Some stories should be retold; that’s how I feel about the stories in my Make A Little Magic Romantic Comedy series that’s soon-to-be-released on Amazon in both ebook and paperback. I wrote these stories early in my career, and they went on to be published traditionally with Dorchester Publishing. Because I was a brand new author writing quirky, offbeat books that didn’t fit nicely into any succinct genre, these books did not receive a lot of publisher push; in short, my publisher didn’t quite know how to market my novels. Because of that fact, the covers and the story descriptions on the back weren’t quite right and were sometimes misleading. My little darlings found an audience that loved them, but it took time and the audience was small. It wasn’t all my publisher’s fault. As I said, I was a newbie author, and I made many mistakes typical of new authors. Which brings me to now…the new and improved, updated and revised versions of these novels are now my new Make A Little Magic Romantic Comedy series, and Book #1 — Spark A Little Flame — will be available to purchase on Amazon on Monday of next week, March 16! (And possibly earlier! Check and see here!) These books have new covers, new titles, and new descriptions that fit them perfectly. And the stories inside have been updated and polished, too. When it comes to remakes, my stories are in good company. Films, especially, are often remade. So what makes someone decide to remake a story that’s already been told? When I asked myself this question, four remakes I love came to mind.
- Three Men & A Baby: You might be familiar with the 1987 version of this movie. It’s an American retelling of a 1985 French comedy. The American film stars Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg. Only two years separated the original version from the remake. Obviously, the producers of version two wanted to bring the story to a new audience — an American audience. It was a good decision — the remake was a hit!
- Enchanted April: The 1992 adaptation of the original 1935 film stars Josie Lawrence and Miranda Richardson. The 1992 remake has a much faster pace than the original. My take on the reasons for the retelling is that those involved in the remake loved the story told in the 1935 movie and wanted others to experience it and love it too. But they understood that modern audiences were not as patient with drawn-out storytelling as audiences were almost sixty years before. If the movie was going to capture the hearts of viewers in 1992, the moviemakers knew that the story would need to unfold at a less leisurely pace. Thus, the remake.
- The Parent Trap: The 1961 original of this movie is excellent, although it lost much of its relatability as time went by. So that viewers could appreciate it near the beginning of a new century, the movie was remade in 1998 and starred Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, and Natasha Richardson.
- A Star Is Born: Some stories are so relevant that they bear telling more than twice! A Star is Born, for instance. The original of this heartbreaker was made in 1937, version #2 was made in 1954, version #3 in 1976, and the most recent version in 2018. Each version has taken the same premise and made it more relatable to the viewers of the time period. I can’t imagine a future remake outdoing the most recent one starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but I suppose only time will tell! (If you haven’t seen it and are wondering what’s so great about it. I’ll just leave this here for you to watch while you go get some tissues. After watching the video, dry your eyes and scroll down to finish this post!)
So…these are some of the reasons for remaking a beloved story — in order to tell it to people of a different country who speak a different language, to appeal to the changing expectations of an audience regarding storytelling (i.e. pacing), to make it more relatable and relevant to modern viewers. Changing audience expectations, relatability, and relevance are among my reasons for remaking my book series, too. And I must admit that revisiting the stories and characters in Spark A Little Flame, Dream A Little Dream, and Make A Little Wish was a lot of fun! I hope you’ll check them out, and that you’ll enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them!
**Note: Each book in the Make A Little Magic Romantic Comedy series about love & magic stands alone & can be read in any order. Spark A Little Flame is a revised, updated version of Shocking Behavior, Dream A Little Dream is a revised, updated version of Once Upon A Dream, and Make A Little Wish is a revised, updated version of Body and Soul, all by Jennifer Archer and originally published by Dorchester Publishing Company.
You can purchase Spark A Little Flame in ebook or paperback here on Monday, March 16 (and possibly earlier…take a look & see!) at Amazon. If you read it, please go back to Amazon and leave a review! Reviews help my Amazon rankings and help readers find my books. I appreciate you! Happy Reading!
Jennifer
