Barry is an informal kind of guy who never used his middle initial in signing his work before this first book venture. But in researching for names of some of his characters, he checked his own to discover there seems to be a fraternity of Barry Gaineses. What’s one to do?

This Barry E. Gaines was originally born in Chicago, Illinois, moved to the suburb of Skokie and eventually to Los Angeles, California with his parents and younger brothers. He developed writing skills while attending Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. There he performed and directed in college productions as well as plays he wrote winning some awards.

Among the variety of jobs Barry worked to pay the rent were busboy, child-care teacher, movie extra and bit player, bar tender, salesman, soft pretzel maker and cookie baker on Universal Studios Tours. He went on to writing for children’s television and community theatre. Later, Gaines worked as a copywriter for a local advertising agency and was involved with independent projects. In 2003 he received a directing award in a New York film and video festival for also writing and producing his documentary on Parkinson’s Disease.

Gaines’ documentary, Unchosen Companion, documented Louis Grarfinkle, a Hollywood screenwriter and his courageous battle with Parkinson’s. Garfinkle and partner Quinn Redeker received Academy nominations for their original screenplay of "The Deer Hunter" Garfinkle was also an older cousin and mentor to Barry. In the interim, Gaines has produced wedding videos and written a variety of screenplays waiting to be read.

Barry’s extraterrestrial, Valdek, in "The Genitalia Scrolls: The Bottom Line From Upper Space", was originally created for a musical he’s been working on
titled, Earth, Sex, and Other Cosmic Encounters. The idea for a book of The Genitalia Scrolls came out of a song Valdek performs in the first scene second act titled “Genitalia”. Seemingly less demanding then shopping a musical around town or attempting to produce it, he was encouraged to pluck out this theme, build a story around it, then take a shot at self-publishing. This venture was only to be a little humor book, which took on a life of its own and became his first novel on Amazon Kindle and (narrated by) Audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. And, of course, make a great movie.

www.amazon.com/THE-GENITALIA-SCROLLS-Bottom-ebook/dp/B005GFJJZ6/ 
Audiobook:  www.acx.com/titleview/A15K4T74ILR42W
Website: alienscrolls.com

Barry’s second book offering is a children’s Christmas fantasy based on his original musical play which was performed three times in community theater. Unfortunately, it’s a difficult show to mount with cast, sets, costumes and prosthetic makeups for only two to three weekends a year without a theater group to do it. Thus he adapted his play into a book.

There are some familiar fairytale characters, originals, and Santa who are involved in an adventurous mystery, which will make the reader wonder what the real “Strange Case of the Christmas Mystery” is. The answer is discovered in a unique and surprising ending.

“I would like my readers to have fun with these two entries. One for teens on up, an E.T. for Adults and the other for the whole family. My main purpose is to entertain, think, laugh and be moved in an uplifting way. ‘Feel Good’ would be the genre I prefer, especially with these two works.”

Unfortunately,“The Strange Case of the Christmas Mystery” has not been reviewed, budget not permitting, in this self-published instance. You would have to be the critics at this time, but will see it would make a favorite annual Christmas movie or TV special.

“While a good portion of the details amount to orbiting a cosmos of goofy acronyms, those are the key ingredients that make this debut effervesce.”
– Kirkus Reviews