THE MACKINAC ISLAND TOWN CRIER, AUGUST 19, 2000
THE DISPATCH AND THE ROCK ISLAND ARGUS, JULY 16, 2000
MICHIGAN MAGAZINE Television Program, JANUARY 12, 2000
TRAVERSE CITY RECORD-EAGLE, SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 1999
THE MACKINAC ISLAND TOWN CRIER, JULY 19, 1997

THE MACKINAC ISLAND TOWN CRIER
AUGUST 19, 2000

'Memoirs of Elise' Undertaking Transformed Author's Life"

David Gurnee observes the world around him to conclude that a fundamental harmony permeates reality. His 1997 work, "Memoirs of Elise," his life-long interest in music, and a proficiency with the intricacies of computer work testify to his belief.

"The Universe is such a complete whole," Gurnee said. "It exudes such a structural, artistic beauty."

He finds this beauty in many places. "Memoirs of Elise" has been Gurnee's project for the past four years. A love story centered on the beauty of one couple's unique connection, it was fashioned to both precede and succeed "Somewhere in Time," a film released by Universal City Studios in 1980.

"I wanted to make a film that was a mirror image of "Somewhere in Time," Gurnee explained, "only from Elise's point of view."

Gurnee first became interested in "Somewhere In Time" when he saw it on HBO in 1981. Cable television was rising in popularity around this time, he noted, and "Somewhere In Time" became one of HBO's most requested films.

The story of Richard Collier, played by Christopher Reeve, and his love for Elise McKenna, played by Jane Seymour, resonated with Gurnee on several different levels. He was going through romantically troubled times when he saw the film and admitted, "It has a lot to do with where you're at when you see it."

Second, he found the film depicted trials shared by romantics universally. "I think every person alive has been totally enamored with someone that there was no way they were going to have," Gurnee observed.

Finally, Gurnee experienced an enthusiasm for the film shared by early theater audiences.

"It wasn't that I thought it was a particularly great film. There's some lousy dialog and acting, there's all that," Gurnee said. "But it was the way all of the factors came together to produce a whole that really moved me."

"The original plan was to release the movie at a number of theaters, and let it be spread by word of mouth," Gurnee said. "When they did the screenings in Toronto and Minneapolis, there was a huge response, a very, very positive response. The director and producer called Hollywood, and Hollywood changed its plan."

Executives jumped at the chance to cash in on a film that had been received well and thrust "Somewhere In Time" onto thousands of screens. Gurnee said this led to its rapid demise.

"Somewhere In Time" began to establish a following on cable and video promoted by the verbal testimony of those who had seen it. Gurnee holds that this sort of awareness, which was in tune with Hollywood's original plans, was the only sort that could sustain the film. That the corporate necessity of monetary returns diminishes art and the artist is a point to which Gurnee continually returns.

Gurnee and his wife, Diane, who left her job to work at the Island Bookstore and pursue the tale of Elise, and about whom Gurnee can say nothing but praise and feel nothing but gratitude and love, moved to Mackinac Island in 1997 to deliver on his inspiration to bring Elise McKenna's side of the story to these enthusiasts and romantics in general.

"I was watching the beginning of the film, when the old-Elise is sitting there waiting to give Richard Collier the watch, and it hit me like a ton of bricks," Gurnee said. "She's waited for 60 years to give this guy a watch, and I thought, 'There's an incredible depth of love.' "

So he undertook the work, hoping to show what Elise went through as "Somewhere In Time" showed what Richard Collier endured. "Memoirs of Elise" was published as a novella in 1997.

The most consistent comment I got from readers was that it was true to the original film; that it made them feel the same way they did when they first saw "Somewhere In Time," Gurnee said. "That's what I was aiming for."

A surprising set of coincidences, which Gurnee said run throughout the tale of his efforts to see his project through, brought his story to Universal's President of Production.

Gurnee received a letter back in which the president praised the story but included objections to using the story as a sequel. She wrote that the story assumes strong familiarity with the original film, possibly alienating an already small romantic audience, and that learning that Richard did not willfully abandon Elise diminished the romantic tragedy.

Gurnee addressed these considerations with the certitude of a man facing demonstrated incompetence and willful obfuscation.

