Guest Post: After 20 Years, The Giver is Finally a Film by Spencer Blohm

Spencer Blohm is back with another guest post, guys. This time it's about the upcoming film The Giver and some of the ins and outs of the process that's occurred from book to film.

After 20 Years, The Giver is Finally a Film

Lois Lowry’s The Giver has been a mainstay on most teenagers reading lists since its release in 1993. Whether you read it in school or on your own time, the story of Jonas, the Community and, of course, the Giver, holds a spot in many reader’s hearts today. The book took shape when author Lowry asked herself what a world would be like with no war, no poverty, no unhappiness, and no disharmony at all. She told the Washington Post that after establishing this peaceful world, “then I introduce the idea that something is not quite right in this lovely place.”

The resulting story was considered by some to be too dark and controversial for teens or older children to read, and there were even attempts to ban the book. This took Lowry by surprise; she was actually “astonished” when she heard of this controversy and in the same interview went on to explain, “I think The Giver is such a moral book, so filled with important truths, that I couldn’t believe anyone would want to suppress it, to keep it from kids.”

Now, 20 years after it first simultaneously won accolades and condemnation, the book will be (finally) making its way into theaters this coming August. The novel no longer stirs up the controversy that it once did, considering the radical changes in society since its release, but it’s central theme is something that is timeless, and will surely be extended to a new generation thanks to the film. While not much is know about the film itself, here are a few things that we know regarding its creation...

The film rights to the book were originally purchased in 1994 by Bill Cosby and his production company, ASIS Productions, who formed an agreement with Lancit Media Production to create a film adaptation of the book. As the years went by, multiple screenwriters were brought into and subsequently left the project, and Walden Media eventually became the central production company.
One constant through the film’s journey to the big screen was the interest of Jeff Bridges. After being introduced to the book by his daughter, he became interested in optioning the rights to the film, but not for himself, telling Variety,“I originally thought of the role of the Giver as a vehicle for my father, the late Lloyd Bridges.” Thanks to the many years spent in pre-production, Bridges now will assume the role, saying, “at 61 years old, I feel the time is right for me to do it.” He also serves as a producer of the film.

Joining Bridges on the production side of the picture is director Phillip Noyce. It’s worth noting that among Noyce’s best known works are the action/thriller films Salt, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger (all of which you can catch through streaming and on demand services online or from your cable provider). This means we can likely expect the film to be more fast-paced than the book, and to really milk those suspenseful moments. While Lowry didn’t have a role in the screenplay itself (which was eventually written by Michael Mitnick), she told the Washington Post that she read it and offered suggestions but understood that “a movie can’t ever be the same as the book.” Producer Nikki Silver echoed Lowry’s sentiments, citing a concern in trying to translate Jonas’ heavy internal dialogue to the screen, and saying that the film took so long to be made because they needed the right screenplay, which would be able to do just that.

Of course, it was quite a process to find Jonas himself as well. Rumors swirled for months as to who would get the part after the casting process was announced, and the part eventually went to a relatively unknown Australian actor, Brenton Thwaites. Joining him and Bridges in the cast is the legendary Meryl Streep as Chief Elder, much to the delight of, well, everyone. Rounding out the cast are Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard as Jonas’s parents, and Taylor Swift, who appears in a few brief moments as Rosemary, the former Receiver of Memories.

As you may have previously seen on this site, a trailer was recently released for the film. Of course, fans of the book were quick to react to the fact that the film is not in black and white like the book, but the studio assures us that parts of the film will be shown as written. The Giver will make its debut in American theaters on August 15th, so be on the lookout for more information and sneak peeks about this highly anticipated film.

Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment blogger who lives and works in Chicago. When he’s not busy working he can be found catching up on all his favorite TV shows or checking out the newest movies. His sadly neglected Twitter is @bspencerblohm.

Guest Post: Real Fiction by author Ted Galdi

I've decided that a few guest posts might help fill in the holes my lack of reviews have caused. This post is by new author Ted Galdi about the benefits of 'real' fiction and his new book. Enjoy!

