Author Interview with C.E. Whitaker III of “The Red Rover Origins”
Hello readers! I got the chance to interview author, C.E. Whitaker III, about his debut novel, working in the film industry, his writing process, what it’s like to transition to writing from films to books, and more! I hope you all enjoy the interview!
About The Book
Humanity has always possessed a fascination with the unknown. More specifically the universe.
In the case of thirteen-year-old, ORION MOORE, it literally was all he had ever known. Since birth, Orion has lived amongst a group of over five hundred Earthlings on the Rover Base Alpha, a gigantic space-station that left the Earth decades’ prior in search of a new home. In a matter of weeks, the Base’s leadership put a plan into action that would send their Rover teams to foreign galaxies in hopes of securing a planet suitable for colonization.
At the same time, Orion and his fellow classmates were expected to begin their exploration training, an intense military program designed to take them from neophytes to cadets. Sent away on the Red Rover, it was during this training exercise that these young people would learn the survival skills needed to cope with the harsh conditions that many of the uncharted worlds in the galaxy already possessed.
Unbeknownst to Orion and his friends, their lives were about to be irrevocably changed forever, forcing them to band together in an epic adventure for survival. For them, this was only the beginning. Some say that destiny cannot exist without a journey… and for the members of the Red Rover, they’re about to see exactly how prophetic that statement really was.
Q&A Time!
Hi C.E.! Thanks for being a guest on my blog today! Tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something not many people know?
Good day Rachel. Thank you for your gracious invitation to have me on your blog. I am humbled and honored to speak with you and your readers today.
About me, I am originally from New York City. Hollis, Queens to be exact. I was a basketball player, a nerd and an introvert until senior year of High School, when girls started to think I was good-looking or something. Perhaps the added attention came from being on the varsity basketball team. I can’t call it.
I watched a lot of television [and some film] growing up in a working class family. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Who’s The Boss, The Simpsons, Married w/ Children. I literally knew every sitcom show-tune from the 70’s/80’s after watching so many reruns in syndication because my parents were never going to buy cable TV.
I now live in Los Angeles, slowly gaining traction as a writer/director/producer. I currently have several projects [non-Red Rover related] that I am working on, so fingers crossed there. There is an old adage in Hollywood, that you’re not really doing anything in this town if you’re not talking to Business Affairs. In my spare time, I love computers, technology and gadgets, basketball, walking, good food and sleep.
Something people may not know about me is that I am a former stand-up comedian/impressionist who performed at comedy clubs all over Lower Manhattan upon graduating from college. The second would be… before publishing my novel, I spent two years working as a personal assistant to actor Colin Farrell; traveling with him from Los Angeles to sets all over the world. I actually wrote the first five pages of The Red Rover manuscript while we were finishing up principal photography on Dumbo in London.
How did you become interested working on films? What has it been like to work as director/producer for film?
I originally wanted to be a sports broadcaster working for ESPN. When it came time to pick colleges, I always knew I wanted to be in the business of communication, so I picked a school, Bradley University, that had a communication and a finance department. I then proceeded to not take a single business class while at university. Go figure.
My interest in sports broadcasting began to wane as it became obvious that the analyst jobs covering the major sports were reserved for former pro/college athletes exclusively, so no matter how knowledgeable I may have been on sports themselves, unless I had pursued a career path in sports from a coaching/administrative perspective, I would never be anything beyond a host or play-by-play person.
I was always a humorous person and after a very short stint working [at the bottom] at Scott Rudin Productions, I moved to California with $800 dollars in my pocket, a laptop and a duffel bag. I was nearly flat broke within about six weeks. Aside from stand-up, I was also a classically trained theatre actor. I worked as an assistant for over a decade for an attorney, a producer, a casting agency, a tech billionaire, a law firm, a talent management company, and an A-list actor. I would say I was unemployed more often than employed in all the years I’ve lived in LA, yet my credit has never been higher and I’ve never lived more comfortably. Again, go figure.
