I have had many I-can't-believe-this-is-my-life moments since I started my publishing company almost 14 years ago. This morning was certainly one of the best. I received the script of a pilot based on our book NATIONAL SECURITY MOM!
I was immediately sucked in. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I'm anxious to hear what author Gina Bennett and her husband think; what a wild experience to read a script that details your day-to-day life! Also anxious to see what the CIA (and their big black sharpie) does when one of their own is being so honestly portrayed. Oh my gosh, what brilliant parallels the screenwriters have woven in -- I got goosebumps realizing how one scene jumps to the next, from Gina stuffing lunches into her kids' backpacks, to different packs, stuffed with bombs, forced on the backs of children in the name of Allah. And Gina "caring" for the safety of both of them. OMG! From bullies in Afghanistan to bullies on the playground, I can "see" the series so clearly.
Here are the "character descriptions" in the script (so great!):
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GINA BENNETT watches. She's 41. If you could see past the intensity, she'd be pretty in her off-the-rack pants suit.
MARK BENNETT, 42, stands reluctantly outside - the product of a torrid tryst between GQ and Good Housekeeping.
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As a long-time fan of any movie in which the main character is seen writing the book the movie is based on, I squealed at the last lines of the pilot:
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INT. BENNETT HOME - GINA'S OFFICE
The blank document on the computer screen awaits Gina's fingers to finally commit to the blinking cursor... they do:
Chapter 1
"Dealing with Bullies"
FADE TO BLACK
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AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! Kenzie shot this pic of me reading the script. The real nail-biter is the next step, selling the pilot!