 Amie Kaufman | Over the past couple of years, the life for authors Meagan Spooner and Jay Kristoff has taken an exciting turn. Meagan Spooner's sci-fi trilogy These Broken Stars has been optioned for a TV series by actor Eric Balfour's production company, whereas Jay Kristoff's trilogy, The Illuminae Files, has been optioned by Plan B, with Brad Pitt (yes, the Brad Pitt!) producing. Both Spooner and Kristoff are living every author's dream, but not as much as Amie Kaufman. And who is Amie Kaufman? Only the co-writer of both smash success young adult sci-fi series heading to the big and small screen. Interview with Amie Kaufman |
Amie Kaufman, as half of one writing duo with Meagan Spooner as the authors of the young adult fiction sci-fi trilogy These Broken Stars, and half of another writing duo with Jay Kristoff behind the Illuminae Files trilogy, you have had a pretty tremendous couple of years.
I really have! It's been a lot of hard work and a lot of good times -- I still find most of it hard to believe!
I really have! It's been a lot of hard work and a lot of good times -- I still find most of it hard to believe!
Eric Balfour, Photo Credit: IMDB You and Meagan are both big fans of the TV show Haven, and one of its stars, Eric Balfour, is that right?
Absolutely! I discovered Haven while I was sick, and I spent days on the couch with tea and a blanket, marathoning the whole thing. It's such a fun, clever show, with great storylines week to week, and a very cool overarching plot as well. Eric Balfour's character, Duke, immediately caught my attention, because there's so much mystery to him, and Eric plays it so well!
So what was it like when the star of one of your favourite shows loves your work and wants to turn it into a TV show?
Surreal! I'm sitting on this phone call with Eric and Meg, listening to him talk about These Broken Stars and the way his company would like to adapt it – talking seriously and with a lot of thought about the artistic choices they'd make, asking smart questions about the rest of the series – and a part of my brain just kept going "nope, this can't be real, this can't be real."
Tell us about when Eric Balfour showed you and Meagan around Los Angeles.
We had so much fun! We were lucky enough to meet and hang out with the whole team of producers in L.A., and having that face-to-face connection is great when you're later communicating via email. It's been a super fun experience so far, and we're enjoying every step – getting a TV show made and onto the air is SO hard, and we know that at any stage it could stop, so we're making sure we have as much fun as we can!
Not only did Eric Balfour court you and Meagan to sell his company, Off the Grid Entertainment, the TV rights to These Broken Stars, but fast-forward a year and Warner Bros and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment have purchased the rights to make a major film of Illuminae, the first book in your trilogy with Jay Kristoff. Tell us about that.
That's right! Again, we had the chance to talk to the producers who'd be working on the movie, to hear what drew them to the project, and how they'd like to make it work – handing over your stories is a big moment, because once they're gone, you don't have much control. The team working on Illuminae has shown a lot of commitment, and we think they're great.
Absolutely! I discovered Haven while I was sick, and I spent days on the couch with tea and a blanket, marathoning the whole thing. It's such a fun, clever show, with great storylines week to week, and a very cool overarching plot as well. Eric Balfour's character, Duke, immediately caught my attention, because there's so much mystery to him, and Eric plays it so well!
So what was it like when the star of one of your favourite shows loves your work and wants to turn it into a TV show?
Surreal! I'm sitting on this phone call with Eric and Meg, listening to him talk about These Broken Stars and the way his company would like to adapt it – talking seriously and with a lot of thought about the artistic choices they'd make, asking smart questions about the rest of the series – and a part of my brain just kept going "nope, this can't be real, this can't be real."
Tell us about when Eric Balfour showed you and Meagan around Los Angeles.
We had so much fun! We were lucky enough to meet and hang out with the whole team of producers in L.A., and having that face-to-face connection is great when you're later communicating via email. It's been a super fun experience so far, and we're enjoying every step – getting a TV show made and onto the air is SO hard, and we know that at any stage it could stop, so we're making sure we have as much fun as we can!
Not only did Eric Balfour court you and Meagan to sell his company, Off the Grid Entertainment, the TV rights to These Broken Stars, but fast-forward a year and Warner Bros and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment have purchased the rights to make a major film of Illuminae, the first book in your trilogy with Jay Kristoff. Tell us about that.
That's right! Again, we had the chance to talk to the producers who'd be working on the movie, to hear what drew them to the project, and how they'd like to make it work – handing over your stories is a big moment, because once they're gone, you don't have much control. The team working on Illuminae has shown a lot of commitment, and we think they're great.
A part of my brain just kept going "nope, this can't be real, this can't be real".
Brad Pitt, Photo Credit: IMDB Illuminae is not your average novel, in fact, made up of instant messages, redacted reports, security footage transcripts and interviews, it's not really a novel at all!
It's definitely very different — the book is set up as a file put together by a group of hackers, so there's a lot of non-traditional formatting in it. You get a lot of information from a lot of different sources, and it's up to you as the reader to put together the pieces. We originally pitched it as "Battlestar Galactica meets Ten Things I Hate About You".
How do you think a book such as this will work, adapted for the screen?
I don't know – but what I do know is that the best approach when adapting any book is to find a team you really trust, and then trust them. They're the experts at making movies, whereas our expertise lies in writing books. I do know from long conversations that they absolutely get the heart of the story, so I'm excited to see what happens.
What was it like, two ordinary Aussies being schmoozed by Hollywood big wigs?
I have to use the word "surreal" again, because really, I mean, come on. But at the same time, the teams on both the TV show and the movie are made up of awesome people who are a lot of fun to talk to, and deeply committed to telling stories well. So at the end of the day, it's still a bunch of storytellers having a conversation.
Did you get to meet Brad, himself?
Haha, no! I'm sure it's just a matter of time, though. Right? Riiiiiiight?
So, in the meantime, where to from here?
My next book out is Gemina, which is coming in October — it's the sequel to Illuminae. Then over the next few years I've got more books releasing — a series with Meg, and a solo series as well. In the short term I'll be at YallWest in May, and there'll be more travel and touring coming up in the next year! I always list my events in my newsletter, which you can sign up for at www.amiekaufman.com — I love meeting fans, so I get out as often as I can!
Read The Books Before They Hit the Screen
These Broken Stars (These Broken Stars #1)
It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder – will they be better off staying on the planet forever? Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off the planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it. The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)
For fans of Marie Lu comes the first book in an epic series that bends the sci-fi genre into a new dimension.
“A truly beautiful novel that redefines the form."--Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of Red Queen
This morning Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575 and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra – who are barely even talking to each other – are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents – including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more – Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
“A truly beautiful novel that redefines the form."--Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of Red Queen
This morning Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575 and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra – who are barely even talking to each other – are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents – including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more – Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
More Books by Meagan Spooner
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More Books by Jay Kristoff
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