Jo Perry's "Dead is Better"

Jo Perry earned a Ph.D. in English, taught college literature and writing, produced and wrote episodic television, and has published articles, book reviews, and poetry.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Thomas Perry. They have two adult children. Their three cats and two dogs are rescues.

Here Perry dreamcasts an adaptation of Dead Is Better, her first novel:

The hero of Dead is Better is a ghost. So the movie would require a down-to-earth but clever actor to play its otherworldly lead. Jonah Hill would be great as the self-deprecating, funny protagonist. How the director would present his companion in death--a dead dog--I leave to the special effects people.

The other challenge would be to make a first-person narrative work. Two of my favorite movies involve supernatural heroes: The Bishop's Wife, starring Cary Grant as an angel, and Topper. But ghosts are nothing like the Kerbys or Dudley the angel--mine cannot act upon the living world.

Visit Jo Perry's website.

--Marshal Zeringue