My Books As Movie Props

Imagine that! Of course, I must admit I had imagined one of my books being used in a movie some day. With tongue in cheek, I say I had a grander idea in mind other than a prop, but hey I'll take what I can get. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea.

It was mid August when I received an email from Kristina Baker Smith, Associate Producer, Stephen Folker Films at Davenport, Iowa, wondering if I'd like to donate a book for the film. I emailed back all sorts of questions. What genre since I have a selection? How would the book be used? Would I get any credit? Kristina Smith replied the genre of the book didn't matter.

Stephen Folker Films Presents "Overdue" a film about Carl, a mild mannered custodian at the Jamestown Library by day...a self appointed overdue book collector by night. Follow him as he makes his list and hunts down his prey, exacting literary justice in a most unique and gruesome manner. No one should ever be allowed to forget to return their books on time. The library janitor goes after people that have overdue books in order to win the heart of the library director.  

I'm guessing the janitor gets a little rough since the movie is a comedy/ slasher.  The donated books in the movie will be seen in the background on the carts, in the book drop box, the characters homes, etc.

I had to admit to the Associate Producer that I wasn't familiar with Stephen Folker and his films. She gave me his website so I did some research on him. I found his last Independent film won awards.

If you’d like to see past work visit the website www.stephenfolkerfilms.com

So I sent two of my books and received a thank you with a link on Facebook to see how the film is progressing. The film has been in production so if you're curious you click the link below and like the movie's page to watch the progress of the film which I've done.

https://www.facebook.com/overduemovie/?fref=ts

Kristina Smith emailed me that my donation of the books will be listed under Thank You in the film credits along with all the other donated books. She added “We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy the film and reap the benefits of this little bit of advertising.”

My first thought when I saw Stephen Folker's movie genre was humorous horror was this isn't my kind of movie. That is until the use of my books in a movie sort of grew on me. I've not usually a fan of horror movies simply because years ago, we stayed up past midnight on Saturday nights watching horror movies. I wound up reliving a nightmare version of the movie I just watched.

One night, we must have watched a movie about a giant spider that ate the world or some such story line. In the middle of the night, I was seeing a large spider dangling from his web and coming down at me. I woke just enough to jerk the sheet to bring it up over my head to keep the spider from landing on me only the sheet didn't give. My hand came loose, and I socked myself in the right eye.

That brought me out of the dream and woke my husband, too. He wanted to know what was wrong with me. Still only partially awake, a spider was coming down from the ceiling at us popped out of my mouth. Harold turned on the light and inspected the covers. He said, “I don't see any spider. You must have been dreaming it.” Now I was with it enough to realize he was right. If I admitted that, I was in for a bunch of teasing. So I inspected the covers myself and said, “That spider must have got away.” I don't know if I faked my husband out or not, but he was too tired to care so he went back to sleep. Next morning, I looked in the mirror and found I had a butte of a shiner. I faced questions about what happened to me from everyone that I met the next few days until the black and blue color faded away.Telling people I accidentally socked myself while pulling up a cover seemed easier to believe then the story about the spider.

So once I decided I'd like to donate to the movie, I asked the Associate Producer what genre I should send. She said it didn't matter like any library all genres were appreciated. I've written several genres; Nurse Hal Among the Amish series, Stringbean Hooper western series, a historical Amazing Gracie series, three holiday fiction books, and some novellas. Thinking about my list of 48 books I came up with one that (again tongue in cheek) was as close to the genre humorous horror as I was going to get, The Locked Rock Hatchet Murders in the Amazing Gracie Mystery series. To balance that one out, I sent another one A Promise Is A Promise, the first in the Nurse Hal Among The Amish series.

Check out Steven Folker's Independent film production company's films based in Iowa and the movie “Overdue”.

Genre Comedy with a splash of horror.

About: Did you return your library books on time? Check out 'Overdue', a zany comedy with a splash of 80s B-Horror flair!

Below is the synopsis for The Locked Rock Hatchet Murders if any of you readers like my version of humorous horror.

Locked Rock, Iowa is lively again with Gracie Evans and her friends antics. Enjoy this story about Moser Mansion Rest Home for women residents when they attempt to make conditions better for women in 1905. What do you know! Gracie Evans, Moser Mansion resident, has turned into a women's activist which is going to get her in plenty of trouble. Locked Rock's newspaper is full of news from back east and the women in town read all about it. Suffragettes are burning their corsets to draw attention to the fact they want the same right to vote as the men which due to their efforts gave women the right to vote in August, 1920. Women are trying to bring on prohibition with the help of Carrie A. Nation, Temperance Movement leader, by smashing saloons with hatchets. Gracie enlists the women's bible study group to organize a Temperance march. She means well, but before she knows it, she's turned the men in town against the women. The march gets Gracie and two others arrested. Her community service punishment as the town's telephone operator puts her in the hot seat right where the men in town want her so they can threaten her. However, someone does more than threaten the town's Temperance leader Ida Frank. A killer hacks Ida and her family to death with the Moser Mansion hatchet. Rafe Johnson's blood hounds trail a scent to Moser Mansion. All of Locked Rock's citizens are on edge and looking for someone to blame the murders on. Gracie Evans is the men's prime suspect.

If you try this book or any other of the books I've written, I hope you enjoy reading them, Author Fay Risner