After five months anxiously waiting, I speak for our production team, cast and crew in welcoming you to the drop of The Peach Seed official book trailer! We spent one chunky day shooting on location in Inverness, CA at North Beach, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. We gathered that morning as a group of mostly strangers united by a common goal: to make something lasting and beautiful to entice readers by elevating themes in my upcoming novel, The Peach Seed, out August 1, 2023 from Henry Holt & Co.
In early meetings with my dear friend and our Assistant Director, Annie Spiegelman, it became clear: with our shoestring budget, we had to limit this to a one-day shoot. Sand and sea are strong motifs running throughout the story, from the St. Louis region of 1800s northern Senegal, to Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, to 2012 Georgia Sea Islands.
Frigid water aside, we have no shortage of stunning beaches in northern California, so we chose a beach as our setting. What could be more enthralling than a backdrop of rolling waves and endless sky? Especially in the hands of Director, D’Adonis Moquette and Director of Photography, Alex Ajayi. They expertly captured my vision of beach as timeline, connecting the three story eras: 1812, 1960 and 2012.
From day one, as he and I worked separately on storyboards, D’Adonis nailed the concepts I was holding as if by osmosis. The story spoke to us in ways that were mixed and perfectly matched.
Above is the cast of our set piece: the 1812 Pawleys Island, SC wedding scene. L-R: Keonte Taylor as Crayfish, Cynthia Ladd-Viti as Birthenia, Doonie Love as Malik Wele, Symil Austen as Ebele Wele, and Bennie Lewis as the Preacher.
A lot of love went into the making of this trailer. My husband, Rob Roehrick, and I took on new hats as short film producers. I’m ready to do it again! One of the best days of my life! We were blessed with an evenly lit, overcast day and a gentle breeze —which can be a rare occasion at Inverness’ North Beach, a stunning 11-mile long stretch in Marin County, part of Point Reyes National Seashore.
Even in choice conditions, shooting on location brings its own set of challenges. We were in awe of the consummate young professionals on our film crew led by D’Adonis and Annie. Their focus and devotion to making each scene as strong as possible was a joy to witness.
Most of our talent came through Taylor Lambert of Aura Casting, and they, too, brought a high level of professionalism to the set. This collaboration filled my heart. A little further down the road we’ll take you behind the scenes with our “making of” video.
Grateful to our cast and crew for honoring The Peach Seed story and characters with such care.
And now—as we wait for the book launch on August 1st, we give this trailer to you, dear readers! Enjoy! Share, share, share!!
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