Sam Wiebe's "Ocean Drive"

Sam Wiebe is an award-winning and best-selling author of Pacific Northwest crime fiction.

His Wakeland series includes Invisible Dead, Cut You Down, Hell and Gone, Sunset and Jericho, and the upcoming Wrath of Exiles. The series has been praised for its authenticity and social realism. He’s also the author of Ocean Drive, Last of the Independents, Never Going Back, and A Lonesome Place for Dying under the pen name Nolan Chase.

Here Wiebe dreamcasts an adaptation of Ocean Drive:

Meghan Quick is the senior officer at a small police department in White Rock, BC, up against a large-scale criminal conspiracy. I’ve referred to Ocean Drive as a Pacific Northwest Fargo, and of course Frances McDormand would be a great choice to play Meghan. But Thandiwe Newton would be a great choice, too—she really stood out in God’s Country.

Cameron Shaw is fresh out of prison and trying to go straight, but gets caught up in the same conspiracy from the other end. Nicholas Hoult was terrific in Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2, and it would be interesting to see what he’d do with the role.

Visit Sam Wiebe's website.

My Book, The Movie: Invisible Dead.

The Page 69 Test: Invisible Dead.

The Page 69 Test: Cut You Down.

Q&A with Sam Wiebe.

The Page 69 Test: Hell and Gone.

Writers Read: Sam Wiebe (March 2022).

My Book, The Movie: Hell and Gone.

My Book, The Movie: Sunset and Jericho.

Writers Read: Sam Wiebe (April 2023).

The Page 69 Test: Sunset and Jericho.

The Page 69 Test: Ocean Drive.

--Marshal Zeringue

Meryl Gordon's "The Woman Who Knew Everyone"

Meryl Gordon is an award-winning journalist and tenured NYU journalism professor. She is the author of four biographies; two have been New York Times bestsellers. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times.

A native of Rochester, New York and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Gordon has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, TV and radio reporter. She has covered a wide array of topics including national politics, influential New Yorkers, police and courts, economics and business, fashion, food, celebrities, pioneering women and book reviews. She is based in New York City.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new book, The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington's Most Famous Hostess:

Perle Mesta’s rollicking life story has inspired an Irving Berlin musical, Call Me Madam, in which she was portrayed by Ethel Merman, as well as a movie version of the same, plus an CBS Playhouse 90 docudrama in which Shirley Booth did the honors.

But if a movie were made from my book, The Woman Who Knew Everyone, I think the themes and plot would be dramatically different. Perle was the consummate party-giver, and that’s what she’s known for, but she was also a pioneering diplomat (only the third woman to be named as a State Department foreign envoy), an enthusiastic supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and influential in Democratic politics.

I hope her substantive experiences would be amply covered in a movie, plus her close friendships with three presidents: Truman, Eisenhower and LBJ. But she also carried on entertaining feuds that would add drama: her ridiculous rift with Jackie Kennedy and a several decades-long white-gloved war with competing DC socialite Gwen Cafritz.

As for casting, Olivia Colman would make a terrific Perle – Olivia Colman is terrific in any role. Perle was not a beauty even at the best of times, but she was always perfectly dressed with a warm smile on her face. You would want an intelligent and attractive actress in the role, not a knock-out. Much as I admire the work of Nicole Kidman, she’s too beautiful and would need much more than a prosthetic nose to be plausible.

As for a director, it would be intriguing to see what Greta Gerwig, fresh off Barbie, would make of Perle’s life as a feminist.

Visit Meryl Gordon's website.

The Page 99 Test: The Phantom of Fifth Avenue.

Writers Read: Meryl Gordon (October 2017).

The Page 99 Test: Bunny Mellon.

My Book, The Movie: Bunny Mellon.

--Marshal Zeringue

Colin Mills's "Bitter Passage"

Colin Mills graduated from the University of Queensland in 1987 with a BA in arts, majoring in Japanese language and literature. He spent most of the next eighteen years in Japan, where, after a brief career as a wire service reporter, he spent ten years in investment banking in Tokyo and a further decade in the portfolio management industry. He left the financial services industry in 2008 and is currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing at the Queensland University of Technology.

Here Mills dreamcasts an adaptation of his debut novel, Bitter Passage, a work of historical fiction:

Set in 1849, Bitter Passage features two junior Royal Navy officers—Lieutenant Frederick Robinson and Assistant Surgeon Edward Adams—engaged in a search in the Arctic for the lost explorer, Sir John Franklin, and his 128 men. The two men have contrasting motivations but are forced to work together to seek the missing expedition.

