Amy Shearn's "Animal Instinct"

Amy Shearn is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed novels Dear Edna Sloane, Unseen City, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, and How Far is the Ocean From Here. She has worked as an editor for Medium, and her work has appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column, Slate, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Oprah, Coastal Living, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Catapult, The Millions, The Rumpus, and many other publications.

Shearn has an MFA from the University of Minnesota, and currently lives in Brooklyn with her two children.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Animal Instinct:

I have thought about this one a lot, as this is my first book I actually have a film agent for. I think it would actually work better as a limited series, is that allowed?

I'd love to see Melanie Lynsky or Lizzy Caplan as Rachel, the main character -- someone who is earthy and sexy and has a bit of an edge.

Her ex-husband could be Will Arnett.

Rachel's best friend Lulu is kind of a Phoebe Waller-Bridge type if she can do an American accent and not steal the show... I believe in her.

Then we'd need a diverse variety of hot men and women to play Rachel's various paramours. And there's one character -- I don't want want to give too much away -- but they have a small but mighty role that should go to someone nonbinary and/or androgynous -- ER Fightmaster or Mae Martin or maaaaybe Kristen Stewart.

Okay, hear that movie producers and showrunners? It would be a great show!

Visit Amy Shearn's website.

The Page 99 Test: How Far Is the Ocean from Here.

Writers Read: Amy Shearn (March 2013).

Q&A with Amy Shearn.

My Book, The Movie: Dear Edna Sloane.

The Page 69 Test: Dear Edna Sloane.

The Page 69 Test: Animal Instinct.

Writers Read: Amy Shearn.

--Marshal Zeringue

Peter Colt's "The Banker"

Peter Colt was born in Boston, MA in 1973 and moved to Nantucket Island shortly thereafter. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Rhode Island and a 24-year veteran of the Army Reserve with deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. He is a police officer in a New England city and the married father of two boys.

Here Colt dreamcasts an adaptation of his new Andy Roark mystery, The Banker:

The Banker is set in 1986 and takes place in Boston and Amesbury, Massachusetts, which is on the border with New Hampshire. PI Andy Roark is hired to look into a case of embezzlement at a bank in Amesbury. After a few weeks he quits out of boredom. A short time later the bank is robbed and one of the suspects in the embezzlement is murdered. Roark thinks the timing is just too coincidental and gets back on the case. He is helped by his old friend from Vietnam and fellow Green Beret, Chris. Also Angela Estrella is back as his romantic interest.

If the book were made into a movie I would love Ben Affleck to direct it. He has proven with movies such as Gone Baby Gone and Argos that he is a skilled director. His familiarity with Boston would make him a natural to direct the film. I could see him doing that and even taking a small role like that of the bank president Brock who hires Andy.

There are a lot of fantastic actors who could play the part of Andy but in my mind Scoot McNairy would be great at it. He has delivered solid performances in Narcos Mexico and his turn in Killing Them Softly was solid. Also his accent in KTS is just how I imagine Andy's.

Nicholas Hoult would make an excellent Eric Lintz. Lintz is one of the suspects in the embezzlement scheme. He might also be a murderer. Hoult's performance in The Order was gritty and believable. He would bring depth to the character of Lintz who might be a good guy or a really, really bad one.

The main heavy in the book is Stanley Clark. Clark is a body builder who has some very violent tendencies. He is a physically imposing man and I would love to seem him played by Alan Richson of Reacher and SAS Rogue Heroes fame. Richson has the sheer size that would make him perfect for the role. Also isn't it delicious fun when we see someone who is so well associated with playing the heroic good guy take a turn as a baddie?

Visit Peter Colt's website.

My Book, The Movie: Back Bay Blues.

The Page 69 Test: Back Bay Blues.

Q&A with Peter Colt.

The Page 69 Test: Death at Fort Devens.

My Book, The Movie: Death at Fort Devens.

Writers Read: Peter Colt (June 2022).

My Book, The Movie: The Ambassador.

The Page 69 Test: The Ambassador.

The Page 69 Test: The Judge.

My Book, The Movie: The Judge.

Writers Read: Peter Colt (May 2024).

Writers Read: Peter Colt.

