There is a specific strength to a Leo and their 'king of the jungle' status. They are dramatic, creative, self-confident, dominant and extremely difficult to resist, able to achieve anything they want to in any area of life they commit to. According to astrologers, people born under the sign of Leo are natural born leaders. When James stumbles into a Shangri-la called Epiphany, he uncovers the secret of who he really is.įollow James on his hilarious, adventure-packed journey to find self-worth in this heartfelt middle grade novel.Gary Schwartz’s zodiac sign is Leo. Together, they set out on a journey of self-discovery that leads them all the way from the Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains. He’s joined on his quest by a professional Optimist and his grouchy companion, an equally professional Pessimist. James isn’t the world’s greatest kid, but he’s not the worst, either: he’s average! When he decides to become the most average kid who ever lived, James is transported to another world where he meets Mayor Culpa, a well-dressed talking Scapegoat who recruits him to become the new King of Average. I still like writing the flow out way, because you never know when a character will take you by the hand and change the story.įormat – ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio That was fun and gave me a structure for the book. In my second book I’m working on at the moment, ‘The Benji Loper Caper’, I had a good idea as in King and this time wrote the outline as a movie script to make the action work. I had to outline the book after the fact. 'King of Average', had a good beginning and I let the book unfold in the writing. Everything was sort of accidental.ħ) Do you plot your books completely before hand or do you let your imagination flow whilst in the writing process? I tossed in a few and became a writer on that show for the Playboy Channel as well as a performer. While auditioning for a comedy show, I was not dismissed properly by the producers and stood there while they batted around sketch ideas. I went to LA to be a bartender, but fell in with other mimes and one thing led to another. When I got to Colorado, he had booked himself a European tour and left my money with the post office. I was ready to live a life of a poor mime on a mountain top. I went to study with him and learn about the Kabbalah. Still not convinced I had a chance at show business, I wrote to a mime teacher in Boulder Colo. After a serious car accident I realized a normal job was not for me. So I became a bartender, who performed on the side. “Nobody goes out and becomes an actor for a living. My dream of being an actor was squashed by my parents and upbringing. He is a passionate, dynamic improv coach and facilitator devoted to carrying on Spolin’s techniques.Ģ) How did you go about following your dream? Schwartz studied with and became the protégé of Viola Spolin, the creator of Theater Games, the basis for improvisational theater in America. Schwartz has written for two children’s television series in which he co-starred: Zoobilee Zoo, where he played Bravo Fox and the Disney Channel’s You and Me, Kid. Schwartz has lent his voice to hundreds of film and TV projects and is the voice of several well-known video game characters, including Heavy Weapons Guy and Demoman in Team Fortress 2. In the 1980s he appeared in numerous film and television projects including the Oscar-winning feature film Quest for Fire. Gary Schwartz began his professional career as a mime at age 13, performing up and down the Hudson River with Pete Seeger and the great folk entertainers of the 1960s. Gary will be sharing with us detail of her writing life, telling us all about her latest book ‘ The King of Average‘, which was released on 6th October 2015 and answering a few fun questions too. This week on ‘ The Writing Life of:‘ I am thrilled to be interviewing author Gary Schwartz.

Gary schwartz voice actor