Movieland

Movieland Intro

Hi, there.

Mike here, introducing a book about movies I started writing in June 2019 and completed in October 2019. It's gone through six official drafts since then, and many more in my head.

It's more than about movies, but a love for movies. It's about small towns. And it's about friendship.

What started as a take on Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (think the ugly fellow in the shadows delivering romantic lines to his handsome buddy, but only those lines were all from rom-coms), turned into not so much fan-fiction as an exploration of a dream: what would it have been like to step inside the movies we grew up with? How would the characters – not the actors – have treated us?

Toss in standard high school angst, parents grappling with difficult decisions, old Hollywood, and a washed up actor, and you get Movieland. For kicks and giggles I'll include my query to give it the proper overview. If you enjoy, or don't, or anywhere in between, like and leave comments!

Movieland Query

Max Magee has a problem: she's graduating high school in a week, feels remarkably average, and wants nothing more than to receive the spotlight like her favorite movie stars.

She also unexpectedly won a contest to pilot the revolutionary virtual reality simulator run by the robotic Mrs. X at the WOPR Industries Lab outside of town. Now her best friend has been kidnapped in a simulated movie-verse that spans the entire history of film.

That history includes how "The Hollywood of the Midwest" brought excitement and jobs to Max's tiny hometown of Lindley, Michigan in the 1950s, only to see it go up in flames when a film helmed by a trio of legendary directors goes too far.

With the help of her movie night girl friend, a frenemy, a local policewoman, and a grizzled 1990s action movie star, Max sets out to find Frankie. In the process, she'll learn all about legacy: for her town, her family, and her friends.

That's my debut novel, MOVIELAND (98,000 words), in a popcorn kernel shaped nutshell. It is a sci-fi adventure tale told through and within the history of movies. It is rated PG-13. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teens. This is a book for movie nerds, written by a movie nerd, that will also appeal to fans of all ages (probably not toddlers, unless they know who Kevin Bacon is), including those who wondered what would happen if someone wrote a novel inspired by Weird Science, Pleasantville, and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

I'm writing to ask if you would be interested in representing me. To tweak a favorite line, "I had to go see about (an agent)."

Thanks so much for your consideration,

Mike