Since I am a writer (and even an aspiring screenwriter), I absolutely delight in getting to highlight the writers of various productions and shows. And in the case of Garage Sale Mysteries, one of the writers happens to be Kraig Wenman. Until I noticed his post a couple of months ago, I wasn’t even aware of his work, although I have unrestrainedly enjoyed his work for quite some time. Recently, he agreed to answer a few questions in anticipation of “Garage Sale Mystery” month, which starts (Yikes!) this coming Sunday, August 5th. 

RH: Why did you decide to become a writer?

KW: Free therapy. Even when I was a kid, writing was always my outlet. I had a great sixth grade teacher who told me if I stopped being the class clown while he was trying to teach, then I could read my short stories to the class at the end of the day. In high school, my writing became more and more about songs, lyrics, and poems. During university, I learned that there were these really odd maladjusted people known as “Screenwriters.” I knew right away these were my people.

What was the first screenplay you wrote? 

They say your first screenplay is either your life story or your favorite movie. But really all of my scripts are my life story in one way or the other. It was a drama called The Division Bell, which was basically the New Zealand film Once Were Warriors mixed with elements of my life. If you haven’t seen that film, do it!

You have written a wealth of scripts for Lifetime. While I’m sure each is special to you, please tell us about a couple that are memorable and/or significant and why they are so memorable.

The Stepson

The film The Stepson is probably the closest to my life of any of my films thematically, so I hold that one near and dear. But Seventeen and Missing I think is the one where I found my voice and got the flow of structure that is in a TV movie as opposed to a feature (9 Acts instead of 3). And it’s also the first mystery of mine that was made into a film, so it set up the Hallmark Murder Mysteries that I would later do.

I believe Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe was your first Hallmark work. What was that experience like?

It was fast and furious because I was brought on to the project about four days before production for a rewrite, but I LOVE any pressure and any challenge. Lead actor Allison Sweeney was very hands-on, supportive, and an excellent problem solver, so that helped the process. Executive producer Jonathan Axelrod was the same and he would later invite me into the Garage Sale Mystery family.

Harvey Kahn at Front Street had hired me way back to do a film for SyFy called Fireball (starring the dreamy Ian Somerhalder and equally dreamy Aleks Paunovic), so that is how I first connected with Murder She Baked at the urging of director Kristoffer Tabori. Thank you Kris!

A Case of Murder

This year, you wrote two screenplays for Garage Sale Mystery month in August. What can you tell us about working on that popular franchise and which ones did you write? Feel free to tell us the basic premise of each without revealing too much.

I’ve written three Garage Sale Mysteries so far. A Case of Murder was about Jenn Shannon (Lori Loughlin) hearing a murder on an old reel-to-reel she bought at a garage sale. The Pandora’s Box Murders  (Premiering August 5th, 2018) has Jenn Shannon trying to decode a puzzle-box, which the murder victim has hidden clues to the killer’s identity inside.

And the third is The Mask Murder (premiering August 12, 2018), which has Jenn finding a death-mask, that the killer may have made of the victim.

I love working on GSM because as I child I used to watch Murder She Wrote and Poirot with my Mom, who was always obsessed with those mysteries. So every one I write is a tribute to that amazing woman, who apparently raised a child with a twisted mind that used it for good–LOL!

Any other upcoming works you can mention?

The Chronicle Mysteries
Behind-the-scenes

I’m currently writing two more Garage Sale Mystery films for next year and also working with Allison Sweeney (whom I met on Murder, She Baked) with her great new series The Chronicle Mysteries. Her character runs a crime podcast that investigates cold-case homicides via the local paper The Chronicle. I’m extremely excited for everyone to see it!

Where do you get your inspiration for writing these screenplays? Do you have a ritual schedule you keep when writing?

Every screenplay and genre is different inspiration-wise. News headlines always help with the murder mysteries, as well as research I always did growing up. I was that kid in high school reading true crime books like Helter Skelter and Alone With the Devil. The psychology of why criminals would do something always fascinated me (and still does).

