Elisabeth Elo's "Finding Katarina M."

Elisabeth Elo grew up in Boston, attended Brown University, and earned a PhD in American Literature at Brandeis University. She has published scholarly articles on subjects as diverse as Walt Whitman and Cinderella, and her essays and Pushcart-nominated short stories have appeared in a variety of publications. Elo worked as a magazine editor, a high-tech product manager, and a halfway house counselor before beginning to write fiction.

Her novels are Finding Katarina M. and North of Boston.

Here Elo dreamcasts the lead for Finding Katarina M.:

I have only one request. Please cast Rachel Weisz as Dr. Natalie March!

Thirty-nine-year-old Natalie is a powerful if understated person. She’s reached the peak of her profession through brains and hard work. She’s confident, but she knows from experience that disease always wins in the end, so she has a certain humility. She sticks to the facts and doesn’t get ahead of herself, but she is also quite willing to take the next step, and the next, as options present themselves. I have no idea whether she’s beautiful or not. She doesn’t think about it, so neither did I. Her looks are irrelevant.

Rachel Weisz is, of course, very beautiful, but in her last role as the Duchess of Marlborough in The Favourite, she didn’t rely on her beauty at all. Instead, she stole every scene (in my opinion) with force of character and a certain blunt physical presence. It was the first time I’d ever seen a woman do that in a film, and it made a big impression on me. I’d love to see Rachel Weisz bring out Natalie’s steady, strong charisma. She’s the perfect match.

Visit Elisabeth Elo's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Elisabeth Elo & Freddie.

--Marshal Zeringue