklin Awards. Oceanview Publishing (www.oceanviewpub.com) is an independent press headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Stuff to Die For will be available in bookstores nationwide on September 1, 2007. For more information, please contact Maryglenn McCombs– (615) 297-9875, or maryglenn@maryglenn.com