I’ve never imagined either character as classically handsome, so when dreamcasting, I keep thinking of character actors rather than leading men.

Lieutenant Robinson: Robinson is someone who outwardly projects confidence, even arrogance, but privately battles with self-esteem. Cynical and self-interested, he thinks mostly of his own career prospects. He hates himself for it, but can’t escape an inner urge to please his aloof father, and pines for his terminally ill wife back in England. I once pictured Guy Pearce as Robinson, but Guy is getting a little old for the role now. Instead, Nicholas Hoult, Rupert Friend and Matt Smith could all pull it off successfully, I think.

Assistant Surgeon Adams: The younger of the two main characters, Adams projects naivete, piety and vulnerability, but when the chips are down displays unexpected resilience. Will Poulter would be great, or possibly Daniel Radcliffe.

Seaman Billings: This is challenging. Billings is in his early twenties and physically imposing. Paul Mescal might be appropriate, but if not, I’d go for an unknown actor.

I’m less familiar with film directors, but I loved the gritty, visceral atmosphere of The Revenant (2015), so its director Alejandro G. Iñárritu might be a good fit.

Visit Colin Mills's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kate MacIntosh's "The Champagne Letters"

Kate MacIntosh is always in search of the perfect bottle of wine, a great book, and a swoon worthy period costume drama. You’ll find her in Vancouver making friends with every dog she meets, teaching writing, and listening to true crime podcasts while lounging on the sofa in sweats and spouting random historical facts she finds interesting.

Here MacIntosh dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Champagne Letters:

There are few things I enjoy more than a sweeping period piece so I would adore if they made my novel into a film (or a lovely Netflix series- I’m open!) One of my dreams would be to run wild in the costume department trying on various outfits. Not to mention I would insist on being present during filming in France, because who doesn’t need a nice long trip to France? Paris! Rolling vineyard hills and musty cellars! Art museums! Bakeries and wine! Sign me up.

When it comes to casting this is where I admit having a huge crush on Ryan Reynolds and would cast him for this reason alone. He could play any part he wanted if it meant I got to hang out with him on set.

Once I get past my desire to run away with Ryan, I would cast Reese Witherspoon as Barbe-Nicole. She’s the person I saw in my mind as she matches some of the historical descriptions (petite, blond, feisty.) The paintings we have of the real Widow Clicquot are from when she was older. I like to imagine her when she would have been in her thirties and forties and taking on the world.

Melissa McCarthy would play the modern-day character Natalie. I want an actress that women would feel they identify with, who could play that sense of being awkward, but also someone who will do brave (maybe sometimes foolhardy) things. As for Sophie, the woman who works at the hotel, I would think of someone sleek and sophisticated a Grace Kelly type.

I would also love to hear what other people think when they read the book. I can picture them all so clearly in my mind, but it’s always interesting to me how others see them.

Visit Kate MacIntosh's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Champagne Letters.

--Marshal Zeringue

Catriona McPherson's "Scotzilla"

Catriona McPherson was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, then immigrated to California where she lives on Patwin ancestral land. A former academic linguist, she now writes full-time. Her multi-award-winning and national best-selling work includes: the Dandy Gilver historical detective stories, the Last Ditch mysteries, set in California, and a strand of contemporary standalone novels including Edgar-finalist The Day She Died and Mary Higgins Clark finalist Strangers at the Gate. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Crimewriters’ Association, The Society of Authors and Sisters in Crime, of which she is a former national president.

Here McPherson dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Scotzilla:

This was supposed to be a trilogy, about Scot-out-of-water Lexy Campbell and the happy band of weirdoes and misfits that become her new friends when she’s forced to move into the Last Ditch Motel, in fictional Cuento, California.

But Scotzilla – Lexy’s wedding – is book seven, so already you can see why I think maybe if the Coen brothers felt like revisiting the cheerful chaos of Raisin’ Arizona they’d make a great film of my book. (They could start with the first one, Scot Free, and I think it would be called Nothing Goes Boom. The later books’ plots would be in the HBO spin-off series.)

This is fun!

Okay, Lexy is Scottish and I want to be able to watch my own adapted book so the woman who plays her needs to be Scottish too (and not a plucky New Yorker with a good line in “Celtic vibe”). Fern Brady is not actually an actor – she’s a comedian – but hey, it’s a comedy and she’d be perfect. She is quick, witty and deadpan but never cruel. That’s my comedy home: more Schitt’s Creek than The Office (UK – I’ve never seen the US one. It might be as kind as Ted Lasso for all I know.)

