You guys had a lot of questions, so here are some answers!
1) What is happening with Confess?
I sold the film rights to Confess and it is currently in production with Awestruck to be made into a series that will premiere exclusively on go90 and then will be available on other platforms at a later date. Production is already underway. If you want to get a sneak peek behind the scenes, check out this live video. https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAuthorColleenHoover%2Fvideos%2F1507448545935408%2F&show_text=0&width=400
2) What is the go90 app?
You can read about and download the new go90 app here. It works like Netflix and Hulu but it’s absolutely FREE. No monthly fees. You don’t have to have Verizon to watch it, but from what I’ve heard, if you use the app over a Verizon network, it doesn’t use your streaming data. Double check with your Verizon carrier, though. I don’t know all the details. I have been watching it and I highly recommend a show called Thanksgiving. It’s hilarious.
3) Will we be able to watch it if we don’t live in the United States?
Yes! Awestruck is working with foreign markets to sell the rights to individual countries so that it will be available worldwide. The specific go90 app isn’t available outside the US, so you’ll probably be seeing it through another outlet or even on TV, whichever platform purchases it in your country. If you live outside the U.S. and are affiliated with a network or platform and are interested to see if rights to Confess are still available in your country, contact Awestruck.
4) What happened to Ugly Love?
Ugly Love and Confess are owned by different producers, so one does not affect the other. The rights to both books were purchased around the same time, but the producers of Confess chose not to release information until production was underway. Ugly Love was announced shortly after the rights were purchased, so everyone has known about it longer. Don’t worry, we still want to bring Miles and Tate to life on screen and the producers are working hard to do that. I would love to eventually find a good production fit for most of my books, not just one of them. Any of my books moving forward into production like Confess is a good thing for all other related projects, especially with the enthusiasm you’ve all shown!
5) What if the Confess show deviates from the book?
It will to an extent. But I’ve been on board with all the changes that are being made. I have complete faith in our director and screenwriter, Elissa Down. She’s simply amazing and she’s committed to bringing these characters to life through this series.
Keep in mind that this is not a movie. This is a series with several different episodes. Episodes are created with a beginning, middle and end. Unlike a novel and a movie, where you only have one beginning, one middle and one end.
Because of this, we can’t avoid deviating from the book a little bit in order to better fit it into a series format. But I’ve read and approved all the episodes and I absolutely love them.
Yes, some dialogue has changed, some has stayed the same, things have been added, things have been removed, etc. But overall, Elissa has done a magnificent job of capturing Owen and Auburn’s story and the heart of Confess. Most changes you won’t even notice, but I do want to discuss a couple of things you will notice and why.
In the book, Auburn works in a hair salon. In the series, she has a different profession. This change was made for set reasons, budget reasons and also to bring in a couple of characters we wanted to add. It seems like a significant change, but it works well for the story and I’m confident you guys will be pleased as well.
Another change is the location. In the book, the story takes place in Dallas, Tx. In the series, however, it takes place in Los Angeles. This was simply because of budget reasons. It was much easier for them to film in L.A. than to have 100 cast and crew members fly to Texas to film. But the location isn’t important to the book, so this change is minimal.
Another change is Owen Cat.
You would be amazed at how difficult it is to film with live pets and how much extra money it costs. So…Owen Cat is now a stuffed cat from Owen’s childhood. But don’t worry because Elissa wrote in some great moments surrounding Owen Cat. And in the book, Owen Cat doesn’t have any actual lines, since cats can’t talk. 😉
Also…character ages. In the book, Owen and Auburn are a few years younger than they are in the scripted series. This decision was made to give a little more maturity to the story. And it worked out, because look at the excellent cast we got because of it!
To wrap up this question, I do want to say that despite some changes we felt needed to be made in order to enhance the viewing experience, whatever happens to a show or film can never change the book you fell in love with. To me, the best reading experiences and viewing experiences should compliment one another, not duplicate one another. And Confess is definitely on track with that. The added material has enhanced the storyline and I couldn’t be happier. And the minor material we have chosen to change or remove was only done so for the benefit of the viewing experience. I couldn’t be happier with the direction it’s going and I think that’s obvious in all the pictures I’ve been posting. My smile has been permanent. My face has never ached so much. This has been an absolute dream.
6) Do you have a lot of involvement in the process?
I control it all. Every single aspect. I can fire everyone.
I’m also lying.
I can’t fire anyone and I don’t control anything.
When an author sells their rights, they sell their artistic rights. A producer can choose to change the storyline any way they want and for most writers in my position, there’s very little we can do about it. It can be a terrifying, stressful experience.
But I have lucked out. Lauren Levine and Awestruck have been nothing short of amazing. Not only do I love the way she approaches this adaptation, I also love her approach to life. And don’t get me started on the director, Elissa. So talented, so nice, so great at what she does.
They didn’t have to include me on anything, but they have made the choice to include me in everything. From casting to script approval, they have asked for and welcomed my feedback and for that reason alone, I know that this book is in good hands. They are adapting it because they loved it and because they love it, they want to do right by it. The only thing that makes me sad is that they have other projects and I can’t claim them to do only my books for the rest of their lives. If I could keep them just for myself, I would absolutely do that. That’s how much I love them. I don’t know that I’ve made this clear. I LOVE THEM! The entire crew. The assistant director, the script supervisor, AMY, EVERYONE! It was an amazing experience to spend time on set with this crew and to see all their commitment and hard work. I get teary eyed every time I think about them. I was so sad to leave this morning.
So yeah.
7) Are you happy with the cast?
They could not have found a more perfect fit for each character. I think casting is one of the most difficult parts of creating a visual project. Especially for a book, because everyone imagines their favorite characters in different ways. As a writer, I never imagine my characters with actual physical features. They are more of a blur and I only see them as a personality. I think this might even make it more difficult to fit a face to a character. But Katie and Ryan are so good together and the chemistry they have is…gah. I can’t even.
I’m not going to talk too much about Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper as Auburn and Owen. You’ll all get to witness that soon enough. I want to talk about Katie and Ryan as Katie and Ryan. They are seriously two of the sweetest, most humble people I’ve ever met. Katie is a ray of sunshine and has such a wonderful presence about her. I want her laugh as my ringtone. Ryan is extremely kind and more than once I noticed him standing back during meal breaks and allowing all the crew members to serve themselves before he would get in line. He has a great heart. They both do and I feel very lucky that two deserving people are playing equally deserving characters.
Trey will be played by Rocky Meyers and I was lucky enough to get to watch the scene being recorded where his character pulls up in the car behind Owen and his father. He’s such a great actor! He embodies this character so well on screen, but off screen he is such a sweetheart! That’s some great acting!
Lukas Gage will be playing the role of Adam. His audition completely captivated me. I think his scenes are some that I’m most excited to see on film because of the intensity of the prologue.
And guys. Sherilyn Fenn as Lydia? IS THIS REAL LIFE?
The rest of the cast is equally as great and I absolutely can’t contain my happiness. I was nervous to visit the set because I thought I would be met with something else entirely. I thought I would disagree with everything and that I’d be disappointed in at least one casting choice. But I cannot express how this week has been one of the best experiences of my life. Completely surreal. A huge thank you to everyone involved.
I think that’s all I can answer right now. Make sure and follow Awestruck on Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes footage, release date announcements and other updates!
I CAN’T WAIT!
Colleen Hoover 