Thursday, September 23, 2021

Lucy is Ready for her Close-up @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I can't say that I'm writing much of anything other than press releases, to-do lists, and emails. Though I did turn in the first draft of A DISH TO DIE FOR on September 1st, and I've been catching up on life since then. I have another book to write in the Key West series, but I have no title and no plot. I do have some idea fragments about what will be going on in Miss Gloria's life (involving the scone sisters from A SCONE OF CONTENTION.) And those ideas make me rub my hands in anticipation.


Other than that, I am super excited about the upcoming launch of UNSAFE HAVEN. Severn House is a new-to-me publisher that mainly targets the library market in both the UK and the US. (Though I am hoping many fans of the Key West mysteries will consider giving it a try.) This was a bonus book that I had about given up on when my agent sold it. The publisher designed a wonderful cover, and the book tells a great story (she said modestly.) Here’s what our Hank had to say about it: 


Devastating, heartbreaking and completely immersive. This riveting story of fear and redemption, motherhood and second chances, and our responsibility to strangers is a powerful thriller proving one split-second decision can change our lives forever.  UNSAFE HAVEN has Hollywood written all over it!   Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of HER PERFECT LIFE 


And that started me thinking: What if it really was made into a TV show or a movie? Of all the books I've written, Unsafe Haven is probably the story most suited for that. I thought I might post a bit of what Kirkus said about Unsafe Haven and then see if you’d help me brainstorm. 


Kirkus said: In a major departure from her lighthearted Key West mysteries, Burdette invites readers into the world of a chilling thriller. A page-turner highlighting the problem of exploited runaways.


New York City medical student Elizabeth Brown was jilted by her fiancé a few days before their wedding, and she's taking the subway to visit a friend who'll commiserate when a frantic-looking girl hands her a bundle that turns out to be a newborn baby. After phoning the police, she makes the mistake of calling a number she finds in the coat wrapping the baby. This call immerses her in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with people she naïvely believes want to help. The baby’s mother, 16-year-old Addison, is running for her life from a woman who took her in as a young runaway and turned her into a prostitute. Unable to forget the baby after turning her over to the police, Elizabeth, herself adopted, gives an interview to a reporter that only exposes her to more danger….Only quick thinking and grit will save their lives.


Here's how I picture the logline: After a teenage runaway gives birth in a subway and thrusts the baby into the arms of a newly jilted bride, all three must run to escape danger. (Hmmm, or should I end that sentence with Kirkus's last line above?)


In addition to a little word-smithing above, these are the questions I’d love to get opinions on…Is there an actress who comes to mind to play Addy and/or Elizabeth? Addy is a teenager, small and fragile-looking and dark-haired. Elizabeth is more stocky, in her twenties, with blonde curls and blue eyes. Another character who might be fun to cast is Detective Jack Meigs (originally from the advice column mysteries.) He’s in his fifties, with reddish curls tinged with gray. He’s gruff and intimidating on the outside, but tender underneath, reeling from his own kind of pain. (My husband suggested Michael Kitchen from Foyle's War--who might be a bit too old, but is otherwise perfect.)


And while you’re thinking of characters, can you identify a TV show or movie that sounds somewhat similar? Even if none of this goes anywhere, it’s fun to think about.


Ways to pre-order your copy of UNSAFE HAVEN:


Book depository 


Indiebound 


Barnes and Noble 


Amazon 


Severn House 


And if this is not in your budget (which I totally get,) you can invite your local library to order a copy!

49 comments:

  1. The “Unsafe Haven” story sounds absolutely amazing, Lucy . . . I can’t wait to read it!

    I’m not very good at the whole “what actor/actress should play” but I’ll suggest Lily James for Addy and Lily Collins for Elizabeth . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the sound of this story and I definitely want to pick it up when it comes out in December.

    As for casting stuff, I'm afraid I can't weigh in on that stuff until I actually read the book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, Roberta! Congratulations!! That is some concept! Kirkus' review is terrific. I have to know what happens to everyone.

    I haven't been watching TV or movies for a couple of years now, so the actors and actresses I am familiar with have aged out of these roles. (For me, it is important that the actors are a similar age to the characters in the book, when a book is made into a movie.) Does the story take place in the US, or across the pond?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Judy! It takes place in New York and CT. I have the same problem with aging actors in my head:)

      Delete
  4. I just finished SCONE OF CONTENTION and loved the Booth sisters, Violet and Bettina. What a great teaser that they'll be included in the next Key West series book! And UNSAFE HAVEN is beckoning me...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you liked the scone sisters--I can picture the trouble they'll get into with Miss Gloria! thanks so much for reading

      Delete
  5. How exciting, Roberta/Lucy! Congratulations on the new book, and all the good buzz, too. How can we wait all that time?

    What if the teenager was Black? Or the jilted bride? Because Hollywood will change the story at least a bit if they get their hands on it, and they are seeking diversity at the moment. Or the detective? I could see someone like Vendaya playing the younger woman. She's slender, but not small; however, she does have a very young look. Lots of older actors to play the cop. How about Jeffrey Dean Morgan? I haven't seen him in anything in a long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen! I think it was Hallie's advice that once someone buys an option, it's wise to let the story go. Unless you're a BIG author, then you could demand this and that. (I'm not LOL). Just dreaming at this point...

      Delete
    2. Karen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been quite active the last few years playing Negan in The Walking Dead television show. He also has some movies thrown in over the past few years. In fact, he has stayed busy for some time. He is a really big deal on The Walking Dead, a character who has gone from pure evil to a redeemed fighter of the same.

      Delete
    3. Well, no wonder I haven't seen him. Thanks for the update, Kathy!

