LIGHTS....CAMERA....ACTION - On the set of "Not Cinderella's Type"

Only a few short days ago, I had the great privilege to meet an author friend of mine who is having her Young Adult Romance turned into a MOVIE.  Yes, you heard me right. This baby will be a MOVIE!  She invited me to come on the movie set and interview the cast and crew.

I interviewed a few people, who I'll never forget. The cast and crewe of "Not Cinderella's Type" are the best. I fell in love with all of them. And...I met an actor I've seen on other films, and it was so exciting to meet someone in person that I've only seen on movies.

I'm going to start this segment by telling you about the book and the author. Jenni James is a bestselling Young Adult author. If you have teenage girls in your house who love to read, then I'm sure you've heard of Jenni James.

"Not Cinderella's Type"

Indy Zimmerman has a new stalker who won't leave her alone, no matter what she says to him. Never mind the fact that he's one of the most popular guys at school—she’s positive Bryant Bailey is only trying to appease his own conscience after pretty much destroying her life. But when Bryant doesn't back down and insists on having some sort of bizarre friendship with her, his magic works, and her walls slowly start to crumble. He's not her type. She's never been into guys like Bryant, but then again, she's never really known anyone quite as stubborn, or caring, or who can get her to confess stuff she wouldn't even tell her best friend.

I asked Jenni to tell me how she was inspired to turn her story into script to get it into a movie.

Jenni:  The Lord helped me. (she pauses, waiting for my reaction before continuing)  I have always asked the Lord for help with my stories and He helped me, yet again. It all happened rather quickly as if it was meant to be.

I started feeling a push toward learning about script writing. I was searching the internet and ran across an article. I almost skipped over it, but I was prompted to look at it. Once I read the article, I couldn't get the idea off my mind. Night and day it was in the back of my mind, and I knew I had to figure out a way to learn how to write a script.  

During this time, a radio DJ friend of mine happen to know a producer, so she told him about my books. He was interested, but he wanted me to submit a story to him in script. Because I had never done this before, I contacted another friend of mine who I knew had taken classes. I asked her to teach me. Over the next few weeks, I met with her and she walked me through how to change my stories into scripts. 

I actually started with my story, "Beauty and the Beast" (one from my fairy tale collection), but then I'd heard from the producer and he asked about "Not Cinderella's Type". He wanted a modern-day story because it wouldn't take very long to make the movie. 

I quickly turned this story into a script and submitted it. He read through it and requested some edits. Five days later, I had it edited, and sent it back. He was shocked to think it only took me five days. Of course, not knowing how long edits are supposed to take, I asked him how long he thought I was going to take. He told me 3-5 MONTHS. 

He read through the script and offered me a contract. I was stunned...not believing any of this was real. Even as I'm here on the set, watching everything happen, I still can't believe it's real.


ME: Jenni, what are the programs you used to write scripts?

Jenni: The two programs that are highly recommended by producers are "Final Draft" and "Movie Magic Screenwriter". 

ME: Jenni, what is the best way for people/producers to notice your work?

Jenni: Word of mouth and networking. In today's world, it's who you know.

ME: Have you turned any of your other books into scripts?

Jenni: YES! Once I was finished with "Not Cinderella's Type", I started on my other stories. My husband and I decided to go to Pitch Fest in California, and we decided to have several stories to pitch. Three more producers were interested in my work, but as of yet, no contract has been offered.


STAY TUNED FOR MORE CAST INTERVIEWS (AND PICTURES) COMING THIS WEEK...