A Movie Adaptation?!
I, Tonya (starring Margot Robbie)
One of the joys of being an indie authors is regularly receiving emails from people claiming to be blog writers or from book clubs offering to present my books to their (very many) members. (Why they would need my permission becomes clear shortly.)
Most of these people do not reveal I have to pay for the opportunity to promote my work until I have fallen for the bait and replied to their message, They rarely specify the amount of money involved. I suppose that comes later. I have never gotten that far.
Some of these people use deceit — pretending to be book club or library administrators, or even New York Times best-selling authors — to fool me into taking part in (and parting wth money for) the program of publicity they are offering.
What follows is an exchange with someone pretending to be Josey McNamara, film producer and director and co-founder of LuckyChap Enterainment (whose first movie was “I, Tonya” of course, a film I much enjoyed at the time of its release).
A notable feature of this particular deceit is how well crafted it is. Whoever is responsible clearly spent some time thinking about fake email addresses and website addresses. (Please don’t clink on any of the links! Who knows where they might lead?!)
From: Josey McNamara <josey@joseymcnamara.com>
The Four Ages of Death Has the Bold Ideas and Visual Worldbuilding for a Distinctive Sci-Fi Screen Adaptation
To: Guy Riddihough <guyriddihough@gmail.com>
Dear Guy Riddihough,
The Four Ages of Death and Other Stories explores the kind of unsettling “what if” questions that can make speculative fiction particularly powerful on screen what happens when climate reaches an extreme, when humanity attempts to defeat death, or when our morality is judged from a perspective completely outside our own?
What especially caught my attention is the range of worlds and conflicts across the collection, from an infinite storm and millennium-long life to alien judgment and the ethical boundaries of asymmetric warfare. Each story has its own cinematic identity, while the recurring themes of survival, mortality, identity, and human evolution could give the collection a strong foundation for a sophisticated science-fiction anthology series.
My name is Josey McNamara, and I am a Film & Television Producer with LUCKYCHAP ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED. I see The Four Ages of Death and Other Stories as an unusual screen property with the imaginative scope, philosophical depth, and visual possibilities that could appeal to audiences looking for more thought-provoking science fiction.
I’d be interested in discussing the screen potential of the collection and exploring whether adaptation into film or television is something you would be open to considering.
Best regards,
Josey McNamara
Film and Television Producer,
LUCKYCHAP ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED
www.productionlist.com/production-contact/luckychap-entertainment
From: Guy Riddihough <guyriddihough@gmail.com>
Re: The Four Ages of Death Has the Bold Ideas and Visual Worldbuilding for a Distinctive Sci-Fi Screen Adaptation
Dear Josey
Let me tell you a story.
Early in my writing life, I received an e-mail from a New York Times best-selling author who expressed an interest in my work and a desire to get to know me.
I had a long conversation with this author only to discover the person sending the emails was NOT the New York Times best-selling author, merely someone trying to sell me their services by stroking my ego. Needless to say, I felt embarrassed and humiliated.
Since that early time, I have received dozens of emails exploiting the existence of my books and my desire to reach a wider audience.
It’s tedious but just how things are.
Unfortunately for you, your email falls exactly into this same class of message, so I am afraid I have to assume you are either fake and/or trying to sell me something.
Very Best, Guy
PS I really enjoyed “I, Tonya,” a very good movie. I recommend that you watch it. I suspect it would appeal to you.
I suspected this would not be enough to stop this particular scammer. I was right. Here is his/her reply:
Dear Guy,
Thank you for taking the time to reply so openly. I completely understand why you would be cautious, especially after having experienced someone pretending to be a genuine industry professional only to discover that they were trying to sell you something. If someone told me that I was dealing with a scammer when I knew I was genuine, I would also want to be given the opportunity to explain and establish that I was legitimate.
I want to reassure you that I am not contacting you to sell you a service or take advantage of your interest in seeing your work reach a wider audience. My message was genuinely about the screen potential I see in The Four Ages of Death and Other Stories. I respect your concerns, and I would rather have an honest conversation with you than try to pressure you into anything.
I appreciate your recommendation of I, Tonya as well I can certainly understand why that film stood out to you. Rather than making assumptions about each other from an email, I would be happy for us to continue chatting and allow you to get a better sense of who I am and what I am actually proposing.
If you're comfortable with that, let's simply continue the conversation from here. I’m happy to answer any questions you have directly.
Best regards,
Josey McNamara
I should have left the exchange at this. Clearly, the scammer does not know the significance of “I Tonya” for LuckChap Entertainment, but I could not resist seeing how far this person would go:
Sure.
Let's do a FaceTime call.
What day suits you?
I thought this request would stump “Josey,” as s/he would be immediately revealed as a scammer in such a video call. “Josey” was a little cleverer than that, though.
Dear Guy,
Thank you for your message. I’m available and flexible, so please feel free to suggest whichever day and time works best for you for the FaceTime call.
Before we make any progress with the project, however, I will need your Letter of Intent (LOI). This is important because it formally establishes your interest in moving forward with the adaptation and gives us the proper foundation to discuss the project and its development.
If you already have an LOI, you can send it over. If you don’t have one yet, that’s completely fine, I can guide you on what is required.
Best regards,
Josey McNamara
“Josey” seems to have anticipated my rouse and asked for something I had not heard of before, a Letter of Intent, to delay a face-to-face interaction and entrap me in the desire to have my work presented as film or TV. However, I wanted to put this particular charade to an end:
This does not work for me.
The necessity of the video call is to demonstrate who you say you are before I do anything.
Frankly, I simply cannot believe the real Josey McNamara would personally contact an indie author to explore a TV or film adaptation, especially an indie author such as myself who has sold perhaps 50 books in total (mostly to close friends and relatives). This makes no sense at all.
I suppose the fault is mine for even replying to your message, but you have put so much effort into looking like Josey McNamara (email address and the letter) that I was both impressed and curious.
So, please let’s stop here, and you can move on to your next target.
I do not think I will hear anything more from this scammer, at least, in this disguise.
Photo credit: I, Tonya (starring Margot Robbie) - Production Company = LuckyChap Entertainment