ABOUT THE AUTHOR – BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Danial Donai, has worked on dozens of blockbuster movies as a Hollywood stuntman and action actor, spanning three decades and he has been fortunate to have made many celebrity friends along the way.
Danial Donai is also a talented writer, film director, second unit director, stunt coordinator and producer, with more than thirty years’ experience in the global motion picture industry.
He has enjoyed many years of success in Hollywood working with some of world’s biggest stars including his friend Arnold Schwarzenegger. Born in Brisbane Australia, Danial started his film career in Sydney in 1984 on the set of Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome.
After four successful years in the Australian film industry, he made the life and career changing move to Los Angeles, where he continued his movie careers upward spiral both in front and behind the camera.
Following his successes with many Hollywood blockbusters, he retired from the action industry and returned to Australia in 2001, then made the natural transition to full time screenwriting and directing. In 2012 Danial wrote, directed and produced his first Australian feature film titled ‘Bat Outta Hell.’ Before the film was released, Danial decided to write this novel based on the movie.
With his success as a stunt actor behind him, he has now turned to his main goal and dream – to become a successful Hollywood writer and director. Since 2001 he has writen over a dozen great feature films in different genres. Just recently he wrote, directed, produced and sold his first feature film, titled “Bat Outta Hell”. The Novel version of the title will soon be coming out in print. More about that Project and a full overview coming up shortly.
ABOUT THE BOOK – “THE FORK IN THE ROAD”
OVERVIEW
This book does not tell you which road to take; that’s for you to decide. This book is all about the one step back that everyone should take before they choose their path. I truly hope Fork in the Road will help you and the young adults who are headed into the real world to achieve all the great joys life has to offer. If this small book helps just one-person head in the right direction, whether it be in happiness, wealth, success, or improving life in some way, then writing this has all been worth it.
Danial’s book “The Fork in the Road” graces as one of the highpoints in his writing career, and takes its place of pride among Danial’s diverse literary repertoire. The book was written from the heart, and based on his own life’s journey, as he tried to find his own place in the world of movie making and being involved as a stunt actor in various movies in which he was involved during his years spent in Hollywood. Living within what could best be described as, its ‘tumultuous’ society’; which rather comes somewhat ‘gratis’ in the world of the wider entertainment industry circles and sectors.
This book illustrates some amazing and superb ‘behind the scenes pictures’ showing Dani in many different ‘personas.’ Talk about superbly blending in like a true ‘chameleon’ under cover.
- It is our heartfelt and genuine opinion that this book ought to be read by all young people from Intermediary School age onwards to hopefully stand them in good stead as they move forward into young adulthood. We aim to get this book into schools and various other institutions where it can be promoted and distributed and see this great book, written from a personal journey point of view, to serve as a guide and perhaps to usher a pre-emptive warning when young men and women reach their own personal junctions, and they’re finding themselves confronted with difficult and tempting choices. So they may be spurred on to thoughtfully weigh things over, consider carefully the consequences and the cost, and the everlasting effects these choices (good or bad – dumb or wise) when erring on the side of indecision under certain peer pressure; may procure on their future lives.
Danial would like to share with our readers the content of a recent message he sent us about the following experience some time ago in original home country Australia, where he is now living and working full time.
Danial: Hi Emerantia!
I arose this morning, checked my email and smiled again to see a reply from you lol Emerantia, I was so delighted to know that you have started to read FITR and liked it so far, YAY!
Emerantia: Hi Dani
The same sentiments are reciprocated here, and yes thank you so much for this amazing report and experience, and I found myself entirely hooked after reading a mere few opening pages. The compulsion to read “The Fork in the Road” to the last page, and driven by my highly infected curiosity taking over I felt I needed to learn more about your journey and the aim that was in your own heart to provide some hope, succour and not least courage to those who found themselves in a dark place. Once in a while a book like this comes our way, and I guess the experiences you related, these are the very elements that enables to warm the cockles of one’s heart, to know that your amazing book “The Fork in the Road”, was able to procure the desired affect you were after, and in being able to help pull someone from the doldrums of their personal abyss and making that ultimate misguided personal decision to end one’s life. You managed to help so very poignantly “Rosie”, the first woman who contacted you as you revealed in your excerpt below, and I think if any of us is able to save one life in one’s lifetime is the most gratifying, satisfying and ultimate gift, is huge in its dimensions and implications, and is something we could all be extremely proud of.
Danial: You know when I wrote that little book the ‘Fork In The Road’ for our young generation. I mailed the first edit to Parliament House in Canberra, attention – the (Honorable Julie Bishop) who was at the time our education minister. A month or so later I received a contact from Julie, she loved the book and asked if she could have me send a pdf version as she would love to send it to her colleagues in the heads of education departments around Australia. Happily, I did as she asked. A few weeks later I received a phone call whilst driving my car. I pulled over – a woman voice said “is this Danial Donai” I said yes. She said her name was Rosie and that she called to say “thank you for saving my life.” She explained that it was the last day of the working week at her position in an education department – Rosie had lost her way, she had fallen into a deep depression and had made up her mind – that at the end of that working day she was going home to take her life. She opened her email that morning and saw an attachment ‘Fork In The Road.’ Rosie thought it was a spam mail and was about to delete it… when she saw the attachment was from Julie Bishop. So she opened and read the book. The book affected her in such a positive way, Rosie did not go down that path that day to shorten her life but instead, she took a new positive outlook and continued on in this world. We both cried together on the phone, and I said to Rosie at the end of our tears, Rosie in that book I mention – if this small book helps just one reader out there, then writing it has all been worth it – and Rosie you are that person.