Kraig & wife

For comedies and the romantic feisty banter, I draw directly from my life and family. I use very specific moments and conflicts from my life, that always has my wife shaking her head. Like they say, “Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes” 🙂 And by “they” I mean Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty.

As for ritual, if you want to be a writer as a job, treat like a job. Inspiration needs to find you working, so I get up every day and work from 9am-12pm. Then break for the day and go again 10pm-12am, if I’m on a deadline. What I write in the morning and night are two different animals. It’s always easier to write those final scary showdowns at night and comedic banter in the morning.

I set page limits for each day. On day one, it’s always twenty pages before I can break, and on the last day, the same. That way I can get a first draft done in seven days and then start the rewriting process from there. The only thing a first draft has to be is done. So get it done, fail, and no one has to even read that first draft. You can’t edit a blank page, and if you get stuck on a scene, move on to a scene you want to write. I outline quite a bit before I write the script, so the hard work is already done by the time I type “FADE IN”. And then from there, it is all just play. Even on the worst day, I am madly in love with my job. I love Mondays because it means I get to wake up and play make-believe. Writing is the great escape!

You have also done some producing. How does that role compare to writing?

Producing allows you to be there for the extent of the project from the get-go to the end. Usually, writing is finished by the time the first day of filming starts and then it’s the director and other producers looking after your baby. With producing, you get to add in your two bits through the production.

Have you been able to visit the sets while filming? Elaborate on any memorable experiences if you like.

Living in Vancouver, Canada, specifically my beautiful town of White Rock, I’m usually only twenty minutes from any set, so I can stop in and say “hi”. Some directors prefer the writer not be on set, while other directors put you to work improving lines for the actors.

Every set is different, but in Vancouver, the crew is really on point, as it’s a movie town and they have many pages to shoot each day.

Do you have plans to write in any formats or genres?

I’d love to write a crime thriller novella AND then adapt it into a screenplay. Something in the vein of Gone Girl meets Seven would be ideal. A graphic novel is also something I’ve wanted to do forever!

As a writer, what is your favorite part of the process and what is the most challenging part of the process?

The blank page is the most exciting part because on any given day, anything could happen. I’d say the most challenging part is not having enough time to do EVERY project you want. I write about ten scripts a year, but would LOVE to do more. It’s not just my job but a hobby I’d do for free anyway. It’s always great when your lust for life and your career are the same thing.

If you could work with one or two people in the business that you haven’t as of yet, whom would you choose?

I would love to adapt a Chuck Palahniuk novel someday and work with a director like David Fincher!

There are multitudinous qualities I appreciate about Kraig and his insightful responses, but one of my favorites is his writing schedule. While I know there is an extensive assortment of methods that writers of diverse styles and genres employ, I respect the rituals Kraig shared, and I may just have to implement some of his ideas into my own work. It is an unquestionable fact that one cannot edit a blank page, and writing that first draft is imperative! (I regularly challenge myself in that fashion as well.) Furthermore, his admiration for Murder She Wrote and Poirot…oh my goodness! I watched that show and loved Agatha Christie as I was growing up (Does it get better than reading Murder On the Orient Express?), and mysteries will always be a “guilty pleasure” of mine. Plus, since he told us more Garage Sale Mysteries are in the works, we can rejoice that in 2019, we should be getting another four films in the month of August. Wahoo! 

Therefore, if you have not been watching Garage Sale Mysteries on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, I highly recommend you add that to your watch list. No doubt, the network will be replaying various films within the series so that everyone has the opportunity to review and/or become current on past episodes, and the new ones will begin their monumental premieres next Sunday, August 5th! Additionally, I would suggest that you follow Kraig at the links below so that you never miss any of his films (The Chronicle Mysteries are slated for a premiere in early 2019, according to Ali Sweeney). At heart, I am a rather old-fashioned sort of girl, and there is nothing I enjoy more than a rollicking mystery on Sunday nights. Indeed, I am infinitely grateful to Hallmark and Kraig for their unwavering dedication to bringing the best in mysteries to their fans and viewers!

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