Genre Fiction

I love seeing one of my favorite characters from novel turned into a live action one on big screen. But what about the small screen? One of the highly talked about premieres on TV this fall is based on a best-selling book series, so I’ve been thinking: what TV shows of past got their origins from a fiction read?

* The Flying Nun, starring Sally Field, aired from 1967 to 1970. Inspiration for the show came from the 1966 book The Fifteenth Pelican by Tere Rios.

* I had such high hopes for Heather Graham’s 2006 TV debut Emily’s Reasons Why Not. The previews had me excited. I even bought the book of the same name by Carrie Gerlach when I saw it at a used bookstore. However, ABC canceled the show after airing only one episode. Regardless, it’s a TV series that was based on a book.

* No book-to-TV(-to-movie) list would be complete without Candace Bushnell’s Sex and the City. It was originally published in 1997 and immediately swiped up by TV execs for a 1998 TV premiere … and we all know where it went from there.

* TV for the kids is a constant example. Book-inspired shows include Winnie the Pooh, Arthur, Charlie and Lola, and more.

* Classic detectives tend to have novel beginnings: Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, Perry Mason, and on, and on.

* Another few that seem to lump together, although I can’t decide why, are Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and the like.

* One of the newer shows is Dexter. This Showtime story of a serial killer struggling with his murderous desires comes directly from the 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

* Sweet Valley High was more popular as the infinitely large collection of pre-teen books by Francine Pascal, but Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield (yes, I came up with the twin characters’ names from memory, immediately) brought in their share of TV viewers as a series that ran from 1994 to 1997.

* Comic books are also a constant source for TV superheroes, both cartoon and live action.

Now, about the upcoming 2008 fall season … which anticipated drama is based on a series of novels?

Check out an elaborate list of all things book-to-TV.

It’s only recently that I discover my interest in historic fiction. Before this, I’m sure that I could have told you that such a sub-genre even existed, which has got me wondering what other classifications exist within the realm of fiction.

First, you can specify the length of a work of fiction:

* Flash Fiction: Fewer than 2,000 words (or 1,000 depending on whose definition you use); about five pages.
* Short Story: Between 2,000 and 7,500 words; about five to 25 pages.
* Novelette: Between 7,500 and 17,500 words; about 25-60 pages.
* Novella: Between 17,500 and 50,000 words; about 60-170 pages.
* Novel: 50,000 words or more; about 170 or more pages.
* Epic: 200,000 words or more; about 680 or more pages.

From there, fiction can include fairy tales, poems, movies, comics, and more. Here are a few of the more popular sub-genres of fiction, most of which should be self-explanatory:

* Crime / Detective
* Erotic
* Fantasy
* Gothic (a combination of romance and horror)
* Historical
* Horror
* Medical
* Mystery
* Philosophical
* Political
* Romance
* Satire
* Sci-Fi
* Thriller
* Tragedy

…and the list goes on, with many of these sub-genres having sub-genres of their own.

I would say that, aside from historical fiction, I like my books with a hint of multiple genres. I enjoy a psychological thriller, but prefer the tension to be counterbalanced with a smudge of romance. While I enjoy a romance, I need at least a little tragedy to ward off super sappiness. Although I usually do not like any science fiction, when it is nicely blended with romance, action, and a hint of tragedy - as with Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife - I am thoroughly content as a reader.

Harry Potter fans will have to wait almost another year before they can see the sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Originally scheduled for a theater release date of November 21, 2008, the film was pushed back by Warner Bros. to next summer, July 17, 2009. Officially, there are no production delays, this is just a business decision.

Okay, so the film is being delayed; however, not all Time Warner companies (parent company to Warner Bros. and Entertainment Weekly, among others) got the Harry Potter memo. Magazine Entertainment Weekly (EW) will be featuring Potter star Daniel Radcliffe on the cover of its August 22-29 fall-preview issue with a six-page spread on the inside to start the buzz about his fall release.

Oops. But, hey, I guess this just gets the buzz and excitement started early.

