Richard Paul Evans is certainly happy when someone buys the rights to one of his books. He's even happier when one gets made into a TV movie.
But selling those rights is where his involvement in the process ends. That was certainly the case with "The Locket," which airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS/Ch. 2 as the 214th presentation of the "Hallmark Hall of Fame."
"It's almost a non-experience. . . . They leave me out of it completely," Evans said. "I didn't even know they were producing this."
Movie rights for "The Locket" were sold to Hallmark about four years ago, but as far as Evans knew, nothing had come of it. And he was disappointed when those years passed without it's being made into a movie.
"I was told that they will sometimes pay a lot and keep it just to keep someone else from making it. So I was really happy when I found out they were producing it," Evans said. "I'm excited for it. 'The Locket' was one of my favorite books."
He learned about the TV movie when a fan who had come across information on Vanessa Redgrave's Web site inquired.
"I responded that there was no plan to make any movie even though they had purchased the rights. I sent it off to my agent, who called (the production company) and said, 'They just finished casting with Vanessa Redgrave,' " Evans said.
Surprise, surprise.
Evans was, not surprisingly, thrilled to learn that not only was the movie being made, but that Redgrave, an Academy Award winner, was starring in it. (The cast also includes two-time Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell and Chad Willett.)
"I love the casting," he said. "I am just an incredible 'Camelot' fan. In fact, I was just heartbroken to see Richard Harris had died."
"The Locket" is the third of his novels to be turned into a TV movie, following "The Christmas Box" in 1995 and its prequel, "Timepiece" in 1996. But Evans said he doesn't let the possibility that a book could end up becoming a movie affect how he writes.
"No, not really," he said. "Every now and then it will cross my mind — is this movie material?"
He did say that "sometimes, as a creative device" he allows himself to "sit back and look at it as a movie." He also admitted he's hoping that his latest book, "The Last Promise," makes the transition — and that he's looking for bigger things from this book. Or at least a bigger screen.
" 'The Last Promise' feels like a film. The first five people who read it of the advance reading group said that," Evans said. "And then when we sent it out to CSI, that's what they said — this is your shot at cinema." (His publisher is currently talking with various production companies, but no deal has been made yet.)
Evans has also learned that what he wrote doesn't always make it into the screenplay. He said he's enjoyed all of the adaptations of his novel, but "It was a tremendous lesson to learn that they really don't follow the book."
If a "Last Promise" movie does follow the book, "It would be a PG. Someone could turn it into more. It would be a mistake, but. . . ."
And he remains befuddled by Deseret Book's decision not to carry "The Last Promise." When he first heard about it, "I thought it was a joke.
"When I talked to my agent, it took me five minutes to convince her it wasn't a joke. She absolutely refused to believe it.
"The Last Promise" is about a woman in an abusive marriage who forms a relationship and emotional attachment to another man. But, despite what some people seem to believe, Evans insists there is no adultery in "The Last Promise."
"Well, if they had sex, I would've said so," he said. "They didn't."
Not that he's particularly worried about the Deseret Book ban. It may even be helping sales.
"I'm having record signings," Evans said. "I'm having people come to signings who don't even usually buy my books. One person said, 'Hey, if they tell me I can't have your book, I'm going to have it.' "
For the moment, however, he's just happy to be selling more books. And he's happy that Hallmark chose "The Locket" as its latest entry in the "Hall of Fame" franchise. The "Christmas Box" and "Timepiece" movies were produced by Hallmark Entertainment, a different division of the same company. And the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" not only carries with it a higher budget and better marketing, but a definite cachet as well.
They're all owned by Hallmark, but I had never made the differentiation between Hallmark Entertainment and 'Hallmark Hall of Fame.'. . . It was, like, 'Oh, this is really Hallmark,' " he said. "If you're going to have something produced on TV, Hallmark is the way to go."
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com