"First, it's a sequel. It's supposed to assume strong familiarity with the original," Gurnee elucidated. As for the second objection, he sees that as evidence of the president's unfamiliarity with "Somewhere Time." "In the film," Gurnee explained, "Elise sees Collier fade away involuntarily, so that's a misnomer."

The underlying truth, Gurnee said, is that Universal did not feel there was an audience to warrant a sequel. He started a sequel campaign in November of 1998 and ended it on Valentine's Day 1999 to prove them wrong.

"We got between 5,000 and 10,000 letters to Universal," Gurnee said.

Soon after this, an on-line forum with Jane Seymour revealed she would do a sequel if it had a good script, though Richard Matheson, the writer of the original story, has since declined the opportunity. Production executives, Gurnee said, saw numbers with which they were not impressed, and the project stalled.

"What I learned from my sequel campaign and from living here on Mackinac Island is there are thousands of people who love this film," Gurnee said.

Part of that experience was the music. Gurnee has had an interest in music since his youth. He has played guitar on the road with bands and listened to legends such as Jimi Hendrix. Analyzing the music of "Somewhere In Time" has led him to a greater appreciation of the romantic soundtrack, and he has composed the music intended for his film.

"If nothing else happens out of this whole thing, its made me a happier person," Gurnee said.

Prior to his undertaking, he had left behind the taxing life of a musician on the road and had never aspired to be a writer. Now, however, Gurnee has the inspiration and desire to write and compose for the rest of his days.

"It got me totally back into music, and I love writing now," Gurnee said. "A story should capture the author and write itself so the author says, 'This story intrigued me, this story almost wrote itself, and I want to share it with somebody else.' "

His refreshed artistic motivation has driven him to work on a new book, "Of Love, Of Time," a romance dealing with sacrificial love which he says "transcends romantic love." He writes intending to create films and composes music in the spirit of Rachmaninoff and Mahler, who crafted music for operas and scenes abstractly held in their minds.

He has produced an album, "Coming Home," taking its title from a song about the return of his daughter, and is working on a new album, "Themes."

"Even though I'm writing all of this romantic movie music," Gurnee said, "I would like to get back to some gutsy rock and roll." He plans to include such tracks on "Themes."

His background in computers has given him a foothold in the world of digital creation. He intends to publish his new book himself, using current text technology and software.

"Technology has given the individual artist a new freedom," Gurnee said.

The Gurnees will be moving off of the Island this year. Their experience with "Memoirs of Elise" may remain incomplete, but their life ahead will be filled with the possibilities their endeavor has opened.

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THE DISPATCH AND THE ROCK ISLAND ARGUS
JULY 16, 2000

Somewhere in Time,
Author hopes to see his sequel to much-loved movie on the big screen.

While the Lake Huron waves wash ashore below, a huge horizontal hotel sits stately on the cliffs of picturesque Mackinac Island, Mich., majestically observing, just as it has done every day for the past 113 years. It is the Grand Hotel, appropriately named, and it was the primary filming site of the 1980 movie "Somewhere In Time."

While not a blockbuster when released, the film has since taken the video world by storm. "Somewhere In Time," which features an all-star cast of Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, tells the story of soulmates separated by decades, who travel through time to be together. While gathering up a head of steam in video stores, it has also picked up a legion of enthusiastic fans. Many thirst for a sequel movie 20 years later. Mackinac Island's David Gurnee is trying to oblige.

"Somewhere In Time," filmed nearly in its entirety on 8.3-mile-long Mackinac (pronounced "Mackinaw") Island, has stood-the test of time, and Mr. Gurnee feels his recently released book, "Memoirs of Elise” could do the same as an able sequel/prequel.

"The book started out as notes taken for the sequel movie, which was my original intent," said Mr. Gurnee recently, while giving a small collection of people from the Quad-Cities a tour of Mackinac Island. And that hasn't changed.”

"Memoirs of Elise" is along the lines of the book "Bridges of Madison County." Once you sit down to read it, you have a better than even chance of finishing it before the day is out. Like "Bridges," it flows at a good pace and is not long (104 pages). And also like "Bridges," it has a romantic theme.

