Page 7 of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding

Am I forgetting anything?

Oh! Emma’s note.

I slip it out from under the place setting and unfold it in my lap.

“Quiet on set!”

I glance down at the note. Instead of Emma’s handwriting, it’s written in letters cut out of some publication like a newspaper or a book.

SomEonE Is GoiNg To Die

At The WedDinG.

Ah,hell.

“And...action!”

2My film agent assures me that no book writer gets script approval, but I should’ve asked for it anyway. Don’t ask, don’t get.

3The mystery was better, too, though I knew it would be changed to fit into a movie format.

4Quick primer: Cecilia Crane is the protagonist ofWhen in Rome. She meets a private investigator named Connor Smith on vacation in Italy and ends up working with him to solve a series of robberies and, eventually, a murder while they conduct a whirlwind romance. The book was loosely based on myowntrip to Rome ten years ago where I met the real Connor Smith and we solved some major crimes.

5“Notes” is the Hollywood term for, well,noteson screenplays. In Hollywood, everyone has an opinion on your writing, and the screenwriter is expected to incorporate all of them.

6Notmynotes, though. David didn’t even acknowledge themultipleemails I sent him.

7Hollywood doesn’t buy the rights to your book until they’re making the project. Instead, they “option” it, paying the writer a fraction of the eventual purchase price to hold on to the possibility of making it.

8Hollywood speak for “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”

9For the record, Emma speaks in exclamation marks, not me.

10Which, of course, it was! Okay, yes, I do use exclamation marks sometimes. Sparingly.

11Did you notice how my best friend who’s myexactsame age is playing meten yearsyounger?

12News flash: Simone does not get over it.

13Imagine Captain America with a smirk. Dark blond hair, steely blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a hint of something underneath.

14This is an unfortunate expression to use for reasons that will become clear later.

SYNOPSIS OFWHEN IN ROME—THE MOVIE

Written by David Liu

We open on CECILIA CRANE (25) arriving in Rome for a month-long holiday. Cecilia’s parents died suddenly when she was eighteen, leaving her in charge of her younger sister and forcing her to put her dreams on hold. But her sister is launched now, and it’s Cecilia’s time to explore.

Enter CONNOR SMITH (35), the handsome, devil-may-care private investigator she meets on her first day. He’s been hired by an insurance company to investigate a series of bank robberies. Cecilia loves mysteries—and finds Connor irresistible—so she ends up tagging along in his investigation. It’s thrilling and fun, and soon Connor and Cecilia tumble into bed together.

Connor also introduces her to the glitterati of Rome, including NAOMI ROGERS (35), a model/actress who’s filming a B movie in town. Cecilia feels uneasy around her, but that’s probably her insecurities showing. Connor assures her that there’s nothing between them and shows her how invested he is in her in the bedroom. This is the life!

But then another robbery occurs, and this time the police find a dead body in the tunnelthat was dug to gain access to the bank. The dead? GIANNI GIUSEPPE (30), the son of a local Mafia capo. The police quickly establish that this was cold-blooded murder, and the stakes have officially been raised.

Cecilia’s scared, but she’s also fairly certain she’s figured out a pattern to the robberies. They’ve all taken place on important Roman holidays and within a four-block radius of the epicenter of the celebrations. The next event is happening in a few days, and she and Connor need to make sure that the thieves/murderers are caught.

She convinces Connor to go to one of his police contacts—INSPECTOR TUCCI (60). They bring him their evidence, but Inspector Tucci is dismissive. He doesn’t have time for amateurs looking to cash in on the finder’s fee offered by the banks.

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