WRITER PROFILE

It’s always great to get together with a large group of writers and investors and keep up to date on what’s new, the screenplay contest, any recent deals, new dealmaker contacts, agents or managers that are looking and simply encouraging everyone to keep going after every dream in this difficult industry. For the hard working writer we want to do as much as we can to continue the exposure and word of mouth in the investment circles of the industry. Another way we do this is with writer interviews that we send far and wide and showcase at all possible meetings and markets.

We want to encourage your writing spirit, motivate you and again give you the accolades you so deserve.

MOODY & THE GHOST

Written by Kim Hornsby

What motivated you to become a writer?

I lived in Taipei fostering a newborn baby waiting for the adoption to go through so I could return home to Seattle and my husband. Apparently, my emails home to friends and family alerted everyone that I should write a book about the experience of living in Taiwan for 5 months while I waited for the court to grant me the baby. (I wanted to have her with me as a newborn and had an amazing opportunity to stay in a friend’s house.) When I returned to the US with my 6-month-old baby daughter, I started to write. I now write books and screenplays. The baby is now 18!

Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?

The seed of an idea. The What If? It’s a process of building on an initial idea. Fleshing it out bit by bit.

Do you write projects knowing that so many other factors need to happen to get it to screen and does that come into your project creation?

If I thought about that, I’d never write for fear of failure. I write books and screenplays assuming they will be a movie. I cast every project, think about locations and visuals, write dialogue as if those actors are speaking the lines. I imagine that it will only be a matter of time before my projects are realized on the big screen. That said, the first time I had a feature optioned, it fell out after 18 months with no traction and is now optioned again. If a film takes years to come to fruition, I’m 3 years in on The Dream Jumper’s Promise screenplay.

What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate? Please include script title in reply.

My pilot MOODY & THE GHOST would make a great series on Netflix or another streaming platform. I have two versions of this script—one is tame and the other is edgy and a bit darker. If I raised the money for this low-budget series pilot to be shot, I have producers standing by with connections who love the story. Money in the bank would allow me to attach talent and get the ball rolling.

Logline: Bryndle Moody, a paranormal investigator with a popular YouTube show, is left blind and without clairvoyance after a car accident, but rediscovers both senses when in the presence of the ghost of a dashing sea captain from the 1850’s who strikes a deal to allow her sight, if she’ll help him pass on.

How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?

I just started submitting MOODY & THE GHOST to contests. My experience for one of my features THE DREAM JUMPER’S PROMISE has been fantastic and I’ve been fortunate to win some great awards. I stopped submitting that one because it’s with producers now in hopes of getting some interest over at Netflix or Amazon. That opportunity was the result of winning the grand prize in a screenwriting contest. The Moody script is my only TV pilot and has a series bible, a lookbook and the first script ready to go. We’ll see how it does in contests. I’ve recently entered it in several including Capital Fund.

If you could stand in a room full of investor partners looking at many projects what would you like them to know about you and this project?

I’d tell them it’s a very marketable series with a 4-Quadrant appeal because of the range of characters’ ages and that it has a great castability factor. Many actresses in their late twenties would love Moody because of her snark and flair. With backing, we’d be able to afford wonderful talent to pull off a winning series. It could either fit the CW audience or a darker, older group. The locations are simple, mostly shot in a mansion on the Oregon Coast (or green screen) and the cast is small. I’d also mention that people LOVE mysteries and with the popularity of Ghost shows on reality TV, this would tap into that market as well. This project has everything going for it except the green light.

I’d mention that it’s adapted from my book series that has had great success in both ebook and print and that I’m a sold screenwriter and have several films in development.

Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?

My bio and profile can be found on the International Screenwriters’ Association site https://www.networkisa.org/profile/kimhornsby

Personal website  www.bit.ly/KimHornsby where all books and scripts are listed

On Amazon, Kim’s books are here www.bit.ly/kimamzn in both ebook and print form

Twitter www.twitter.com/kimhornsby

Facebook www.facebook.com/kimhornsbyauthor