Rachel Caldecott

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Apr 1, 2025

I entered my first-ever screenplay of my first-ever adaptation of my first-ever novel (The Panopticon). I didn't get into the finals, but I did get a lovely letter:

"We’re so sorry to tell you that your script was not selected for the final shortlist.

However, it remained after several stages of top choice votes and was then on the long list of the top 42 in this category so please be assured that your script was highly rated by our screenplay literary committee.

We really appreciate the high standard of your scriptwriting and wish you luck with this and all your future projects."

I doubled checked with a few screenwriting teachers and they told me that I can be very pleased. So that's what I'm going with today.
PS Given the quality of the writing of this rejection letter, maybe they don't know what they're talking about LOL

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Feb 22, 2025

I have won an Urban Writers scholarship to do their Six Month Novel writing online retreat. It runs from 10/3/25-7/9/25. The trouble is, now I have to do the work!! I proposed an eco/political thriller (so far from my comfort zone, I can't even see it on the horizon). But I'm really, really excited about it.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jan 13, 2025

Several stories have been going around claiming Hollywood agents and managers have received emails saying, "I hope you are okay after the fires, but have you had time to read my script yet?" I've seen some of them, so I know it is true. This is seriously tacky behaviour. Likewise, I've seen FB posts celebrating the suffering of Los Angeles as karma. But how can we expect to live in a peaceful world, if we constantly diminish each other's pain?

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Dec 25, 2024

I would love to post an image here wishing you all the best for the season and the year to come, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it. But I'm thinking of you all and hoping to more present in 2025.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Oct 27, 2024

My colouring book of scenes from Lodève (where I've lived for the last 22 years) is now available on Amazon. It has the imaginative title (not) of: "Lodève en Couleurs". Hardly great literature, but I've been working very hard on it over the last few months, and I'm praying it'll sell better than anything I've actually written.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Sep 28, 2024

In 2007 I wrote a short history of our French town. In English. It was published locally, but the publisher no longer exists and I have the rest of the printed books. (I supply them to bookshops, the supermarket, museums, etc). One bookshop suggested we do a French version, and they would pay for the translation. They asked me what sort of percentage I would be happy to accept. What should I say? I can't afford to pay for the translation, and I don't know what it would mean if I wanted to supply other shops... Do I just forfeit my rights to sell them? In other words, I have no idea what to do. Help is appreciated, please.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Sep 10, 2024

Is there a word to describe the pain you get while watching your heart broken daughter grieve? There should be.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 23, 2024

Having a wee break from writing. Trying my hand at creating a colouring book of our little town, for adults. So far so good. (FYI 'For adults' only means that the designs are complicated, not lewd... although lewd would sell better).

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 19, 2024

I am no longer a Burger King Virgin. Visitors from the UK with kids insisted on going there for dinner last night. The French restaurant where we'd sat the night before under the plane trees in a quiet square (quiet except for the randy cicadas), was not what they wanted. So we were deafened by over-excited children in the play area and ate rubbish instead. Ho hum. Although the term "Steakhouse GOAT - Vegan" did cause some confusion and amusement. But I came home feeling unclean inside.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 7, 2024

Last year, I started writing screenplays, but news from the industry (LA in particular) is not good, so I'm returning to books. I have several ideas that would be way too expensive to make as movies but would work well as books and are already outlined. So I'm finishing the two projects I've been working on (one movie and one tv limited series) and see whether I can get my head around writing novels again.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jul 27, 2024

We've been plagued by a dreadful pong in the house for several days. As it's been around 30°C every day, the stench has been getting worse. This morning it was absolutely 'minging'. I left strict instructions to discover the cause before I came back from work.
It turned out that unbeknownst to me, Chris had left a chicken carcass in the oven last Sunday. Hmmm. He won't do that again.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jun 29, 2024

A screenwriter I like posted this on a FB page about my memoir, Blown Out of Proportion. I'm chuffed!
"So as not to be inauthentic, I bought it on Kindle -- and even though I knew all about it from talking with Rachel I had no idea HOW FUNNY IT IS!!! Rachel is in the South of France, so I have no idea what it costs there -- but here in the States, it was only $2.99 for the Kindle version. It is worth twenty times that. Easily, As soon as I finish it, I'll leave a review. I encourage you to go buy the paperback (I'll put my Amazon affiliate link below) and make it your beach read for next week's holiday. I'll count reading this book will be my win for the week."

