Jennifer Zobair's "Painted Hands"

Jennifer Zobair grew up in Iowa and attended Smith College and Georgetown Law School. She has practiced corporate and immigration law and as a convert to Islam, has been a strong advocate for Muslim women's rights. Zobair lives with her husband and three children outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

Here Zobair dreamcasts an adaptation of Painted Hands, her first novel:

Whenever people talk about Painted Hands as a movie, it’s clear that Zainab is the first character everyone wants to cast. She’s this brilliant, gorgeous, sharp-tongued political campaign staffer of Indian and Pakistani descent, and my agent and I both agree that Archie Panjabi from The Good Wife and Bend It Like Beckham would make a very fabulous Zainab. Panjabi is poised and smart and beautiful, and seems so comfortable in her own skin. She reminds me quite a bit of Zainab.

Zainab’s best friend, Amra, is a lawyer, and as you might expect, a little more reserved and diplomatic. I think Parminder Nagra, also from Bend It Like Beckham and ER, would be perfect—attractive with sort of that “nice girl” vibe. Amra’s love interest in the book is Mateen, and I have her refer to his “Shahid Kapoor good looks,” so really, I think it would only be right for Kapoor (of Bollywood fame) to play him.

Amra’s colleague, Hayden, struggles with body image issues and relationships with men, and eventually dabbles in fundamentalist Islam (where “dabbles in” means “sort of loses herself because of a guy”). She’s blond and pretty and troubled, and after seeing Silver Linings Playbook, I think  Jennifer Lawrence would be a perfect Hayden.

That brings us to Chase, the thirty-something, right wing talk radio host who publicly attacks Zainab for her Muslim background, but privately is ridiculously, madly infatuated with her. The first time she meets him, Zainab notes that he is “good looking for a white boy.” He’s smart and politically opportunistic. Also, he has a girlfriend. Despite these questionable qualities, he also has this very playful sense of humor and genuine caregiving capacity. So I’m going to go with James Marsden from 27 Dresses. I think he could capture both the unsavory aspects of Chase’s persona and the good nature that lurks beneath all that.

It would be incredible to have A.R. Rahman score the movie, but there’d better be some Pearl Jam somewhere in there, just to make the author of the novel smile.

Learn more about the book and author at Jennifer Zobair's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: Painted Hands.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jessica Anya Blau's "The Wonder Bread Summer"

Jessica Anya Blau's books include the nationally bestselling novel The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and the critically acclaimed Drinking Closer to Home.

Here she shares some suggestions for the above-the-talent in a big screen adaptation of her new novel, The Wonder Bread Summer:

I love movies as much as I love books, so this is a fun question. I know Steven Soderbergh has quit making movies but I’d like to pull him out of retirement to make this film. I love the energy in Out of Sight, probably one of his least-known films but one that I think was underrated. I thought The Limey was fabulous (and underrated) and loved the oddness of it. And, of course, this book is a caper so, stylistically, the Ocean’s movies have the right tension, wit and tone for The Wonder Bread Summer.

Now let’s cast this Soderbergh production! For Allie, my 20-year old Berkeley student who’s on the lam with a bread bag full of cocaine, we need Rashida Jones seventeen years ago (can someone make that happen?). For Frank, her father, we could use Will Smith. For Penny, her mother, we need Lucy Liu.

Somebody get Soderbergh on the phone and let’s make this thing happen!

Learn more about the book and author at Jessica Anya Blau's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Jessica Anya Blau and Pippa.

The Page 69 Test: The Wonder Bread Summer.

--Marshal Zeringue

Shamron Moore's "Hollywood Strip"

Shamron Moore became fascinated with Hollywood at a young age; she counts Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, and Sharon Tate among early influences. In 2000, she left her home state of Michigan for the excitement of Los Angeles.

She started her career with a national print campaign for Cadillac and went on to appear in national commercials, international publications, television shows, and feature films. FHM named her one of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World.

Shortly thereafter, she left the industry to focus on writing, one of her lifelong passions. Many of her experiences in L.A. served as inspiration for Hollywood Strip, her debut novel.

Here Moore dreamcasts an adaptation of Hollywood Strip:

The two most important qualities an actress should possess in order to portray Callie Lambert is a.) vulnerability and b.) a sense of humor. When I first saw Emma Stone in Crazy, Stupid, Love, I was impressed with her comedic timing and the fact that she’s an incredibly well-rounded actress. For these reasons, she gets my vote as Hollywood Strip’s leading lady. Looks wise, she isn’t spot-on, but I value attitude more than physical resemblance.

