Guest Blog Wednesdays with... Nicki J Markus

This week on Guest Blog Wednesdays at The Australian Bookshelf we are joined by author, Nicki J Markus. Welcome Nicki!

But the Book was Better: Adaptations and Unrealistic Expectations

Many of us will have felt this way over the years. You go to see the film version of your favourite book and walk out of the cinema filled with disappointment and resentment. Why? Because adaptations rarely seem to live up to our expectations. But are our expectations sometimes unrealistic?I was thinking about this subject just yesterday. The musical Wicked is currently showing here in Adelaide and I was trying to decide whether or not to see it. I have actually seen the show twice in London and love it, but do I want to go again? This led me to think about the book on which it is based. The show and book differ in a number of ways, but I can enjoy both because I understand the need for the changes. Here is the crucial point though – I saw the show before I read the book.I think for most people the problems come from reading the book first. When you read you are drawn into the world of the book and, if you are anything like me, you create an image of the characters in your head: how they look, what their voices sound like, what they wear.... Then along comes the adaptation, be it TV, film or stage, and the characters are ‘wrong’. “But in the book Elena is blonde and Stefan has green eyes,” many people complained when the TV version of Vampire Diaries started, for example.Now, in my opinion the books are nearly always better, but that doesn’t mean I think all adaptations are awful. Some of the French TV versions of books like Les Miserables and Count of Monte Cristo have been excellent and Peter Jackson did a marvellous job with Lord of the Rings even if some die-hard fans were upset over the loss of a few scenes from the books.Naturally there are also many adaptations that I don’t like, because I feel the casting was wrong or because I think it strays too far from the text. But every time I feel anger bubbling within at the desecration of a beloved story, I try to remind myself that different mediums need to tell the story in different ways and they are never going to please everyone. Sure, I was happy with that choice of actor as that was how I pictured the character, but someone else reading the book might have conceived him in an entirely different way and believe the casting to be a travesty.Love them or hate them, adaptations are here to stay and as readers we sometimes just need to take a deep breath and remember that even if we hate the film, we can always go back to the book we love and find our pleasure there.Nicki J Markus was born in England in 1982, but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her fiancé. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist. She launched her writing career in 2010 and has so far had manuscripts accepted for e-book publication by both Wicked Nights Publishing and Silver Publishing. To find out more about her and her writing, visit her website/blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.comHer latest release is the second part of her four-part paranormal Time Keepers mini-series. Her books are available from: Amazon, OmniLit, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and Bookstrand. Time Keepers – Part 1 – Running Blind"It seems like any ordinary day as Nick waits for the train, but then a chance encounter with a young woman turns his world upside down. What is it that she is running from and will helping her jeopardise his own secret, making him a target too?" Time Keepers – Part 2 – The Beast Within"With Nick’s secret now exposed, he and Ellie must run for their lives, pursued by the Governor and his Time Keepers. Will they be able to stay hidden or is their time nearly up?"

If you would like to feature on Guest Blog Wednesdays at The Australian Bookshelf- whether you are an author, reader, writer, blogger- drop me a line at jayne.fordham@live.com.au and tell me a bit about yourself.  Regards, Jayne.