Holliday’s thriller Violet optioned by Dark Alliance Films

S J I Holliday’s “dark psychological thriller” Violet (Orenda) has been snapped up for screen by Dark Alliance Films.

Film rights for Violet, about “two female travellers who meet and decide to bunk together on the Trans-Siberian Express, with murderous results”, according to the synopsis, have been acquired by Gareth Pritchard for London-based independent Dark Alliance Films from Leah Middleton at Marjacq Scripts. Script work on Violet is under way.

Holliday (pictured) said: “When I was writing Violet, I was imagining how it might work on screen. I'm delighted to have Dark Alliance leading this project – their enthusiasm and belief in the story is all I could have hoped for, and more.”

Pritchard added: “Violet is a powerful and timely story. It's a claustrophobic, disturbing and thrilling novel involving two complex and intriguing protagonists that are perfect for translation to the screen.”

Holliday is the author of six crime novels, including the Banktoun Trilogy (Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly, Black and White Publishing), The Deaths of December (Mulholland Books) and The Lingering (Orenda).