Last year a film crew came to our town and the people of Grimsby were extremely excited. We live in a region where actors from London are a rarity, so the prospect of a film producer arriving in our midst meant we felt a bit of tinsel town had washed up on our shores.

I followed the crew’s progress with interest. One day I read an article in the local paper where the film producer was asking for members of the general public to be involved with a specific scene at a hall near Skegness, Lincolnshire. At the bottom of the page he’d left his email address for anyone interested to contact him.

Not one to miss an opportunity, I seized the chance to connect with him and emailed him straight away, introducing myself and my book Sinners of Magic. I explained I was a local author and that several of my reviews from my readers stated how the book would make a great film. I added the links to my reviews, book and blog and asked if he was willing to give his opinion. Of course I never expected to hear back from him but I thought to myself that if I didn’t try then I would always wonder … what if?

Sinners of Magic Which I sent Matt …

Although my husband is very supportive, he openly scoffed at my attempt. He told me there was no way a film producer was going to reply to me and I must admit I wasn’t holding my breath. However, to my amazement Matt Kennard emailed me back the very next day. The moment I saw the email drop into my inbox I thought it was a rejection. He had replied too quickly, surely this wasn’t a good sign. Therefore, you can imagine my astonishment when I read he had indeed looked at all the reviews for the book and other links and was interested in finding out more about the actual trilogy. You could have knocked me down with a feather! I really was blown away and I pinched myself several times. Yes, I was awake!

At his request, I sent a signed copy of Sinners of Magic to his home address and then I waited … and waited … and waited. As the months crawled by, I began to think that Matt had forgotten all about Sinners of Magic or had come to the conclusion that the book wouldn’t make a great film after all. Of course I kept telling myself he was a very busy man and that I just had to keep the faith and wait as long as necessary.

Eight months later and out of the blue, I received an email from Matt. I was so nervous when I saw it I simply stared at the computer for at least ten minutes. My mind whirled with sudden possibilities and through sweaty palms I eventually found the courage to open it.

My eyes skimmed over his words, yet again looking for the polite rejection, but it never came. Matt wrote how much he enjoyed reading Sinners of Magic, saying how strong the two main teenage characters Crystal and Matt were. He thought the supporting non-human cast were equally strong. He told me how he felt the Kingdom of Nine Winters and the cute wood sprite amongst others had a cinematic quality to them.

Film Producer, Matt Kennard

He then explained he wasn’t the man for the job. Good fantasy films cost millions to make and he would simply be out of his depth. Instead, with my consent, he was willing to pass the books onto two of his contacts in the US. I agreed, and now Bernadette Elliott who works with the Hollywood powerhouses has copies of my books and Lance Reynolds who tends to deal more with fantasy television has ‘The Magic Trilogy’ on his radar.

It’s an exhilarating time for me. I’m excited with this new possibility of seeing my books made into film. Both are acclaimed film producers in their own right and if I am lucky enough to have my books chosen, I’m sure they will do a fantastic job. Now it’s simply a waiting game.