--Marshal Zeringue

C. I. Jerez's "At the Island's Edge"

C. I. Jerez, who has a blend of Irish, Puerto Rican, and Cuban parentage, grew up near El Paso’s Mexican border experiencing a true cultural amalgamation. After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso, she commissioned as a signal officer in the US Army and rose to the rank of major before transitioning out of the military. She holds an MBA from Webster University and a doctorate in international business from Liberty University. When not writing, she serves as cofounder and vice president for Ashire Technologies & Services Inc., a cybersecurity firm specializing in securing federal information systems. She lives in central Florida.

Here Jerez dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, At the Island's Edge:

I thought about the ideal producer and cast from the very beginning stages of pitching this novel and for good reason. The very first agent to get super excited about the idea for this book had recently sold another of her client’s novels to Benny Medina and Jennifer Lopez’s (JLO) production company Nuyorican Productions. And while I ended up being represented by a different agency, a seed was planted about the possibility for this story and how it would look on film.

I’m still convinced that if JLO or her team has an opportunity to read my book about a young, Puerto Rican single mother returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom as an American war hero grappling with PTSD, they will be interested in the film rights. Especially when they get to delve into the themes and cinematic depictions of family, culture, and daily life in Puerto Rico when Lina, my protagonist, finds herself returning home after twelve years away with her nine-year-old son, Teó who struggles with Tourette’s Syndrome, but is exceptional bright and precocious.

With this in mind I’ve cast the book’s main characters as follows:

Sergeant Lina LaSalle: Eiza Gonzalez, best known for the Michael Bay film, Ambulance.

Elijah “Eli” Montgomery: With the perfect look of a true Charleston, SC southern gentleman — Liam Hemsworth.

Leonardo (the ex): Would be perfect for Benito “Bad Bunny” Ocasio to make his film debut.

Cousin Dolores: Jenna Ortega from the Netflix series, Wednesday.

Lina’s Mom: Jennifer Lopez (JLO).

Lina’s Father: Carlos Ponce – those eyes make him a perfect fit.

Tia Lisandra: Roselyn Sanchez – beautiful and villainous.

Lina’s Grandma: Rita Moreno, of course!

Lina’s Grandpa: Jacobo Morales – a true Puerto Rican legend!

And there you have it! The entire cast!

Visit C. I. Jerez's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nick Kolakowski's "Where the Bones Lie"

Nick Kolakowski is the author of several crime novels, including Where the Bones Lie and Payback is Forever. His work has been nominated for the Anthony and Derringer awards, and his short story “Scorpions” appeared in The Best Mystery and Suspense 2024. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Mystery Weekly, Shotgun Honey, Rock and a Hard Place Press, and more.

Here Kolakowski dreamcasts an adaptation of Where the Bones Lie:

When I sat down to write Where the Bones Lie, my mystery novel about a washed-up Hollywood fixer and a young hipster lady trying to solve a decades-old murder, I didn’t have actors in mind for a hypothetical movie or TV adaptation—which perhaps is ironic, considering how much of the book takes place amidst L.A.’s movie industry.

As time went on, though, I couldn’t help but consider a bit of “dreamcasting.” Natasha Lyonne, who I loved in Poker Face and Russian Doll, would make a perfect Madeline, the younger and more sarcastic of my amateur detective duo. Madeline is bitter about her past, a big fan of chain-smoking, and possesses an eccentric fashion sense—and Lyonne would nail all of that perfectly (her Russian Doll character is most of the way there, especially on the smoking front).

Casting for Dash, my burned-out fixer, is a lot tougher. Before he got into the sleuthing business, Dash spent years cleaning up the Hollywood studios’ biggest messes as quietly as possible. He’s haunted by many of the things he’s done, and he’s looking for some kind of redemption, even if he’s not quite sure what that looks like. If you’re adapting the book, it’s not the kind of role you fill with a young, smooth-skinned actor; you need someone with some real miles on their face. The more I think about it, the more I like someone like Walton Goggins, who proved so spectacular in crime fare like The Shield and Justified.