EW is taking it all in stride, with a laugh no less. Warner Bros. did alert EW to the date changes, but not in time for the print version to change. Online, there is a note about the release date being moved. There are also comical statements about the error on EW’s Hollywood Insider blog, joking that this issue will be a collectible.

The original date, the weekend before Thanskgiving, is annually of the best-selling dates for movie releases. As Harry Potter ducked back to accommodate a later time, Twilight stepped up. Based on Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling vampire series of the same name, Twilight was set to debut December 12, but with Harry out of the way as competition, will now be released on the popular money-making November 21.

Stephenie Meyer’s name is being tossed around the teen lit world a lot lately, especially now that she has a book releasing this weekend. But it wasn’t until all the Twilight Saga buzz that I had heard of the young author. So who is she?

Fast Facts on Stephenie:

* Her birthday is Christmas Eve, 1973, making her 35.

* She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and three sons - Gabe, Seth, and Eli.

* Her husband, Christian, is nicknamed “Pancho.”

* Many of her five siblings’ names are used for characters in her books.

* In 2005, she was named one of the “most promising new authors of 2005″ by Publishers Weekly.

* She graduated from Brigham Young University, Utah, with an English degree. The college is known for being Mormon, and Meyer remains a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

* One story of hers is included in the memoir collection Prom Nights from Hell (2007), edited by Meg Cabot.

* Her novels include: Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), The Host (2008), Breaking Dawn (August 2, 2008), Midnight Sun (work in progress).

* All of her books are teen fiction, except for The Host, which was targeted for adults.

* Stephenie says that the idea for writing a vampire story came to her in a dream.

* Muse is one of her favorite bands. They are featured in many of her books, as well as Blue October, Coldplay, and Linkin Park.

* Twilight, in addition to earning numerous recognitions and “top lists” honors, has been translated into 20 different languages.

* A big-screen movie of Twilight is set to hit theaters December 12, 2008.

Sisterhood stars Blake Lively, 20; Alexis Bledel, 26; America Ferrera, 24, and Amber Tamblyn, 25 attended the premiere of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 in New York City, today, Monday July 28.

The four actresses revisited their roles from the 2005 film version of the teen novel series written by Ann Brashares for a sequel this summer. Playing Bridget, Lena, Carmen, and Tibby (in order as the actresses stand, left to right), they bring four unique stories together on the big screen once again.

In addition to the quartet - who are each showing their own distinguished personal style here - three of Blake Lively’s Gossip Girl (also based on a teen novel series) costars showed up in support. Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester, and Ed Westwick all made appearances.

The new movie, in theaters next week (August 6 official release date), takes pieces of plot from the second and third novel in the series, but is largely based on number four: Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood.

It’s not often that I give up on a book. Cold Mountain (1998) by Charles Frazier and The Little Friend (2003) by Donna Tartt are the only two books that I remember putting down half way through reading.

But I have found a book that can repel me faster than any other, a book that I put down a mere ten pages in. Tuscany for Beginners (2005) by Imogen Edwards-Jones is that book.

At face value, it seemed like a similar story as Under the Tuscan Sun (1997) by Frances Mayes. In the preface, Tuscany admits to taking cues directly from Tuscan, saying that the main character had a rough patch in her life, then became inspired by reading Under the Tuscan Sun and headed to Italy. The novel is to be her diary of this adventure. After the first small chapter, however, the diary format disappears and third person steps in. On top of the writing aspects that annoyed me so quickly, the main character irked me as well: she was rude to her daughter when she wanted to visited.

That was it. The book was closed and listed for trade on Paperback Swap.

I feel that I have grown as a reader to be able to put down a book that is not interesting, where I used to believe that it was a must to drudge through, regardless.

UPDATE: I forgot the most annoying aspect of the writing style used in this book: to give an Italian edge and feel to the novel, or perhaps to just constantly remind the reader of the locale, every tenth word or so is randomly in Italian! And they are not words and phrases that you can use contextual clues to deduce the meaning of.

Today’s announcement comes from an unlikely source for a book Web site: a fashion magazine’s review of a movie.