Evan Marquardt is a blend of charm and smarm. He has the morals of a wolf, but he’s so handsome and charismatic, it’s easy to forget how self-centered he is. You cannot help but be sucked into his web--and he weaves a very seductive web. I picture Robin Thicke, Michael Bublé, or Ryan Gosling as Evan.

A former friend of mine inspired the scandalous Candice Boyd. Candice is vampy, brash, and uninhibited. Her whole vibe is one of unapologetic va-va-voom and  Megan Fox--or possibly Mila Kunis--would be a fine choice.

Tyler Bragg doesn’t just walk into a room, he prances into it, followed by a stream of fireworks. He’s outrageous, witty, and most of all, fun. He has this lightness of spirit that’s contagious. Chris Colfer comes to mind, but I’m not sure if he’s saucy enough.

The character I have the hardest time figuring out is Gabrielle Manx. Gabby isn’t just a tall, jiggly blonde; she’s very introspective and bright with the susceptibility of a wounded baby bird. She must have a commanding physical presence. If you combined Charlize Theron, Sharon Tate, and Jayne Mansfield, you could quite possibly have the recipe for Gabby Manx.

Learn more about the book and author at Shamron Moore's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Charlie Lovett's "The Bookman's Tale"

Charlie Lovett is a writer, teacher, and playwright, whose plays for children have been seen in more than 3,000 productions. He is a former antiquarian bookseller and an avid book collector. He and his wife split their time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Kingham, Oxfordshire, in England.

Here Lovett dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession:

I have to say right up front, that my wife, Janice, is the one who should cast the movie of The Bookman’s Tale. She has directed nearly twenty of my plays for children and is constantly being complimented on her casting abilities. Add to that the fact that she knows every Hollywood face and resumé ... well, I had to ask her about casting my book, and the rest of this blog is really from her.

Casting The Bookman’s Tale is all about casting Peter Byerly. He is young, introverted, and sensitive, but he is also intelligent and has a sophistication that belies his youth. Even though Peter is an American, there are a few British actors who might be perfect for the part—James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Andrew Garfield, and Daniel Radcliffe all have their appeal as possible Peter Byerlys. The casting of the female romantic lead, Amanda, would, of course, depend on who was cast in the role of Peter. Amanda is dark-haired and beautiful, but she is also very upright, organized, and a bit separate from the world she inhabits. The actress who plays her needs to be able to embody that separateness without coming across as snooty or aloof. Janice and I spent a fun hour poring over red carpet pictures online and especially like Alexis Bledel and Anna Kendrick as possibilities.

The Bookman’s Tale is told in three time frames and the historic time line (which runs from 1592 to 1879) has lots of great opportunities for stars to make cameos as real people. I love the idea of Alan Rickman or Hugh Laurie as William Shakespeare and please may I see Benedict Cumberbatch as Christopher Marlowe!

Learn more about the book and author at Charlie Lovett's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Bookman's Tale.

Writers Read: Charlie Lovett.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s “Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted”

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong grew up deep in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, then escaped to New York to live in a succession of very small apartments and write about pop culture. In the process, she became a feminist, a Buddhist, and the singer/guitarist in an amateur rock band. She also spent a decade on staff at Entertainment Weekly, cofounded SexyFeminist.com, and now writes for several publications, including Women’s Health, O, Writer’s Digest, Fast Company, and New York‘s Vulture. Her collaboration with Heather Wood Rudulph, Sexy Feminism, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in March 2013.

Here Armstrong shares some ideas for a big-screen adaptation of her new book, Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic:

Turning a nonfiction book about a TV show into a movie certainly comes off as a bit … meta, at first glance. But the people connected to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, particularly those behind the scenes, could make for some pretty juicy roles: There’s Treva Silverman, the first woman hired to write for the show and a take-no-prisoners trailblazer who also happened be a former beauty contest winner and piano prodigy. There are James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, the polar opposites who ran the show: Jim all manic creativity and hippie beads and beard, Allan all Clark Kent hair and affability. There’s Mary Tyler Moore’s TV executive husband, Grant Tinker, a great businessman, champion of creativity, and Captain America Type. There’s Pat Nardo, Jim and Allan’s too-smart-for-shorthand secretary from the Bronx, and Susan Silver, the bombshell writer who rocked hotpants and could write a killer joke.

I could go on, but we’ll stick with these for now, and then do a little dream-casting of the famous folks who played the characters in my title, too, just for the heck of it. I never did that thing that fiction writers do, where they inevitably cast the book in their heads as they write it, if only to help them flesh out their characters. I had talked to the real people, after all, during my research. But I’m intrigued by the idea of a modern-day Mary or Valerie Harper, who played Rhoda.

