Hollywood: Another Upmarket Idea

Apart from inspiring me in my fantasy writing, watching the Dune movie has done the strangest thing. It has inspired another upmarket romance book in the vein of AILEY OSE.

You see, most times when agents try to get book deals for their clients, if the client is a prolific writer, the agents try to bargain with the publisher to buy multiple of the client’s manuscripts. This can be two or three books in a deal.

Mostly, I’m focused on fantasy writing, but every now and then I get a romance or romance-esque idea that I’m super pumped up to write. (See link above for the two romance books I have in my ‘collection’!) I’ve accepted now that I work within these two genres, even though I’m more focused on fantasy. This is an important note for me because I once thought I had to choose between the two for a clear brand, and of course, fantasy wins. I believed/decided I wasn’t writing romance again. But then I noticed the occasional romance idea still comes insistently and get me super invested. Therefore, I have decided to create room for myself to write in the genre whenever the ideas push their way in. So should I get a deal for AILEY OSE, if there’s negotiation room for a two book deal instead of one, I’ve decided to take it. (Initially, I thought I’d tell my agent in that scenario that I’m good with one book deal, and don’t foresee myself settling in the romance space.)

On that note, I’ve been wondering what kind of story would fit into the unusual format style of AILEY OSE. Because depending on the editor that buys the book, it might not be an imprint that’ll buy an upmarket, bookclub fiction type book like AILEY OSE, and then take a regular ol’ romcom next. Different imprints have their focuses, and while some can accept bookclub fiction and romance, some don’t publish full-on romance. So I’ve been vaguely wondering what other story I can write in the format of AILEY OSE without being an idea I whip up just for that purpose, but because it speaks to me the way AILEY OSE did.

And you won’t believe that it was in my Dune movie era that I got the idea. What does a sci-fi movie like Dune have to do with upmarket romance books, you might wonder.

The Big Idea

Now I absolutely loved the movies, but part of my enjoyment also came from watching the cast interviews where the actors explain behind the scenes stuff, or give insight into their characters and the story, etc. It all came together to form the beautiful Dune experience for me.

And so I imagined it all being ONE story. The film itself which is so beloved and adapted from a beloved book, and the actors analyzing its themes and giving viewers their own perspective that you hadn’t really thought about while watching the film but makes so much sense. I really love watching Zendaya, Denis V, Rebecca Ferguson, and Florence Pugh especially analyze how the films connect to the book and dissect all the layers.

And so I have the idea to make a story of this structure. Write out a thought-provoking movie that was adapted from a fictional book, and then have chapters where the actors who play the characters give deeper insight and their perspectives in their ‘cast interviews’ on the story, themes, and their roles. It’s going to be a backdrop of a highly successful film filled with a star-studded cast, all of which the viewers are obsessively excited about. So there’ll be this atmosphere of a frenzy for the film and the behind the scenes.

It’ll have the transcript format running through; it’ll be about Hollywood and its actors; it’ll be set in the swinging 60s or thereabout. A perfect companion piece to AILEY OSE.

It’s a wild idea. But it’s one I’m so excited and am buzzing to play with. I hope I get to do so! Like with a potential ADOBS 4, at the time of writing this post, I’m still letting the idea sit and taking notes to expand on the idea as they come.

Who Is This Person??

I’ve been looking at myself and wondering when I went from a total rule-follower to a writer who challenges the norm, or takes crazy writing risks. I mean, I was thinking of the two stories I have out on subs (a fantasy and an upmarket) and how they’ll attract only the unconventional editors who love to push boundaries, thinking of how these editors might not be easy to find since most people prefer comfort, and I asked myself: how the heck did I get here? Haha. How did I become this writer whose books will raise brows? I’m usually so orthodox!

Anyway, I do hope I get to share these ideas I have with the world 🙂