Today I am so pleased to welcome Jason T. Gaffney, Ed Gaffney, and Suzanne Brockman to Joyfully Jay. Jason and Ed have come to talk to us about their latest release, Fixing Frank. They have also brought along a copy of the first book in the series to give away. Please join me in giving them all a big welcome!
Jason T. Gaffney writes the California Comedy series of rom-com novellas with his longtime screenwriting partner, Ed Gaffney, who also happens to be his dad. Their latest book, Fixing Frank, is out now in ebook and POD from Suzanne Brockmann Presents, a new line of m/m category romances. They’re excited to be here at Joyfully Jay today, being interviewed by their editor and publisher, Suz Brockmann, who Jason refers to as Mom.
Suz: Fixing Frank takes place on the set of a fictional reality web-series called Fixing Our Future, in which contestants complete ridiculous challenges to win money for the charity organization of their choice. Jason, you’ve had some experience of your own creating a web series (The Comedy Minute with Jason T. Gaffney). You chose to use scripted comedy sketches, rather than the reality format. After writing Fixing Frank, any urges to bring Fixing Our Future into real life?
Jason: Right now I’m focusing on scripted series, but I love the concept of fixing our future. Who knows, maybe in a few years I can team up with someone and help get some money to some great charities while being wildly entertaining, too!
Suz: How about Fixing Frank? Any interest in doing a movie version of this book?
Jason: I would love to turn all of the California Comedy series novellas into movies at some point. We’re intentionally writing short books that would translate almost perfectly into the ninety-minute rom-com movie format.
Ed: Most books are too long to make into a movie without cutting out something crucial. But novellas are the perfect rom-com movie size.
Jason: So we’re really writing novelizations of the rom-com movies that play in our heads!
Suz: You guys write comedy, which is desperately needed by people going through dark times. (AKA all of us, right now!) The internet can be great sources of humor, which is why a web series like Jason’s Comedy Minute is so much fun to find and share. You co-wrote many of the sketches. Do you have a personal favorite?
Ed: Episode Ten: Carl’s Date with a Lawyer. The actors—Jason (Carl), Whitney Avalon (the lawyer), and Sylvia Batey Alcala (Carl’s date)—did a wonderful job enhancing the script with their performances. Keep an eye on Sylvia — she doesn’t speak in the sketch, yet she delivers the funny!
Jason: My favorite sketch is Ep One, Rushing to Judgment. Not only is the script awesome, but it was fun to play a character outside of my normal wheelhouse. That, plus Sylvia’s performance makes me laugh every time!
Suz: Give us a link to a video (that’s not one of your own) that makes you laugh, no matter how many times you’ve seen it. (My personal fav is Sexy Pool Party by BriTANicK!)
Jason: I’ve always been a huge fan of slapstick/schadenfreude humor, and one of my favs is a Peter Pan fail of a stage production where set malfunctions happened. (Ouch!)
Ed: My go-to is one of the opening scenes of a Pink Panther movie. I laugh like an idiot every time he pulls on the wire at the end.
Suz: For me, Twitter is a rage-y, angsty site for up-to-the-second political news, but I love it because no matter how bad things get, there’s always someone in my feed who can make me laugh (or at least groan). Readers can follow you guys at @JasonTGaffney and @EdGaffney2, but who else should they follow to get their daily dose of comedy?
Jason: Yeah, these past months have been… (shakes head) But okay, there are a few people who, by combining their politics with humor, still bring me a bit of joy, like George Takei, Billy Eichner, Megan Amram, Sylvia Batey Alcala, Ben Siemon, and Rob Delaney.
Suz: You teamed up to write the award-winning m/m rom-com movie, The Perfect Wedding, and you’ve also co-produced Ed’s LGBTQ thriller, Russian Doll, which will be appearing in LGBTQ film festivals in the very near future. (Jason stars as a really creepy psychopath!) You’ve also co-written the California Comedy series of rom-com novellas (Creating Clark, A Match for Mike, and the latest Fixing Frank). Your next movie project, Anaylsis Paralysis, is also a m/m rom-com. What keeps bringing you back to comedy?
Jason: The thriller was fun to make, and while I loved playing the bad guy, comedy—especially rom-coms—are definitely in my blood.
Ed: And after years of watching m/f rom-com movies, we love telling stories that go “Boy meets boy, boy loses boy…”
Jason: Wait, it’s “Boy meets boy, boy bangs boy, boy loses boy…”
Ed: Right! Romance novel! Which also includes that required HEA, “boy wins boy…”
Jason: “And they live happily ever after!” I never get tired of that!
