Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium
Chris Eboch 91 PH and her brother Douglas have a new novel out, a prequel to Sweet Home Alabama. Douglas wrote the original screenplay to that movie as his master’s degree thesis script at the University of Southern California (USC). The box office hit, which came out in 2002 and starred Reese Witherspoon, is still a popular romantic comedy frequently found on TV.
Chris became a writer with over 70 published books for children and adults. The two siblings are now writing a new young adult romantic comedy series featuring “Felony Melanie”, Jake, and their friends seven years before the events of the movie Sweet Home Alabama.
In the first novel, Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium, Melanie qualifies for the Miss Alabama Princess Pageant. The prize could be her ticket out of Pigeon Creek. But can a “trailer trash” girl outshine the snooty debutantes? Meanwhile, Jake and his buddies suspect someone is sabotaging the pageant. In order to save the pageant and Melanie’s chance to win, the gang must show they’re more than what people see on the surface.
The siblings believe they work well together because their respective strengths compliment each other. “Doug knew the world and characters inside out,” Chris said. “Also, as a screenwriter, he has a strong understanding of structure.”
“And Chris is much more experienced in writing this kind of prose,” Doug added.
They developed the overall story together, then Doug took a first pass on the opening of the novel. Chris revised that section to develop the literary elements. Later in the book, they divided up chapters, revising each other’s work to maintain a consistent authorial voice.
“We’ve always gotten along pretty well for a brother and sister,” Doug said, “and we each respect what the other brings to the table, so it was a smooth process.”
The authors held an online video book launch on May 3. The actors who played Clinton and Wade in the movie answered questions from the audience in a lively chat. The launch recording is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_8ZlPohypU.
Doug currently teaches screenwriting at Art Center College of Design and at Loyola Marymount University, both in California. He has published books on script writing as well as novels and short stories as Jacob Love.
Chris writes both fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Her first novel, a Mayan adventure titled The Well of Sacrifice, came out in 1999 and is still used in many schools when they teach the Maya. She publishes her novels for teens and adults, including the Felony Melanie series, under the name Kris Bock.
Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium is available in paperback and e-book formats.
