Susan Furlong is the author of the Georgia Peach Mystery series. She also contributes to the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries under the pen name Lucy Arlington. She has worked as a freelance writer, academic writer, ghost writer, translator, high-school language arts teacher, and martial arts instructor. Raised in North Dakota, Furlong graduated from Montana State University with a double major in French and Spanish. She and her family live in central Illinois.Here Furlong dreamcasts an adaptation of her new suspense novel, Splintered Silence, the first in the Bone Gap Travellers series:
Splintered Silence is set in deep Appalachia and portrays a secretive subsect of American culture, the Irish Travellers. I like to think of it as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding meets The Fall meets The Outsiders, with a dark and twisted tone.Visit Susan Furlong's website.
When I think dark and twisted, I think of Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, played by actress Maisie Williams. Fast forward Arya about ten years and you have Brynn, an Irish Traveller and the protagonist of Splintered Silence. Brynn is damaged, but strong and carries a deep sense of justice. She loves her family, and especially her dog and K9 partner, Wilco. An ex-marine, Brynn is a warrior, powerful, aggressive, and willing to fight and die for a cause. As Arya Stark, Maisie Williams epitomizes this type of woman. She’d be a perfect Brynn.
In my mind, Sheriff Frank Pusser, Brynn’s nemesis and later mentor, is a thirty-year police veteran, life-weary, straight forward and a bit of a smart ass. In my mind, he looks and acts a lot like Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini—just trade the Italian Mob mentality for a good ol’ boy attitude, and you’ve got the ideal actor.
Rounding off Splintered Silence’s cast would be an actor for Wilco, Brynn’s K9 partner and best friend. Wilco is a military-trained HRD (Human Remains Detection) canine. As a Marine, he served alongside Brynn for three tours, the final tour ending when they were both struck by an IED. Like Brynn, Wilco is injured, damaged, suffering from PTSD and, some might say, beyond usefulness. But despite being deaf and missing a rear leg, Wilco still strives to serve. His spirit is truly indomitable. He’s both loyal and fierce. There’s only one dog actor who could play Wilco—Bear, the Dutch Shepherd from the CBS drama, Person of Interest. Bear, a Belgian Malinois whose real name is Graubaer’s Boker, displays enough intelligence, stamina and strength to pull off Wilco’s role.
--Marshal Zeringue
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