Patrick Cirillo is a successful screenwriter who, in recent years, has also become a novelist. Given his vast experience in the film business, it's not surprising that his first two novels have all the pace and sizzle of movies, whether he's writing a tense crime thriller like "The Lie That Kills" or an art deco Western adventure like "Wyatt and the Duke." His new novel, a science fiction love story called "Lora: Artificial Intelligence Just Got Real... And She's Lovely," is a bit different in that he didn't first envision it as a screenplay or a movie. "I planned and outlined "Lora" exclusively as a novel, a funny and thoughtful one," Cirillo said. "I've long been interested in AI and how it might impact the future. Finally, it was so fascinating a subject that I couldn't wait any longer. I had to take it on. I had to offer up one possibility of mankind's future with AI. My vision is optimistic and funny, and hopefully, it proves prescient.Cirillo's screenwriting credits include the hit film “Tears of the Sun,” starring Bruce Willis, and “Homer and Eddie,” starring Jim Belushi and Whoopi Goldberg, which won the Best Picture Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. His other films include the tense horror/thriller "The Surgeon," starring Malcolm McDowell, and the suspense movie "Dangerous Heart" starring Tim Daly and Lauren Holly. Mr. Cirillo has also ghostwritten other produced films, sold spec screenplays, and been hired to write screenplays for every major studio and many independent companies. "I am a storyteller at heart," Cirillo said. "I've been sitting at my desk pounding out stories almost every day since I was 23 years old. I've gotten pretty good at it."Cirillo's first novel is "Wyatt and the Duke," which has received rave reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. His follow-up novel is the crime thriller "The Lie That Kills," which was released in January of 2024 and has also received outstanding reader reviews. Patrick Cirillo: The story for “Wyatt and the Duke” came to me over many years and in two distinct pieces. The first was a long time ago. While living in Los Angeles doing routine research, I discovered that Wyatt Earp lived to be 80 years old. I thought all the Western heroes and villains died young. Interestingly, he spent his last years less than a mile from where I was living at the time, which I found fascinating. Had I been around 70 years earlier, I could have walked to his apartment and met him. I thought immediately about writing a screenplay about old Wyatt Earp. Unfortunately, the right story for the character didn’t come to me until years later when I saw a video of Ethan Wayne, the Duke’s son, saying that his father, as a struggling young actor, met Wyatt Earp and was profoundly influenced by him. I knew immediately my story would be a mentor story. The rest fell into place when I combined it with another true story from the era, that of the murder of film director William Desmond Taylor and his great friendship with silent film star Mabel Normand. Suddenly, I had all the elements I needed to create a fictional story based on a great deal of reality. It was a love story, a Western, a Hollywood story, a gangster story, a revenge story, and most importantly, it was the story of a mentorship that evolves into a deep friendship that links two generations of American heroes, Wyatt Earp and John Wayne. The result is “Wyatt and the Duke.”"The Lie That Kills" is very different in that it lives in the crime thriller genre and stays there. It starts with a simple choice. Would you lie if it means protecting someone you love? Are there circumstances when you would choose loyalty over morality? For many of us, there are. For the young, that is particularly true.Twenty-year-old Casey Smith tells a lie to her FBI interrogator to save the father she loves from a lifetime in prison. She doesn't anticipate the hell that will be unleashed upon her because of it. Now, not even the truth will set her free in this gripping journey through dark conspiracies and twisted loyalties. Casey Smith's harrowing saga will lead her and her family into a world where every corner hides danger, and every decision is a matter of life and death. Her world has become a dark, urban abyss where life is cheap, and death is always imminent. It is a world where assassins thrive, and she can trust only one person... herself.If Casey has hopes to survive and reclaim the promise life once held for her, she must tap into the darkest elements of her nature and find the will to do the unthinkable.Tony Gayton, screenwriter and co-creator of the AMC television series "Hell on Wheels," writes, "The Lie That Kills" is equal parts fast-paced, thrilling crime novel and dark, dysfunctional family drama. Cirillo deftly spins a tension-filled story of a family that is threatened both externally and internally, creating a ticking time bomb that may take them all down... He takes the time to create sympathetic, three-dimensional characters whose extraordinary actions under pressure always seem believable right up to the shocking finale. Along the way, he introduces a rogue's gallery of feds and criminals, including two of the most unforgettable, terrifying sicarios you will ever meet.""Family bonds push the intriguing Casey Smith into a treacherous underworld. "The Lie That Kills" is a captivating tale of love, loyalty, and the lengths one will go to for family" -- Michael Sellers, Author and former CIA officer.Author Patrick Cirillo has been writing gripping suspense and action screenplays for Hollywood studios since his career began as a young man. With a lifetime of experience in writing hard-edged suspense thrillers at his disposal, he has turned his skills to a new medium with "The Lie That Kills" and "Wyatt and the Duke." He now adds a third novel to his library with "Lora," perhaps his most ambitious novel.Mr. Cirillo grew up in suburban Connecticut and is a graduate of Fordham University. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA Film School. He is married, the father of two and grandfather of one. He lives in Los Angeles.Read more about this authorRead less about this author