When reading books or watching movies, I've always found it interesting when the fictional story takes creative liberties with well-known, real-life "things." For instance, in The Da Vinci Code, though the characters and conflict are completely fictional, a lot of the important drivers of the story - institutions, works of art, symbols, etc - have existed in the world for hundreds of years if not more. Though some made-up context is added around these aspects, it happens in a way that preserves their historical integrity and doesn't try to transform them into something they're not. When writers use this technique with the appropriate balance, the result is powerful. Audiences are able to instantly relate to the story because it features things they already know about; less exposition is needed since the simple introduction of these elements conveys unspoken supporting information; the journeys of the characters seem more realistic since they're happening among recognizable scenery.

I recently finished writing my first novel, Elixir, a thriller about a teenage genius on a mission to create a "super medicine" to save his sick girlfriend. When writing I relied heavily on the concept of "real fiction," trying to incorporate commonly known things into the book on the small level all the way up to the large. For example, a major conflict point of the story involves Sean, the main character, cracking something called The Traveling Salesman Problem, which is considered the biggest mystery in computer science. The challenge is to write a formula that can automatically find the shortest route a traveller (like a salesman on a business trip) can take through any number of world cities, while passing through each at least once before returning to the original. It sounds simple enough, and it is for a low number of destinations. However, once you include ten cities the amount of possible "paths" to choose from is over 350,000. The scope gets exponentially more complex as more locations are piled on, skyrocketing to over 85 billion potential paths at 15 cities. In Elixir, Sean invents a formula that can in deed locate the shortest route among all 85-billion-plus of these combinations and many more. This discovery winds up catapulting him into a storm of problems, where he's chased down by "real fiction" pursuers such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the United States Secretary of Defence.

Weaving real-fiction pieces into a story can make it more relatable and appealing. If you're an aspiring writer, definitely consider this effective tool in your next project.

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This guest post was by Ted Galdi, author of the upcoming thriller Elixir. For more on Ted and his book, visit the official website at www.elixirthebook.com.

Guest Post: All Eyes on Divergent

Today I have a special guest post to share with you all. Spencer Blohm is here to discuss the new film adaptation of Divergent and how it compares to similar YA book-to-film transitions. Enjoy!

As March 21st, the date for the release of Divergent into theaters, rapidly approaches, fans’ excitement for the film is steadily rising. Like many other series, Divergent is being heavily compared to others in its YA lit based genre. The series has fictional elements similar to the Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games franchises, but it’s the latter that draws the closest comparison. Both Divergent and Hunger Games are based in the future, contain a fair amount of action, feature female lead characters, and are even set in a dystopian world.

            Perhaps most importantly, these two series show exactly how much dystopian books, movies, and television shows are presently in demand. In fact, these two series have aided in plunging the stake in the dying trend of vampires, a theme which is only just lingering thanks to the much delayed release of Vampire Academy. However, that trend is more or less over, and it looks as if dystopian is the flavor of the moment. So far in 2014, Divergent will be the second dystopian themed film to be released, the first being RoboCop. Throughout the rest of 2014, no less than seven new films with dystopian themes will be premiering, including Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Giver, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

            Despite the crowded arena, Divergent is attempting to set itself apart from the rest of the dystopian films. Director Neil Burger has, logically, gone out of his way to create something drastically different from The Hunger Games. For those who are unfamiliar with Burger and his style, you can stream some of his other films, like The Illusionist and Limitless online through DirecTV (more info available on their web site) or Amazon. Regarding Divergent, Burger told Collider in an interview, 

“I wanted to do something different. We’ve seen a lot of post-apocalyptic movies, we’ve seen these other young adult movies. So I just thought that there was a way to do it in a much more cinematic way, to tell it visually, and also to tell it in a more real way.” 

He went on to explain, 

“Yeah I think some of the violence also is less about seeing a fist smash into a face or blood splatter… There’s a sense of violence emotionally, with people being killed. Again it’s less about how they die. Just the fact that they do die is really disturbing and upsetting, and intense.”

It appears Burger is trying as hard as he can to differentiate his directing and the film’s style from that of their most obvious competitor. It’s worth noting though, that Burger will not be directing the second film, so the style of the sequel could be drastically different from its predecessor.