During my blips of unemployment, I tried to write as much as I could. Sometimes writing six television pilots in a year, with a screenplay or two thrown in. Couldn’t sell a single one, but continued pounding the pavement as an unknown getting to know people in my industry and proving myself competent and credible every single day. I have optioned a movie and a television show in recent years, have written, directed and produced two short films, was a finalist in the Warner Brothers’ Feature Directing Program and have spent the past two+ years immersing myself in film by working on feature films helmed by A-list directors.
Now I am pursuing my own projects and I have to say that while there is a fear that exists behind every step I take, there is also a confidence that this is where I belong and what I was born to do. I am rational, analytical, patient and intelligent. I try to enjoy every day as it comes. You hate to miss out on life waiting for a day that may never come.
Being the driving force behind bringing a piece of art to life is one of the great joys of my life. To think that something I created can evoke emotional reactions from anyone, let alone thousands or even millions is something that makes me pause and appreciate.
An example: When I first posted The Red Rover: Origins book cover on Instagram, I received over 3000 likes for it. Now I don’t have many followers on it, primarily because I believe less is more, however, I know my cover resonated with young people in different parts of the world. That cover was simple and it was exactly what I hoped it would be. I am grateful to have a designer who was able to capture the essence of what I envisioned, even if it seemed like it took a dozen passes before I was pleased with it.
How did you make the transition from writing for films to writing books? And what inspired you to write The Red Rover Origins?
I came up with the idea for the Red Rover book series back in 2008. I had a sequence of dreams, seeing these curious young people engaged in this epic cosmic adventure for survival. Its origins [no pun intended] began sort of as a grown-up version of The Magic School Bus or Harry Potter betwixt with Star Trek. I let the idea gestate for eight years before a friend of mine, who had read and loved my action-genre television scripts, began cajoling me to write action movies as well.
I finally succumbed to her persuasion and wrote the action screenplays in 2016. Around this time, three years ago, I wrote the screenplay for The Red Rover. It was 134 pages and I was never intending to write it when the year began, however as I was working on another sci-fi action story, these characters began to enter my subconscious in an intrusive way, to the point where I wasn’t able to sleep until I put them on paper/word.
I wrote the screenplay for this story in about five weeks and then proceeded to re-write for it a solid twelve months before I decided to novelize it. I was told by several film executives that while they loved the story, the scope of it was far too big, being that it was an original screenplay. It needed to be a book first. That was the best thing anyone could have ever told me because writing the book has truly opened my eyes to the beauty that is The Red Rover.
People see young adult or middle grade and they pause, thinking the material may be juvenile. But there are two things I believe I do well as a writer. I am good with elevated material and I write fun stories. Doesn’t matter how dark or dangerous, I will always try my best to give the reader/audience a good time reading my work. I am entertainer at heart and I believe that is where my strength lies as a writer. To offer legitimate escapism in a grounded way.
As an avid lover of science-fiction, I admit I have found myself disappointed with the offerings in film and television lately. So rather than complain about it, I decided to do my part to change what I felt was lacking by beginning this book series. It is my hope that readers will agree, but if not, if nothing else, at least I know I tried.
Sum up The Red Rover Origins in five words for readers who are unfamiliar with the book.
An exploration of our imaginations.
Our youth is the key.
If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
A: would probably spend time with Orion’s older sister, Delly. She’s such a confident, charismatic individual, I know I would be drawn to her [our age difference notwithstanding]. She is the person I tried to be for a few years before ultimately reverting back to my quiet, reserved nature. I would probably sit silently, admiring her athletic exploits wondering what the future held for someone like her. In my mind, she’s the type of person who could do anything she wanted, provided she put her mind to it. I’ve always admired people who seek greatness for themselves.
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or are you one of those who write only when they feel inspired?
