Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, All My Bones:
In All My Bones, the second of the Old Juniper Bookshop mystery series, we find Madeline Brimley, owner of the bookshop, and Gloria Coleman, an Episcopal priest and one of Madeline’s best friends, trying to plant azaleas in the shop’s front yard. Their efforts are hindered by rock-hard red Georgia clay and, they soon discover, human bones. The bones turn out to belong to Beatrice Glassie, one of two Glassie sisters, the richest women in the tiny town of Enigma, Georgia. It isn’t long before Bea’s sister Idell accuses Gloria of murdering Bea. Apparently, Bea and Gloria were constantly at odds over church business. Not to mention the fact that the Glassie sisters didn’t cotton to the idea of a female priest at all. And since Idell has lots of money, she also wields an unhealthy degree of influence, which she uses to pressure the local GBI to arrest Gloria for Bea’s murder. Madeline knows Gloria is innocent and sets out to prove it. She soon discovers that nearly everyone in Enigma had some sort of grudge against Beatrice Glassie. The plethora of suspects includes a local handyman whom Beatrice owed money and the owner of the town diner whom Bea tried to force out of business. But nearly everyone in town seems happy that Beatrice is dead. Madeline’s investigations even lead her to an allegedly haunted opera house in Hawkinsville, Georgia, and to wealthy Kelly Brady, Bea’s on-again-off-again beau who worked with Bea to restore the old opera house. Too many suspects and not enough time roil Madeline’s efforts to save her friend Gloria before it’s too late.Read more about All My Bones at the publisher's website.
Thinking about what actors might play some of these characters is loads of fun. For Madeline Brimley, I like Holly Hunter around the age she was after she made Raising Arizona. Her understanding of southern idiomatic speech would be invaluable, and her demeanor of dogged determination seems just right for Madeline. As to Gloria Coleman, who is described in the books as being built more like a stevedore than a priest, I find the idea of casting Ronda Rousey, the mixed martial arts artist and actor, extremely amusing. I heard her say once that she only wanted to play herself in films because that way no one could tell her what she would or wouldn’t say in any given situation. And that’s exactly that the character of Gloria Coleman would think. And what if Sissy Spacek played Idell Glassie? Once again, Spacek’s understanding of “south-speak” would make her perfect for the role. I’m especially thinking of her dead-pan voiceover in Badlands, but also, of course, her understanding of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter. And wouldn’t it be great if the film could be directed by the Coen Brothers? I love their sense of humor, the subtlety of their irony, and, again, their understanding of Southern culture in general. Finally, let’s get in touch with Randy Newman to score the film, and see if Rhiannon Giddens could be convinced to write a couple of songs—or ten.
--Marshal Zeringue
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