November 12, 2004 Stark works to secure Book Rights…

Stark, deciding that securing the rights to a great novel for development into a feature film was the next logical step to move his career forward, begins searching through mainstream entertainment magazines for favourable reviews.

In a North Vancouver Indigo bookstore, Stark picks up a copy of Entertainment Weekly, and flips directly to the book reviews. Almost immediately, his eyes are drawn to a small photo of a book jacket — a solitary snow-covered tree in an otherwise bleak landscape. The novel, A Century of November, by W.D. Wetherell, received the “Editor’s Pick” seal of approval and an “A” letter grade.

It is the story of a Canadian magistrate on Vancouver Island in the autumn of 1918, who receives word that his son has been declared "killed/ missing" on the Western Front. Three weeks earlier, his wife had succumbed to the Spanish flu that raged throughout Western Canada. With nothing left, he decides to embark on a journey to the battlefields of Belgium to see the exact spot where his boy was supposedly killed.

Drawn to the historical and, at the same time, contemporary themes of the piece, Stark began searching for a copy of the book. He contacts the publisher, University of Michigan Press, to inquire about film rights and is introduced to Mary Bisbee-Beek, Director of Trade Marketing, Publicity and Foreign Rights. She informs Stark that while the rights have not yet been secured, enquiries from Hollywood were starting to come in; nevertheless, she ships him a copy of the book straightaway.

Stark pores over the novel, and immediately calls Bisbee-Beek to discuss obtaining the option. This is just what Stark has been searching for.