The story for COME WHAT MAY has been with me for almost five years, since 2007. In January of ’07, I worked with Ben Adams and Manny Edwards on the treatment outline that would eventually become a screenplay that was first drafted by Manny. Additional screenplay collaborators included myself, David Halbrook, and Mike Farris (founder and chancellor of Patrick Henry College). By the time we completed the production phase in February 2008, eight drafts of the script had been written.
Peter Forbes, who recently completed the novelization of COME WHAT MAY (CWM), joined the production in August 2007 while still a junior at PHC. He served as our production manager. By the time the movie was released for national distribution by Provident Films in March 2009, Peter was nearing graduation, majoring in literature. He was also trying to figure out what to do next after college. I asked him to consider writing the novel for COME WHAT MAY as a possible venture, along with potentially working as a crew member for future films by Advent Film Group. To facilitate Peter’s efforts at writing the novel and interning for Advent, Peter moved into our home after graduation in early summer 2009.
In between filmmaking gigs (HERO, ALONE YET NOT ALONE, and WRITERS’ BLOCK), Peter worked on the novel. His task was obvious, but not easy. How does a young writer, a first-time novelist, draw upon his life experience to bring enough depth and understanding to key characters (Don and Judith Hogan, the parents in the movie), who are twice his age? While the central characters, Caleb and Rachel (both top debaters), were his fictional “college contemporaries” attending his alma mater, PHC, Peter himself was not a moot court or debate champion. Finally, Peter had to remain faithful to the original script and movie, yet at the same time, must bring new elements, situations, and characters to the novel in order to enrich the story and not just mimic it. Pleasing the audience for COME WHAT MAY (the movie) would also be a challenge.
Did Peter succeed? From my perspective, indeed he has. The narrative for the novel is faithful to the movie and true to the established characters and their situations. But then Peter goes beyond the film and in fact surpasses it in tone, style, and depth. If you like COME WHAT MAY the movie, then you will LOVE it as a novel.
Just read the first chapter. It’s free. I will warn you, however, after reading the opening chapter, you will want to read the rest of the novel.
Bravo, Peter, and thank you for adding a significant contribution to the CWM legacy. I pray this is the start of many more novels you will pen.
