Every night spent staying up late and finishing long essays and term papers have paid off tenfold for University of the Pacific alumna Carla Norton ’76. 

After graduating from Pacific, Norton built a writing career that took her from Manhattan to Tokyo before publishing her debut fiction novel “The Edge of Normal,” which is being adapted into a feature film starring Chloë Grace-Moretz, known for her work in "If I Stay" and "Carrie" alongside Rupert Friend, known for his roles in "The Libertine" and "Pride and Prejudice."

Production on the film took place in Utah and wrapped earlier this year. Norton said she’s incredibly excited to see her characters come to life on the big screen. 

Norton says she had been writing stories her whole life, but never thought she’d actually pursue it as a career. That changed when she enrolled at Raymond College, one of Pacific's former cluster colleges that focused on liberal arts.

“By the time I left high school, I thought that was way too lofty a goal, and I would never be able to do that. There were too many skills to master,” Norton said. “But I think that being required to do so much writing at Raymond College changed that. I kept going back to that, and eventually, I found a story that really resonated with me, and I just couldn't stop asking questions about it.”

The story is based on the true crime kidnapping case of Colleen Stan, a California woman who was abducted by a couple in 1977 and held captive in their home for over seven years. 

Norton initially authored the nonfiction book, “Perfect Victim: The True Story of the Girl in the Box,” which examined the details of the case and became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. “The Edge of Normal,” published in 2013, is a fictional retelling inspired by the same story. The novel follows a woman named Reeve LeClaire as she works tirelessly to reclaim her life after being abducted a decade prior. 

Much of her healing over the past six years has been guided by her trusted therapist, Ezra Lerner. When Lerner asks her to support another young woman who has survived a similar ordeal, LeClaire realizes she may be the only person capable of keeping the new survivor safe.

Moretz will play LeClaire, while Lerner is played by Friend. XYZ Films is producing and financing the project, which has been described as a ‘chilling game of cat-and-mouse that threatens to drag Reeve back into the nightmare she barely escaped.’

For Pacificans who are aspiring writers, Norton offers some advice:

“Read broadly, and then when you find something that really speaks to you, study that book and see what the author accomplishes,” Norton said. “Always keep writing and don't think it has to be finished. Don't be afraid to fail, because I wrote several books that never will see the light of day, and those are good teaching experiences,” she said. 

She also stressed the importance of writers not boxing themselves in to any one teacher, or one genre, mentioning that writing is a lifelong occupation and figuring it out takes time, openness and adaptability. 

Norton is currently working on her third book in the Reeve LeClair series. “The Edge of Normal” film is now in postproduction and expected to premiere later this year.