Screenwriter and producer, Laura Crips Davis, who authors her books as Sadie Francis Skyheart grew up in Michigan and currently lives in the Chicago suburbs. Her first book, The Recollection of Trees (2019), debuted as the #1 New Release in Children’s Scary Stories. She is an associate producer of In the Deathroom (2020), an award-winning crime drama based on a short story by Stephen King.
Are you an author, screenwriter, or both? – Both.
Which is your favorite mode of writing? Why? – For first drafts, I like long-form—pen to paper. It keeps me in the creative flow. It’s too easy to self-critique when typing. Subsequent drafts are done on my laptop.
Which is your favorite role as a producer? – Cheerleader. It has been wonderful to see a filmmaker’s journey from start to finish, the positive audience response, and the awards it has won so far. I’m so honored to have been a small part of the project.
What is your primary or favorite genre to write? – YA/Teen paranormal/fantasy (books), dark comedy (scripts).
Do you have other genres you write for? – Nope. I’m pretty much driving in the dark and twisted lane.
Which project is your favorite so far? Why? – I’m really enjoying the script that I’m currently working on. I’m cracking myself up, drawing from a bad personal experience, and taking it to extremes in a dark comedy set in Hell, Michigan.
How long have you been writing? – Since elementary school. After school/college publications, I wrote over a dozen articles for a regional holistic health magazine. I started my book in 2010. I wrote my first script in 2016.
Where is your favorite place to write? What kind of atmosphere do you need? Quiet, music, coffee, wine? Any tricks to get in the zone? – I write at a desk most of the time. I get in the zone with coffee (I have a coffee bar next to my desk with a regular coffee brewer and an espresso machine), and I wear Halloween socks pretty much all year round. When the socks go on my feet, my fingers hit the laptop.
What genres do you prefer to read? – I mostly read scripts and from all genres. I’m a reader for two international screenwriting competitions. When I make time for a book, it’s usually a friend’s new project or one by John Grisham or Stephen King.
What’s your favorite book or movie? – This is an ever-changing answer. Currently, my favorite movies are Hello My Name is Doris and Knives Out. My favorite book of all time is The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. She was dark and edgy for middle grade reading—ahead of her time when her books were first published.
What do you do for fun when you’re not writing? – Watch movies/TV, read fellow screenwriter’s work, bake.
What is your dream as a producer/screenwriter/author? I’d love to move to Burbank to work in a TV series writer’s room. That’s the plan for when I get to the empty nest phase in a few years. Some of my screenwriting colleagues have asked me to consider script consulting, so that may also be in the near future.
Website/blog: sadiefrancisskyheart.com/books
Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/sadiefskyheart
Facebook author page: facebook.com/RecollectionOfTrees
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