Romance Report 2

Featuring Jane Porter

Having a book out is huge. 

Having a book get turned into a movie is well, nothing short of miraculous. 

Not every book gets optioned, and of those that do, very few actually go into production.  The fact that Flirting with Forty was published in July ’06, and by July ’08 it was already a film in post-production waiting for its December premiere blows my mind.  It all happened so fast that I still find it hard to absorb.  But in the two years of activity highlights spring to mind:

The offer from Sony.

The email that told me Julia Dahl had been hired as the screenwriter.

Julia’s outline that would become the script.

My first glimpse of the script.

The phone call with the news that casting had begun and then the announcement that Heather Locklear had signed on to play Jackie.

And then the biggest news of all—the movie would go into production and begin filming April 1st for a December air date.

Pretty cool.  And so very amazing.

Equally amazing was the week I spent on the set in Hawaii this past April.  I had the chance to be an extra in my own movie and doing the wardrobe call every morning was illuminating (lots of people take the role of being an extra very seriously!) and then there was the discovery that being an extra is actually quite tedious, as there’s tons of standing around and waiting, and more waiting, and even more waiting.  I also discovered after watching the rough cut of the movie that most extras are merely background blur, or worse, extra footage that lands on the editing floor.

But I did feel special that week in Hawaii.  Once people knew who I was, I got the red-carpet treatment, including invitations to sit in the director’s chair to watch filming and the chance to cut to the head of the food service line at lunch instead of waiting with all the other extras.  I didn’t ever take advantage of cutting the catering truck line, but I did watch filming every chance I could get.  I loved wearing the head-set and listening to direction. 

The movie’s wonderful, and while different from the novel, it’s still a fun, feel-good holiday film and it captures the book’s spirit beautifully.

I don’t know if I’ll ever have another book made into a film, so I relish this one and count my lucky stars to have been part of such a fantastic production.  Working with Sony and Lifetime was a very positive experience, and the finished product inspires me to keep writing and pushing that edge of creativity.

Jane Porter’s July 2006 release, Flirting With Forty (5 Spot), was picked by Redbook Magazine as its Red Hot Summer Read before being optioned as a Lifetime Christmas 2008 TV movie. Jane's newest novel, Mrs. Perfect, (May 2008, 5 Spot) has also received tremendous acclaim from her readers. www.janeporter.com