Inconceivable! marketing status report:

Registered at WGA-East, I348062

1 pitch feedback received via Stage 32 -  positive! (Meehan)

3 pitches outstanding via Stage 32 - Barkan, Ewing, Terpilowski

1 query responded to via Ink Tip - preferred lead 3bnwf3xt5j

Indexed at Ink Tip as of today

"Big Break" contest entered via Final Draft - finalists announced January 28, 2022.

6 hard copies duplicated, ready for mailing

The Plagues of Helene Talos

In Inconceivable!, the pregnant female protagonist Helene Talos, faces ten plagues in nine months. 

Can she conquer them all and deliver a happy, healthy baby?

1. pregorexia
2. crash
3. assault
4. surgery
5. secrets and lies
6. self-pity
7. lice
8. explosion
9. labor
10. the F.P.Q.

 Not so say she doesn't have a few laughs, too.

   Inconceivable!

(written by a Ph.D. dissertation coach)

Review of Inconceivable! by Steve Marshall Cohen

 

If you want a good, fast, semi-light read, Inconceivable!  is it. It takes you away from your troubles and stagnant TV and into others’ funny, ridiculous, heart-wrenching lives, in which both men and women readers will recognize at least some of their own concerns.

 

The book grabs you from the first sentence (what is  that woman in the running suit doing in the bookstore?). And doesn’t let you go. It flips between characters, epochs, countries with ease, always engrossing. You’re drawn in. Part of what keeps one reading is Cohen’s interweaving of one of the main mysteries—the ancestry and heritage (I’m not telling you more)—throughout and his revealing of the answers in slim threads until the final satisfactions.  

 

As for genre, the book bends and straddles many; it’s hard to pin down. It’s a combination of chick lit, comedy, erudition, sober and not-so social critique, intrigue, exposure of business machinations and irresponsible drug-prescribing, outrage, and historical commentary (although Cohen admits some “history” is creatively constructed). This mash-up is what makes the book so hard to put down. Where is he going next? With whom? Why?

 

As a New Yorker always (although relocated), I especially enjoyed Cohen’s deft capturing of quintessential New York scenes—great bookstore, sidewalk cafes, Gray’s Papaya. Cohen also has great facility in quick character sketches—the main female character’s friend, the glamorous model, the slightly eerie doctor.

 

Consistently and tremendously entertaining, Cohen in his first book shows great mastery and interweaving of plots, subplots, and semiplots. And he doesn’t forget to tie them all up at the end, especially in the Epilogue.

 

Inconceivable!  Is an ambitious, intricate, alternatively hilarious and terribly moving novel. Let’s have more from Steve Marshall Cohen!

Another one bites the dust!

 

Good Day and Welcome to my two-page pitch for Inconceivable!

 I was a successful business journalist and marketing executive. I have written hundreds of magazine articles, speeches and marketing materials on business subjects.  Inconceivable! is my first screenplay, based on the self-published novel with the same title.  Genre: Contemporary Drama with historic, medical and comedic elements. Strong female lead and diverse female supporting roles. 

Inconceivable! is about how the genetic science associated with pregnancy puts an end to three generations of secrets and lies for both sides of the family. Scene 1, Helene Talos, late 20s, self-employed wig-designer in New York City determines she is pregnant.  Scene 82, she gives birth.  In between, she suffers a bicycle crash, is assaulted by a new mother, has “miracle” surgery to save the baby, confronts her mother over dark family secrets, takes experimental drugs given to her by a desperate-for-cash doctor, discovers the cause of her father’s suicide, escapes an apartment building explosion, saves her husband from a mugging and much more!  Plenty of plot.

Her ambitious and loving husband Greco Talos, 30s, couldn’t be happier to be a father-to-be.  He can’t wait for Helene to nurse!  But then the androgynous genetic counselor they must visit, crashes his world by knowing more about him than he knows about himself. When Seiko-San, his boss at Ins & Outs, World’s Best Location Scouts, assigns him to scholarly super-model, Shaina Jaantje, the two become entangled in the most inconceivable (but totally believable) way.  

One of my specialties was writing business plans for corporations.  I am skilled at researching markets and translating data into meaningful (and successful) marketing plans.  When I decided to write Inconceivable!  I used that expertise to choose a large market segment and create characters with the goal of appealing to that audience.  For the target audience, I chose female movie watchers of child-bearing age and for the subject I chose pregnancy.  I researched little known aspects of pregnancy*, created distinctive characters struggling with those issues, and added historic, medical and comedic elements to make it dramatic and entertaining.  It is a fast read - 85 scenes, 125 pages, 50% dialogue.

New York City plays a big role.  The city is depicted as multi-cultural, diverse, multi-lingual.  AD LIB CROWD CHAT IN MANY LANGUAGES (Scene 6).  Landmarks are key to the action – Prometheus in Rockefeller Center (Scene 2) and Gramercy Park (Epilogue) for example.   New Yorkers will recognize and relate to the many locations from the Lower East Side to Harlem.  

Breasts play a big role.  Every female character is affected by her breasts. This includes nude modeling, androgyny, mastectomy, nursing, cross-dressing and ultra-modesty. This theme is handled as subtext in a respectful, entertaining and mature way, and it increases audience appeal. Sometimes, it’s funny! 

Talent plays a big role. The lead and supporting roles are dramatic and challenging – lead actors can play multiple roles, stretching their craft and making this a unique project**.  All the characters have distinctive traits and are written against stereotypes – for example, Shaina Jaantje is a super-model who is a scholar of World War II history and a successful, creative entrepreneur (Scene 47).  Another example:  NYPD cops are depicted as heroes – good guys who have their act together and who are appreciated and respected by the locals (Scene 26).

Inconceivable! has legs.  The novel is now self-published*** and selling (a little), and the screenplay is available to circulate.   Within it is 3-act play with an all-female cast (Scene 32), and an ensemble TV-pilot with all females-pregnant (Scene 60).

My lifestyle affords time and place for writing, editing, collaborating and creating my new career, to equal or exceed my success as a non-fiction writer.  

Once this project has traction, next is a TV-pilot, Corduta Ardelean, about a Romanian Witch who goes to a remote area of the Catskill Mountains to practice her skills without interference from the witches back home.  I intend to go about it the same way – research and write the novel, adapt it to screenplay and spin off from it.  You could say I have legs too.

Thank you for helping make something Inconceivable! 

Steve Marshall Cohen

221 Ski Bowl Road

POB 622

Hunter NY 12442 USA

smarshallcohen@usa.net

917 589 8862

Notes:

*Pregorexia – fear of gaining weight during pregnancy, causing complications and mal-nutrition in the fetus.  Helene Talos suffers from it.

**To make things even more Inconceivable! there are two karaoke numbers performed by the male lead, and a show-stopper number near the end (Scene 62) performed by a Barbra Streisand  impersonator.

*** link:  I’ve earned $42.00 in royalties from Bookbaby so far.  Actual reader review: “Had a wonderful read! I laughed, learned, and was thoroughly entertained. I know these characters and am looking forward to meeting them again. Perhaps in a movie.”

Inconceivable! by Steve Marshall Cohen | BookShop (bookbaby.com)