            While we will have to wait for Divergent’s official box office numbers to see how it stacks up against The Hunger Games, according to The Hollywood Reporter estimates have the film pulling in around $65 million opening weekend. This total would fall significantly short of the $152 million The Hunger Games made its opening weekend, but it’s certainly not a small number. The film definitely has the potential to create mega stars out of main actors Shailene Woodley and Theo James, both largely unknown to the general public. While Woodley scored a Golden Globe nod for her performance in The Descendants, she presently lacks the star power of The Hunger Games’ Jennifer Lawrence. James, meanwhile, has very few acting credits to his name, and those he does have are better known in his native England. If the film is successful, however, the two of them could be kicking R-Patz and K-Stew of Twilight to the curb come this time next year.

Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment blogger who lives and works in Chicago. When he’s not busy working he can be found catching up on all his favorite TV shows or checking out the newest movies. His sadly neglected Twitter is @bspencerblohm.

Guest Post: Addison Westlake's Top 10 Funny Women in rom-coms

What with my PhD studies and reading the millions of books I've bought over the years and crammed into my shelves, I haven't been able to take on any books from authors sending requests my way. I feel pretty bad about that, because while I have definitely come across some less-than-great books this way, I've also discovered some great small or self published books which I'd never have found otherwise. So when an author contacts me and offers to write a guest post I am more than happy to comply, maybe I won't be getting a chance to read the book, but at least everyone else can find out a little something about the author and their writing.

So on that note, here is a guest post by author Addison Westlake. Addison contacted me about her new book Facebook Jeanie, and offered to write a guest post about her 10 favourite funny females in romantic comedies as she is both a lover of rom-coms and a writer of rom-coms. Before we get to her list, here's a bit of a introduction to Addison. Stay tuned at the end of her post for more details about her novel and her social media and website contacts.

Addison Westlake made her debut as an author at age 13 by rewriting the "Sweet Valley High" series. Despite copyright violations, she maintains that her rendition of Elisabeth and Jessica Wakefield as preteens in a British orphanage is a classic. Between then and now she went to some fancy schools, swapped out the East Coast for the West Coast, and had oodles of kids. Some of her favorite things in life include coffee, Aretha Franklin's inauguration hat and the sleepwalking scene in "Step Brothers."

Addison's first romantic comedy, “Christmas in Wine Country,” spent six weeks on the bestseller list in contemporary romance, women’s fiction, humorous fiction and humor. And it’s only $0.99, y’all.  

She would like to thank MCM cover design, mcm@1889.ca, for the awesome “Facebook Jeanie” cover. And for the unfailing patience with questions such as “should she have an earring” and “do her pinks clash?”

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TOP 10 FUNNIEST WOMEN IN ROM COMS

I’ve always loved to laugh. One of my earliest memories is of watching Ernie—as in Ernie and Bert on Sesame Street—clean his room. I remember nearly losing it as he threw his toys all over his room while Bert sputtered with frustration.

Now, as a romantic comedy writer, I’m pretty much the same. I love a good laugh, and I love both reading books and watching movies that crack me up. In a tribute to the women who’ve made me laugh in this genre, I’ve put together a top 10 list of the funniest women in romantic comedies. Give my list a read and see if you agree. And shout out if you have any to add!

10. Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones’ Diary. OK, she might be more neurotic than funny but Renee Zellweger made me laugh in several scenes. Showing up in a bunny costume to a party that’s no longer costume (nod to Legally Blonde, #3). Really messing up an introduction at a book launch, introducing as it as one of the top 30 books, at least. Practicing how to say Chechnya and sound concerned while vacuuming in her undies. It works.

9. Cameron Diaz in Something About Mary. Yes, I’m talking about the hair gel scene. It’s a gross and stupid gag, but you have to admit it works. Cameron Diaz’s peppy, enthusiastic and happy delivery gets it right. Even though it’s so wrong.

8. Jennifer Coolidge in American Pie (Stiffler’s Mom), A Cinderella Story (the step-mom) and Legally Blonde (Paulette). She’s just totally unafraid, I think that’s what makes her so funny. Mastering the Bend and Snap. She puts it all out there. Literally.

7. Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She’s funny, busting in on the guy’s night with a tiny dog and lots of decorations and making them all put out their stogies. She calls out their cards and makes her guy blow his nose into a tissue. And then there’s the scene when she’s used photoshop to create a huge family album featuring her and her boyfriend’s imagined kids. It’s so crazy you’ve got to love it.

6. Anna Faris in The House Bunny. Standing over a steam vent trying to be like Marilyn Monroe but it’s too hot. Saying people’s names in a scary Exorcist voice as a trick to remember them. Starting to read a letter “Dear Shelly,” stopping to look up, “Oh my god, that’s me! Wait, there’s more!” She’s excellent at being breathlessly lost and confused and clueless.

5. Isla Fisher in Wedding Crashers. She’s really wonderful as a psycho hyper nymphomaniac, jumping all over Vince Vaughn like a tiny poodle. The way she delivers the lines “Don’t you ever leave me. Because I’d find you,” with a singsongy little girlishness, then a huge cackle. She gets extra points for creepiness.

4. Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I love that she actually looks dumpy in the opening scenes; those glasses are really unattractive. She makes really wonderful, warm and witty observations about family and culture throughout the movie. And, of course, she wrote it and stared in the movie so hats off to Nia Vardalos!

3. Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Her Harvard application tape is truly a work of art. It’s hard to imagine anyone being that much of an LA airhead and being so likable, but she actually pulls it off.

2. Both Jane Lynch and Leslie Mann in 40 Year Old Virgin. Obviously Lynch found her real calling in Glee, but for a bit part she makes the most of it, propositioning Andy and telling him about her chilling first time. And Leslie Mann drunk in that sparkling cap. I’ll never be able to say “french toast” again without thinking of her.

And number 1 goes to: Kristen Wiig, Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids. I love all of them. How can Rebel Wilson make her short scenes the most memorable? The free tattoo? Describing how she mistook Kristen Wiig’s diary as a very sad handwritten book? And then Melissa McCarthy on the airplane with the man she’s convinced is an air marshal (she’s right). And Kristin Wiig throughout. Whether she’s ripping apart a chocolate fountain, crying on her mom’s couch watching Wilson the volleyball, or driving topless to get her crush’s attention, I love her.

Writing comedy, I’m going to channel these women. They’ll be my muses.

Now tell me, who did I miss???

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Now that you've gotten to know Addison Westlake a bit better, here's the blurb about her brand-spankin' new book Facebook Jeanie. 

Ever wonder if you made the right choice? What if you could go back and find out?

31-year-old Clara is in a steady relationship—with Facebook. Every night after her depressing bureaucratic job (so much for saving the world), Clara comes home to her empty apartment (yes, she was dumped) and settles down with a pint of ice cream for some good, old-fashioned Facebook stalking. It's her college boyfriend, The One Who Got Away. With the bod of a God and a net worth of umpteen bamillion, he now has the perfect life—everything she could have had if she hadn't been so, so stupid.

But, wait. Jeanie from Facebook shows up at Clara's job. There's a new app they're beta-testing and Clara's perfect for it. That night she clicks on it and... nothing happens. But the next morning when Clara wakes up at noon, hung over, listening to her roommate blow-drying her hair and singing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", she realizes she's back in college. With the chance to do it all over again.

Back in the world of frat parties, BFFs, and long-suffering, overlooked lab partners, join Clara as she discovers what it really means to hit the reset button on life. What could possibly go wrong? And, this time, can she get it right?

Be sure to check out Addison Westlake's new book Facebook Jeanie or look her up to say hello at:

Author website: http://addisonwestlake.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6584540.Addison_Westlake
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AddisonWestlake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/addison.westlake
Google Plus: gplus.to/addisonwestlake

Guest Post: Olga Godim, author of Lost and Found in Russia

Welcome to the first guest post of 2013 guys! It's my pleasure to introduce you all to Olga Godim, author of the brand-spankin' new book Lost and Found in Russia. Below the line Olga has offered up a brief synopsis of her book (more details can be found here) and a fascinating interview between her and the protagonist, Sonya. Enjoy!
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Thank you, Kayleigh, for inviting me to your blog. The occasion is a happy one – the release of my first novel Lost and Found in Russia. It is a contemporary women’s fiction, encompassing the exploration of mother-daughter relationship and a travel story.

