Alena Dillon's "Mercy House"

Alena Dillon is the author of Mercy House, a LibraryReads and Amazon book of February 2020, and the humor collection I Thought We Agreed to Pee in the Ocean. Dillon’s work has appeared in publications including LitHub, River Teeth, Scary Mommy, Slice Magazine, The Rumpus, The Doctor TJ Eckleburg Review, Bustle, and The Smart Set. She teaches creative writing at Endicott College and St. Joseph’s College and lives on the beautiful north shore of Boston with her husband, newborn son, and little black pup named Penny.

Here Dillon dreamcasts the lead for an adaptation of Mercy House:

I have a distinct image of Sister Evelyn in my mind because she is based (loosely) on a nun I knew, so it’s harder in this case to assign her an actress. However, there are so many incredibly talented older actresses I would be so honored to see inhabit (no pun intended) the role.

Meryl we know is spectacular in everything and has already played a nun in Doubt.

Frances McDormand portrayed tough, gritty women with Olive Kitteridge and Three Billboards.

Sarah Lancashire fought for women in a similar way to my character in Happy Valley.

I really don’t have a particular vision, and would just be so thrilled to see Evelyn come to life. That’s the ultimate dream, right?

Visit Alena Dillon's website.

The Page 69 Test: Mercy House.

--Marshal Zeringue