The cool thing about Goggins is that he’s masterful at playing someone who’s haunted and battle-scarred, but he’s also spectacularly funny when he needs to be. Dash is a witty protagonist, and much of the book is powered by his constant back-and-forth with Madeline as they hunt for clues and dodge death; Goggins can pull this off. Pair him with Lyonne? That would rock.

I don’t want to go too deeply into spoiler territory, but there’s another major character in the book, Manny, who’s something of a mentor to Dash. An early reader suggested that JK Simmons would be perfect here, as Manny (like Simmons) is funny and energetic, but also capable of turning quickly to real menace. If you’ve ever witnessed Simmons’ raging performance as the music instructor in Whiplash, you know he can be downright terrifying if the role calls for it.

For the rest of the characters, you could aim for interesting faces, as if you were casting an old noir movie. There are corrupt cops, decadent movie stars, shady PR types, and more—plenty of opportunities for any actors who want to go villainous. Once you get into California’s shady underbelly, things get scary quickly.

Visit Nick Kolakowski's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nicole Galland's "Boy"

Nicole (N.D.) Galland’s novels span the spectrum from historical (The Fool’s Tale, Revenge of the Rose, Crossed, Godiva) to Shakespearean (I, Iago) to contemporary rom-com (Stepdog, On The Same Page) to speculative fiction (New York Times bestselling The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. co-written with Neal Stephenson). She has a MFA in Creative Writing from University College Dublin, and loves teaching workshops on world creation.

She has also worked as a stage director, dramaturg, and X-wing fighter pilot.

Here Galland dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Boy:

My two 19-year-old protagonists are largely described in contrast to each other. Alexander (Sander) is an actor: ethereally, delicately attractive, a bisexual man-boy desired by nearly everyone in London. A singer and dancer, he moves with androgynous grace. Black-haired, blue-eyed, marvelous bone structure that has been praised since childhood. In contrast, his best friend Joan is the living embodiment of nondescript. An unschooled intellectual, she pays little attention to her own appearance: blandly light brown hair, blandly hazel eyes, with an unremarkable physique, and a soft, forgettable face. Her sole distinctive feature: beautifully expressive lips, which live on her face without adding to its overall beauty. She spends a good chunk of the book disguised as a boy – a boy as nondescript as Joan herself.

In general, I never think about who would play my characters in a movie adaptation. I develop such specific mental images of them, an actor would strike me as a mere impersonator.

But…

…virtually every early reader of Boy cooed, “Ooo, based on your description, you’re obviously thinking of Sander as Timothée Chalamet.” Because I’m bad with names, I wasn’t sure who Timothée Chalamet was, so after the fifth time someone said it, I Googled him – and found myself staring at someone who looked remarkably like Sander! But once I’d been prompted to contemplate Sander portrayed by a not-Sander in the flesh, I realized a young Billy Crudup would suit better. By a sweet coincidence, Crudup played a Sander-like character, Ned Kynaston, in the movie Stage Beauty (2004).

Once a Sander impersonator was on my radar, I idly contemplated who might then play Joan. Joan is hard to cast, precisely because she is so nondescript. It’s wonderful that actresses no longer need to look conventionally beautiful to have careers, but they do need to look interesting - and Joan disappears in a crowd. As a thought-experiment, I turned again to Google, and spent an hour seeking young character actresses who reminded me of her. The ideal Joan-actress should make the audience feel “I like you” without also feeling “I like looking at you.” Nobody really fit the bill, but three of them came close: Florence Pugh (too conventionally pretty), Saoirse Ronan (too strikingly distinctive), and Sophia Lillis (too adorably tomboyish). While I’d be thrilled to see any of them in the role, some little part of me would secretly grouse, “Yeah, but she’s relying on her looks to make a good impression; Joan herself doesn’t need to do that.”

Visit Nicole Galland's website, Facebook page, and Threads page.

Coffee with a Canine: Nicole Galland & Leuco.

The Page 69 Test: Stepdog.

My Book, The Movie: Stepdog.

Writers Read: Nicole Galland (August 2015).

