The entry begins:
These days, as a fiction writer, I imagine less about landing on the big screen and more about streaming potential. My dream is for A Cold, Cold World to become a mini-series on either Amazon Prime or Netflix.Visit Elena Taylor's website.
With the rugged scenery of the Pacific Northwest, the fast action scenes, and the intense weather events, I think it would be a dynamic and exciting project.
There are a couple reasons for the shift in my adaptation goals. First off, I love the ability to watch shows at home. As much as I enjoy going to a movie theater, I have a reclining divan, adult beverages, and a fireplace in my living room—definitely my go-to for enjoying a cinematic experience.
Then, I find that mini-series have fabulous production values these days. They can do things with streaming shows that are as complicated in terms of effects and filming as a movie. Whether it’s the opening scenes of my small-town sheriff riding up to a mountain ridge to recover the body of a dead teenager in the aftermath of a snowmobile accident, or her continued search for clues in the storm, the visual elements would be amazing.
Lastly, I think books do tremendously well when the project has more time to develop the characters and the plot. I love shows with several episodes, allowing me to discover a much fuller representation of a novel. A Cold, Cold World is a fairly fast-moving mystery, with some thrilleresque moments, but it’s also about characters grappling with real world issues, so the slower moments of character development would be key.
Even more of a dream for me would be a continuing series. I’m a big fan of shows like The Murdoch Mysteries, based on the novels by Maureen Jennings, DCI Banks based on the novels by Peter Robinson, and Shetland based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. I would love to see my Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries added to that heady list.
Since the first book, I’ve thought about who I would love to see in the major roles. I think Charisma Carpenter would be perfect for the role of Sheriff Bet Rivers. Her evolution from the ditzy party-girl on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the serious and hardcore vampire fighter on Angel was a lot of fun to watch. I know she can be tough and physical, but also thoughtful and smart.
That naturally brings me to...[read on]
Q&A with Elena Taylor.
The Page 69 Test: A Cold, Cold World.
My Book, The Movie: A Cold, Cold World.
--Marshal Zeringue
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