Blink49 Studios has optioned the rights to the novel Things to Do When It’s Raining, written by Toronto author Marissa Stapley.

EVP, global scripted Carolyn Newman and executive producer Virginia Rankin will serve as EPs on a television adaptation of the novel, with Blink49 (formerly Blink Studios) serving as the studio.

The romantic drama takes place in Ontario’s Thousand Islands archipelago and follows a woman who returns to her grandparents’ inn after leaving New York and encounters her first love, who disappeared without a trace when she was younger. It was first published in 2018 with Simon & Schuster Canada.

The rights deal was brokered by Transatlantic Agency’s Samantha Haywood, who represents Stapley, and Laura Cameron.

Stapley’s fourth novel, Lucky, was the first Canadian title to be officially selected for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine book club, which has sparked increased industry interest in her other novels, according to a release from Blink49.

“How can you beat an epic romance with a great mystery at the core to unravel? Once we started reading, we couldn’t put it down. Marissa knows how to craft a story that truly resonates, and we are thrilled to be working with her on adapting her novel,” said Newman and Rankin in a joint statement.

Blink49 optioned the rights to Canadian author Charlene Carr’s upcoming novel Hold My Girl earlier this year. The Toronto studio has been building up its talent base since it was launched in 2021, signing a first-look deal with Moonshine creator Sheri Elwood.