Best-selling author of ‘The Shell Collector’ shares inspiration behind Fox Nation’s feature debut

Based on a bestselling title by author Nancy Naigle, “The Shell Collector,” Fox Nation’s first-ever original film, is available now on the direct-to-consumer streaming platform and serves as a heartwarming introduction to the upcoming slate of movie subscription service.

“The Shell Collector” stars Caitlin Clark, Christopher Russell and Jennifer Higgin. It is produced in association with Cartel Pictures and tells the story of a widow, Amanda Whittier, and her two children, who form unique friendships in a small seaside town as they move forward with a new life. after her husband’s death. When residents with shared pasts and experiences begin to find seashells bearing messages on the beach, the characters’ lives are changed forever.

“I’ve had other movies, ‘The Shell Collector’ is my heart’s book. God’s hands are all over it,” Naigle told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Indeed, Naigle, with the release of this last film, had five books transformed into films. She has written over 30 books. However, her writing career began later in life than many successful authors, at the age of 40. For many years prior, Naigle worked as a senior vice president for Bank of America. Her desire to write was, in part, born out of her desire to “tip the scales” and help people she may never meet.

FOX NATION TO PRODUCE ORIGINAL FILMS BEGINNING WITH WARM ‘THE SHELL COLLECTOR’

“My goal was to write a book, to help a girl, get through a lousy day,” Naigle said.

In this way, Naigle became something of a “seashell collector” in her own right, writing messages in the form of stories to reach her audience and perhaps strike a chord.

“It’s pretty neat to be able to touch someone without even knowing them or being sure how that message is going to come through,” she said.

“The Shell Collector” also grew out of a story she once heard from a family friend. The family friend, known only as “Diane”, once walked down the beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with something heavy on her heart. As she made her way through the sand, she lifted a seashell with a message inside. Over a period of six years, she found four other identical seashells, but never learned the identity of the writer. She started calling them “Messages from the Angels by the Sea”.

The inspiration for the story also came from a deep sense of loss.

Like the character Amanda in “The Shell Collector”, Naigle also lost her husband. At the start of the film, Amanda can be seen holding a sweater that her military husband once wore before he was killed on active duty. Naigle admits she only recently got rid of some things from her late husband, who died of cancer eight years ago. She remembers thinking about Diane’s story after her death.

“Man, I could really use one of these shells right now,” she thought at the time. And so, the story of “The Shell Collector”, and the story of Amanda, slowly became apparent.

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The ‘The Shell Collector’ author also revealed that she struggled to write the story for a long time. It was a difficult story to write, she remembered, but she knew she wanted, and perhaps more correctly, needed to write it.

Naigle attributes his faith in large part to the success of his books and his ability to complete “The Shell Collector”. She claimed that her faith has always been strong, but it was never stronger than after her loss. The author knew she wanted her Christian worldview to be “before and before” in the story. She even changed agents and editors to ensure that this element remained present in the final project.

“I think it would be a very difficult road without trusting your back pocket, your heart, to help you take those steps every day,” Naigle said. “I don’t even know how I could tell the story without it.”

Several times in “The Shell Collector”, characters are heard telling Amanda that she is a person who has trouble accepting help. Amanda has a strong sense of independence and a vision of what the future could be. She plans to redecorate her seaside house and start a small business selling homemade jam. She does all of this while raising two young children who have lost their father.

“I was always an independent girl, I was a career girl, I knew how to take care of myself. But, when I lost it, I felt the urgency to be able to stand up and not be fragile. Naigle said, with deep understanding for his leading lady.

Naigle hopes audiences will partly understand the book’s message of finding a connection between maintaining independence, while allowing people to come into your life when needed.

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“Be ready to open your heart and your arms and let people do what they want to do. Let them give you that joy of helping,” she said. “We’re all going to go through this. Every one of us. No one can avoid it. No one has it figured out. It’s going to be different for all of us. But if I can make something settle in the bottom of people’s minds or their hearts. It helps them get through it, being able to get up and take their next breath the next day a little easier. Show, what a gift.”

Fox Nation’s second original movie is set to release around the holiday season. Fox Nation, the only member steaming service, already hosts over 5,000 hours of content. It includes everything from historical documentaries and investigative series to programs hosted by Fox News Channel’s biggest stars.

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