      Delete
  6. How fun that you reused Jack! I am truly excited about this book, Roberta, and thrilled you're making a success with a genre switch.

    I'm clueless about casting, although I agree with Hank that it has Hollywood written all over it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ordered and looking forward to UNSAFE HAVEN as autumn turns to winter up here on the tundra.

    I have no real ideas for casting as I haven't seen a first fun film since Gone With the Wind! -- not really. Although Selena Gomez plays "young" really well.

    I want to say thank you to all the authors here and otherwise. If it weren't for books, I would be batshit crazy by now. As the world crumbles ...

    Non sequitur coming:

    I scored a digital copy of a book I read 30 years ago, PLAYING FOR ASHES, Elizabeth George, $1.99. I know I read it back when, but I had no memory of the plot. I'm on page 356 and only halfway thru! This might be her best ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That book was featured in the first or second season of the Inspector Lynley mysteries. I read the book when it came out - has it really been 30 years - but too long ago to know if the screen adaptation was faithful to the book.

      Delete
    2. Ann, I'm jealous! I missed the chance to get that title at $1.99.

      Delete
    3. Isn't it amazing what time will do? I too have recently read a book I know I read maybe 30 years ago, or more, and loved it. But on rereading it it is as if I had never read it before, all brand new to me. I suppose that might be a good reason to never get rid of a book if we enjoyed it, so we can read it again in later years. But then all those books would simply take over the house!

      Delete
  8. I read this book and LOVED it... completely riveting. I say Addy is THE prize role and it goes to an unknown young actress making her breakout debut. (Anyone remember Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay? Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver?)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Roberta, I'm curious about something with this new book. It's written under your Lucy Burdette name, but a different genre than your Key West series. So often publishers seem to want authors to publish other genres under different names, but this time you stuck to your pen name. Is there a specific reason for this, either by your choice or the publisher's? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought they would want to move back to Roberta, who is a little darker than Lucy. But Lucy sells better so they specifically asked for that name to be used. that's why I keep warning potential readers that it's not a cozy mystery!

      Delete
    2. Publishers! They're so fickle, aren't they?

      Delete
  10. Lucy, this book sounds riveting. I have friends with Severn House and have heard nothing but kind words. Given your first professional background - I'm sure this will be a blockbuster!

    As for casting the roles - alas, I am too far out of the loop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Kait, Severn House has been wonderful to work with so far!

      Delete
  11. Lucy, your book has been on my list for a while now. I can't wait to read it! Maybe after I do I will have some thoughts on casting but I'm not up on who is who any more, especially if they are young. Or even young-ish.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lucy! you went dark! how exciting... and er thrilling. I just requested a copy and coincidentally Scones for Contention landed in my Kindle this morning. Happy reading day for me. Casting for me would involve a lot of looking at stock photos methinks.. might be fun for another day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Coralee. I could sink into a big distracting hole:)

      Delete
  13. I’m very happy for you that your book will be published. Looking forward to hear your voice in a new genre.

    As for actors, I’m completely out of it, nobody to suggest.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lucy, love that you are thinking about the scone sisters! What fun they would have with Miss Gloria.

    I can't wait to read Unsafe Haven! Such a great concept! As for casting, what about Millie Bobby Brown for Addy? Or has she aged out of teenagers already... Karen has a good suggestion about diverse casting, so I am thinking about Elizabeth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm stumped on the diversity part, as Elizabeth is raised in Guilford CT, where diversity is a head-scratcher mostly. Luckily, I don't think I have to solve this today:)

      Delete
  15. This is so exciting to ponder! It is such a perfectly cinematic book, if I do say so myself. Oh, I did! This has several roles which would be a joy to play, and I cannot wait to hear what happens— crossing fingers that something will. but hey, the book is fabulous as a book! . Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unsafe Haven sounds very complex and complicated. I imagine it answers the question of what else could possibly go wrong after being jilted at the altar.

    ReplyDelete
  17. There's a great book about writing log lines (yes, an entire book!) called Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence by Lane Shefter Bishop (a producer herself), which I heartily recommend. It not only helps you craft the log line itself (more complicated, and difficult, than I ever imagined!) but uses that as a starting point for discussing what producers are looking really looking for in a project.

    Really looking forward to Unsafe Haven. Great premise!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lucy, I can't answer any of your movie-casting questions, but I'm calling Mystery Lovers Bookshop tomorrow to pre-order this! Or maybe it's on their website...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lucy, I have Unsafe Haven in my NetGalley books to read, and I'm really looking forward to it. The first person that came to mind from your description of Detective Jack Meigs was the actor Adian Quinn. He would have been dead-on perfect a few years back, as he had the reddish hair tinged with gray, but Quinn is 62 now, and he may have aged out of the role. Although, I still think he could be great at it, with some work on his now all-gray hair.

    And, I'm glad to hear that there will be a connection to the scone sisters in the upcoming Key West book. I thought they were a lovely pair.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Loved the sneak peek you shared with us, Lucy. This is such a great story with so many layers and so much emotional investment. As for casting, I have realized I have no idea who is famous anymore. I don't know what happened but I have ceased to recognize celebrities' names anymore. And when did they start casting all of these 12 year olds? LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenn, I was having a tough day yesterday. Last night I said, "Screw it. I'm reading Wait for It." And I'm halfway through! Thank you for taking me out of my (minor) issues. Hoping to finish tonight.

      Delete
  21. I LOVED it and would love to see a dramatization, Netflix or HULU perhaps? I don't know about casting, but the sets will have amazing contrasts. I concur with the wisdom of letting go of preconceived expectations; there are always changes. Movies can't carry the full depth and beauty of the book.

    ReplyDelete