Back in 2018, I had the honor of interviewing a screenwriter who has written several Hallmark movies by this point, Joie Botkin. Since that time, her body of work (and movie hits) have multiplied, and more than likely, you have watched and enjoyed at least one of her Hallmark movies within the past year. During this time of the worldwide pandemic shutdown, I had the opportunity to virtually chat with Joie about what has been occupying her time since our last interview. It is my honor and joy to share our conversation with all my readers today.
RH: In 2019, you had three movies that aired with Hallmark. Please tell us a little about each one.
JB: A Brush With Love
Arielle Kebbel, Nick Bateman Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
I had to scan the dark recesses of my memory, but A Brush with Love was originally a rewrite of a script that was a sort of rom-com Dorian Gray. There was some bumping against the magical realism and so we had to find another way in to the vision board concept. This was a tricky script because we had to walk a fine line of magic/manifestation and also had to juggle a love triangle without making the main character seem unlikable. I actually got to briefly (for two hours) visit this set with my mom and brother. It was during that freak cold spell that hit the Northwest two winters ago and I was freezing.
Love in the Sun
Emeraude Toubia, Tom Maden Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Rod Millington
Oh, this was a fun one! Again, another rewrite. It was originally written – and then I rewrote it – as a Hawaiian (I think summer) film and the entire movie was based around Hawaiian landmarks and culture. Then right before we were set to shoot, Hawaii ended its production tax credits and the film got put on hiatus. Several months later, we started it back up and moved it to Florida (first as a spring film, then it got pushed to Memorial Day.) The irony is that after initially being attracted to the project because it was set in Hawaii, it got moved to Florida where I’m from. Ultimately, after Florida was decided as the location, I think I had maybe a week or two to rewrite the script for Florida. But it looked gorgeous and Shawn Christian stole the film for me. Also, this film inspired me to take my son to Kauai, which was the trip of a lifetime.
My One & Only
Pascale Hutton, Sam Page Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Steven Ackerman
By now I’m now starting to see a pattern. So this was an original idea I sold Hallmark along with Love in Store. This film was originally called Love on the Ranch and was a fall harvest film with a Bachelorette style set-up. After writing several drafts of the film, we learned there were too many fall films and so it got moved to summer. We then learned there were too many ranch films, and so it got relocated to the mountains. Again, this was a very quick turnaround final draft to make all the changes. But I really love how this film turned out. Pascale Hutton is the best and I would’ve been happy with her ending up with Sam Page or Stephen Huszar (there were sparks with Stephen!) I feel like this film is rich and has a lot of layers – it’s rewatchable – and is sweet without being saccharine, which can be a fine line for me to write.
Pascale Hutton, Stephen Huszar Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Steven Ackerman
You were also an associate producer on a Lifetime Christmas movie {Christmas Love Letter}. Please let us know how this particular opportunity came about.
I was introduced to the director and gave several rounds of script notes and he generously thanked me with an associate producer credit.
Earlier this year, we saw Love In Store on Hallmark. How did this movie idea and opportunity come your way?
Love in Store was an original idea that I sold Hallmark probably about three years ago. Although I’ve never actually bought anything from a home shopping network channel, there’s something about the hosts and segments that I find mesmerizing and I thought it would be a fun world for a Hallmark movie. Some fun behind-the-scenes info is that I sold the pitch as pretty close to what the movie turned out to be but then wrote an outline that took the film in a completely different direction and then was steered toward the light and back to the film in this version (its original version.) A good lesson here was to look for the organic storyline and trust in my team – they can often see the forest through the trees when I can’t.
Jackee Harry, Alexandra Breckenridge, Robert Buckley Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Love In Store was truly out of the box and I loved it even more than I thought I would. What has been the overall reaction from the fans? What do you believe is the strength and attraction of this film?
Thank you, Ruth! It was one of my favorites as well and the script was really fun to write. I think any writer will agree that as much as a joy and privilege as it is to get to write for a living, it’s also oddly hard (I always try to figure out why and think maybe because it requires so much brain power – you have so many balls in the air and constantly need to be alert to where they all are.) Usually, I set daily writing goals for myself – a certain number of pages or acts – but this script really just wrote itself and I didn’t want to stop. I loved Terrie and David’s characters and felt there was a richness to draw from.
I think the strength of the film rests in that it feels different and that, although the typical genre conventions and structure are there, it flowed organically and was propelled by the characters (or maybe I’m flattering myself.) Of any two Hallmark love interests that I’ve penned, Terrie and David felt the most alive to me. Interestingly, the reaction to the film has been polarizing. Seems like half of the audience loved it and the other half hated it. Of the endless internet stalking I do to read audience reactions to my films, the general criticism was that it was “boring” and the general praise was for the “witty banter.”
