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...

Welcome back - Linda Weaver Clark

I'm very excited to have Linda back on my blog. She has a new release that she wants to tell us about.

Bio: Linda Weaver Clarke is the author of 22 books: historical romances, period romances, a romantic cozy mystery series, a mystery suspense series, a children’s book, and non-fiction. She has also traveled throughout the United States giving lectures on writing techniques. All her books are family friendly. She lives in Color Country, which is located in southern Utah among all the red mountains.

 

Linda Weaver Clarke is having a Book Giveaway, which will last until Aug 21st: Every visitor will receive 7 EBOOKS FREE if they preorder the Historical Romance: The Fox of Cordovia. For these promotional giveaways, go to https://lindaweaverclarke.wordpress.com.

1. Tell us how your writing career got started.


I have always loved writing. After writing my ancestors’ and parents’ biographies, I couldn’t stop writing. So I turned to historical fiction. Since my ancestors’ stories were so vivid in my mind, I actually gave some of their exciting experiences to the main characters. So my ancestors were the inspiration for getting me started. My first historical romance, Melinda and the Wild West, actually won an award for the Reviewers Choice Award. I have written several different genres since then. All my stories are family friendly.




2. What genre(s) do you write, and why?


My favorite genre is historical romance with adventure. I also have written a romantic cozy mystery series and a mystery/suspense series. I absolutely love stories that are page-turners, which have some mystery, romance, and suspense. I love a romance where the man and woman know they are meant for one another. Even though there are trials along the way, they never give up on the other. I also like strong women characters in a story.




3. What inspired your book, The Fox of Cordova?


All three books in this series are love stories set in the late 1700s. The Rebel Series was inspired by the stories of the American patriots who fought to be free from the dictatorship and tyranny of a king. It’s a theme that is dear to me. Liberty is something that I cherish. It’s a precious gift given to us by those who fought so valiantly. When I read the stories of the American Revolution, my heart swells with gratitude for those loyal patriots. When I look at our flag and pledge allegiance to it, tears well up in my eyes. When I listen to The Star Spangled Banner or God Bless the U.S.A., I get choked up. Especially when it’s sung by a choir.

4. Tell us about your upcoming release and a little about The Rebel Series.


In this swashbuckling romance, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.




For my book launch celebration, every visitor will receive 7 EBOOKS FREE if they preorder the Historical Romance: The Fox of Cordovia. For these promotional giveaways, go to https://lindaweaverclarke.wordpress.com.




6. Where can readers find you?
To read a sample chapter from each of my books in The Rebel Series, go to http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/historicalromance.html and click on the title of the book that you want to read. Here are two book trailers for your readers to watch, so they can understand what these books are about.

The Rebels of Cordovia:

The Highwayman of Cordovia

To purchase a book, visit http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/purchasebook.html.  

Welcome Alicia Dean

I'm excited to have an author on my blog that I've not had before. Everyone, this is Alicia Dean. Alicia...this is everyone.

1.        Tell us how your writing career got started.

I’ve wanted to write for as long as I can recall. I wrote my first romance at age ten. I wrote a lot as a teen but in my early adulthood, I married and had three children and put my writing aside. In 2001, I took a class with Mel Odom, a successful writer/teacher and my desire and ambition for writing was refueled. I sold my first book in 2006.

2.        What genre(s) to write, and why?

My favorite genre to read or write is suspense. I find it exciting and the adrenalin from the tension keeps my interest. Plus, I’m way too interested in murder. It’s not healthy. J

3.      What inspired your latest book?

I was invited to participate in an anthology with 5 other authors. All of the stories were to be set in Africa, which I knew nothing about. The premise was inspired by the television show Drop Dead Diva. (It ended a while back, but I only recently watched the series) 

4.      Tell us about your upcoming release.

 Dying to Love You is a short romance with paranormal elements. Even though suspense is my first love, sometimes a story in a different genre comes to me, and I go with it. As I said, I got the idea, loosely, from Drop Dead Diva. My story is about a woman who has died a handful of times. She should have been sent to purgatory the first time, because never in her life has she done anything selfless. However, no one has ever loved her, so rather than being immediately sent to purgatory, she is offered chances to redeem herself by performing a selfless deed and finding someone to love her.  So far, she has failed. Each time, she lives a new ‘life’ and, in this latest life, she is to be a safari guide in the Serengeti.

5.      What will your next project be?

I am currently working to finish Perilous, a novella in a Martini Club 4 series with three of my close author friends. We published a 1920s novella in the series two years ago, and now we are writing the next, which is set in the 1940s and is about the offspring of our 20s characters. Then, I’ll be writing a proposal for a request from Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer line, a suspense novel that will be the first in a series.

