Elea Plotkin released her second novel, “The Procedure,” on Dec. 16, 2022.
The novel tells of the adventures and challenges of an extreme skier and single mother, Whitney Olson, traveling and competing all over the United States and the world. She contends with a manipulative coach, sexism and double standards in the world of athletics and a procedure that destroys the part of her brain that allows fear. All of this while raising a child who lives with a seizure disorder.
The novel has recently been optioned into a screenplay by Laughing Tiger Films, a new film production company started by professional screenwriter Molly Rosenberg, most known for having produced and cowritten the 2001 Canadian romance/drama “The War Bride,” and Sara Page, owner of Pathway Productions and a Peabody Award Winner who is most known for her work on “China Beyond the Clouds” and “The Shape of Life.”
Plotkin spoke with The Sopris Sun about her novel, the possibility of seeing the story on the big screen and what she hopes readers can take away from the thrilling, suspenseful and exciting drama.
Her inspiration came from many things in her life, the first few being her love for skiing and the areas where she lived growing up, including Crested Butte, where the protagonist, Whitney, resides with her daughter.
Originally from Whatcom County, Washington, Plotkin grew up in a “rustic” environment bordering the lower mainland of British Columbia in the Cascade Mountains, where she and her family would partake in outdoor activities to keep them entertained. If she were bored, her parents would tell her to literally “take a hike,” and she would do just that.
One of the major things that shaped her as a person was working at Mount Baker, a ski area in Washington. She learned to ski by following ski instructors and ski patrol during her downtime.
“We would ski in unimaginable environments. It could be terrible weather outside — hailing snowing, raining, white-out — and there was so much snow. I got used to skiing steep and deep, ungroomed backcountry-type of terrain,” Plotkin said. “The whole experience of being up there throughout the years and the winters was profound. When I left and went to college, I always longed to be up in those high alpine environments as much as possible. I was always seeking them out, no matter where I went.”
She now resides in Littleton, where she partakes in countless outdoor activities and winter sports, all while fostering her career as an accomplished jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and recording artist.
Whitney, the novel’s protagonist, is a culmination of many strong and ambitious women she has met throughout her life, including professional female athletes and parents pursuing careers. She shared that she has a sister with Down syndrome and has many friends who are parents to children with disabilities. These relationships have made her aware of the effort and additional care children with disabilities require.
“When I put together Whitney’s character, I wanted someone that was very realistic, who wasn’t pursuing skiing just as a career but rather for more complexities in her life. She has other responsibilities in her life like so many women often do. She is a 26-year-old, single parent raising a daughter with a seizure disorder. She is a tough, gritty perfectionist, and she is conflicted, but she has an indomitable spirit. She is flawed like most people are,” Plotkin said.
Whitney’s pursuit of perfectionism has the potential to be her undoing, a message that could serve people in any field of work. Speaking on the themes and messages of her novel, Plotkin said she hopes that everyone, regardless of their gender identity, will find value in the layered novel.
“There is something for everybody. It is not just a woman’s story. I honestly think that if men read the story, it will give them more insight into the thought processes and some of the things that women go through,” she said. “There is a lot that both men and women will resonate with within the story.”
She describes her novel as cinematic, which she says she is hoping will translate well onto the big screen. Plotkin and her team of screenwriters at Laughing Tiger Productions hope to bring to life an adventurous backdrop that perfectly captures the multifaceted layers of character development.
The first chapter of “The Procedure” is available to preview for free online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Target in eBook form. It is also available to order in paperback nationwide.