After graduating from UCLA Film School Mr. Lasker became a screenwriter for the next 30+ years, living in Venice, then in Marina del Rey where he raised a family. As only insiders and people with an avid interest in the film business know, screenwriters are generally well-paid but have no control over their material--even original material--and watch helplessly as their projects are changed to meet a director's or star's whims, rarely for the better. So he's getting out, and "Elephant" is his first novel.