Thank you Krystal for having me as your guest on LIVE TO READ. With this memoir it feels like LIVE TO WRITE! I appreciate the opportunity to chat about my book which has been as exciting to write and publish as any movie or TV show I ever made.
Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot is an unconventional memoir because it deals with diverse topics such as the magic of making movies and the magic of finding true love. I’ve been blessed to have had such a kaleidoscope of experiences starting as a child in Egypt and immigrating to America, growing up in New York and learning to speak English, going to college at an incendiary political time in the country (late ‘60s), and then setting myself on such an unlikely journey to become a film director in Hollywood. That career adventure was a story I always wished to share because it’s been rich with wild and crazy experiences such as my first producer turning out to be a Mafia assassin, almost decapitating Drew Barrymore right after ET, and coming close to derailing James Cameron’s career though he is so talented I doubt anyone could have altered his storied destiny. Everyone loves to look behind the curtain of the movie world and this memoir takes you there.
“Kiss me quick before I shoot” was my welcoming catchphrase to my wife Jacqui whenever she visited on-set, seemingly always just before I rolled cameras. And so this book is also about a deeper magic, the magic of finding your soulmate, your life partner. Finding true love for me is all about falling in love with Jacqui, and having a costumed Camelot wedding where I got to duel for her hand (a la Errol Flynn) in a romantic Renaissance celebration that has blossomed to this day, twenty-nine years later. This journey was also worthy of telling due to the extreme dramatic turn of Jacqui suddenly being diagnosed with leukemia three years ago.
That unique medical journey to heal her through a cutting-edge clinical trial was a triumphant story of the human spirit - of her great courage - that deserved to be shared with the world. Everyone knows someone with cancer, and so I wanted to write a book about our experience that would inspire folks to get through their illness. For me, the grateful feedback from caregivers and cancer patients has been the most emotionally satisfying response to this memoir and the 18-month writing journey it required. It took me longer to write this book than any movie I ever made.
I wanted this memoir to be a good friend with which you curl up with while sipping a hot chocolate because writing this memoir was a celebration of life. For me, it’s about following your dreams and making them come true. And that’s magical, as it is for all of us, and I wished to share that universal commonality. I encourage my readers to be inspired to celebrate their own unique life experiences. It was my desire and hope that by sharing my magic it would inspire folks to reflect, to take the time to appreciate their own great life journeys. We are all so busy living life and dealing with our daily challenges that most of the time we don’t take a time out to celebrate our own magic of being alive. This is why the last parting line in my book is “Dare to dream…I did. From one magician to another: Peace.”
I invite you to http://www.kissmequickbeforeishoot.com/media/book-excerpts/ to enter our easy and fun weekly contest - pick your favorite book excerpt - and win a signed paperback mailed to you.
Thank you for this opportunity, Krystal. And indeed, “peace” to all your visitors.
About the Author
Guy Magar was nine years old when he left Egypt in 1958. His family immigrated to the U.S., where he grew up in Middletown, New York. Graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in philosophy, Guy began his film career at the London Film School. Soup Run, his first short about the homeless, won a Special Jury Prize at the 1974 San Francisco International Film Fest.
In 1978, Guy relocated to Los Angeles to attend the American Film Institute. His first dramatic short, Once Upon an Evening (made for $500 at the AFI) earned him a seven-year deal at Universal Studios. He soon began directing network TV dramas in the action/adventure genre. Guy has over 100 film credits including episodes of series La Femme Nikita, Sliders, The A-Team, Blue Thunder, Fortune Hunter, The Young Riders, Lawless, Hunter, and the CBS pilot/Movie of the Week Dark Avenger. He also directed 35 episodes of the studio daytime drama Capitol. In 1995, Guy was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for his television work on the series Nowhere Man.
Guy’s feature film credits include Lookin’ Italian (starring TV “Friends” co-star Matt LeBlanc and singer Lou Rawls in their first film); Stepfather 3 which launched HBO’s World Premiere Series; and the cult thriller Retribution which will be released for the first time on DVD on its 25th anniversary in 2011. His most recent feature directing credit is Children of the Corn: Revelation based on Stephen King’s original story for Dimension Films.
Guy is founder of the Action/Cut Filmmaking Seminars, which for the last ten years, has provided the acclaimed “page to screen” industry workshop—a two-day educational overview of the creative filmmaking process. Action/Cut has taught thousands of filmmakers at over 100 weekend seminar events during annual USA and international tours. His seminar is offered as a 12-hour DVD home film course which sells worldwide in stores and online.
Guy is also founder of the annual Action/Cut Short Film Competition, which provides an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their talents. The one-of-a-kind prize packages are designed to help launch film careers and assist in opening industry doors. Action/Cut was one of the first to stream winning films on the Internet, which can be viewed year-round on its website. MovieMaker magazine reviewed the Action/Cut Competition as one of the “Top 10 Shorts Festival in the World for Filmmakers.”
Guy lives in the Hollywood Hills with Jacqui, his beautiful wife of 26 years.
Posts
Stopped by to say hello and thanks again Krystal for having me as your guest. Happy reading everyone.
Guy