I remember that you had aspirations to visit the set of one of your films. What is the status of this dream?
Christmas In Vienna stars Sara Rue & Brennan Elliott
Dream realized and in the best way! I got a set visit to Vienna for my upcoming Christmas 2020 film Christmas in Vienna (it might be retitled by the time it premieres.) I had five days in Vienna in December and it was incredible. When I wrote the script, I went for broke writing in nearly every famed Viennese landmark and somehow we managed to shoot at all of them – the Schonbrunn, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Belvedere Castle and several picturesque Christmas markets. Downside was that it was freezing but the plus side was that it snowed a lot. But really, beyond seeing my script come to life in a stunning production, the highlight was eating endless pastries and chocolate – especially these things called Mozart Kugel. I think my happiest moment of Christmas 2019 will be me, standing in the snow at a Viennese Christmas market, eating a jelly doughnut the size of my head.
I know things are currently on hiatus due to the pandemic, but do you have any other upcoming works you can mention?
I have a lot of films but am unsure about timelines due to the pandemic. I have two wedding movies, two Christmas movies, a destination summer romance, a destination wedding/summer crossover and potentially a Valentine’s Day. I wish I could give more details but don’t want to ruin any surprises.
A Brush With Love cameo
Speaking of the current crisis, what are you doing to pass the time at home in isolation?
Passing time is less an issue than finding time. I’m homeschooling my son in the mornings and he goes to a Mandarin charter school so his kindergarten level work takes me hours to understand. Then in the afternoon we usually go for a hike or walk around a lake near our house. We’re playing a lot of Pokemon Monopoly and Exploding Kittens and watching every version of Scooby-Doo ever made (and there are a lot.) On top of that, I’m working as much as possible, exercising at home and balancing that out with an unnecessary amount of paleo gluten-free baking (I’m making my way through Paleo Running Momma’s website.)
As a member of the Hallmark writing community, what do you appreciate the most?
TCA’s 2019
Not sure if you mean working with Hallmark executives or with other writers but I could endlessly sing the praise of either. The people I work with at Hallmark have become dear friends and truly feel like a community and family. When I was going through a rough time earlier this year, they sent me flowers and that meant so much to me. I also find the closer we get, the better our movies become – it’s easier to bounce ideas and inspire the creative process. As for the other writers, I’m so grateful to have them to reach out to, spitball writing issues, or just commiserate about writing. It’s like having a very loosely connected writers’ room.
While most of your works have been rom-coms, what other genres (if any) would you like to try?
It’s not necessarily a different genre but I love teen movies and want to try my hand at a teen rom-com. Also, I wrote a horror film years ago that I’d like to rewrite. And I have a passion project I’m attached to direct that’s a dark indie rom-com. But I think I’ve said it before – no matter what the genre, I’ll turn it into a romance.
If you could write a sequel to any of your movies, which one(s) would be at the top of your list?
This is a hard one because I have to balance two wants – one, how much I liked the movie and two, which characters feel like they need more story. I suppose I’d pick either Miss Christmas or My One & Only because I love both of those couples and feel like their stories are open-ended. But I have a few films I’m writing now that I’d love to see sequels to!
Bonus: Here’s a fun fact: every Hallmark film I’ve written since My One & Only, I’ve first-named the characters after one Hallmark fan’s universe. So I’ll find out someone is a huge Hallmark fan, name the main character after them, name the love interest after the special someone in their life, and then name the other characters after their family and friends. It’s fun both because I get to make someone happy and also because I hate naming characters, so it’s helpful for me.
Before interviewing Joie, I had no idea that she was the screenwriter for the most highly-anticipated Hallmark Christmas movie of the season, Christmas In Vienna! (Okay, maybe that’s just one I’m excited about since I adore Brennan and since we didn’t see him in a Christmas movie last year, I am on pins and needles for this one!) The fact that she visited the set for this movie almost makes me envious, but I couldn’t be happier for her, to be honest. Joie is one who has paid her dues in the screenwriting world, and I am thrilled to watch her original ideas playing out on my television. Moreover, I am one of those people who sincerely relished Love In Store, but I do tend to have a penchant for out-of-the-box ideas, especially when they are as well-executed as that movie was. If you have not had the opportunity to watch one of Joie’s past movies, be sure that you check out the ones you may have missed (and perhaps revisit those you treasure) while anticipating the upcoming Christmas season. I would also invite you to visit all of Joie’s links below and consider following her where applicable. It would appear that this talented screenwriter has chosen to align herself with the channel that still delivers quality rom-coms with recognizable faces, and I can hardly wait to see what Joie’s next movie will be!
FOLLOW JOIE