Lexy’s newest BFF, Todd (Téodor) Kroger né Mendez, could be played by – Wait, we need a time machine! Can I have a time machine? Thank you – a younger Benjamin Bratt. He has camped and vamped in his acting past (Miss Congeniality) and he has the central qualification of being drop dead gorgeous. But would it be better to have a gay actor playing Todd? Definitely.

Her other BFF, Kathi, is a character I have a very clear mental image of. The nearest actor I can think of to this image is Frances McDormand. This might be a failure of imagination on my part, driven by the fact that Kathi never wears make-up or frou-frou clothes and neither does McDormand. At least she might be predisposed to doing a Coen brothers movie. Right? And again, it would be better to have a gay actor in the role. But all the ones I know are too glamourous. Would Rosie O’Donnell play such a plain part? Let’s say she would. Frances McDormand is fired. I hope the Coens don’t walk off set in solidarity.

Lexy’s final BFF – she really did settle in well to the Ditch – is another drop-dead gorgeous character, Della. Lexy often notes that she feels normal standing beside Kathi but when she moves near Todd or Della she turns into Shrek. Della is younger than the rest and there would be no time machine needed to have her played by . . . Eiza González Reyna. Absolutely no one would be willing to stand next to her for photos at the premiere, though.

Visit Catriona McPherson's website.

The Page 69 Test: Go to My Grave.

Writers Read: Catriona McPherson (November 2018).

My Book, The Movie: The Turning Tide.

The Page 69 Test: The Turning Tide.

My Book, The Movie: A Gingerbread House.

The Page 69 Test: Hop Scot.

The Page 69 Test: Deep Beneath Us.

Q&A with Catriona McPherson.

The Page 69 Test: The Witching Hour.

Writers Read: Catriona McPherson (September 2024).

Writers Read: Catriona McPherson.

The Page 69 Test: Scotzilla.

--Marshal Zeringue

Yvonne Battle-Felton's "Curdle Creek"

Yvonne Battle-Felton was born in Pennsylvania and raised in New Jersey before moving to Maryland. She currently lives in Yorkshire, England with her family. Battle-Felton holds an MA in writing from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University. She is an associate teaching professor and the academic director of creative writing at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Her debut novel, Remembered, won a Northern Writers’ Award, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize.

Here Battle-Felton dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Curdle Creek:

Curdle Creek, the film, would be set in a rural town with grand houses on one side and smaller houses on the other. One of the houses would be a big pink and white Victorian house similar to the one I grew up in. The rest would look bespoke with handcrafted embellishments, a lion or two on a stoop. The town would be clean swept and nearly festive. It would look like a self-sustaining town with local shops all along Main Street, a bustling Town Hall, a farm or two, one stop light, and an abundance of bells. On the surface, Curdle Creek could be any rural town.

Osirus would be played by Denzel Washington and have more lines in the movie than he does in the book. Angela Bassett would play Constance or Mother Opal. Both are powerful characters and because she is Angela Bassett, the choice would be hers. Taraji P. Henson would make a wonderful Constance. Osira is the lead and not the first to be cast. But in the film rolling through my mind, Regina King could really capture Osira’s complex character. The role of Jeremiah, another of Osira’s best friends, would be played by Michael B. Jordan. It’s an ever growing, sometimes changing casts. The more roles I see these and other dynamic actors play the more I’d love to see them bringing Curdle Creek to life on the screen.

Visit Yvonne Battle-Felton's website.

The Page 69 Test: Curdle Creek.

--Marshal Zeringue

Clare Mulley's "Agent Zo"

Clare Mulley is an award-winning public historian, author and broadcaster, primarily focused on female experience during the Second World War.