Women’s Wear Daily this morning wrote up a bit about the upcoming feature film, big-screen debut of the Broadway show Mamma Mia! The hook with this article was Rita Wilson - producer of the film, and wife of Tom Hanks - attending a screening of the movie with her family.

But where does the fiction news come into play? Well, Rita Wilson, who previously produced My Big Fat Greek Wedding, recently acquired the screenplay rights to the bestselling fiction novel Middlesex (2002) by Jeffrey Eugenides (also Greek, by coincidence).

Take the most literal breaking down of the title, and you’ve got the theme: the main character was born intersexed, meaning his (we first meet him as Cal, a 41-year-old heterosexual male) chromosomes did not fully develop as either male or female. He was raised as Calliope, a daughter; but now lives as Cal, a son.

The unusual story promises not to focus just on the struggles involved with living a confusing life where even the narrator is unsure of his identity. Other tales of family relationships, coming-of-age in the late 20th century, and factual bits of history are woven into Cal’s story.
The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003, and was selected as a read in Oprah’s Book Club for summer 2007.

There’s no timeline on the film’s production yet, so you have plenty of time to grab a copy and get reading!

I often like movie versions of novels just because I loved the book. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work the other way, as with the Bridget Jones series of books and films.

Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996, 2001 film) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999, 2004 film) by Helen Fielding remain two of my favorite chick flicks, but were painful to read. The diary format used created a disjointed novel that changed story from page to page. It was hard to learn much of anything about the on screen-lovable mess of a cute woman.

If you too grabbed up the Bridget Jones duo of hit British novels only to be disappointed: don’t give up on Helen Fielding as an author!

Although Bridget was seemingly more suitable for film than paper, when Fielding pulls a story together, and removes the constraints of a daily diary, she creates fun characters in funny situations.

Cause Celeb (1994) was her first published novel. It follows a slightly more put together version of Bridget - Rosie - as she joins a humanitary relief effort in Africa after a bad, public breakup. It’s amazing how one book can inspire you to be a better person, while winding you in to a chick lit story.

After she thoroughy exhausted Ms. Jones (there were two other stories after the two popular ones), she headed in the direction of crazy, storyteller Oliva Joules. Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (2004) tells the classic journalist turn spy when freelance writer Olivia spins a wild tale - in her head - about Pierre, the man she is assigned to do an article about but whom she secretly believes to be a terrorist.

So, love the Bridget Jones enhanced to adorable perfection by Renee Zellweger? Skip over the written versions and head straight to an introsuction with Rosie and Olivia.

Almost as soon as Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees (2002) became an instant bestseller, readers were teased with the knowledge that it would eventually become a bigscreen film. Now, six years later, it is al coming to frutition.

The film - starring Dakota Fanning as Lily Owens, the young girl who lost her mother and headed off to live with a surrogate family of beekeepers, and Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah, and Jennifer Hudson as a few members of Lily’s makeshift family — is set to release this fall, 2008.

Borders bookstore online is currently hosting the first available sneak peek of the film. And while you’re over there, pick up a copy of The Secret Life of Bees - it would make the perfect short novel to pick up at the beach this summer, finishing it just in time for the movie release.

Author Lauren Weisberger has a new novel – Chasing Harry Winston (May 2008) – topping the lists. Being her third novel, and the only whose scandals I have not yet devoured, it seems an appropriate time to review her first two: The Devil Wears Prada (2003) and Everyone Worth Knowing (2005).

If you have not yet read the best-selling debut novel, or seen the 2006 top-grossing film of the same name, here’s a one sentence summary: Editor-nerd Andrea finds herself lost, yet intrigued, by the fast-moving, label-loving, back-stabbing world of magazine publishing. It’s a good watch, and a better read. In fact, I loved the book so much so, that I bought Weisberger’s second novel the day it was released.

So did hundreds of other people, but then they told their friends not to bother. Sales from the first two weeks of Everyone Worth Knowing made it an instant bestseller; but, with nasty reviews it quickly tapered off. It’s story follows Bette as she quits her job in search of something more, and stumbles her way into working at a popular New York City PR firm … and in the headlines of the gossip columns.