--Marshal Zeringue

Clea Simon's "The Butterfly Trap"

Before turning to a life of crime (fiction), Boston Globe-bestselling author Clea Simon was a journalist. A native of New York, she came to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University and never left. The author of three nonfiction books and 32 mysteries, most recently the psychological suspense The Butterfly Trap, her books alternate between cozies (usually featuring cats) and darker psychological suspense, like the Massachusetts Center for the Book “must reads” Hold Me Down and World Enough. She lives with her husband, the writer Jon S. Garelick (another Boston Globe alum), and their cat Thisbe in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Here Simon dreamcasts an adaptation of The Butterfly Trap:

If The Butterfly Trap is made into a movie, the main thing I’d be looking for is chemistry. On the surface, Greg and Anya are very different. He’s a science guy who ultimately decides to abandon research and go into surgery. She’s a painter, and her whole life revolves around the art world. Physically, he’s a nice-looking but somewhat beefy guy. Maybe a younger Ben Affleck, or even Chris Evans, if he put on a few pounds. Anya, on the other hand, is a stunner: a petite woman with arresting eyes. I wasn’t thinking of Anya Taylor Joy when I wrote her, but I am now.

But casting The Butterfly Trap should not about star power or who visually resembles the characters as I’ve written them. This is a pas de deux between two very different people who, against all odds, come together…at least for a while. Again, it’s all about chemistry. I was thinking about the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in which despite all their differences you could feel there was an attraction between the two. And, sure enough, the actors ended up married and are now dealing with a messy divorce. I’m not saying that’s what happens in the book – I don’t want to give anything away. But that tension? That “will they or won’t they fall in love? Will they or won’t they make it? That would be perfect for The Butterfly Trap!

Visit Clea Simon's website.

The Page 69 Test: To Conjure a Killer.

The Page 69 Test: Bad Boy Beat.

Writers Read: Clea Simon (May 2024).

Q&A with Clea Simon.

--Marshal Zeringue

Diane Barnes's "The Mulligan Curse"

Diane Barnes is the author of All We Could Still Have, More Than, Waiting for Ethan, and Mixed Signals. She is also a product market manager in the health-care industry. When she’s not writing, Barnes can be found at the gym, running or playing tennis, trying to burn off the ridiculous amounts of chocolate and ice cream she eats. She and her husband, Steven, live in New England with Oakley, their handsome golden retriever

Here Barnes dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, The Mulligan Curse:

My novel, The Mulligan Curse, is a story about regrets. The main character, Mary, is 54 years old and having a delayed mid-life crisis. She regrets a decision she made when she was 24 to pass up a promotion and eventually give up her dream job as a television newscaster/reporter. She wishes she could be 24 again and take the promotion. Then because of a “magical” family gene, her wish comes true, and she wakes up as her 24-year-old self. However, the story isn’t a time travel book. Instead, the last 30 years of Mary’s life are erased so she has the opportunity to see what happens to her friends and family without her. Some early readers have said the story is a modern day take on It’s a Wonderful Life.

Of course, I always dream about my novels getting turned into a movie, and if The Mulligan Curse were a movie, Olivia Wilde would be a good young Mary. I was actually thinking of her from her days in House when I wrote twentyish Mary. I did research for The Mulligan Curse at a CBS affiliate, and there was a poster of Norah O’Donnell. So, I was thinking of her when I wrote the older Mary scenes, but I think Jennifer Connelly would certainly pull off the part.

Mary’s husband Dean is an affable, sporty guy. He’s described as Sicilian, but I can’t think of any actors who look like what I was picturing. Instead, I think it would be amazing if Bradley Cooper played Dean, because, well, Bradley Cooper!

Mary’s cousin Darbi plays a big part in the story. She’s a bit zany and the only person besides Mary who knows about the family gene. Melissa McCarthy would kill it as Darbi. She’s such a great actress, and I really want her to play one of my characters.

If there’s a streaming service out there looking for content, please make my dream come true and turn The Mulligan Curse into a movie!

Visit Diane Barnes's website.

Q&A with Diane Barnes.

The Page 69 Test: All We Could Still Have.

My Book, The Movie: All We Could Still Have.

The Page 69 Test: The Mulligan Curse.

--Marshal Zeringue

Lisa Black's "Not Who We Expected"

As a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, and blood as well as other forms of trace evidence. Now she is a Certified Crime Scene Analyst and Certified Latent Print Examiner and for the Cape Coral Police Department in Florida. Black is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association for Identification, and the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts. She has testified in court as an expert witness and served as a consultant for CourtTV.