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jun 3, 2024

Well, I must be a new kind of stupid. I haven't been coming to the Huddles because my full membership had expired and I couldn't afford to renew it. I just checked my account and see that it must have renewed automatically as payment went out to Litopia some time ago. Good! Now I'll be able to return to the Huddles with my head held high.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• May 28, 2024

Sorry for not being around. I'm busy 1. Adjusting to the ever changing landscape of caring for someone with Parkinson's Disease. It is a dark, constantly morphing forest, where every tree and bush is a new symptom or side effect.
2. Tracking down the ever elusive income stream (so far they are all dry and stony).
3. Trying to re-find my muse (that has buggered off).

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Mar 28, 2024

Boiling with quiet fury. Some people are shitty! My son has been working 6 days a week, 9 hours a day on minimum wage to save enough money to move south to find a better job. After months of searching, he and his girlfriend find a room to rent (through Spareroom.com) and pay the deposit plus a month upfront. It turns out it was a scam. The guy never owned the building. He's run off with the money. The problem is that although my son's girlfriend has a job, starting on 13 May, my son is still looking for work, and estate agents need a minimum total income of £30K a year before they'll rent to couples. Both will be homeless by mid-April. Apparently this housing scam is very common. Proving yet again, there are always scumbags waiting to prey on the little people.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Mar 7, 2024

Not sure where to post this, but my brother is being interviewed on a Soc. of Authors thing. Industry Insider – Inspiring climate action through writing - The Society of Authors

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Feb 7, 2024

Yesterday my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. So we are both feeling a little blindsided. More tests to go (scintigraphy and MRI), but the neurologist was pretty sure of her diagnosis. I'm just glad we have the French Medical system behind us. Bugger. I just needed to offload here. Sorry.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jan 15, 2024

Just sent off the completed screenplay to the producer in LA. Nothing to do now but get on with everything I've been neglecting for the last 6 months. (Like health, paperwork, friends and Litopia!)

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Dec 22, 2023

I'm sending you our family card (designed by our daughter, Florence Thornton) to you wish you all a fantastic Holiday Season.

May 2024 be better in every way for us all. Peace, health and success in the years to come!

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Nov 25, 2023

Hello All. I'm back! Great trip to the UK, thanks for all your best wishes to my kids. FYI, while I was there, I discovered that a friend of mine, an actor, is now voicing audio books. His name is Toby Gaffney (you can look him up). If anyone is considering going down the "Audible" route and needs an experienced voice artist, contact me and I'll give you Toby's details.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Nov 23, 2023

The longer I’m in the Lakes, the more blessed I think my kids have been. Cold wind and rain all the time, except for the day of graduation. The ceremony was spectacular.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Oct 13, 2023

When I'm not writing I make jewellery and paint. I've just been asked to paint a dragon for someone's grandchild. She said, "I'm not sure whether I want you to paint a real dragon or a fantasy one." Umm, I'm not sure how to respond.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Oct 4, 2023

Ouch! I just discovered that my royalties have dropped from £1.80 to £0.75p per book sold in the UK (and presumably elsewhere). Amazon KDP warned us to put our prices up to counter their rise in production costs, I thought I had. Clearly, I hadn't hit the all-important 'save' button. Nuts! Not that it makes much difference overall, except psychologically.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Sep 28, 2023

A model letter to AI companies.

Tell AI Companies They Do Not Have the Right to Use Your Work

I just sent a letter telling AI companies they do not not have the right to use my work. Use the Authors Guild's letter template to send your own.

actionnetwork.org

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 19, 2023

Sometimes it is very hard to keep one's morale up.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 11, 2023

Feeling pretty shitty. Two and a half weeks ago, our cat, Oscar, passed away on the operating table. Today, another of our cats, Dexter, born 10 years ago under the kitchen sink, had to be euthanised. So, the world burns and I'm fussing over cats. I'm sorry. The thing is, I really love our cats, and Dexter, particularly, was special.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 4, 2023

The producer hasn't had time to read my script for The Panopticon Experiment. While waiting, I sent the first 10 pages to a screenwriters' group. I got this DM from a writer with several movies under his belt (some award-winning), who teaches screenwriting at an American university. I know it is silly to get excited, and I shouldn't brag.... but here I go

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Aug 1, 2023

I suspect my friends are trying to kill me. So far my birthday celebrations have consisted of lots and lots of meals... What a way to go.

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  Rachel Caldecott

• Jul 31, 2023

Sent off the screenplay of The Panopticon Experiment to the foolish producer who said she'd like to produce the movie... awaiting feedback. I suspect there will be a lot of rewriting (at the very least).

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  Jeanette

• Jul 10, 2023

Hi Rachel,
Great about the screenwriting! I've just picked up on the entries concerning your amazingly talented children. I wish them every success in their chosen ventures.
I'll probably see you at the market in Lodève in August...