6.      Where can readers find you?

Everywhere!! J Specifically…

 *** Sign up for my email list where you’ll receive no more than two emails per month, and one will be when you receive the Novel Notes Newsletter, a multi-author newsletter where we give away a $25 gift card each month: http://aliciadean.us14.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=f9c8c221a4835a2e758fdcea6&id=1d2610c888

Website: http://aliciadean.com/

Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alicia-Dean-559598754221926/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean

Escape to Africa Anthology – Available for pre-order ONLY 99 cents!

Let your wild side free and Escape to Africa! Come along on an adventure through these 6 stories brought to you by 6 best-selling/award-winning authors. 

You’ll uncover tales of an undercover operative in Casablanca, a safari guide in the Serengeti, students on holiday in Morocco, time-traveling agents in Tripoli, vengeance in Algeria, and deadly secrets in Carthage. Each of these stories will captivate you with love, danger, intrigue, and excitement. What better way to Escape?

Amazon Pre-Order Link

https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Africa-Denys%C3%A9-Bridger-ebook/dp/B071GW7WHB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499200739&sr=8-1&keywords=alicia+dean

Re-introducing.... Heroic Rogue Series (Regency Romance Suspense)

I'm happy to tell you about a new series... Sort of.  When I first wrote these stories, they were focused in the Colonial era. I had awesome book covers, and great reviews. But the sales haven't been there, especially since readers were loving these stories.

Then I found out why.


Apparently, Colonial Romances don't sell very well. I certainly discovered that. But then I was told that Regency Romances do sell well. So the editor inside my head decided to plot out a way to revise these stories and move everyone to England in the Regency era. In less than two weeks, I had revised all of these stories.


Special sale price of only 99 cents - all through July!!


So... I'm re-introducing my new Regency Romance Suspense stories...

During the chaotic years when Napoleon Bonaparte’s spies were everywhere, who can one trust…especially with their heart? The Heroic Rogue Series takes the reader into the Regency era and focuses on the heroes who will do anything to save their country from being taken over by the emperor of France, but most importantly, those men who are willing to risk their lives for the women they love.

PRETENDING YOU'RE MINE:

Mercedes Maxwell is devastated when her twin sister is driven to take her own life by none other than her husband, William Braxton. Determined to make her brother-in-law pay for the injustice, Mercedes travels to Dorchester, England to find him. She is shocked to find that William is unaware of his wife's death, and when Mercedes is mistaken for her sister, she decides to pose as her twin to glean some answers. Mercedes embarks on an adventure she never dreamed of in hopes of bringing justice to her sister. Instead of justice, Mercedes uncovers a plethora of secrets and mystery. As she works to unravel the mystery and discovers who she can trust, Mercedes finds that all is not as it seems, and that William Braxton may be the one man she can trust.

BUY EBOOK - http://a.co/gEFSkHF
BUY PAPERBACK - http://a.co/5Yg0tkU



AFTER THE LOVING:

Marcus Thorne wears several masks in his life—playing retired pirate, Captain Hawk, is his favorite, but if his secret is discovered, he could die. Captivated by his enemy’s daughter, Marcus kidnaps her, but in turn, she captures his heart…until he discovers Isabelle is one of Napoleon’s spies with the power to endanger his life and the lives of his friends.

After her release, Isabelle can’t stop thinking about her masked abductor and how he’d stolen her heart before ridding her of his presence. Betrothed to a man who strangely reminds her of the man whose kisses set her ablaze, she marries him, only to discover he’s not who he seemed to be as is withholding secrets. But then…so is she.

BUY EBOOK - http://a.co/6Mcx1bS 
BUY PAPERBACK - http://a.co/eJQI0FV




WONDERLAND BY NIGHT:

Lady Sarah Emiline Lucia needs to hide her identity for fear that mobs will kill her and her family after her uncle—Napoleon Bonaparte—is exiled to Melba. She is sent to Hampshire, England to stay with friends of her father. To stay safe, she must play the role of her maid, while her maid assumes Lady Sarah’s identity. Complications arise when she meets the very handsome man, and she suddenly wants him to look at her as a real woman, not a servant. Protecting her life, however, is more important than confessing the truth

Gabriel Lawrence’s pirate ship is almost captured and this time it was too close. He and his crew need to hide for a few months in hopes that Napoleon’s men who seek revenge, will soon forget about him.  During his stay at his aunt and uncle’s in Hampshire, he meets the niece of his enemy. Because she doesn’t know who Gabe is, he will become close to her to see if she knows any more of her uncle’s secrets. But the beauty of her companion, Miss Emmie, captures his attention, and her quirky personality keeps him wanting more. But her over-zealous nature for adventure places both of them in danger and he’s forced to play the honorable rogue.

How can he protect them both when an unknown spy is always one step ahead…and wants Gabe dead?

