The Brink of Fame

Here's the trailer I worked up for The Brink of Fame, second book in the Emily Daggett Weiss silent movie series, the one where she goes west to Hollywood.

Last time I made a trailer I started with the pitch, carefully crafted in a pitch workshop in New York City (Algonkian Pitch and Shop). This time I didn't have a straightforward pitch like that. Since Emily's confusion about her husband is part of the story, it kind of muddies what's going on. So I started with a piece of music that captured my fancy. I bought the rights to use the music from an online site (Fresh Music). It wasn't very expensive.


Then, from my collection of old movie clips and stills, I selected the pictures to display while the music played.

Then I wrote the pitch, far simpler than the actual story, to be displayed over the pictures. I still don't feel like doing voice-overs. Well, the books are about silent movies, after all.

I don't know whether trailers sell books, although it's fun for me to make them. I tell you what. It's an excellent book. It will be out in August. You want it. Mention it to your librarian. Ask about it at your independent bookstore. Pre-order it from Amazon as soon as it comes up. Talk about it at your book club. The Brink of Fame, by Irene Fleming, from Minotaur Books. Let's get this sucker off the ground.

--Kate Gallison