You go inside the movie theatre and sit down in the plush seat. You’re enclosed in cool darkness. You smell the buttery scent of popcorn. You hear the crinkling of packages being opened—skittles, chips, gummy bears, etc. There is a low murmur of excitement all around you. The lights begin to dim. Then all goes silent. You see nothing now; everything is pitch black. Your heartbeat hangs midair in suspense. The trailers play. Your heart still is hanging. Then trailers end. Your heart starts thundering. Loud, exciting, quick music begins to play, before these words appear on screen: FEATURE PRESENTATION. All goes dark again. This is when you start tearing up, when you feel a lump in your throat, and you turned to whoever is beside you and whisper: “This movie is based on my book!” You shut up and fix your eyes back on the screen. The screen widens, heightens. The corporations who bought the screen rights to your story shows up:

If this was the beginning to the movie adaptation of your book, what, in your imagination, would be the first scene that follows, on which the names of the actors/actresses show up? Mine would be a scene of carriage wheels rolling, the vehicle coming to a stop, a gentleman stepping out, followed by the very first paragraph of TRC: As he walked down the street, the heel of his boots rang against the cobbled ground glistening in the rain. The street lamps did little to ward away the darkness of the evening, leaving his countenance a shadowed mystery. Only when the cheroot he was smoking glowed of brilliant red did it light his features enough to reveal a pair of gray eyes. While this scene is rolling, the actor’s name ‘James Purefoy’ would show up, and for director, ‘Andrew Davies’ (I know, big dream…but I’d rather not limit myself to a small one). 

Confession: When I go to movie theatres, I do tear up, because I DO imagine my book turning into a movie. Tell me I’m not the only one….