"That was initially my biggest disappointment - that the book was only 104 pages,” Mr. Gurnee said. “But then my wife said, ‘Did you say all you had to say?’ And I said ‘Yes, I did.’ If I would have added more, it would have just been filler. Plus, not much character development was needed since it was a sequel to ‘Somewhere in Time,’ and if that had been necessary, well, there would have been your extra 80-100 pages or so. After thinking all this over, I was satisfied.

Now, Mr. Gurnee is banking on Universal and/or a select handful of directors who have received his book also being satisfied with its contents -- satisfied enough to turn it into a major motion picture.

In November 1981, Mr. Gurnee remembered, he plopped down on the sofa one night and turned on the tube, catching the movie "Somewhere In Time" for the first time.

"I was doing some channelsurfing and was about ready to move on to another station when this movie on HBO caught my eye and kind of intrigued me," said Mr. Gurnee, going back in time himself in recalling the night. "It was an unusual movie, and the more I watched of it, the more intrigued I was. I wound up being totally drawn into it, and it really made me evaluate my own life."

While life was going well for Mr. Gurnee in the late 1980s and early 1990s, something was tugging at him.

"I had seen 'Somewhere In Time' a few more times, and each time it had more meaning for me," Mr. Gurnee said.

"Even though the movie 'Somewhere In Time' had a big impact on me, a sequel never entered my mind until 1996. I was older now and could appreciate detail more and knew it was something I had to do. I knew there deserved to be a sequel to 'Somewhere In Time,' and I felt like I had a good feel for what to write. I wrote 'Memoirs of Elise' in three months," Mr. Gurnee said. "I averaged 12 hours a day working on it. The first manuscripts were sent out on November 22 of '96, and published in a fan-club magazine."

He and his wife made the move to Mackinac Island in May of 1997.

It's a different world on Mackinac Island. One gets there by ferry, from either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace, Mich. No cars are allowed on the island; no buses, no trains. Transportation is by horse and buggy, bicycle or by foot. The island turns back the clock and takes a page out of history. This island is wonderful, and for the most part, gives one a tremendous peace of mind. The health benefits are great, too," he added. "In 1996, I weighed 205 pounds. Now I weigh 155, and I haven't changed anything at all about what I eat. It's just that I walk everywhere on the island and the extra pounds came off."

Mr. Gurnee turned out a revised version of "Memoirs of Elise" in 1999.

"I'm kind of a perfectionist in the sense that I went over my first version with a fine-tooth comb and found some little errors and some sentences that I wanted to change," he said. "I just wanted the book to be the best it could be."

"Memoirs of Elise" centers around Elise McKenna, Jane Seymour's character in "Somewhere In Time." In "Somewhere In Time," Elise is an actress; Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is a playwright. Without giving too much away, the book peels away Elise's life after after Richard disappears from her live, taking one to, in a roundabout way, the beginning of "Somewhere In Time."

"There's no doubt it's a circular motion," Mr. Gurnee said. "That's why ‘Memoirs of Elise’ is not only a sequel, but a prequel. A sequel/prequel, if you will. But that's the way it has to be. It starts with where 'Somewhere In Time' ends and takes you to where 'Somewhere In Time' begins. You can't go outside this circle or break the circle because then you would be untrue to 'Somewhere In Time.' And that's not something I wanted to do. I wanted to stay within the framework of 'Somewhere in Time.’ The film is so loved that if I wasn't true to it, then I would lose the reader."

Instead, Mr. Gurnee has won a large following of readers.

"I've had over 1,000 letters people have written to me about the book, and these aren't just one or two-sentence letters," Mr. Gurnee said. "These people really go into detail on the book and make intelligent comments. It's been enlightening. It's the first book I've ever written, and to have so many people get behind it and support it makes me feel good."

"Somewhere In Time" was made on a shoestring budget of $5 million.

"And when you figure $1 million of that was Christopher Reeve's salary, you didn't have much left to work with," Mr. Gurnee said.

But what Universal did have to work with was Mackinac Island. Everything was there that was needed, and that's why nearly the entire film was shot on the island. That includes the scene on the beach in which Richard Collier and Elise McKenna first meet, the scene in the theater where she first performs for him (although that theater is at Mission Point on the island, not at the Grand Hotel as one is led to believe in the movie), and all the scenes at the Grand Hotel. If Universal decides the only way it can do a sequel movie is on another tight budget, Mr. Gurnee is ready.