But first, the behind-the-scenes folks. I want to see Julia Stiles more in general — I realized I’d missed her when I saw Silver Linings Playbook — and she has the gravitas to pull off the role of Treva, the show’s most experienced female writer. She needs to seem like she could be funny and fiercely intelligent, hang with the boys and take no bullshit. Julia’s been doing that since 10 Things I Hate About You. I can imagine Ashton Kutcher as a young Jim Brooks if he grew his hair out and got himself a nice ‘70s beard. He’d have to tap into that “genius” feeling, but, hey, let’s give the kid a challenge. I see Bradley Cooper, with some slicked-back hair and Buddy Holly glasses, playing Brooks’ partner, Allan Burns. Maybe Ben Affleck with his hair grayed could be the chiseled executive Grant Tinker. I like Tina Majorino (from Napoleon Dynamite and Veronica Mars) for the role of Pat Nardo, the street-smart secretary from New York, and Kaley Cuoco as the sexy Susan Silver.

As for the famous folks, that’s always tougher since they have to live up to the real-life stars everyone knows and loves. For Moore — ugh, this is so hard! — what about Rebecca Hall, who was in The Prestige and Vicky Cristina Barcelona? I can imagine that working because she’s not super-famous. Ed Asner, who played Lou Grant: Gosh, that’s even harder. Jack Black, playing low-key? Or Phillip Seymour Hoffman? For Valerie Harper, I was considering Selma Blair, but I think Sarah Silverman would be even better if she could modulate her distinctive voice a bit. Ted Knight might be the easiest one to cast here, strangely enough. I’d go with Rob Lowe, playing a sort-of variation on his Parks and Recreation character, with gray hair.

But I’m open to suggestions on Mary, Lou, Rhoda, and Ted if you’ve got them.

Learn more about the book and author at Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Peter Carlson's "Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy"

Peter Carlson, a former reporter and columnist for The Washington Post, is the author of three books of American history, including the newly published Junius and Albert's Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey.

Here Carlson dreamcasts an adaptation of his new book:

My book is the true story of two reporters for the New York Tribune—Junius Browne and Albert Richardson—who covered the Civil War until Confederate soldiers captured them as they tried to sneak past Vicksburg on a hay barge. The reporters were shuffled from one horrendous Confederate prison to another until they finally escaped and attempted to walk across the snow-covered Appalachians with the help of slaves and pro-Union bushwhackers. When I learned about their story, my first thought was: Wow! This would make a great movie!

I don’t make movies, though, so I wrote the book instead. But I still think it would make a fantastic film—part adventure story, part comedy, part buddy movie, a cross between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

You’ve got two buddies, each 29 when they were captured. Albert was handsome and strong. Maybe Bradley Cooper could play him. Junius was scrawny, prematurely bald, a nerdy intellectual type. Woody Allen or Wally Cox could have played him decades ago; now maybe Jesse Eisenberg.

They meet many interesting characters during their travels, including Abraham Lincoln—a good opportunity for Daniel Day Lewis to dust off his stovepipe hat. They also encounter a handsome, colorful and corrupt Confederate prison warden, who happened to be a playwright and a former pirate—a great part for Russell Brand, who has played charismatic sleazeballs in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Dan Ellis, a tough, grizzled pro-Union bushwhacker leads Junius and Albert over the mountains—a good role for Johnny Depp or Mark Ruffalo.

During their worst moment of danger, the reporters were rescued by a mysterious and beautiful teenage girl riding a horse through the mountains. (Yes, this stuff all really happened!) This part would be perfect for Rooney Mara or Scarlett Johansson or Jennifer Lawrence but I think it ought to go to some beautiful young unknown actress who really knows how to handle a horse.

Shouldn’t the author of the book get a small cameo role in the movie? As a former newspaper reporter, I’d love to play Richard Colburn, a reporter for the New York World, and a pal of Junius and Albert. Colburn missed the Battle of Pea Ridge but had the audacity to write a first person account of the battle anyway. Sitting in a comfortable hotel room 200 miles from the fighting, he began his story with this hilarious bit of balderdash:

“Even now, while I attempt to collect my blurred and disconnected thoughts, the sound of booming cannon and the crack of rifle rings in my ear, while visions of carnage and the flame of battle hover beyond my sight. Three days of constant watching, without food or sleep, and the excitement of the struggle, have quite unstrung my nerves.”

It’s a story of adventure and absurdity, and as such, it would be a great vehicle for the Coen brothers. Are you reading this, Joel and Ethan? The screen rights are currently available. Give me a call. Let’s make a deal.