On page 61 of “The Fork in the Road,” which I think is the Dedication page I have a short mention about “Rosie”. I started receiving emails from people Julie had sent the book to. I was delighted to hear their positive response, one guy even had a small review published about the book and sent the review to me and thanked me for writing it. I have attached that review below. Anyway, I had a hundred copies of this first draft printed and passed them out to people of all ages and different walks in life to see their response? I was overwhelmed with all the great response I received on this book, lol (lots of love).
Emerantia: Dani, I think you have created a wonderful hand/guidebook which can be used as an upbuilding source of information for people of all ages, in all walks of life. Thank you so much for sharing this work with us, and using your own life’s experiences so honestly and with all the right motives. You are what I would term as a ‘doer’ and not just a ‘talker’ who not just talks about good intentions, but has made those life changes himself, and then following up these newfound values. Thank you again for sharing.
We hope to see the book with a traditional publisher and which it deserves, and perhaps its powerful contents will find their way into those areas of our societal social structures, and institutions for which you were aiming. We shall do our best to offer our very best efforts in being instrumental to a degree at least, to make this happen.
Emerantia Parnall-Gilbert
PUBLICITY REPORTS AND PROMOTIONS
OTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHOR – BOOKS & FILMS
Watch the Chiroptera Trailer: https://vimeo.com/271786794
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: Lang Book Publishing, Limited (March 1, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0995103038
ISBN-13: 978-0995103030
“Between Me And The Moonlight Flitted A Great Bat, Coming And Going In Great Whirling Circles”
Bram Stokers’ Dracula
This Film & Novel Were Inspired By Actual Events. The ride of their lives has taken a turn for the worst.
“This is a story of a desolate land that time had forgotten, a land of myths and legends and a land of hidden subterranean caves, containing secrets of the past. So draconian and vast was this barren landscape that nothing really grew and everything seemed stunted and lost.”
Four inspiring friends and filmmakers (Randy, Chris, Jack & Bianca) are funded for a surfing shoot by (Regent & Boris), two devious Hollywood producers now residing in Australia. The producers have sent the young crew down to film at the Great Australian Bite with a conniving motive in mind.
On the crews” journey through South Australia their vehicle is immobilized. While seeking shelter in an old abandoned church, they are stalked and hunted by an unthinkable killer.
One night of unspeakable terror has left one dead and the three other three crew members running for their lives.
What started out as an exciting trip for another surfing documentary shoot, has turned into one night of unimaginable terror and a fight to survive.
An absolutely stunning and riveting adventure, based partially upon factual events …
Emerantia Parnall-Gilbert
STUNT WORK – Hehehe Take Your Pick! Which Dani do we love best? 🙂
“BAYWATCH, HAWAII” – Danial as the “Hitman”
“WARNER BROS., CA., USA – Danial enjoying a touch up…or not? 🙂
“BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” – Danial as a Vampire
Jingle all the way – Warner Bros., CA USA Danial and Arnold as “Turbo Man”
“BATMAN AND ROBIN’ – Danial as the “Iceman”
In “CONAN” Danial as the axe warrior “Azura”
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS
SCARFACE’ aka ‘Deep Red Water’
By Danial M.A. Donai
Represented By Emerantia Parnall-Gilbert
Gilbert Literary & Film Agency
A Subsidiary of Hawkspurr Productions
& Their Associate Partners Forbidden Tear’s Productions (aka Forbidden Tear’s & Dravis)
OVERVIEW OF “SCARFACE”
The king of the deep has been scarred by those who drew first blood, and his rage has been fuelled for all these years. Now the time has come to make it right, and the time has come to fight.
A three-month old Great White shark has been hauled upon a Chinese shark culling ship. The young shark witnesses the mutilation of his kin while they are still alive. The terrified shark is thrown back overboard as the Australian coast guard intercepts the ship. Tormented and scarred for life by the men aboard, the infant disappears back into the ocean, only to return as the king of the deep with revenge on his mind.
Twenty years later…
Stan and Reggie are Ozzy shark hunting brothers who live in the coastal town of Byron Bay. The brothers are in search for a twenty-one-foot Great White shark that has been on a killing spree up the east coast of Australia. They are chasing the huge shark, nicknamed ‘Scarface’ by the media, for the cash reward and for another trophy to mount on the wall of their local pub. They need a larger boat to keep up with Scarface, and hook up with Stormy, an Aboriginal man who captains the hired boat. The three set out on a journey, a journey that will change their lives forever.
At the same time, further up the east coast of Queensland, two young couples (Tito & Holly, Nev & Lisa) reunite for a long weekend together at the Whitsunday Islands. They rent two sea-doos and during their trip between the mainland and the Islands, they have a horrific collision at sea. With only one sea-doo barley afloat they are taken out to sea by the current, where they face the perils of mother nature and where they will find out what demons lurk above the water and below.
A sea rescue chopper has been deployed to find the missing castaways. The pilot Matthias and the co-pilot Dan, locate the castaways, but only find tragedy as the horror of a shark attack is imminent. During their rescue attempt from above their chopper is attacked from below and now Matthias and Dan find themselves fighting for their lives along with the castaways.
This is going to be one of those amazing stories about Sharks, and what happens to Sharks when they encounter Man, their enemy one might presume? However, Sharks have been and still are grossly misunderstood. After all how would you expect these creatures to react when we enter their domain, their territory? A must see movie for all Shark lovers!!!
“I for one will be shedding a tear or two on behalf of “Scarface”!
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