"We now have our own film company on the island," he said, "and it can certainly help with as much of the movie as Universal would want. And we've already got other movie projects in the works."

With the Mackinac Island Film Company available, it certainly seems as if Mr. Gurnee and the island crew could put together the sequel themselves. Except for the fact that Universal owns the rights to “Somewhere in Time.”

"And that's the hangup right now," Mr. Gurnee said, with a sigh. "Although I've had some positive signs, overall Universal has not come around like I thought it would, and that's puzzling," he said. "It's puzzling because you have an automatic, fan base going in, meaning, there's a guarantee the movie won't flop, and it's puzzling because this fan base has let Universal know how much they want a sequel movie. I know there have been some 10,000 letters at least that Universal has received from 'Somewhere In Time' fans that want 'Memoirs of Elise’ to be film."

In a bit of irony, the mother of the chief executive officer at Universal is the person who sent Mr. Gurnee's book to her son at Universal encouraging him to review it for a film. And that wasn't the only unusual support he received.

"Jane Seymour's mom read my book and forwarded some very lovely comments about it to me."

He also is following another avenue in his bid to have his book become a movie.

"I've recently sent copies of my book to directors that I would label non-Hollywood that is, they have a mind of their own, and yet they are well respected by Hollywood. And I trust their opinions because I know it would be their opinions, without any Hollywood influence," Mr. Gurnee said. "If any one of these likes 'Memoirs of Elise' and feels it would make a good sequel movie, then Universal would listen."

Mr. Gurnee is now in a waiting mode. He hopes the wait is not a long one.

"I've jumped all the hurdles to get this book to become a movie," he said. "I've set all the wheels in motion and have plenty of support. It just seems that the only one dragging its feet now is Universal."

Mr. Gurnee has done his part. He's put on miles both Physically and mentally to produce his book.

"It's been an interesting ride," he said.

Now Mr. Gurnee wants to see "Memoirs of Elise" played out on the big screen.

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MICHIGAN MAGAZINE Television Program
JANUARY 12, 2000

Show #1102

Barry travels to MACKINAC ISLAND to visit with author David Gurnee. David has written a sequel or "prequel" to the motion picture SOMEWHERE IN TIME. Somewhere in Time was filmed on the Island back in 1979 starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer. David's hopes are to produce a major motion picture centering around the Memoirs of Elise...the central character in the original presentation. This segment is highlighted by visits to key filming areas of the Island.

If you're a true Michiganian, chances are you've heard of, or have experienced the mystique of the motion picture, Somewhere in Time, filmed nearly in its entirety on Mackinac Island, back in 1979. The Universal Pictures release featuring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer caused quite a commotion on this remote island paradise while filming took place. Locals not only welcomed the big Hollywood production team to the Island, but also became extras in the movie.

The plot of the movie fit well with the romantic Victorian island ambience. Richard Collier played by Christopher Reeve, travels back in time to meet the love of his life, Elise McKenna, played by Jane Seymour. The two are later ripped apart during a romantic interlude as Richard is swept back to the present, leaving a befuddled Elise McKenna in the past, to make her way day by day into the future where they again meet; an older Elise, but a still young Richard.

It's a movie that didn't fare well with many of the critics. Too romantic for their tastes. The movie didn't lose money, but it certainly wasn't a smash hit at the box office. But now, nearly twenty years later, the producers are having their proverbial last laughs. The movie is more popular than ever, with a loyal following of fans that stretches around the world. It's one of Universal Pictures more popular video releases on both VHS and DVD, and the original motion picture musical sound track on tape and CD is still a consistent seller.

For fans of Somewhere in Time, a visit to Mackinac Island is a dream come true; it's become a sort of pilgrimage for many to visit the location spots where key scenes were shot. On this edition of Michigan Magazine, we ourselves make that sentimental journey to the island, to not only visit these locations, but to meet author David Gurnee.

