Everything You Need to Know about the Upcoming Book-to-Film Adaptation of "Lucy & the Lake Monster"
The best-selling novel Lucy and the Lake Monster by Richard Rossi and Kelly Tabor follows the life of a little orphan girl named Lucy as she tries to find Champ, the monster lurking deep below the murky waters of Lake Champlain.
This week, I sat down with Richard and Kelly for an author interview to discuss how they met, the inspiration behind their collaboration, their writing process, more about "Lucy and the Lake Monster," and everything you need to know about their book-to-film adaptation coming summer 2023.
To watch the full video interview, check out the link below:
Richard and Kelly met at Liberty University in Virginia during their college years and have come back together now to write and produce the book and film Lucy and the Lake Monster.
When I asked the authors what inspired their collaboration for Lucy and the Lake Monster this is what Kelly said: "I was telling Richard about how in school, the students loved the stories that I told them. I also told them about Champ, the Lake Champlain monster, growing up in the area, and always looking for it. Richard became very interested in the story because he had not learned about Champ. One day he just approached me, and he was like, 'How would you like to write a children's series on Champ, the Lake Champlain monster, and possibly do a feature film of it?' I was thrilled."
Little did she know that the stories she would tell her students throughout her teaching career would be the inspiration for their best-selling novel. Lucy and the Lake Monster is an inspirational and beautiful children's novel, designed to encourage and guide children through grief and anxiety. Kelly, a retired schoolteacher, and Richard, an artist and preacher, both have a passion for ministering to children, giving them a beautiful story of comfort in difficult times.
Richard explained how different themes in the story will help children feel encouraged and supported. He said, "We have to affirm and nurture children, especially if they're different, and part of nurturing kids to be really smart, creative, and brilliant, is to let them know that it's okay to be different. Too often in my youth, they tried to teach me what to think instead of teaching me how to think. So Lucy and the Lake Monster affirms a girl that's quite different and that's bullied for being different.
"We want to encourage every person that's felt like a misfit or thinks differently from the group," he continued, "that we love you and it's okay. In the story, Lucy and Papa are mocked for believing in the sea serpent in the lake, but God bless them, they're going to go out on Lake Champlain and look for Champ."
In our interview, Richard shared what made him want to collaborate with Kelly on Lucy and the Lake Monster: "I've always wanted to do a children's book in film. I played Lewis Carroll, the writer of Alice in Wonderland, in a musical here in Los Angeles. I had this desire to always do something for children, and then I had a health crisis last year.
"I was in the hospital for a while, and a wonderful surgeon saved my life," he continued. "I knew I had to do this bucket list kid's project. I thought, 'Wow. Kelly's story is so wonderful, and kids love it.' There was an oral tradition of her telling it for decades to her students, and they loved it. Much like scripture was for decades just orally transmitted until it was written down. I think a lot of the best things start with people telling stories.
Lucy and the Lake Monster has several raving reviews and has gained a lot of popularity, especially in the UK. "I hope this story can be a blessing to a lot of children all over the world. We're getting some great reviews from people in the UK saying, 'I got this for my children here in London, and they love it.' This really excites me because the children's literature that has inspired me has been from England-- books like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Oliver Twist," said Richard.
Richard is an Academy Award-considered filmmaker, so he was in his element as lead Director when they started filming Lucy and the Lake Monster last summer in 2022. The pair explained how they filmed right on the waters of Lake Champlain where Kelly grew up in Port Henry. Since Richard is based in Los Angeles, and Kelly is in South Carolina, they went out to New York for a whole month to knock out all the filming for Lucy and the Lake Monster.
Richard said, "Because I'm not from Lake Champlain, we just went out there and stayed for a month to shoot it. We had many obstacles that could have sabotaged us, but by the grace of God, we overcame them. Kelly was such a hard worker, and she just did whatever needed to be done."
Since Kelly had never done a film before, she was excited to work with the film hands-on as co-Director. She said, "Yes, I had a lot of different hats. It was the heat of summer. People needed water, and I had a cooler-- I was constantly getting ice. I was the only one from the area, so I knew where places were. A lot of the people that were here, the cast and crew that came from out of town, didn't know where to go for things at all. So I was also a runner, helping out in those ways too."
While the Lucy and the Lake Monster film is still going through rounds of editing, Richard and Kelly have been forever impacted by the unforgettable filming experience. Richard said, "For me, one of the most rewarding parts about filming was that I found a whole new community, a whole new magical place. I live in Los Angeles, which is a big city of course, but I found a family in this community. Film's a very collaborative medium, so you become a kind of family. But it was far deeper than that. I feel like it's a family I can return to."
Richard continued to explain that he was able to connect with Kelly's parents, who live there in New York, and they even found a church in Port Henry, Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship, that let them use their building as a base camp during their month of filming.
"It's been rewarding for me to find this town and these people that not only helped us with the film but gave me that nostalgic longing I've had to go back to a simpler time, where it's just a town that really loves and cares for others. I felt that it was my happy place, going there to Lake Champlain and Port Henry to make this film," Richard said.
One of the most rewarding parts of working on the film for Kelly was being able to work with Richard in person. She said, "The most rewarding part, I would say, is working with Richard because we collaborate so well together, and also seeing everything come to pass. We actually were able to finish the book while he was in California and I was in South Carolina. We did everything basically long distance, so coming together to make the movie was just so nice, like pieces of a puzzle all coming together."
Both Kelly and Richard are thrilled with the different people they've been able to meet and work with throughout this process. Richard gave high praise for the lead actress, Emma Pearson, who plays Lucy. Richard even got to star in the movie as Lucy's grandfather, Papa Jerry.
In our interview, Kelly also explained that Richard offered her a part in the movie: "You know, when I was growing up or even years ago, I thought that Hollywood or all this was too far for me to attain. I just pictured certain people doing the parts in the movies, but then Richard asked me if I wanted to be in the movie too, so I ended up being a schoolteacher, Miss Marino. So I got to play a part in the movie too, which I never dreamed in a million years I would be doing."
While fans around the world are waiting for the release of the Lucy and the Lake Monster film, Richard and Kelly are preparing for all their future projects. Since their best-selling novel Lucy and the Lake Monster is only book one in a series, the authors are working hard to create book two! In addition to the film coming out in the summer of 2023, Richard and Kelly hope to do official screenings and cast interviews upon the movie's release. The film with eventually be on all streaming apps, but the creators love the personal touch of in-person screenings. Richard and Kelly also plan to release a second edition of their original Lucy and the Lake Monster book to add illustrations, pictures of filming, and even possibly the screenplay!
Richard Rossi and Kelly Tabor want to thank everyone who has dedicated their time to working on this amazing project with them. Follow them on their website and social media pages to keep up with the Lucy and the Lake Monster film and books!!
Keep up with Lucy and the Lake Monster on their website and social media:
Official website: https://www.lucyandthelakemonster.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/champmovie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/champmoviehq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/champmoviehq
Want to read Lucy and the Lake Monster? Check it out on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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