She is the author of the Locard Institute series and of the highly acclaimed Gardiner & Renner series, for which she was nominated for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Her books have been translated into six languages.

Here Black dreamcasts an adaptation of the fourth title in the Locard Institute series, Not Who We Expected:

This book takes place in two worlds. Locard Forensic Institute director Rachael Davies stays in the east interviewing their new client, rock legend Billy Diamond at his vast mansion and behind the scenes of his comeback concert venue. Billy’s daughter Devon left college for the summer and never returned after a career development retreat in the Nevada desert turned into her new home. When the boyfriend who accompanied her turns up dead, Billy wants eyes on his daughter without appearing to hover.

Former FBI agent and new Locard professor Ellie Carr is dispatched to said desert to find some answers—and she does. But they come with new and ominous questions.

As Rachael, I would cast Gabrielle Union. If, however, the creative team felt her stunning beauty too much of a distraction, Tamara Lawrance of Get Millie Black has a sufficient amount of grit to balance the looks. Provided she could hide her British accent.

For Ellie, I would still want Tatiana Maslawny, who could play the scientist with the right amount of unpredictability.

Billy Diamond is—this is not a spoiler—in thrall to several different abused substances. He tends to be dramatic and a bit unstable, but truly loves his daughter. Johnny Depp could play him. Or Ozzy Osborne.

Devon Diamond….angel child, or devil in disguise? Ellie doesn’t know what to make of the young woman. Devon is quite young, 19, so Lily-Rose Depp would be about right. Plus, if her father is in the same movie…!

The toughest to cast is the leader of the desert enclave, the charming Galen. I need someone whose eyes can change from the kindliness of Gandhi to the danger of Ted Bundy in a flash. Tom Hiddleston? Jared Leto? Michael Ealy? Timothée Chalamet? Any of them would be amazing.

Visit Lisa Black's website.

The Page 69 Test: That Darkness.

My Book, The Movie: Unpunished.

The Page 69 Test: Unpunished.

My Book, The Movie: Perish.

The Page 69 Test: Perish.

The Page 69 Test: Suffer the Children.

Writers Read: Lisa Black (July 2020).

The Page 69 Test: Every Kind of Wicked.

Q&A with Lisa Black.

My Book, The Movie: What Harms You.

The Page 69 Test: What Harms You.

My Book, The Movie: The Deepest Kill.

--Marshal Zeringue

William Boyle's "Saint of the Narrows Street"

William Boyle is the author of eight books set in and around the southern Brooklyn neighborhood of Gravesend, where he was born and raised. His most recent novel is Saint of the Narrows Street. His books have been nominated for the Hammett Prize, the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award in the UK, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France, and they have been included on best-of lists in the Washington Post, CrimeReads, and more. He currently lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

Here Boyle dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Saint of the Narrows Street:

Saint of the Narrows Street opens on a hot summer night in August 1986, when main character Risa Franzone is pushed to the limit by her bad seed husband, Sav. She has an infant, Fabrizio, to take care of, and Sav has crossed one too many lines. Risa’s sister, Giulia, has also shown up looking for solace after a bad breakup, and Giulia tries to convince Risa to leave Sav. Things come to a boiling point in their sweltering apartment and eventually go sideways after Sav drunkenly storms in and assaults Giulia. Risa brains Sav with her cutlet pan, and he hits his head on the edge of a table on his way down. Not sure what to do, the sisters enlist the help of Christopher “Chooch” Gardini, who lives across the street and is Sav’s childhood friend, though he adores Risa and recognizes what Sav has become. What happens that night ripples out across the next three decades, and we drop in on these characters in moments of crisis in 1991, 1998, and 2004.

It’s a difficult book to imagine a cast for because of the elements of time and aging. Fab goes from nine months old to eighteen years old over the course of the book, so I’m leaving him off. I can’t say I was thinking of specific actors as I was writing, but here are some folks I’d love to see in the three main roles:

Risa: Cristin Milioti

Chooch: John Magaro

Giulia: Victoria Pedretti

I can also see Ray Romano as Joey Sends, Susan Sarandon as Lola, and Patti LuPone as Vi. Maybe Michael Gandolfini could play Father Tim. Some of the other supporting roles are harder for me to imagine—most of the folks I can think of are probably too old for the parts.