David is one of those true connoisseurs of Somewhere In Time. After seeing the movie, he not only became a fan, but also felt a unique kinship with the characters and with the plot; so much so that soon he found himself uprooting his family in Columbus, Ohio, and relocating to Mackinac Island to follow his dream of writing a sequel, or prequel if you will, to Somewhere in Time, that hopefully, will eventually be filmed and released as another major motion picture.

It was a blustery autumn day the day we traveled to the island to meet David. Meeting dockside at Arnold's Ferry Service, we quickly made our way, via horse drawn taxi, to Mission Point Inn, where much of the filming was actually done. Here in the shadows of the theater, where key scenes were shot, David sat in the actual seat once occupied by Christopher Reeve. We talked about his project, and his inspired decision to eventually relocate to Mackinac Island.

Gurnee: "In August 1996 my family and I came up here on vacation, and I hadn't seen the movie in quite a while. When we got back to Columbus, I went out and bought the video, and watched it that very evening. I'm always in tears at the ending of the movie, but this time, I'm in tears at the beginning of the movie. I sat and watched the old Elise, sitting in the shadows, waiting to give Richard Collier the watch, and it hit me -- what has she been through. She's waited for sixty years to give him this watch. And I thought, there's a story here. The passion of their love was really Richard, but the strength of their love was Elise, who waited for those sixty years to give him the watch."

"So I became enamored with this idea of writing The Memoirs of Elise McKenna, just thinking about what she had gone through, and how did she figure out he was from the future, how did she find him, how did she know to give him the watch."

Barry: "You brought the family and moved to the island?"

Gurnee: "I thought the story would take me about six months, but finished it in three months, in November of 1996, working 11-12 hours a day,. I sent it to the stars, and got a positive response from Richard Matheson who wrote Somewhere In Time, and he suggested that it be published in the fan club magazine. My wife and I talked it over, and we decided that if this story were to ever be made into a movie, that this was where we needed to be."

"My vision for this story has always been for a film. I've said this many times, that Memoirs is not a book I want to see made into a movie, but a movie that I've condensed into a book. I have all the scenes and music, and cues in my mind, and did the best to get the gist down in the book. Six months after I finished the story, in May of 1997, my wife and I talked it over, and decided this was the best place to be. We've always wanted to live in northern Michigan. We love northern Michigan."

Barry: "I've also noticed in reading your manuscript that you do stay true to the island, and the flavor of the original motion picture."

Gurnee: "That was absolutely utmost in my mind. There are a lot of different possibilities for sequels, or at least things that could be "called" sequels, but in my opinion this was the only way that I saw to stay exactly true to the original story. I didn't want to change the original story at all, I wanted it to just be a continuation, and to be perfectly circular with the original story."

Barry: "We're in the theater here, where Jane Seymour was up on the stage, and Christopher Reeve was watching her perform, and she was doing the man-of-my-dreams statement here, and the significance of the seat where your sitting there is?"

Gurnee: "This is the chair where Richard Collier sat."

Barry: "And also it has a lot of significance too because, this is where you did a lot of your writing."

Gurnee: "I came up here to the Grand in September of 1996 and spent several days here. Spent a lot of time writing right from this chair, and also standing up on this stage, because my whole story is from her point of view. So I spent a lot of time standing on the stage, thinking, what would she have thought, what would she have felt?"

David's dedication to seeing his project become a movie true to the original motion picture has been met both with support and criticism from fans. Some of those who support his efforts have read Memoirs of Elise, and quite anxious to see some of those loose ends in the original motion picture come together for a form of completion, while a few believe no further story should be told.

David's drive for completion has inspired him to form a film company, securing the rights to most of the island's facilities, including what was once one of the world's largest sound stages, to not only attract interest in producing Memoirs of Elise, but also to promote the island as a unique filming location.

Gurnee: "The film company was established originally so we could approach Universal Pictures as say, 'Let us assemble the original cast and crew, let us assume the financial risk for this picture. We understand the heart of this picture, we understand what the fans want to see. Let us shoot the picture, or sell us the rights to Somewhere In Time,' and they were not interested."

"Since then I've thought, this is such an incredible place to film. It's a set director's dream. You don't need props and sets; you already have them. You have a fort, you have soldiers, you have original guns, horses and carriages, you have all this incredible scenery."