Fixing Frank CC out now (click here for a quick video featuring Jason and Ed)
Blurb
First grade teacher Terry O’Dell is thrilled when he’s chosen as a contestant on Fixing Our Future, a popular reality web series where the winner raises money for charity. A few weeks of light-hearted challenges and fun competition is exactly the kind of distraction he needs to get over his breakup with his fiancé. But when Terry learns that handsome landscaper Frank Vacca is another contestant on the show, his excitement turns to dread. Because Terry’s ex ran off with Frank’s ex. It’s only a matter of time before their embarrassing personal history is exploited by the show’s producers, in hopes of going viral with on-camera tears and maybe a table flip or two.
But Frank is not the kind of guy who waits for life to happen to him, and he decides to fight fire with fire. When their secret is exposed, he impulsively declares that he and Terry are better than ever, because they, too, have hooked up—in fact, they’re engaged. Already popular, the pair instantly becomes internet royalty. Of course it’s all a sham, and only a matter of time before the truth comes crashing down. But then, Frank and Terry—long at odds and constantly arguing—actually begin to fall for each other. And that’s when things really start to go wrong…
Bio
Jason T Gaffney and Ed Gaffney are a son/father writing team who have collaborated for over ten years on stage plays (Looking for Billy Haines), and movies (Jolly, The Perfect Wedding, Russian Doll). Recently, they joined forces to write m/m novellas that include laughs, emotions, and hot sex scenes. (#awkwardnotawkward) They are currently in pre-production for their next m/m rom-com movie, a micro-budget feature, working title Analysis Paralysis.
In addition to his writing, Jason is an award-winning producer and actor. His credits include the web series, Fame Dogs, which just won the Indie Series Awards for Best Comedy and Best Ensemble, Comedy, and the award-winning LGBTQ rom-com The Perfect Wedding, which he co-wrote with Ed. Ed’s other projects include an Edgar nomination for his legal thriller, Enemy Combatant (Dell, 2008). He’s also the writer/director of the indie film Russian Doll, a f/f thriller, in which Jason plays the bad guy.
Websites and social media links:
- www.JasonTGaffney.com
- www.EdGaffney.com
- http://suzannebrockmann.com/books/suzanne-brockmann-presents/
- www.facebook.com/JasonTGaffney
- www.twitter.com/@JasonTGaffney
- www.twitter.com/@EdGaffney2
- https://www.instagram.com/jasontgaffney/
Giveaway
Jason and Ed have brought an epub copy of Creating Clark (California Comedy, book 1) to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, June 25th at 11:59 pm EST.
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Thank you so very much for hosting our visit today!!
P.S. Blog readers: click the link above that says “Fixing Frank CC out now” to see a brief video of Jason and Ed! 🙂
You are so welcome! And yes, please click the video link. Sorry, i couldn’t get it to embed the video into the post itself.
Oh, no, please, you did great! Waaaay above my own technology skill-set! I would’ve been, “Let me do an interpretive dance of this little video that I was sent…” 🙂
lol, trust me, you do not want to see me interpretive dance! Especially of your husband and son!
I love Suzanne ‘ s writing and I’m really excited t to read Jasons. Love them both. You too Ed.
Thanks, Moreen!
PS — You are going to LOVE Suz’s next one — Some Kind of Hero!
🙂
Hi, Moreen!
Thank you so much! It’s fun to edit Jason and Ed’s books! Their stories are so visual! It’s also fun to read their scripts! I read their latest screenplay, ANALYSIS PARALYSIS, while I was walking on the treadmill at the gym, and I was laughing my ass off! (Everyone’s usually so quiet and focused while working out! Such serious business! haha!)
Hi Moreen! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it a ton! I’m excited to hear what you think of Fixing Frank. 🙂
Thank you to Joyfully Jay for hosting me and my parents today on our blog tour of Fixing Frank! We’re honored to be here! 🙂
You are so welcome! And good luck with your release!
I’m so excited to hear about Jason & Ed’s series! Thanks for the chance!
Hi Lisa! I’m glad you’re excited about the series! Hope you enjoy the books and can’t wait to hear what you think!
Good luck, Lisa! Happy you stopped by! 🙂
How cool to have a father/son m/m writing team!
Hi Trix! It is pretty cool! I was really glad when I called my dad up and said lets do this and he said yes. Not only do we work well together but it’s a ton of fun! I’m looking forward to getting started on the next book soon. 🙂
I feel very lucky to have such a great son! There was already so much to be proud of, and now I get to do creative projects with him! Wow. Talk about a charmed life…
🙂
I love this talented dynamic duo! Great interview. And regardless of winning, I will definitely be reading!
Hi Thomas! Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the interview and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the books! Hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Thomas. Good luck in the drawing!
I already have Creating Clark. I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I look forward to picking up the others in the series.