Critics can be harsh, especially when your previous works sets such high expectations. I quite enjoyed reading both of Weisberger’s little-girl-meets-big-city stories, but I remember more details from The Devil Wears Prada.

Chasing Harry Winston is about three best girlfriends who, despite living an enviable, socialite life, want change so much that two of them make a pact to alter their lives drastically over the course of one year. It’s a tale of “Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.�?

The plot of her third novel certainly has notes of the previous two, but if Weisberger feels at home creating chick lit for the businesswoman, then I warmly welcome her books that allow me to live vicariously through her socializing, hard-working characters.

I mention author odi Picoult quite often. It’s not that I am a huge fan of her writing - I’ve actually only read one of her books - it’s more that she is a ubiquitous novel machine. I am in awe of her ability to turn out quality and quantity. So it’s only natural that Picoult is the next author for a book count.

Dear Jodi, how many books have you written? (Not counting your work with Wonder Woman comic books.)

1. Songs of the Humpback Whale (1992)

2. Harvesting the Heart (1994)

3. Picture Perfect (1995)

4. Mercy (1995)

5. The Pact (1998): Adapted to a Lifetime Original Movie in 2002.

6. Keeping Faith (1999)

7. Plain Truth (2000): Became a Lifetime Original Movie in 2004.

8. Salem Falls (2001)

9. Perfect Match (2002)

10. Second Glance (2003)

11. My Sister’s Keeper (2004): In works for a feature film debut later this year. This is the novel that I read, and recommend.

12. Vanishing Acts (2005)

13. The Tenth Circle (2006): Turned into a Lifetime Original Movie in 2008 that premieres next Saturday, June 29.

14. Nineteen Minutes (2007): This was Picoult’s first book to debut at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list.

15. Change of Heart (2008): This one also debuted at number one.

And two books are expected in the next two years:

16. Handle With Care (2009)

17. Untitled Seventeenth Novel (2010)

One of Jodi’s secrets is revisiting characters from previous novels. The McAfee family is featured in The Pact, Salem Falls, and Nineteen Minutes. Detective Patrick Ducharme helps out in both Perfect Match and Nineteen Minutes. Frankie Martine first met readers in Salem Falls, and revisited the pages in Second Glance and Perfect Match.

On her Web site, which has elaborate resources for book groups and a synopsis of each book, Jodi says, “It’s always great fun to bring a character back, because you get to catch up on his/her life; and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel–you already know how he speaks, acts, thinks.”

Author Jodi Picoult is featured in the new issue of TV Guide magazine (for the week of June 23 - June 29, 2008) in “Cameo,” on page 36.

The writer of many great novels talks to TV Guide about her books being turned into movies, specifically The Tenth Circle (2006) which debuts on Lifetime Network on Saturday, June 29, at 9 p.m. EST.

The Tenth Circle approaches the topic of teen date rape from an usual perspective - the father of the girl. In the article, Picoult talks about research she did for the story, letters she continuously receives (and saves) from date rape survivors, and her worry over giving her “baby” over to the film gods.

“I shouldn’t have worried,” Picoult told TV Guide. “The Tenth Circle is the best adaptation of my writing I’ve seen to date.”

Lifetime has previously produced movies based on Picoult’s novels The Pact (1998; film version 2002) and Plain Truth (2000; film version 2004). My Sister’s Keeper (2004) is in works for a feature film, due to hit theaters this year. The Tenth Circle stars Ron Eldard as dad Daniel, Kelly Preston as the mom, and Britt Robertson as victim/survivor Trixie.

Today’s bestsellers … are not today’s at all. They come from a decade ago; they are the top ten bestselling fiction books from all of 1998. Be sure to check out the authors: a few of them are still writing bestsellers to this day!

1. The Street Lawyer by John Grisham: This was Grisham’s ninth legal thriller about a Washington, D.C. lawyer who changes his priorities and begins working for men that his law firm was responsible for making homeless.

2. Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy: The first of the Rainbow Six series, this counter-terrorist tale has spawned video games and a movie coming 2010.