BUY EBOOK - http://a.co/hWqejsI
BUY PAPERBACK - http://a.co/epB9jIp




WORTH FIGHTING FOR:

Lindsay Lennox, daughter of the governor of Turkey, worries she’ll never have the chance to meet a man and fall in love. Being the youngest of eight daughters, it is customary for all of her sisters to marry before she can be out in society and even meet a man. Her twenty-fourth birthday is coming quickly, and she’s running out of hope. Desperation takes hold and she disguises herself as a servant in order to slip through the palace gates. Disaster strikes when she meets a handsome sea captain and is mistakenly whisked across the sea to England. Lindsay knows her only hope of salvation will be to find her Whitton relatives in England and beg for help. Unfortunately, the devastating Captain Braxton proves more temptation than her lonely heart can resist.

BUY EBOOK - http://a.co/1pW8P3V
BUY PAPERBACK - COMING SOON!

Welcome Patricia Preston

I love meeting new writers, and I love telling my blog friends about them, too!  So everyone, meet Patricia Preston!

NOT THROUGH LOVING YOU

In the Southern town of Lafayette Falls, a new life brings together a woman with everything to lose and a doctor with everything to prove.

When a sickly infant is surrendered at the Lafayette Falls Medical Center, and orphaned soon after, pediatrician Aaron Kendall arranges to adopt him. After a painful divorce, the busy baby doc is about to realize his own dream of becoming a father when the baby’s beautiful estranged aunt turns up. She doesn't exactly approve of the Kendall bachelor pad complete with Aaron's cranky dad and wacky brother, forcing Aaron to form a risky alliance with her.

Country singer-songwriter Lia Montgomery barely knew her half-sister, but she's determined her tiny nephew goes to a good home. If only she fit the bill herself, but her stressful life on the road is no place for a baby. Yet despite her misgivings, as she gets to know Aaron, she realizes the smart and sexy doctor is everything a child could want in a dad and more unsettling, everything she's ever hoped for in a man. After all she's put him through, is it too late to form a family and maybe put a song in the good doctor's heart?

Excerpt:

She grinned as she considered the man across the table from her. With his looks, he could have given Cole Younger a run for his money with the ladies. She wasn’t certain about his personality. He remained reserved, almost indifferent as if he had herded his emotions off into a safe room, away from the threat she posed. She wondered if Cole Younger’s charm was buried beneath Aaron’s guarded façade?

“I wrote a song about Cole.” She held Aaron’s gaze. “The Outlaw in My Arms.”

He gave his head a shake. “There’s something wrong with you.”

“No, there isn’t.” She fondled her locket. “I wrote it for a western movie. An indie film about Cole and Belle. I’ve written a lot of songs with western themes,” she said. “I love the history and majesty of the Old West.”

“Have you ever seen Lonesome Dove?”

“Like a dozen times!” She tried to contain her enthusiasm. “It is so epic, and I love the music. It literally breaks my heart when I hear it.” She let out a deep sigh. “Plus there’s Woodrow Call. Tommy Lee Jones did such a great job. Woodrow Call is right up there with Cole Younger in that I’d run away with either one of them tomorrow.”

“Well,” Aaron sliced his steak with a brisk stroke of his knife. “I can see why you and Dallas Peyton are a couple.”

For the first time, her smile was artificial. “Yeah,” she answered quietly. It would appear to Aaron that Dallas, who had grown up on a ranch in Colorado and had the West in his blood, would be the perfect match for a girl like her. At one time, she had thought so, too.

After she had taken a sip of her wine, she shifted the conversation away from her relationship with Dallas. She found herself wondering what kind of woman intrigued the doctor. “Who fascinates you?”

He glanced up from his plate, looking at her as if she’d just spoken in ancient Aramaic. “Nobody,” he retorted, and he turned his attention back to his food. He didn’t say anything else as he rushed to finish his meal. It was a wonder he didn’t choke.

She took a couple more bites of the chicken and pushed up her half-finished plate.

He noticed. “You’re done?”

“I’m a picky eater.” She settled back in the chair and emptied her wineglass. “Aaron, are you always so dark and serious?”

He tossed his napkin over his plate. “Would it help if I wore a gun belt and robbed banks?”

Sneak Peek: Read Chapter 1

Buy Links:

Amazon  http://amzn.to/2p0U63y 

Barnes and Noble   http://ow.ly/vuIs30brDgY

Kobo    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/not-through-loving-you

Author Bio: 

Award-winning author Patricia Preston writes mainstream humorous romance, historical romance and comedy. She is represented by the Seymour Agency. Her newest titles are part of a standalone series, Love Heals All, for Kensington Books/Lyrical Press imprint. She has several other e-book titles available including a historical romance, TO SAVE A LADY, set in the French Quarter during the Battle of New Orleans. She also has a comic short story anthology, DIXIE DARLINGS, available in print. Besides writing she loves music, photography, graphic design, and visiting her favorite historical locales including the French Quarter and the Natchez Trace.

You can visit her website at www.patricia-preston.com

Follow her on Amazon  and BookBub

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