After the shocking revelation that her daughter was switched at birth 34 years ago, Canadian scholar Amanda embarks on a trip to Russia to find her biological daughter. Intertwined with Amanda’s account of her journey is the story of Sonya, a 34-year-old Russian immigrant and a former dancer, currently living in Vancouver, Canada. While Amanda wades through the mires of foreign bureaucracy, Sonya struggles with her daughter’s teenage rebellion. While Amanda rediscovers her femininity, Sonya dreams of dancing. Both mothers are searching: for their daughters and for themselves.

As a professional journalist, I decided for this blog post to offer you an interview with one of my protagonists, Sonya.

Olga Godim(OG): How and why did you become a dancer?

Sonya: I always danced. When I was three years old, I entertained my parents’ friends by dancing in the middle of the room. We have a photo – it’s so funny. When I was about six, I started taking folk dance lessons at our community centre and I loved them. My first recital was a Moldavian dance (I was about eight.) People applauded, and I felt like a goddess, enraptured by my success. We lived in Moscow, Russia, at that time. When I was ten, my mom took to me to the Moscow Ballet School, and they accepted me. I like ballet and I was good at it, but I always liked folk dance better. So a couple of years before graduation, I transferred to their folk dance division. Upon graduation, I started dancing for the Petushko Folk Dance Ensemble. We traveled all over Russia, to Hungary, China, Finland. The best years of my life.

OG: Do you have a photo of you dancing?

Sonya: Several. I also have a painting – an artist friend, a very talented guy, painted me performing a Spanish dance. It’s very flattering, better than I am, but I’m very proud of this portrait. Here it is.

OG: It’s beautiful. You should continue dancing. After you immigrated to Canada, did you try to find a job as a dancer?

Sonya: No. I was already over 30 when we emigrated. I thought I was too old to start a new dancing career. Besides, my English wasn’t too good. I just work to pay the bills. I work at a burger place in a mall and I care for a paralyzed woman, Jane. I hate burgers, but to my surprise, I like working with Jane. She is a wise, no-nonsense woman. She is very ill and very courageous, no whining. She is urging me to go back to dancing, and I’m really tempted.

OG: What do you like best about working for Jane?

Sonya: Everything. Every day, when I come, we engage in a match of insults. We insult each other. It’s like a competition: who can come up with a more elaborate, more imaginative insult. Jane made me learn English. We studied a dictionary of Shakespearean era insults together. It’s fun. And I dance for her. She makes me remember what I am.

OG: So what kinds of folk dance can you perform? Irish dance?

Sonya [laughing]: No, no. Well, it’s not really folk dance I do. It’s called character dance. Folk dance is very simple. It was what people danced in villages during celebrations, at least in the past they did. It was more about participation than skills. Character dance, on the other hand, is a stage dance, a show, like ballet. It uses folk tunes and some of the movements of the genuine folk dances, but it also uses the entire range of ballet movements. Character dance is always choreographed and it’s performed by the dancers trained in classical ballet.

Here are a few examples of character dance. These recording are not of our ensemble, but of another character dance troupe in Moscow, famous around the world – Moiseyev Ballet:

Russian dance, Sicilian Tarantella, Spanish dance Aragonese Jota

OG: You said Jane is urging you to go back to dancing. Will you?

Sonya: I don’t know. It’s complicated. A new career requires an infusion of money first, and I don’t have any. Maybe I could get a loan from the bank. Jane has another crazy idea. [Sonya laughs again. She seems embarrassed.] She said I should strip-dance, perform at some night clubs. I never considered such an idea before, but maybe… I have to explore the possibilities. I can do it, I’m sure, I can perform any kind of dance, and my training is superb, but… my mom and sister will disown me. I heard the money is good, so… maybe. I’m torn.

OG: The opinions of your mom and sister are important to you?

Sonya: Yes. Our family is very close, has always been. My daughter’s opinion too. I will talk to her, see what she thinks. My daughter Ksenya is only fourteen, but I wouldn’t make such an important decision without consulting her. Her respect is everything to me.