3. Bag of Bones by Stephen King (original cover art shown): For the first time, a Stephen King novel was given literary merit outside of the horror genre. Like many of King’s works, it has been adapted to film and is expected to hit theaters in 2009.

4. A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe: Taking his time with research, writing, and editing, this novel was published 11 years after Wolfe’s previous - and first - book. The result of all his hard work? 742 pages of satire.

5. Mirror Image by Danielle Steel: Set during World War II, this is a story of twin sisters fighting to make the right decisions for themselves and their family. One leans towards starting her own life with a new husband; the other, toward staying home and caring for their widowed father.

6. The Long Road Home by Danielle Steel: First she’s abused by her mother, then left by her father, then turned over to the nuns to finish school. But it’s not until she’s pregnant with a priest’s baby that Gabby’s story really takes off.

7. The Klone and I by Danielle Steel: It’s a tale that’s been told dozens of times: Man leaves woman with kids. Woman grieves. Woman finds new freedom in a trip to Paris.

8. Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell: A medical examiner is taunted and hunted by a psychopathic killer. It’s not connected to the 2002 film of the same name.

9. Paradise by Toni Morrison: It was an Oprah Book Club selection. That should say plenty about the mood and themes (not cheery, but with an uplifting ending).

10. All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark: Not connected to the Cyndi Lauper song, or Humphrey Bogart’s 1942 film, or Cole Porter’s tune all of the same name. It is a “cozy Christmas mystery” free of murder.

It seems that 1998 was a good year for Danielle Steel! She also released His Bright Light that year.

Cecily Von Ziegesar’s teen fiction series Gossip Girl (2002 - 2007) has become a household title since being turned into a hit - albeit controversial - prime time soap opera on The CW network. With 11 books (three were ghostwritten) and one prequel, Von Ziegesar has seemingly exhausted the tales of Serena, Blair, and their Upper East Side of Manhattan crew.

Now, she is turning to write for her growing adult fan base.

Hyperion, a book publishing division of Walt Disney and ABC, announced plans to print two new fiction books by Cecily Von Ziegesar, targeted at adults.

The first book, Cum Laude (2009), takes a natural progression in Von Ziegesar’s character development as she moves from writing about high schoolers - which she admits to exhausting - to college cliques, gossip, and drama. The story revolves around a handful of incoming freshmen who meet one another at orientation and immediately begin stirring up chaos in their new, small town. The college students face back-stabbing, crushes … and a tragic murder.

Von Ziegesar has also penned two Gossip Girl spin-off series: The It Girl (2005 - 2008) and Gossip Girl: The Carlyles (2008). These titles are all credited to her name; however, most are her ideas put together by a ghostwriter.

To continue attempting to de-mystify today’s quality and quantity writers, here’s a rundown of Nicholas Sparks’ fiction novels with a special highlighting of those that have been translated into film.

1. The Notebook (1996); big screen debut of the same name starring Rachem McAdams and Ryan Gosling in 2004.

2. Message in a Bottle (1998); Kevin Costner produced and starred in the film version in 1999.

3. A Walk to Remember (1999); 2002 movie featuring Mandy Moore and Shane West.

4. The Rescue (2000)

5. A Bend in the Road (2001)

6. Nights in Rodanthe (2002); set to release as an October 2008 movie with Diane Lane, Richard Gere, and James Franco.

7. The Guardian (2003); definitely not connected to the 2006 Ashton Kutcher - Kevin Costner flick of the same name.

8. The Wedding (2003)

9. Three Weeks with my Brother (2004); memoir / nonfiction style.

10. True Believer (2005)

11. At First Sight (2005); not tied with the Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino 1999 film with the same name.

12. Dear John (2006); just kicking off the filming process. Channing Tatum has been cast as John, but his female co-star has not yet been picked.

13. The Choice (2007)

Keeping track? That’s 13 books in 11 years, with four turned into screenplays. One of Sparks’ tricks seems to be re-using established, well-received characters. For example, The Notebook introduces us the Noah and Allie, then The Wedding features them and their family, years down the road. Browse Nicholas Sparks’ Web site to make more character connections between novels.

The project that he is currently working on is titled The Lucky One.