I tend to write in spurts. Always have. Being that I work in the entertainment business, there tends to be times where you’re incredibly busy and then lulls in between. The lulls are where I try to do my best work. I wrote the first draft of The Red Rover manuscript in four weeks, basically writing a chapter every other day. The result was mostly garbage of course as I had written it like a screenwriter.
After taking another 14 months, I finally bit the bullet and hired a seasoned editor to help me better develop my author voice. Yes, I know how to write for film/TV, but books require a different set of literary muscles. My editor complimented me on how easy I took her notes and improved my prose and here we are: the book is live and available for purchase.
As I continue to move deeper into the series, I have my method. Screenplay first, book second. This accomplishes two things. It allows me to know the pivotal scenes that need to be in the movie, while also serving as the detailed outline for the book. As the book gets written, any improvements are then moved into the screenplay to sync them up.
I am not sure if I could ever write with a set schedule. That is too much discipline for me. I hate procrastinating however. If I have nothing to do, I will try to write some development notes at a minimum. As long as I am moving toward completing the story, then any steps taken are seen as a positive.
If your books were adapted into a feature film who would you want playing your lead characters?
That’s a great question because “Origins” would star seven 13-year-old actors, so more than likely they would be total unknowns to the general population. However, should the entire book series happen [there will be six total], then I am sure they will become household names and completely unbearable, lol.
But to answer your question, I would say Marius is a very important character here as he is the primary adult we meet from the very beginning. He was written as racially ambiguous because there are so many talented actors who could fit the bill, age ranging from late 30’s to late 40’s. I guess for me, my ideal would be an actor of Jeffrey Wright’s caliber. Someone who has the gravitas to be stern, yet pragmatic, humble, yet likeable, yet sympathetic as well. Marius is a very complex individual for a myriad of reasons and over the course of the book series that will definitely play out. Another actor that I believe would do the role justice would have to be Mark Strong. It also would not surprise me if this role were cast with a character actor rather than a movie star down the road. This role calls for someone with range.
What books have influenced your life the most?
A: As a writer, I would have to say the works of Philip K. Dick have had a tremendous influence on me. Also Ian Fleming and the Bond series. Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton are also two of my literary heroes as their attention to detail made them craftsmen in their respective genres. I am a sucker for pulse pounding action and political intrigue. Give me a great thriller and you may not hear from me for days.
I understand a lot of authors tend to be voracious readers and while I am as well, I tend to gravitate more to the news, featured articles, blogs and investigative reporting than seeking out the latest in fiction. If any of the aforementioned literary formats contain a geo-political slant, I’m all over it. I also love history, although I am not one who wants to wax poetically about the old days.
I guess for me the best way I can sum this up is; I write fiction whenever I can because I am reading nonfiction every other moment of the day. Thanks again for inviting me. This was fun.
About The Author
A writer/director/producer living in Los Angeles, C.E.’s debut young adult novel, THE RED ROVER: ORIGINS was published in May 2019. He was selected as a finalist in the Warner Bros Emerging Film Director’s Workshop in 2016. In recent years, he has optioned a sports feature as well as a political drama pilot. He has also written, directed and produced two (2) short films.
In 2019, he worked in London on the Guy Ritchie-directed feature, THE GENTLEMEN, for Miramax/STX, starring Colin Farrell, Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam & Hugh Grant and the Sir Kenneth Branagh-directed fantasy adventure, ARTEMIS FOWL; 2018, saw him work on the Jessica Chastain led-feature, EVE, directed by Tate Taylor in Boston; 2017 was busier with the Dan Gilroy-directed film ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ., starring Denzel Washington & Carmen Ejogo; the Chicago-based feature, WIDOWS, directed by Steven McQueen starring Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Robert Duvall, Brian Tyree Henry & Daniel Kaluuya; and the live-action re-imagining of Disney’s DUMBO directed by Tim Burton, starring Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton & Eva Green in London.
Thanks again to C.E. Whitaker III for taking the time for a Q&A session and stopping by the blog! Be sure to add The Red Rover: Origins to your reading list!
