Franz Wisner at RolfPotts.com

This month at the RolfPotts.com Writers page, I interview Franz Wisner, whose debut book, Honeymoon With My Brother (which is currently in a movie development deal with Sony) comes out in paperback this month.

For Wisner, the initial decision to travel the world came from personal trauma. “In 1999, I got dumped at the altar, just days before my scheduled wedding,” he told me. “The guests were en-route, the food and wine were on location, and the whole party was pre-paid. So I chose to have a weekend wedding bash anyway…just without a bride.” Wisner had a honeymoon, too — only instead of bringing his bride, he brought his brother Kurt.

The result of their round-the-world journey is Honeymoon With my Brother, which Wisner managed to sell with help from a Hollywood connection. “My brother and I had a dreadful/hilarious meeting with a famous Hollywood producer after the two-year honeymoon ended. We decided we needed help. So we convinced an agent at ICM to adopt our vagabond tale and attempt to sell the story first as a book. Somehow she managed to convince St. Martin’s Press to buy it…they then sold the movie adaptation rights to Sony Pictures.”

As for writing advice, Wisner advises scribes to seek serious critical feedback from non-friends before launching off on a book venture. “Let qualified strangers read your work. Your family and friends will say your vacations to the Grand Canyon or Branson, Missouri are amazing and that you should write a book them. A pro will tell you how to sharpen your skills.”

Full Wisner interview online here.