Jealous much?

     I went to see Divergent this past weekend and am currently reading the series it was based off of. I planned on waiting to read it until after I had finished writing Enlightened but it was driving me crazy not knowing any more. Anyway, I loved the movie but there is that one part at the beginning that makes my green-eyed monster rear her ugly head. You don't know which part I'm talking about? Funny- it's the same part that drove me batty in Twilight (and all the sequels- I mean sagas), the eight Harry Potter films, both of the Hunger Games, and so on and so forth. Still don't know what I'm talking about? It's simple really. Six simple words. Based on the novel written by.
     Every single time I see those words I wonder how that particular author must feel seeing his or her name up on the silver screen. Are they happy with the finished product? Do they wish the screenwriters would have stuck closer to the book? Do they think the casting director made the best choices for the actors to play their characters? Are they proud? Would they do it again? The questions keep coming until well after the credits have rolled. But only one question really matters to me- Will I ever see Based on the novel written by Gretchen Roberts on a movie screen?
     The odds of any book I pen making to the big screen is so slim that I have a better chance at winning the lottery while being attacked by a shark and surviving. A girl can dream though. When JK Rowling started writing about a young wizard going away to a magical boarding school could she have ever even begin to dream about the world she created let alone the one that was brought to life in eight feature films? She was probably in my shoes. So many authors have filled my same shoes so I guess I have some amazing company, the only difference is that somewhere along the line their entire life was changed by an offer and I am still awaiting mine, one that may never come.
     Would it be terrible if it never comes? In some ways yes but if I'm truly honest, no. My life would not end, I will still be happy, I will continue to write, my friends and family will not stop loving me, and my stories would still be available in the written form. However, I would love to see a beautiful cast bring Jillian, Eden, Lyla, Declan, Trajen, and even Heather to life, to hear the score, to feel the emotions a director's interpretation would evoke, to see if others would see what I saw in my twisty head.  I can't begin to tell you how amazing that would be.
     But what if they got it wrong? What if I hated the lead actress or the guy who played Trajen wasn't hot enough? Remember the uproar when they announced Rob Pattinson was playing Edward? Fangirls practically revolted and by the by- he was great but I still say he was hotter in Harry Potter as Cedric Digory. And Jamie Campbell Bower is a fine actor and he was great as Caius but as Jace in the Immortal Instruments way wrong choice. People still despise Kristen Stewart for "ruining" Bella (I loved her) and there are many other examples of casting flubs, but what if they got it right? Wait- I already covered that. Back to the con side. The special effects could be as hokey (gasp-or worse) as Twilight's and the music might end up full of bubble gum pop Bieber craptastic songs that would make me hang my head in shame. The ads and posters might turn out so horrendous that no one even bothers to show up which would be the worst out come of all.
     OMG! The stress of just thinking about all of the possibilities is enough to put me into the fetal position  sucking my thumb while calling for my mommy. Okay okay, would I love to see my novel turned into a movie or television show? YES!!!! But only if I knew it would turn out right, I couldn't hand my baby over to some butcher just to see it transformed into some Frankenstein's monster. I didn't spend a tremendous amount of time and energy turning random thoughts into a 88,000+ word novel for nothing, it's mine and I will protect it and all other works like they are my children by doing what's right for all involved. In the mean time, I will just have to sit here and be jealous of the Veronica Roth's of the world because her amazeballs book made a beautiful movie. I think I might hate her. Just a little bit.