PAINTED MAKES THE BIG SCREEN WISHLIST!

Last week I raced to the nearest petrol station to grab a copy of The New Zealand Listener after my mother rang to say that my gothic ghost story Painted was mentioned as being worthy of a film adaptation!

Don’t tell my other books, but Painted is still my fav. 🤐

Painted had its early genesis in Ant Timpson’s Make My Horror Movie competition many years ago, where it placed 13th (a sign, perhaps?). Although I didn’t win that competition, the idea stuck with me, and Painted was eventually published. Since then, it’s reached #2 on Amazon’s horror charts and has been translated into three languages.

And I truly believe it would translate beautifully onto the big screen.

Legendary New Zealand screenwriter Kathryn Burnett also highlighted the same article in The Listener, where Mark Broatch asked the important question: why aren’t we seeing more Kiwi books on the big screen? It’s a complex issue, but the interviewees do an excellent job of unpacking it. If you’re an author, screenwriter, or just interested in the arts, books, or film adaptations, this is a must-read!

NOTE: You can read any edition of the New Zealand Listener via your local library’s Libby app.

For reference, this article was in the August 24-30 2024 edition.

www.listener.co.nz