OG: Are you close with your daughter?

Sonya [sighs]: We were. Now, she is going through a teenage stage. It’s like a swing: today – perfect, tomorrow – not so much. But we both try. We love each other very much. Let’s not talk about it. It’s a depressing topic

OG: Okay. Can your mom and sister help you financially to launch your new career?

Sonya: No. Nobody in my family is rich. My mom lives on a small pension. My sister has two twin sons - toddlers. Her husband works like crazy – he is a computer person – but he doesn’t make that kind of money. We are just normal people. [She blushes.] Jane offered me a loan. She wants so much to see me perform. She is rich and can’t even use her money, the poor woman, because of her severe disability. She enjoys when I dance for her. Maybe I’ll accept her loan. It will make her happy.

OG: What did you like about being a professional dancer?

Sonya: When I danced, I could lose myself in music and movements. I’m not good with words; I express all my emotions through dance. It’s an amazing experience. And it’s my gift to the people who watch me dance. I’ve never been stage-shy. I love giving the gift of my dancing to others.

OG: And the applause?

Sonya[smiles]: Of course. But that’s all part of the whole. People’s applause is their thank you. It means they liked my gift. It makes me all warm and bubbly inside.

OG: What did you dislike about being a professional dancer?

Sonya: Well it’s not an easy profession. We have to practice a lot. There are sweat and pain and traumas. But even all that is part of what I like. I don’t think I dislike anything about being a dancer. Traumas are professional hazards. They are a price you pay for the privilege of dancing. You don’t like them; you accept them, like mosquitoes. You pay such a price in any profession.

All the rest is perfect. I like performing and I like practicing. I don’t dance now, but I still exercise every day. I have a barre in my bedroom and I do ballet class every day.
I do dislike one thing though: in large prestigious ballet troupes, like the Bolshoi, for example, the competitions for roles are ferocious. There is backstabbing and envy. I hate that. I never worked in a ballet theatre and I never wanted. Character dance is mostly an ensemble show, with some solo parts. [She grins.] I always performed solos, almost no ensemble parts. But nobody begrudged me for that. Everybody was happy for me.

OG: Then why did you leave the ensemble?

Sonya: I wanted to leave Russia. The situation there was very unstable, still is. Too much crime, too much poverty, too much danger. I worried every day about my daughter’s safety. I wanted to give her better chances in life. If not for her, I’d never have left the ensemble. I would still be dancing. Of course, the poverty issue is still relevant, but we’ll muddle through somehow. Canada is a good, safe country to live in, and my daughter has a much brighter future here. I don’t regret my immigration.

*Olga Godim is a writer and journalist from Vancouver, Canada. Her articles appear regularly in local newspapers, but her passion is fiction. Her short stories have been published in several internet magazines, including Lorelei Signal, Sorcerous Signals, Aoife's Kiss, Silver Blade, and other publications. In her free time, she writes novels, collects toy monkeys, and posts book reviews on GoodReads.* 

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A huge thank you to Olga for taking the time to share this interview. If you'd like to learn some more about either Olga or her book Lost and Found in Russia you can find her at:

*Goodreads
*Eternal Press 
*Amazon

Author Guest Post: Theodore Weesner

Hello everyone! I know things have been quiet around here, but I think this post will make it all worthwhile! Below I have a wonderful guest post by Theodore Weesner, the author of The Car Thief. 

Hailed as a modern American classic, this coming of age tale is Theodore's fourth novel and just the tippy-top of his illustrious writing career. Before going any further in my introduction, I'm going to whet you literary appetites with a brief synopsis of The Car Thief;

It’s 1959. Sixteen year-old Alex Housman has just stolen his fourteenth car and frankly doesn’t know why. His divorced, working class father grinds out the night shift at the local Chevy Plant in Detroit, kept afloat by the flask in his glove compartment and the open bottles in his Flint, Michigan home. 