Her new book is Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter, the critically-acclaimed biography of Elżbieta Zawacka, the only woman to parachute from Britain to Nazi German-occupied Poland. Previous titles include the award-winning The Woman Who Saved the Children, on Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children although not fond of individual youngsters; The Spy Who Loved, a biography of the first woman to serve Britain as a special agent in the Second World War and who was acclaimed as Churchill’s ‘favourite spy’, Krystyna Skarbek aka Christine Granville; and The Women Who Flew for Hitler, which tells the story of Nazi Germany’s only two female test pilots, one of whom tried to save Hitler’s life while the other tried to kill him. Mulley’s books are widely translated, and have all been optioned for film or TV.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of Agent Zo:

Agent Zo opens with Zo perched on the edge of the circular hole cut in the floor of the mighty four-engine British Halifax bomber in the seconds before she becomes the only woman to parachute from Britain to Nazi-German occupied Poland during the Second World War. The adrenalin rarely drops as Zo served variously as an intelligence officer, resistance courier, Home Army soldier, and the only woman in the Polish elite special forces, the Cichociemni or Silent Unseen, from the early hours of 1 September 1939 to the end of the conflict. She is perfect movie material: brilliant, funny, courageous and highly effective in the fight against Nazism.

Zo was one of many remarkable women who played crucial active service roles on or behind enemy lines during the war, and I often wonder why they rarely appear on our screens. Before casting, I would want to secure a good screenwriter to ensure that Zo’s role is not diminished, and her achievements not side-lined. Phoebe Waller Bridge could produce the perfect script. Alternatively, I would give Steve McQueen a shot, but perhaps he could direct!

As for actors, I would like someone who reflects Zo’s Polish roots. Resistance in the Second World War usually conjures up images of Paris, but this is very much a Polish story, and all the more resonant for that today. Agnieszka Grochowska could probably do Zo justice, and Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman all have Polish roots, so they could also audition. Alternatively, Jodie Comer brought a brilliant steeliness to Killing Eve’s ‘Villanelle’, and Alicia Vikander can convey the right kind of intensity whether in Ex-Machina or ‘Lara Croft’ in Tomb Raider. Zo serves with several trusted friends; communications experts, saboteurs, doctors and soldiers, so there might be room for them all! There’s certainly space for some lad as well – Polish stunt man Jack Jagodka cold definitely leap from a train / airplane several times, and what film would be complete without Dominic West, just saying!

Visit Clare Mulley's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Women Who Flew For Hitler.

The Page 99 Test: The Women Who Flew For Hitler.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jen Marie Wiggins's "The Good Bride"

Jen Marie Wiggins's first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published in 2022. She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere.

The set-up for her new novel, The Good Bride:

One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.

Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications.

Here Wiggins dreamcasts an adaptation of the novel:

Ruth: A young Natalie Portman (a la Black Swan)

Kayla (the wedding planner): Zendaya

Mother of the Bride: Robin Wright or Meryl Streep

Father of the Bride: Eric Roberts

Teo (her fiancé): Diego Bonito

Marcus (the sheriff): Denzel Washington

Visit Jen Marie Wiggins's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Alex Kenna's "Burn this Night"

Alex Kenna is a prosecutor, writer, and amateur painter. Before law school, Kenna studied painting and art history at Penn. She also worked as a freelance art critic and culture writer. Originally from Washington DC, Kenna lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and giant schnauzer, Zelda. When she’s not writing Kenna can be found nerding out in art museums, exploring flea markets, and playing string instruments badly. Her debut novel, What Meets the Eye, was nominated for a Shamus Award for best first PI novel.

Here Kenna dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Burn this Night:

Burn This Night follows Kate Myles, a former cop, who became a private detective after an accident and resulting pain pill addiction ended her police career. Early in the book, she learns that the man who raised her is not her biological father, and that she’s distantly related to a cold case killer. Kate looks into this mystery after she’s hired to investigate an arson murder that occurred in the same small town. In the arson case, Jacob, a mentally ill man is accused of setting the blaze that killed his sister, Abby. Along the way, Kate finds romance with Sam, a local chain saw artist and bar owner.

KATE – I originally envisioned Kate as the Irish actress, Jessie Buckley. Buckley has incredible emotional range and a vulnerability that fits the character. However, after seeing Shailene Woodley in Big Little Lies, I’d have to choose her to play Kate. Woodley excels at playing strong, introverted characters who hold their cards close to the vest. When Burn This Night picks up, Kate has lost her career. She’s renting her house and living with her mother to save money for a custody battle, and she’s just learned that her dad is not her dad. As an ex-cop, Kate is also someone who rarely complains and is good at suppressing her own emotions – for better or for worse. Woodley has a great ability to show strength and vulnerability at the same time. She can play an understated character while projecting emotional nuance, which makes her a perfect fit for Kate.