"So the film company right now, our thinking is that we'll be able to produce three feature films over the next five years, utilizing Mackinac Island. Films that have kind of a classic, romantic flavor. And films that really portray the island as beautiful as it is."

So taken with the beauty of Mackinac Island, and his current project, Memoirs of Elise, David, a musician at heart, composed and recorded the soundtrack of his yet unproduced movie, which we found to be a wonderful background accompaniment to reading Memoirs.

As we visited many of the key locations sites of Somewhere in Time with David that day, we were overwhelmed with his enthusiasm to see his prequel become reality, and also struck by his desire to protect the true spirit of the film from possible "bottom-line" movie companies attempting to sweep in and do a quicky direct-to-video sequel simply to cash in on the popularity of the original film.

We'd like to thank David Gurnee for allowing us the opportunity to learn more about his prequel project. We certainly haven't heard the last from David Gurnee and the Mackinac Island Film Company. If desire is the key to success, David certainly will be able to unlock and set free Memoirs of Elise for everyone to enjoy. If not now, soon, or should we say, somewhere in time.

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TRAVERSE CITY RECORD-EAGLE
JUNE 20, 1999

What Writers Are Reading

Author name: Christopher Knight

Credits: Author of "St. Helena" (suspense/thriller) and "Ferocity" (suspense/thriller). Writer of 8,000-plus radio commercials worldwide.

Favorite books/authors: I read a very wide variety of genres and styles, but I tend to lean toward suspense/thriller/horror novels. Peter Straub, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice are some of the more well-known authors I read. However, I read a wide array of styles and do not limit my tastes to any particular category. To me, if the book is well written, if the story is told well and the characters really come alive, then I'll read it. Mystery, love story, suspense, whatever. "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand is probably my all-time favorite. Jim Harrison's "Sun Dog" is a terrific read, and "Illusions" by Richard Bach is phenomenal.

Currently reading: "Memoirs of Elise", by David Gurnee. It is a prequel (and a proposed screenplay) to the movie "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The story is marvelous. Gurnee actually lives on Mackinac Island, which was the setting for the original movie. The book moves along well, and the author has even produced a music soundtrack to accompany the novel. Passionate writing and a great story. I'm also moving through "The Wizard of Ads" by Roy Williams, an excellent book on marketing, whether you're a retailer or in the media biz yourself. Williams' no-nonsense approach to marketing is simple, easy to understand ... and it works.

Observations: A book that had a profound impact while growing up was "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean George, an exciting adventure that leaves you longing to run away to the Catskill Mountains. An author/artist whom I feel is simply a genius is Bill Watterson, author of the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes." A blend of wit, humor, real-life truth and sheer talent places Watterson near the top in my literary rankings. On the horror front, "The Talisman" by Stephen King and Peter Straub has to be my favorite. Two great storytellers team up for a real winner with this one. Again, it's not what's being written, it's how it's written that makes it great.

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THE MACKINAC ISLAND TOWN CRIER
JULY 19, 1997

Movie Fan Writes Sequel to Somewhere In Time

Rachmaninoff's hands on the piano keys fade as the camera focuses on Elise, the film's main character, sitting in the back of the theater.

This is how David Gurnee envisions the start of Memoirs of Elise, the novelette he has written and hopes to turn into a motion picture sequel to Somewhere In Time, which was filmed on the Island in 1979. Lambasted by critics at its release, Somewhere In Time has become an area classic, inspiring a fan club and numerous romantics to visit the Island each year.

Until May, Gurnee was a computer consultant in Columbus, Ohio, and a regular visitor to Mackinac Island. Then, last year, Gurnee bought Richard Matheson's Bid Time Return, the book on which Somewhere In Time was based.

Gurnee said the movie had been one of his favorites ever since he first saw it on cable, but its message suddenly became more poignant.

"I saw the story from her point of view instead of his," explained Gurnee, who said he started to cry during the opening scene. "The more poignant of the stories is hers."

Somewhere In Time is a love story about Elise McKenna, played by Jane Seymour, and Richard Collier, played by Christopher Reeve. In the story, Collier becomes enamored by a photograph of McKenna hanging in Grand Hotel and wills himself back to 1912 to be with her. He later disappears to the future, leaving her behind.