After seeing the excellent Fresh Kills, I think Jennifer Esposito would be a great choice to direct. She really gets the era, and her film has a lot of the same thematic concerns as my book. I also think directors like Tyler Taormina (Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point) and Ricky D’Ambrose (The Cathedral) could do something really interesting with it.

Visit William Boyle's website.

My Book, The Movie: Gravesend and The Lonely Witness.

The Page 69 Test: Gravesend and The Lonely Witness.

The Page 69 Test: City of Margins.

My Book, The Movie: City of Margins.

Q&A with William Boyle.

The Page 69 Test: Shoot the Moonlight Out.

My Book, The Movie: Shoot the Moonlight Out.

Writers Read: William Boyle (December 2021).

The Page 69 Test: Saint of the Narrows Street.

--Marshal Zeringue

James L. Cambias's "The Miranda Conspiracy"

James Cambias has been nominated for the James Tiptree Jr. Award and the 2001 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Miranda Conspiracy:

My new novel The Miranda Conspiracy is the first direct sequel I've ever written — the first time characters from a previous book go into a new narrative with almost no break. It's a followup to my 2021 novel The Godel Operation, chronicling the further adventures of Daslakh, Zee, Adya, and Pelagia in the final years of the Tenth Millennium. For imaginary film casting, this means I'm strongly tempted to repeat the casting ideas I suggested for The Godel Operation: Anya Taylor-Joy as Adya Elso, Adam Beach as Zee Sadaran, Alan Tudyk as the voice of Daslakh, and Scarlett Johansson as the voice of the orca-brained spaceship Pelagia.

But that's no fun at all. Anyway, actors age but fictional characters don't. Some of the people I cited may be getting too old to play a pair of youngsters in their early twenties. It's time for a reboot!

So: who will be in the new and improved cast for The Miranda Conspiracy?

For Adya, I'll go with Jenna Ortega. She is good at conveying intelligence, which is important since Adya is "the smart one" in her family. But she's got range, and that's important because she's also going to be playing Adya's identical clone-sister Kavita, who is wild and outgoing, "the popular one." With a little makeup she'll also be playing their nearly-identical mother Mutalali. This means she'll be doing several scenes in which she argues with herself, so she will need to be able to let the audience know which identical character is speaking.

For Zee, I've picked Chaneil Kular, who has the good looks and physical presence Zee requires.

Daslakh is still the same snarky digital intelligence wearing a small multilegged "spider bot" body. For this version I'll go with a more dry and British sound, and blow the casting budget to get Jeremy Irons. (And if time travel is permitted, swap in Basil Rathbone.)

Pelagia is a space mercenary so let's get a voice fans will recognize: Jennifer Hale (best known as Commander Shepard).

Naturally, there are plenty of new characters in The Miranda Conspiracy as well. I've already mentioned Adya's mother. Her father needs to be someone who can shift between comically pompous, tragic, and genuinely dignified. I think Jared Harris can do anything, so let's give him the part.

Dai Chici is a crime boss who runs a gambling den on the bottom of Miranda's underground ocean. He's also a giant octopus. He doesn't actually speak, but can send "voicemail" style messages to people. The voice for those messages needs to be almost ridiculously menacing, and should have a recognizable "gangster' sound. Let's see if Robert De Niro wants to do it.

And now we come to the most difficult character to cast: "Qi Tian" (not his real name), a secret agent working to destabilize Miranda politics. He's specifically supposed to be the most forgettable-looking person who ever lived. Which actor do you cast to be memorably unmemorable? I'm going to pick Pedro Pascal. He has good range, and his features are plausibly ordinary.

Visit James L. Cambias's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Darkling Sea.

Writers Read: James L. Cambias (January 2019).

My Book, The Movie: Arkad's World.

The Page 69 Test: Arkad's World.

My Book, The Movie: The Godel Operation.

Q&A with James L. Cambias.

The Page 69 Test: The Godel Operation.

The Page 69 Test: The Miranda Conspiracy.

--Marshal Zeringue