Stone Village to Adapt Gillian Flynn’s First Publishing Acquisition for Television

Gillian Flynn’s first publishing acquisition is heading to the small screen. Stone Village Television is set to adapt author Margot Douaihy’s forthcoming novel, Scorched Grace, as a premium television series.

Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell and Zhara Astra will executive produce the series. Stone Village head of development Shannon Kobler will co-produce.

Jennifer Thomas of United Agents brokered the deal.

The novel will be published next February by independent publisher Zando under Flynn’s Gillian Flynn Books imprint. The publisher, founded by Molly Stern in 2020, partners with influential creators, organizations and institutions to publish a curated slate of titles under their own imprints. The publisher’s other roster of partners include Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions, John Legend’s Get Lifted and Sarah Jessica Parker’s SJP Lit imprint. In addition to Gillian Flynn Books, Flynn will also publish books under the Hillman Grad Books and Get Lifted Books imprints.

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“Within five pages, I was in love with this novel. It is so much more than a mystery (which is my favorite kind of mystery), it’s an exploration of faith, love, and the worthy struggle to be a better human. I just loved it,” Flynn said of the novel.

Scorched Grace tells the story of Sister Holiday, a “chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun,” who joins a convent in New Orleans. After Sister’s convent becomes the target of an arson spree, Sister becomes determined to put her sleuthing skills to the test and works as an amateur investigator, attempting to pinpoint the culprit before it’s too late.

Scorched Grace marks the first book in a series described as “hardboiled, queer, mystery thrillers.”

Said Steindorff in a statement, “[Margot] has crafted an elevated, interesting story to highlight how life goes on after trauma and — I didn’t know I could relate so much to a nun! Holiday is so wonderfully flawed, and I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in her. This book was made for television, and I’m excited to be working with Margot on this thriller.”

“Scorched Grace is my love letter to mysteries, queerness, and the crucible of faith. Stone Village TV produces transcendent art — work that haunts and redeems. This is the perfect team to bring Sister Holiday’s blazing ride to the screen,” said Douaihy.

In addition to Scorched Grace, Douaihy is the author of the poetry collections Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace, and Girls Like You. A recipient of the Mass Cultural Council’s Artist Fellowship, a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, Aesthetica Magazine’s Creative Writing Award, and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation’s Hemingway Shorts, Douaihy’s work has also been featured in Queer Life, Queer Love; Colorado Review; PBS NewsHour; and more.

The author teaches creative writing at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, where she also serves as the editor of the Northern New England Review, as well as serving as a co-editor of the Elements in Crime Narrative Series with Cambridge University Press.

Scorched Grace marks the latest novel to receive adaptation treatment from Stone Village. Most recently, Stone Village produced, alongside Jessica Rhoades and Nate Matteson, the HBO Max series Station Eleven, an adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 best-seller. Last month, the series won the Critics Choice Super Award for best science fiction/ fantasy series.

Other adaptations in development at Stone Village include: The Maidens, based on the novel by Alex Michaelides to be released with Miramax Television; The Last Day, based on the novel by Andrew Hunter Murray, picked up by Paramount Television; an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in partnership with Black Box Media; and Under the Wave at Waimea, based on the novel by Paul Theroux, in partnership with Chicken Soup for the Soul Ent./ Crackle.