1. Eric — if you’re about watching for discussion opportunities! — thanks for your introduction and story. I’ve enjoyed hearing about your path to publication, and want to ask especially about your line here:

    It took me seven years, but only one submission to get published.

    Given that many authors receive many rejections before publishers take a chance on them, what do you think about how God blessed you differently? (Lest I be tempted to envy, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in John 21, to Peter about how He had different plans for them!)

    Secondly, about the filmmaking — Christian Movies tend to get a bad rap for script realism and production value. From what I’ve seen, Fireproof is the film that has come closest to telling a realistic, mostly-well-made story that also presents a Christian worldview without reducing it to mere Spirituality or Take That Leap of Faith.

    Meanwhile, I’ll be researching more about the storylines of your books. Thanks again!

  2. Thanks for your comments and questions Stephen. The reason I made that comment about 7 years was due to the irony of my friend/fellow author Byran Davis, and how it took him 7 years and 200 letters to publishers (which he still holds all 200 up for kids when he’s giving talks on perseverance). My 7 years took me through open-heart surgery, building a business, and learning the art of writing, to get to the point of publication. I give God all the credit and am always amazed (looking back) how he orchestrates circumstances in our lives for His glory. It’s one of the reasons Ryann’s father (incidentally played as a cameo by me in the movie) says to Ryann (in book 1), “Because God loves you things will not turn out like you want. They’ll turn out better.” In regards to the book series and the movie, I have told the adult Sunday School class I teach and others that many times God takes the most unlikely and chooses them to accomplish things, just so He can show his power. I believe God is putting together a Producer (who has never produced a movie), a Director (who has never directed a movie) and an author (who is not a best-seller) to show His power and believe me, God will get all the credit from each of us.

    In regards to your second question, recent Christian films have dealt with tough issues, like Facebook (marriage difficulties/pornography) and Letters from God (a child with brain cancer). Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword is an adventure/fantasy movie that will be G-rated for families with children ages 6-12. I can tell you that the film production value is awesome. Mount Dora is an amazing setting and the RED camera is state of the art. As director, Michael Germaine, says, “this is not a special effects movie, but a movie with special effects.” The primary audience will not be those who attend Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings and Avatar. It will have a feeling of “Mayberry” small town and yes, a dose of innocence versus the realism of a public middle school. That may turn off some people, but for parents who want a “safe” movie to take their 6-12 year olds to, in which they will be entertained, but not have to worry about foul language, sexual innuendos, etc. they will be entertained. Check out the 8 Behind the Scenes videos on my blog at http://www.RyannWatters.blogspot.com
    Blessings,
    Eric

    • Kaci Hill says:

      Well, and the nice part, Eric, is that I think most of it should be easy to shoot. It doesn’t need a lot of special effects, know? Aelianna may offer some challenges, but, mostly, the book shouldn’t be too hard to translate. At least in my mind.

      • Kaci Hill says:

        Addendum: “Easy to shoot,” meaning, the ‘otherworldly’ parts are not so out there that they’d be impossible to make realistic on screen. Possibly a poor word choice on my part.

        Your cast is lovely.

  3. Eric, great to hear from you (we share the same actual first name, it seems!). I now look forward more to the film version of the story, and hope with you that God will be glorified by the project. It’s fascinating to see how God works different, in different authors and creators, with very different struggles, to tell many different stories in our own lives.

  4. Hey Kaci, book 1 won’t be as hard to film as book 2. Shield of Faith spends more time in Aeliana and a develope the fantasy creatures in a much deeper way. With the two prmary characters being a white and black unicorn, and the kids flying on a pegasus and dragon, not to mention “The Chosen,” which include a dwarf, elf, two bulls and others, it’s not hard to see that it would require a much larger budget 🙂

    Eric, hope you enjoy getting to know the project more through the blog, website, and other medium that we’ll be using to get the word out!

    Thanks, Eric

  5. Kaci says:

    Look! Canned ham!

  6. We had another one on Friday’s post which I deleted this morning. So rare for Spam to get past Akismet.

What do you think?