As some of you know, last year I was excited to announce that one of my books was made into a full length movie. Guilty Secrets is one of my romantic suspense titles, written as part of the Sweet Intrigue offerings by Annie’s Publishing, a book club publisher. What a thrill! I’d say that’s one item to check off my bucket list, but actually it’s an item that was never ON my bucket list. I didn’t think it would ever happen. And then I saw the cast and my jaw hit the office floor – Dee Wallace, of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial fame is in my movie!

The producers and director of the movie did change the title to The Lies We Bury. I absolutely love that title! It describes the plot of the decades-old cold case that my heroine, Rylee, takes on to solve.

I’m often asked what I think of the movie. Before I saw it, I was apprehensive. I was not given the opportunity to see the script before the movie was filmed, so I feared there would be changes I didn’t like. I’m happy to say my fears were unjustified. The main plot of the book was beautifully and faithfully translated to film. They did expand the roles of some characters. I mean, when Dee Wallace is cast as a relatively minor character, you have to give her a bigger role. And of course many of the sub-plots didn’t make it onto the screen. There just isn’t enough air time to show all the beautifully connected nuances that readers are privileged to in the pages of a book.

I spoke with some of my author friends who’ve had their books turned into movies, and they all said the same thing. While the book is in the development stage, the characters and the story are vividly alive in the mind of the writer. We see details and subtleties that we spend hours one to relay to our readers. The characters are real people to us. We hear their voices, their tones. We know their histories, their goals, the things that motivate them. But when a director creates a film, they have to get to know the characters they want to create. They have to get to know them personally, and they aren’t always exactly the same as those the writer has come to know. That’s okay. The director makes the characters, and the movie, their own, and they give it life on screen. I’m okay with that. I’m a creative person, and I value and appreciate other creative people’s visions.

If you watch the movie, look out for a couple of things. First, of course, on the opening credits there’s a screen that says, “Based on the novel by Virginia Smith.” Do you have any idea what a thrill it was for me to see that? I can’t even begin to describe it. Next, the book actually appears in the movie twice. First in the opening scene, which takes place in a convenience store. Look for it on the shelf. Second, it’s on the bedside table of one of the women Rylee calls to ask about the murder.

You can catch The Lies We Bury online any of these places:

If you do, I really hope you’ll leave a comment here or send me an email through the Contact page of my website.