Abandoned and alone, father and son struggle to express a deep love for each other, even as Alex fills his day juggling cheap thrills and a crushing depression. He cruises and steals, running from, and to, the police, compelled by reasons he frustratingly can’t put into words. And then there’s Irene Shaeffer, the pretty girl in school whose admiration Alex needs like a drug in order to get by. Broke and fighting to survive, Alex and his father face the realities of estrangement, incarceration, and even violence as their lives hurtle toward the climactic episode that a New York Times reviewer called “one of the most profoundly powerful in American fiction.”

Do I have your full attention now? Good! I'll be posting an excerpt from The Car Thief for your enjoyment tomorrow, but right now I have a post that Theodore was kind enough to write about the making of The Car Thief. Below you'll be able to read about the inspiration that lead to The Car Thief and exactly how much of Theodore's own life is mirrored in this fascinating new novel.

Enjoy!
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Theodore Weesner, author of The Car Thief

What was my inspiration for writing The Car Thief and how much of me personally went into the story? 


I'm working to answer those questions in a personal memoir I have underway called ‘Hoodlum Artist.’

 As a short answer let me say that I lived a stupid and ignorant life of deprivation that commenced on being abandoned at age one, with my brother Jack, age three, to a 550 pound immobile woman named Alice Sleeseman, who took in children from broken homes in Flint’s ‘Little Missouri.’ We may have been dirty and scrawny but ours was a ‘Summerhill’ life of almost total freedom (I recall nothing but happiness, exploration, adventure) and I’m not complaining. If I was damaged on having been abandoned by my mother, I’m not smart enough to say. She was fifteen when she gave birth for the first time, on proceeding into a life devoted to drinking, dancing and honky-tonking. She never visited, while my father stopped by every other weekend or so to see how Jack and I were doing. Grandma Sleeseman, as we called her, made her way each morning to a centrally-located rocker from which she issued instructions, sending Jack and me with some dollars and a rusty wagon to a grocery store on Fenton Road to buy food supplies, and instructing other children of the house in the preparation of meals in the kitchen. Jack and I always had an eye out for the appearance of our father’s green Chevy and the thrill we felt when it came into view.

(After an extremely rough childhood, Theodore (known as Ted) picks up his story in a defining incident in High School…)

Central High School. Working as a part-time carry-out boy at Hamady’s, minding my own business and striving to get my life on track, I wandered into the stands of a high school football game one Friday evening after work, only to find myself inexplicably charged, on Monday at school, with fighting in the end zone. The witness making the charge was the Principal himself, on having used binoculars from Atwood Stadium’s 50-yard line to make his identification. At a subsequent hearing attended by my step-mother as well as the Superintendent of Public Schools--where the Principal wept in the face of the terrible punishment he felt compelled to administer despite my claims of innocence--I was permanently discharged from Flint Central, never to be allowed to set foot on school grounds again.

Disturbed and cheated, needing at all costs to prove myself, I began to become an over-achiever. Having turned seventeen, enlisting in the army as a GED, I soon became a model soldier who—by the time my three years were up, spending all but six months in Germany—I had qualified for OCS (based on high test scores, ranked in the 99th percentile) and, as a decent athlete, had also been considered for appointment to West Point…which consideration was quietly withdrawn when my juvenile criminal history and time served came to added light.

Admitted by some quirk to Michigan State University, I continued as an over-achiever, giving my all to catching up with the proper kids who had left me behind. Qualifying for a newly launched Honors College, I also received Hinman Creative Research scholarships with which to supplement my monthly checks under the GI Bill. I was invited as well, as a junior, to represent the giant-sized University in competition for a Rhodes Scholarship. Not wishing to undertake the competition and interviews, having fallen in love by then—having been ‘called’—to be nothing less than an artist committed to creative writing, I went on in search of success in the craft…and never looked back. All along, in my writing, I had been exploring conflicts I had known before landing on my feet in the army and as a student. So it was that I called my first novel, which was inspired by need, experience, and artistic hunger, ‘The Car Thief,’ during the writing of which I drew on the guts of my own history in search of valid themes and exquisitely realistic details.

-Theodore Weesner
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Be sure to keep an eye out for the excerpt from The Car Thief I'll be sharing tomorrow. Or if you simply can't wait, click through for all the purchasing options, and a more detailed run down of the book.