Excerpt from Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"Langley!" he cried out.

"Hello," the tall fellow answered. "Look what we have here . . . if you can believe it. It's Mrs. L. Frank Baum. Mrs. Baum, this is Mervyn LeRoy. He's the producer."

LeRoy skidded to a stop in front of the pair and looked Maud up and down.

"Well, I'll be," he said, appearing mystified at her presence.

LeRoy's gaze fell upon the faded green book Maud clasped in her bony, spotted hands.

"Well, now, look at this." LeRoy reached out. "This looks like the exact same edition I had when I was a kid . . . sat on the shelf right by my bed. Loved that book so much."

Maud sensed an opening. "Would you like to take a look?"

She held out the worn volume, the color leached from its cover and its edges frayed. Before cracking it open, LeRoy inhaled its papery scent, then reverently brushed the palm of his hand across the stamped green cloth. Flipping it open, he perused the color illustrations one by one, a half-­smile on his lips.

"I grew up reading this book. Loved it! It's hard to explain. I almost felt as if the characters were part of my own family."

"I am glad to hear you feel that way. So you'll understand why it's so important to stick to the author's vision."

LeRoy tore his eyes away from the volume in his hands and returned his gaze to Maud, whose corporeal presence he still seemed to find puzzling. "The author's vision? Tell the truth, I never gave a moment's thought to the person who wrote it. Oz always seemed so timeless—­eternal, really. Funny to think it started out as the idea of an unknown person with a pen in his hand."

Excerpted from Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. Copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Letts. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.