Bio

JOHN ROBERT MARLOW is a novelist, screenwriter, producer and adaptation specialist.

NOVELS AND NONFICTION BOOKS John’s first tech-thriller novel, Nano, was published in hardcover by Forge/St. Martin’s Press in 2004. (“Marlow’s debut is a real page-turner”—Kirkus Reviews; “Reads like a big-budget summer blockbuster”—Booklist), and was honored with the Nanotechnology Now Editor’s Choice Award (“Plausible, scientifically accurate, and timely … the most important piece of fiction written to date”). Nano was declared Book of the Month by Humanity+, and a revised paperback edition was published in 2005.) John’s nonfiction book Make Your Story a Movie: Adapting Your Book or Idea for Hollywood draws on his own experience and that of over two dozen authors, screenwriters, directors, producers, comic book publishers and otehrs whose movies (many of them adaptations) have collectively earned over $50 billion and won dozens of Academy Awards.

SCREENWRITING AND PRODUCING John’s adapted Nano screenplay recently went into development with producer-director Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister, Minority Report, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), and has drawn mention in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and the Los Angeles Times. Collateral producer Julie Richardson liked another of John’s scripts—a romantic adventure-comedy—so much, she hired a private detective to track him down on vacation so she could option the script before anyone else found him. Before making his first deal, John was twice a finalist (top 10 of over 5,000 entries) in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Program of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the Oscar people). Over the course of the program’s 25-plus-year history, over 50,000 screenwriters have competed for top honors. John is (at the time of this writing) one of only seven to reach the top 10 twice, and the only one to do so with adaptations.

NONFICTION ON WRITING John’s nonfiction articles and photography have appeared in numerous print and online publications with circulations of up to 130 million. His articles on writing have been published in the Screenwriter’s & Playwright’s Market and the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market (both from Writer’s Digest Books), The Writer, Writers’ Journal, and Fellow Script, and online at The Creative Penn, Backspace, Women On Writing, Writer UnboxedWriting-World and his blogs (currently being merged into this site).

OTHER NONFICTION

John’s nonfiction articles and photography have covered a wide variety of topics, including BASE jumping, lifesaving medicines, automobile engine buildups, stand-up desks and treadmills, terrorist incidents, robotic surgeons, neural nets, invisible lasers, nanotechnology, and the global security implications of emerging and disruptive technologies. He has interviewed people ranging from businessmen and police officers to Nobel laureate Sir Francis Crick and visionary filmmaker James Cameron—and has been nominated for the Foresight Prize, the highest honor in nanotechnology journalism.

EDITING – DEVELOPMENT – CONSULTING & ADAPTATIONS

John has worked as a developmental editor since 2001, upgrading the screenplays, novel and book manuscripts of others to the point where they can be offered for sale. In 2011, he teamed with longtime adaptation partner Jacqueline Sinclair to launch the Make Your Story a Movie blog, offering free advice and fee-based services to authors, screenwriters, and those wishing to turn their books and other stories into movies. The site also serves as a constantly-updated companion to the Make Your Story a Movie book, and will offer a wealth of original material and interviews.

OTHER

In addition to writing, editing, development and producing, John has worked as a website designer and content creator, and as a researcher for books and for television documentaries aired by the world’s largest broadcaster. He has also worked as a software usability consultant and video game consultant.

John is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the nonprofit Lifeboat Foundation.

Born in Pennsylvania, John now lives in Los Angeles. Aside from writing, he has few useful skills aside from keeping 4WD trucks running at 250,000-plus miles, and raising dogs to ripe old ages.

JACQUELINE SINCLAIR wrote and segment produced television documentaries for six years, covering historical, crime, and supernatural topics. She spent two years as feature story editor for producer John Jacobs, and has worked as a story and script consultant for nine years. Jacqueline was born in South Africa, has traveled to dozens of countries, and has lived in five countries on three continents.

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