This is still a VERY long shot, but my novel Wildwood has been optioned by a movie company!

* * * * *

Wildwood: The Screenplay

If you wondered why it took me so long to write my new historical novel, Finding Flora, I wasn’t being completely idle.

I was also writing a screenplay for my 2018 novel, Wildwood.

So many people told me they thought Wildwood would make a great movie that I decided to pitch it to film companies.

One thing became immediately clear: film companies don’t read books. They want to see screenplays.

So, after much agonizing, I created one.

To be fair, I didn’t write it from scratch. I hired an accomplished screenplay writer named Scot Morison to prepare the first draft. Once he laid out all the scenes, I spent many long weeks studying textbooks about screenplay writing, and managed to create a workable second draft.

To refresh your memory, here’s a description of Wildwood, which was named by Kobo as One of the 100 Most Popular Canadian Novels of All Times:

Broke and desperate, single mother Molly Bannister of Phoenix, Arizona, accepts the condition laid down in her great-aunt’s will: to spend one year in an abandoned farmhouse deep in the remote backwoods of northern Alberta. If she does, she can sell the farm and fund her four-year-old daughter Bridget’s badly needed medical treatments.

With grim determination, Molly teaches herself the basic pioneer skills, chopping firewood and washing her clothes with melted snow. But her greatest perils come from the brutal wilderness itself, from blizzards to grizzly bears. The journal written by her great-aunt, the original homesteader, inspires her to struggle on.

* * * * *

Wildwood: The Movie Company

After approaching several film companies, I was contacted by Kevin DeWalt, the president of Minds Eye Entertainment, based in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The introduction was made through my friend, veteran movie producer Harold Tichenor, who also put me in contact with the writer Scot Morison. Harold has agreed to act as my Consulting Producer for this project, for which I am deeply grateful.

Kevin loved Wildwood and took out an option for two years, during which time he must raise the funds for making the movie. After that, we can either renew the contract or I will begin the search for a new film company.

I believe that Minds Eye Entertainment would do a great job. The company has produced more than sixty films and television series, and has received over fifty national and international film awards.

One of their best known is the CBC series, The Englishman’s Boy, based on the excellent novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe. That series, which won six Gemini awards, is available to watch on Apple TV.

I have been warned repeatedly that writers never like the movies made from their own books! It is necessary to distance yourself emotionally from your story, and surrender all creative decisions to the film company.

That’s very difficult, but I think I can do it. (Of course, if Wildwood was turned into a zombie flick, I might feel differently).

Nevertheless, I have complete confidence that Kevin DeWalt shares my vision.

Read more about the company here: Minds Eye Entertainment.

* * * * *

Wildwood: The Cost

Only a fraction of optioned books ever reach the big screen. Movies cost money to make, big money. And Wildwood will be especially challenging, for several reasons.

Firstly, Wildwood is a four-season story, meaning that the movie can’t be shot in a single time period. The cast and crew will have to return for the winter scenes, especially the one in which the characters almost perish in a blizzard.

Bridget, one of the main characters, is a child who appears in almost every scene. That means no long days of shooting because of child labour laws. That lengthens the time required to shoot the movie, and raises the cost.

The story involves animals — and not just dogs and cats. One scene even features a grizzly bear. As my movie producer friend explained, the director could either cut that scene, or mock up an attack with shots of a snarling bear, or go “Full Revenant.” (If you have seen the movie The Revenant, you will remember the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio is attacked by a grizzly.)

Again, animals need handlers, and that means money.

In comparison, those popular Hallmark romances are shot in two weeks, and the budget for each is about $2 million. As a rule, they don’t have changing seasons or children, and definitely not grizzlies!

If you have deep pockets and a burning desire to invest in Wildwood, here’s how it works: the first step is to raise development financing, covering such initial costs as the casting director’s fee, and scouting for locations. Once everything is in place, the second stage is production financing, the cost of creating the actual film.

If you make a significant investment, you will recover your money with a high rate of interest, plus a profit share of the film’s proceeds. And your name will appear on the film’s credits! For more information, please contact Kevin DeWalt.