JACOB – Jacob is a troubled man, who makes a series of bad decisions that lead him down a path of crime. Tormented by his own mistakes, Jacob turns to methamphetamine as an escape. He progressively loses touch with reality over the course of the book. My first choice for this role would be Andrew Garfield based on his incredible performance in the 2007 independent movie, Boy A. That film follows a young man trying to build a life after being released from juvenile detention following a horrific crime. Jacob is a decent human being who is tormented by his own terrible mistakes. Garfield exudes warmth and pain at the same time and would allow Jacob’s humanity to shine through. Garfield also has a frenetic energy that works for a character with an unsettled mind.

ABBY – Abby is Jacob’s devoted sister. She starts out as a failing actress and later decides to study social work as she watches her brother’s rapid decline. Like Jacob, Abby is sensual, restless and feels things intensely. But she has heightened empathy and self-awareness, which keep her from self-destructing. She would do anything to help her brother. My first choice to play Abby is Brie Larson. She has the delicate beauty of a Hollywood actress, but also excels at playing strong, adaptable women motivated by familial love (Room, Lessons in Chemistry). I think she would also have believable platonic chemistry with Garfield.

SAM – Kate’s love interest, Sam, is a charming an unassuming local bar owner, who spends his spare time making chain saw art and playing the fiddle. Like Kate, he’s also a single father and has suffered the loss of his professional dreams. My first choice for Sam would be Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton from Yellowstone). He is good at playing easy going characters with a quiet intensity, and he has a rugged sex appeal. He can also convey a sense that there is a lot going on emotionally under a calm surface.

Visit Alex Kenna's website.

Q&A with Alex Kenna.

My Book, The Movie: What Meets the Eye.

Writers Read: Alex Kenna.

The Page 69 Test: Burn this Night.

--Marshal Zeringue

Bonnie Kistler's "Shell Games"

Bonnie Kistler is the author of The Cage and Her, Too. A former Philadelphia trial lawyer, she was born in Pennsylvania and educated at Bryn Mawr College and the University of the Pennsylvania Law School. She and her husband now live in southwest Florida and the mountains of western North Carolina.

Here Kistler dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Shell Games.

Shell Games features Kate Sawyer, a self-made billionaire of 70, who’s just married her long-lost, high-school sweetheart, Charlie Mull. On their wedding night, Kate calls the police in hysterics to report that Charlie confessed to the Tylenol Murders, a notorious unsolved crime from decades before. Charlie says she imagined it––too much wedding champagne––and the authorities quickly establish that he couldn’t possibly have committed those murders. But Kate insists that he did confess, so if he didn’t do it, he must be trying to gaslight her to get control of her fortune.

The story then becomes the plight of her daughter Julie who doesn’t know what to believe. Is her brilliant mother sinking into dementia as her husband Eric argues? Or is her beloved new stepfather actually a con man?

I didn’t cast actors in any of these roles while I was writing it Shell Games––I never do this in any of my books––but the images of the four leading characters were so clear in my mind that it wasn’t hard for me to find real-life stand-ins when I thought about it for this piece.

Kate is glamorous and shrewd and steel-willed but with a tender heart when it comes to her love for Charlie. This would be a plum role for any of our amazing older actresses for whom there isn’t enough good material anymore. The obvious choices come to mind: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Helen Mirren.

All would be outstanding. But the one who best fits this bill is Sigourney Weaver. Picture her character from Working Girl but age her up to 70. She’s so elegant, so polished, so keenly intelligent. But I can see her veneer crack when her storybook marriage comes crashing to an end. And to imagine about how fierce and vengeful she could then become, you need only to remember her as Ripley in Alien.

Charlie is an ex-Marine, a man’s man, but a salt-of-the-earth guy with a genial, affable personality that endears him to everyone and makes it impossible for them to believe he’s either a murder or a con man. Jeff Bridges, please step up.

Julie grew up overshadowed by a powerful mother and is now married to a controlling Alpha male. She’s very unsure of herself, and although she has a quiet beauty, she strikes many people as mousy. Daisy Edgar-Jones could easily play this role, but think Normal People, not Twisters.

Julie’s husband Eric is an orthopedic surgeon with a God-complex. He drives a Lamborghini and thinks he knows more than everyone else. He’s tall and blond and icily handsome, with a sexual magnetism that keeps Julie in his thrall. Who else but Alexander Skarsgård?

Okay, that was fun. Now I want to see this movie!

Visit Bonnie Kistler's website.

Q&A with Bonnie Kistler.

The Page 69 Test: The Cage.

The Page 69 Test: Her, Too.

Writers Read: Bonnie Kistler (July 2023).

--Marshal Zeringue