Hi Lori! I’m so glad that you enjoyed ‘Creating Clark!’ That one will always hold a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the other two!
Creating Clark was a great experience for me, because it was the first time Jace and I had collaborated on something other than screenplays or stage plays. It was thrilling to share the whole experience with him, from the initial idea, to seeing our first book go on sale!
🙂
These are new to me and I would love to read more. Thanks
debby236 at gmail dot com
Hi Debra! We’re already working on our next! Glad you want to read more! 🙂
And I hope they bring you a smile…
Thanks for stopping by!
🙂
These two are quite new to me. Thank you for the interview and allowing readers to better get to know you all.
Hi H.B.! Thank you for coming over and checking us out! We’ve had a blast being here on the Joyfully Jay site. Hoping we’ll be back again in the future!
It was a pleasure, H.B. We’re working on more books in the series, and (fingers crossed) we’ll be promoting the next one soon!
Welcome to the three of you, and thanks for the interview. (Is this the first family interview at JJ?) Best wishes, Jason and Ed, on your next project!
Hi Kareni! Thanks, and thank you for coming and checking us out! We’re already hard at work on the film ‘Analysis Paralysis’ which we’re filming this October, and in addition to that we’re already talking about book number four. I feel pretty lucky that I get to work so closely with my family. 🙂
Thanks so much, Kareni!
As Jace mentioned, the next project is a big one — a feature length m/m romantic comedy we hope to film this fall. We appreciate all the positive energy we can get!
🙂
I think it might be!
I want to read a book or watch a movie based on the Brockmann/Gaffney family. You guys seem amazing and your story is so unique.
Hi Anne! Thanks! Yeah our lives are filled with tons of crazy stories. Maybe someday we’ll do a documentary about us because it’s definitely fun to hear each person’s versions of how certain events went down. One of the best events that happened is when a bat infiltrated our house. All three of us have slightly different variations on the story and moments they remember that help color the whole event. Let’s just say in hindsight that wearing a laundry basket to protect one’s head was more for emotional protection than actual bat stopping protection. haha!
Oh boy. A movie about us? Yikes! Trying to think of a title… Let’s see. “Mixed Nuts” is already taken…
🙂
Thanks for all of the laughs. I have read Ed’s Legal Thrillers, Suz’s TS series, and YA series, introducing”Skylar and friends, with daughter, Melanie, and I enjoyed meeting “Clark” and “Mark.” Can’t wait to meet “Frank.” Thanks for all of the laughs, smiles, and adventures.
Hi Lauri! Thanks so much for stopping by!
We’re hard at work writing more things for you to read. (I think you are going to LOVE Suz’s next one, Some Kind of Hero.) We’ll be sure to get the word out when we’ve got something else ready for you!
🙂
Hi, ED.
I pre-ordered “Some Kind Of Hero” on January 14, 2015. . Have been eagerly awaiting its arrival since. Can’t wait until it arrives next month. 🙂
Excited to find out what your family has in store for us next. 🙂
Thanks for the updates on everyone, and especially Little Joe. So thrilled to hear she is doing better.
Ah, LauriSK!
Sorry about that delay. Rough coupla years.
But the book I ended up writing (SOME KIND OF HERO) ended up being really special to me! (I hope you think it was worth the wait!!)
Little Joe is doing great. Cool thing: SKOH comes out on July 11th, which is Dex and Little Joe’s 10th birthday! (In dog years, they are 70! YIKES!)
Hi Lauri! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying our books! I’m so happy you enjoyed Clark and Mike and I can’t wait to hear what you think about Frank!
I just watched your very interesting interview on Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast. Very entertaining 🙂
And now I want to read some of your books!
Hi Cyntia. Thanks for checking out the interview! It was really great getting to spend some time with Jeff and Will. They’re great guys.
Happy reading!
🙂
Hi Cyntia! Thank you so much for checking out our interview on Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast, and I hope you’ll come back this Monday for the second part of the interview! 🙂 Also, I hope you enjoy the books! Happy reading!
You guys must have so much fun writing together! I can only imagine your brainstorming sessions and the ‘remember this’ moments! Or the ‘what if we do this…’ (Maybe I’m just projecting here…)
Good luck on the release!
Hi, Diane!
Yes, the brainstorming is VERY fun!! (And usually noisy!)
— Suz
It totally gets noisy! But often in a really fun way. Like someone will say an idea and then the other will shout I love that and how about this, and that will keep going until we realize that we’re five steps ahead of ourselves and have to run back to where we were. (I’m often the one who jumps ahead. But I just get so excited! haha)
Thanks so much for inviting us to your blog! It was a blast!
🙂
It was great having you guys. Come back any time!