* * * * *

Wildwood: The Setting

My novel is set in the beautiful landscape surrounding Peace River in northern Alberta. However, any wilderness setting would accomplish the same goal. In fact, the gorgeous Qu’Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan would make a great setting for my heroine Molly’s physical and emotional journey.

The house that Molly inherits is a foursquare farmhouse. She falls in love with her historic home and cherishes every square inch of it. Once again, it doesn’t have to be a foursquare like this one — any lovely old heritage home would fit the bill.

* * * * *

Wildwood: My Dream Cast

Every movie project wants to sign a big star, because it makes fundraising so much easier. That’s easier said than done. But if I had my druthers, my first choice would be Amy Adams. I think she could do a great job as my heroine Molly, with just the right blend of insecurity and spunk.

And for the handsome farmer Colin, who could resist the Australian actor, Liam Hemsworth?

Of course I know this is unrealistic. I will be perfectly happy to see any talented unknown actors get their big chance in Wildwood, and Kevin DeWalt will naturally have the final word on casting.

Which actors would you choose to star in Wildwood?

On that note, I have told MANY times that my wartime novel Bird’s Eye View would make a great movie. This would be even more costly, with wartime costumes and settings including vintage aircraft and an English mansion to serve as the headquarters for aerial photo interpretation.

BUT if I could choose who to star in that movie, it would be Emily Blunt as the main character, Rose. And I think her real-life husband Jon Kraskinski would make a great Charlie, the humble farm boy who becomes an ace bomber pilot.

This is all a very slender possibility, but a girl can dream!  If the movie is being made, you will hear about it here first.

* * * * *

Buying Back My Books

As part of this process, I purchased the rights back from my publisher Dundurn Press for both my previous novels, Bird’s Eye View and Wildwood.

What this means to you, dear reader, is that they have been removed from the usual sales outlets and cannot be ordered from anyone except me — at least for the time being. At some point I will decide whether to self-publish them again, or sell the rights to another publisher.

The e-book is not currently available, but I can send you signed print copies.

In the meantime, the following bookstores have agreed to carry my books:

• Four Points Books in Golden and Invermere, B.C.
• Lambert-Kipp Pharmacy in Invermere, B.C.
• Coles Books in Cranbrook, B.C.
• McNally Robinson in Saskatoon, Sask.
• Cowtown Kids in Maple Creek, Sask.

* * * * *

Finding Flora: What’s an ARC?

My new historical novel, Finding Flora, will be released on April 1, 2025.

I have just received a few copies of my ARC, which is short for Advance Reading Copy, or Advance Review Copy. The publisher prints a limited number of these copies, labelled “Uncorrected Proof, Not For Sale,” and distributes them to booksellers, media, and influencers (book bloggers and reviewers) — with the intention of generating early reviews and preorders.

I have a handful of copies to distribute to my own influencers. Let me know if you consider yourself one and we will talk!

* * * * *

What’s a Preorder?

Thank you to everyone who has preordered Finding Flora. Since I received a few questions about this, here’s the scoop.

A preorder means that you place your order now, but you won’t pay until it’s in your hot little hands. You also won’t need reminding, since the book will be sent to you automatically on April 1, 2025.

The number of preorders helps the publisher assess demand, and also helps my book hit the bestseller lists.

Preorder Finding Flora at a Bookstore:

If you wish to support your local bookstore, visit or call the store and place your order. All preorders will go through the cash register on April 1, the day that the book is released.

If enough sales are reported for Finding Flora during that first crucial week, it has a chance to hit one of the Bestseller Lists in the media, for example, in the Globe & Mail.

If You Preorder Finding Flora on Amazon:

All sales will be processed on April 1. That means Finding Flora will receive such a boost that it might hit the Amazon Bestseller list, based on the number of books sold in a short time period.

Finding Flora is now listed on Amazon in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It’s available as a trade paperback, or an e-book.

Please contact me if you have any more questions.

* * * * *

Friends, we had several weeks of forest fire smoke here, along with an influx of refugees from Jasper, Alberta, after their town was almost destroyed. However, the skies are clear once again and I’m looking forward to our usual sunny autumn weather.

Letters From Windermere go out on the third Wednesday of each month. Expect your next letter on September 18, 2024.

Please recommend Letters From Windermere to anyone who might be interested, OR anyone who wants to invest in a movie!

As always, Elinor