Memoirs tells of McKenna's life after Collier's disappearance. The sequel does not change the original story, and Gurnee said he wants Memoirs to be "perfectly circular" with Somewhere in Time. One story should inspire interest in the other, he said.

Not all Somewhere In Time fans like the idea of a sequel, said Bill Shepard, who founded the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts (INSITE) eight years ago.

"I kind of have mixed feelings about it myself," said Shepard, who said the movie can stand on its own.

A sequel, however, shows that the movie warrants continuation, he said. Also, Somewhere in Time fans know and like that a sequel would bring the movie more attention, he said.

Gurnee was not the first to create an idea for a sequel, said Shepard, who said he has received 12 to 15 sequel ideas over the years.

Gurnee, however, was the first fan to more than summarize his idea, Shepard said, and best captured the style of Matheson's writing. Shepard asked to publish the novelette over several installments in the INSITE quarterly this year, and said he has received countless letters and phone calls from people who enjoy Gurnee's story.

After Gurnee sent a preliminary copy of Memoirs to Shepard, who told him to flesh out the story, Gurnee became enamored with the project at the expense of his business. He said he began to dread phone calls that would interrupt his writing.

Realizing that "I had to write it," Gurnee packed a bag and spent a few days at Grand Hotel. With headphones on, Gurnee listened to a tape of Somewhere In Time as he walked through the movie's scenes. He described the experience as observing the movie in progress.

"I felt like an invisible man," he said.

Gurnee expected Memoirs would take about six months to complete. He was finished by Thanksgiving, however, after writing for 14 to 16 hours every day. His wife, Diane, said she made him rest when his health began to suffer.

"He just gets into projects and doesn't know when to stop," she said.

When Memoirs was completed, Gurnee sent copies to the major players of Somewhere In Time, including Matheson, Reeve, and Seymour.

Matheson responded with encouragement, Gurnee said, and recommended that Memoirs be dramatized at an INSITE convention, held every October at Grand Hotel.

Gurnee said he plans to introduce Memoirs to this year's conventioneers through either a dramatic reading or a musical performance.

A musician before he became a computer consultant, Gurnee said he fit the novelette with lyrics and songs to spur interest and excitement in his project.

His ultimate goal, however, is for Memoirs to be a dramatic film. Moreover, he said he would like to see the actors of Somewhere In Time play their original roles. Almost 20 years have elapsed since the filming of Somewhere In Time so the performers are about the ages of their characters in Memoirs.

As Richard does not appear in Memoirs, Reeve, who has since been paralyzed in a horseback riding accident, would not be in the film.

Many uncanny coincidences came to light while making Memoirs, said Gurnee. The coincidences convinced him of the project's importance, he said, and continued when he, his wife, and his daughter moved to Mackinac Island two months ago to better see his project to fruition.

Within 15 minutes of the family's arrival, he said, his 18-year-old daughter was offered a job and Diane had scheduled a job interview. Within a week, he said, they had found an apartment to rent.

The family decided the last week of March to move, Gurnee said. They sold every piece of furniture they owned in a massive garage sale, he said, and arrived on the Island May 1.

Diane said she had no qualms about the move because she trusts in David and the future of his project.

"Whatever he does, he does it with a quality and an excellence," she said. "If I support him and believe in him, then it will be a success."

Finances may be tight on Mackinac Island, Gurnee admitted, but dreams make tough choices necessary. He plans to do some computer consulting this autumn, he said, but presently devotes his time to Memoirs.

Gurnee wants to publish Memoirs and hopes the story will ultimately become a film.

"I'm no Hemingway," he said, "but I am willing to do anything to see this made into a film because I so believe in this project."

Shepard, a Los Angeles resident, said he sees many aspiring authors try to realize their novel on a big screen. He stresses practicality when it comes to the possibility of the novelette becoming a movie.

"The odds are against anybody," Shepard said.

Gurnee is more optimistic. If his wish is not fulfilled, however, he said he will not be crushed.

"If this never gets made into a movie," Gurnee said, "I have had the time of my life writing this story."

In his heart, however, Gurnee believes Memoirs is destined to become a film.

"We'll see what the future brings," he said. "It's just a matter of time."