Ellie Alexander's "Fudge and Jury"

Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research.

Here Alexander shares her idea for the perfect creative force to adapt her new novel, Fudge and Jury, for the big screen:

The Bakeshop Mystery Series was originally pitched as the Gilmore Girls with murder. In my dream world the movie would be produced and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of the Gilmore Girls. I know that Sherman-Palladino would perfectly capture the setting. The Bakeshop Mysteries take place in the real town of Ashland, Oregon home to the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Ashland is tucked into the southernmost corner of the state in the Siskiyou Mountains near the border with California. It’s a thriving community of artists, playwrights, musicians, and outdoor adventure lovers. The downtown plaza is designed to resemble an old-English village with Elizabethan architecture and whimsical shops and restaurants that give a nod to Shakespeare like Oberon’s Tavern, complete with costumed staff and live minstrel music. The small hamlet transforms when the theater is in full swing during the summer months. Visitors from all over the globe descend on Ashland’s quaint streets to catch a showing of Shakespeare under the stars.

Sherman-Palladino excels at blending the charm and quirks of life in a small town with a touch of depth and darkness. Her productions are heartwarming with quick-witted dialog and rich characters, but also have an underlying seriousness in tone. While light-hearted and funny the stories that she produces highlight real struggles, challenging mother-daughter relationships, family dynamics, and the hierarchy of small-town politics. I want Sherman-Palladino’s magic touch to bring the Bakeshop Mysteries to life!

Visit Ellie Alexander's website.

--Marshal Zeringue