Learn more about the book and author at Peter Carlson's website.

The Page 99 Test: Junius and Albert's Adventures in the Confederacy.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gary Corby's "Sacred Games"

Gary Corby is a novelist and former systems programmer at Microsoft. He lives in Australia with his wife and two daughters.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Sacred Games:

Thanks for having me here at My Book, The Movie. My mission: to declare a cast for my book Sacred Games, a murder mystery set at the ancient Olympics of 460BC.

My hero is Nicolaos, a young man of classical Athens who's inventing the job of investigator as he goes. There are lots of options for casting Nico. At the moment I'd like to go with Martin Freeman, who plays Dr Watson in the most recent Sherlock Holmes series from the BBC. Freeman's an excellent actor, I think he might be the best Watson ever. There's more of Watson than Holmes in my detective, so Freeman would be a great pick.

If my detective is the Watson, you're probably wondering who is the Holmes? Let me introduce you to Diotima...

My heroine is the incredibly intelligent Diotima. She is Nico's wife and/or fiancee, depending on who you ask. For Diotima I think we must have Barbara Feldon, who you might know better as Agent 99 from Get Smart. I feel that if Diotima and Agent 99 could get together, they'd have quite a bit in common.

The Spartan investigator Markos works with Nico and Diotima. I think we'll have Sam Worthington.

King Pleistarchus of Sparta makes an appearance. He's the son of the Leonidas who led the 300 at Thermopylae. I think we'll have Russell Crowe for him.

Dame Judi Dench is available now that her gig as M in James Bond is over. Dame Judi would be the perfect Queen Gorgo of Sparta. Gorgo was the mother of Pleistarchus; she was a recognized genius and one seriously badass player in international politics.

For Pindar, the great praise singer, I want the excellent David McCallum. He was the Russian agent in The Man from UNCLE, and these days is Ducky in NCIS. A very great actor.

I better stop or I'll cast the entire book....

Learn more about the book and author at Gary Corby's blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Pericles Commission.

Writers Read: Gary Corby (November 2010).

My Book, The Movie: The Pericles Commission.

My Book, The Movie: The Ionia Sanction.

Writers Read: Gary Corby (November 2011).

The Page 69 Test: The Ionia Sanction.

The Page 69 Test: Sacred Games.

Writers Read: Gary Corby.

--Marshal Zeringue

Victoria Houston's "Dead Insider"

Victoria Houston is the author of the Loon Lake Mysteries, which are set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin against a background of fishing – fly fishing as well as fishing for muskie, bass, bluegill and walleyes.

Here Houston dreamcasts an adaptation of Dead Insider, the thirteenth book in the series:

The only actor I can see in the role of Doc Osborne is Treat Williams – close to the right age and good-looking.

On the other hand, I have problems when it comes to Lew Ferris and Ray Pradt, the other two recurring characters in my stories. I’d like a young version of Barbara Stanwyck or youthful Helen Mirren for Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris – no actress in her forties today hits me right for that character as I see Lew as a sturdy, striking woman.

As for Ray Pradt, a young version of Dennis Quaid with his goofy smile works for my pot-smoking fishing guide. My problem is that I see each of my characters as distilled images of people I knew growing up.

Learn more about the book and author at Victoria Houston's website.

The Page 69 Test: Dead Insider.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rhonda Riley's "The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope"

Rhonda Riley is a graduate of the creative writing program at the University of Florida.

Here she shares some ideas about casting an adaptation of her recently released debut novel, The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope:

I did not have any specific actors in mind when I wrote the book. I don’t think /imagine that way when I am writing. I know writers who start with a photo of someone to help them develop character description, but I don’t do that. Actors’ faces come with their own characters--the people they are and the roles they’ve played can be like shadows next to them. When I’m imagining characters’ faces, I don’t want to give myself anything I have to ignore.

When I think of Adam Hope becoming a film, I think in terms of scripts, scenes, directors, etc. And how would they do that voice? But if there ever was a film made of the book, I’d want the actor who plays Adam to be someone who could convincingly and simultaneously play the surreal, slightly off character and the very down-to-earth character, have both qualities in his face and how he moves. Johnny Depp in his earlier roles played the other-worldly, not-quite-normal stuff very well, and his face is beautiful. But Adam should have a larger more robust physical presence. I love the way Javier Bardem can play his body large or small (check out Love in the Time of Cholera for scenes of him being younger and smaller in presence). He can be very convincing as an imposing power or as an impish young man. That is one thing I wish I’d bought into Adam’s character. I think of him as a bit of an imp. That didn’t come out in the book, but there’s only so much you can put in one book, only so many pages!

I fell in love with Tilda Swinton’s face long ago. She’s capable of a stunned bareness that I associate with Evelyn’s first encounters with A. She can be plain or beautiful. But the closest I’ve seen to how I imagine Evelyn, is  Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone. Though the film was darker than Adam Hope, I was taken with her quiet, solitary, and determined character and the way she held herself and moved through the scenes.

For me, Momma is also a central character. I am blank when it comes to her. She is so closely tied, in my mind, to the bodies and faces of two women I loved, my own mother and my great aunt, Lil. An actress playing her would need a strong face.

As for all those tall redheaded daughters--I would love to see them in a film! Actually, I would be most thrilled by new faces—actors who are getting their first major break and blowing the audience away. Clean slates. Gorgeous and fresh. Of course, blowing away an audience would have as much to do with the script writing and direction as the actors. This question—which actors would play my characters—always confounds me a little and sets me thinking about the differences between the film and books. The collaboration of film is in the product, you actually see the evidence of it. With film everyone sees the same thing. But in books the act of seeing takes place in the moment of reading—in the reader’s mind. The author gives the parameters of the scene, some major characteristic of a face, a place, or a day, and the reader fills in the details. I’d love to see what readers imagine A. looks like. That possibility is endless and far more dynamic than Ben Affleck’s handsome mug.

Learn more about the book and author at Rhonda Riley's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope.

Writers Read: Rhonda Riley.

--Marshal Zeringue

M. L. Longworth's "Death in the Vines"

M. L. Longworth has written for The Washington Post, The Times (London), The Independent, and Bon Appétit magazine. She is the author of a mystery series set in Southern France, the Verlaque and Bonnet Provençal Mysteries, published by Penguin USA. The books include Death at the Château Bremont, Murder in the Rue Dumas, and the newly released Death in the Vines.

Longworth has lived full-time in France for over fifteen years and divides her time between Aix-en-Provence, where she writes, and Paris, where she teaches writing at New York University's Paris campus.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of the series:

When I began writing the first book, Marine Bonnet (law professor) and Antoine Verlaque (examining magistrate) were working on their relationship, and having a hard time of it, while trying to solve a mystery together. I wasn’t even sure if their relationship would make it. Now, as the third book has just been released, and I’m in the middle of the fourth book, they have evolved into a couple (although not married; yet) and appear to be quite happy. And so for my fantasy film I have in my head a strong couple—but not portrayed by film stars of today, many of whom I wouldn’t recognize if I passed them on Aix-en-Provence’s main street—but a screen duo from the 1930s: William Powell and  Myrna Loy.

The Thin Man, made in 1934 by director WS Van Dyke, after Dashiell Hammett’s book, brings to life the gin-soaked 1930s and 40s. Amateur sleuths Nick (retired private detective) and Nora (heiress) Charles were attractive, wealthy, fashionable, and intelligent. Marine and Antoine are all of those things, too (although in my version, it’s Antoine Verlaque with the family money, and he’s slightly overweight). Nick and Nora became a beloved screen couple largely because of their quick wit and loving banter; it’s something that has been inspiring me as I write the fourth book. But is that swift repartee—like multiple martinis before dinner—also of another era? I’d like to think not.

In our Puritanical 21st century the Charles’ multiple martinis are no longer de rigueur, but Marine and Antoine live in France, so they love to eat well and drink fine wines, probably too much for some readers: a modern version of Nick and Nora’s, yes, privileged life. If we travel back in time when we watch a Thin Man film, enthralled by Nora’s designer silk gowns, the jazz, and the endless champagne, then I’d like to transport the reader in that same way, across the ocean to contemporary Aix-en-Provence, where there are still designer clothes (although Marine is much too modest and practical to be a fashion victim), contemporary jazz, and lots of champagne.

The late film critic Roger Ebert said of the Thin Man films: “And there is a kind of grace in the way the 6-foot Powell hovers protectively over the 5-6 Loy (or sometimes simply leans as if blown in her direction).” A wonderful sentence, for it sums up how Powell, with a simple gesture, conveyed Nick’s love for Nora. Antoine and Marine have had their ups and downs, but they are now a couple; and just like Nick and Nora, it’s as natural as if they’d been blown together by Provence’s wind.

Postscript: Director Rob Marshall is planning a Thin Man remake, starring Johnny Depp. The actress who will play Nora has yet to be announced.

Learn more about the books and author at M. L. Longworth's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Murder in the Rue Dumas.

Writers Read: M. L. Longworth.

--Marshal Zeringue