Bonnie Kistler's "Shell Games"

Bonnie Kistler is the author of The Cage and Her, Too. A former Philadelphia trial lawyer, she was born in Pennsylvania and educated at Bryn Mawr College and the University of the Pennsylvania Law School. She and her husband now live in southwest Florida and the mountains of western North Carolina.

Here Kistler dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Shell Games.

Shell Games features Kate Sawyer, a self-made billionaire of 70, who’s just married her long-lost, high-school sweetheart, Charlie Mull. On their wedding night, Kate calls the police in hysterics to report that Charlie confessed to the Tylenol Murders, a notorious unsolved crime from decades before. Charlie says she imagined it––too much wedding champagne––and the authorities quickly establish that he couldn’t possibly have committed those murders. But Kate insists that he did confess, so if he didn’t do it, he must be trying to gaslight her to get control of her fortune.

The story then becomes the plight of her daughter Julie who doesn’t know what to believe. Is her brilliant mother sinking into dementia as her husband Eric argues? Or is her beloved new stepfather actually a con man?

I didn’t cast actors in any of these roles while I was writing it Shell Games––I never do this in any of my books––but the images of the four leading characters were so clear in my mind that it wasn’t hard for me to find real-life stand-ins when I thought about it for this piece.

Kate is glamorous and shrewd and steel-willed but with a tender heart when it comes to her love for Charlie. This would be a plum role for any of our amazing older actresses for whom there isn’t enough good material anymore. The obvious choices come to mind: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Helen Mirren.

All would be outstanding. But the one who best fits this bill is Sigourney Weaver. Picture her character from Working Girl but age her up to 70. She’s so elegant, so polished, so keenly intelligent. But I can see her veneer crack when her storybook marriage comes crashing to an end. And to imagine about how fierce and vengeful she could then become, you need only to remember her as Ripley in Alien.

Charlie is an ex-Marine, a man’s man, but a salt-of-the-earth guy with a genial, affable personality that endears him to everyone and makes it impossible for them to believe he’s either a murder or a con man. Jeff Bridges, please step up.

Julie grew up overshadowed by a powerful mother and is now married to a controlling Alpha male. She’s very unsure of herself, and although she has a quiet beauty, she strikes many people as mousy. Daisy Edgar-Jones could easily play this role, but think Normal People, not Twisters.

Julie’s husband Eric is an orthopedic surgeon with a God-complex. He drives a Lamborghini and thinks he knows more than everyone else. He’s tall and blond and icily handsome, with a sexual magnetism that keeps Julie in his thrall. Who else but Alexander Skarsgård?

Okay, that was fun. Now I want to see this movie!

Visit Bonnie Kistler's website.

Q&A with Bonnie Kistler.

The Page 69 Test: The Cage.

The Page 69 Test: Her, Too.

Writers Read: Bonnie Kistler (July 2023).

--Marshal Zeringue

Andrew Welsh-Huggins's "Sick To Death"

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the Shamus, Derringer, and International Thriller Writers-award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, featuring a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned investigator, and editor of Columbus Noir. His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, the 2022 anthology Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon, and other magazines and anthologies.

Here Welsh-Huggins dreamcasts an adaptation of his newest novel, Sick to Death:

Sick To Death is the eighth book in my series about Andy Hayes, a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned private eye. When thinking about who would play Hayes in a movie, I always remind people that Keanu Reeves has twice played a former Ohio State quarterback—FBI agent Johnny Utah in 1991’s Pointbreak, and down-and-out NFL player Shane Falco in The Replacements in 2000. However, though I’m a big Reeves admirer, I don’t think he’s right for the role of Hayes. Thinking about Sick to Death on the big screen, I decided to focus on four characters:

Hayes; his newly discovered adult daughter, Alex Rutledge; Hayes’ friend and sometimes collaborator Otto Mulligan, a bail bondsman; and Suzanne Gregory, an award-winning TV journalist who also happens to be Hayes’ ex-fiancée. This time around, I’m selecting Jake Gyllenhaal to play Hayes. Although I like the breadth of his work, I’m leaning mainly on his performance in the 2024 remake of Roadhouse. Gyllenhaal is a lot buffer than I imagine Hayes, but what draws me to him is the baggage that Gyllenhaal’s character carries in the movie from a violent incident in his past as a UFC fighter. Hayes has baggage to spare, and I think Gyllenhaal could aptly portray Hayes’ ongoing efforts at redemption.

For Alex, I would tap Hailee Steinfeld. I first saw her playing Mattie Ross in the remake of True Grit and became an admirer for her role in the Marvel limited TV series, Hawkeye, in which she plays Kate Bishop. Bonus: at age 31, she’s close to Alex’s age in the book when we meet her.

For Otto, I’d love to see Mahershala Ali in the role. I know of him for his roles in House of Cards and the independent feature film, Moonlight, and enjoyed him more recently as a rental homeowner and financial adviser with a secret in the dystopian film, Leave The World Behind. I think he’d bring the perfect blend of humor, loyalty, and skepticism that characterizes Mulligan.

Finally, there’s Suzanne. She and Hayes have a rocky history: their engagement ended the night she was receiving a journalism award and Hayes, his ego unable to handle the spotlight on her, sneaks away for a make-out session with a cheerleader with the Columbus Crew soccer team who is at the same event and also feeling left out. Over the years, Suzanne and Hayes reach a détente of sorts, with Hayes turning to her for information about cases in exchange for scoops when the case is solved. The actor I’d love to see play Suzanne is June Diane Raphael. I’m most familiar with her from her scene-stealing role as Jane Fonda’s daughter in Grace and Frankie, but also from her performance in Long Shot as assistant to presidential candidate Charlotte Field, played by Charlize Theron.

Visit Andrew Welsh-Huggins's website.

My Book, The Movie: An Empty Grave.

Q&A with Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

The Page 69 Test: An Empty Grave.

Writers Read: Andrew Welsh-Huggins (April 2023).

My Book, The Movie: The End of the Road.

The Page 69 Test: The End of the Road.

Writers Read: Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

--Marshal Zeringue

Marshall Fine’s "The Autumn of Ruth Winters"

Minneapolis native Marshall Fine’s career as an award-winning journalist, critic, and filmmaker has spanned fifty years. He has written biographies of filmmakers John Cassavetes and Sam Peckinpah, directed documentaries about film critic Rex Reed and comedian Robert Klein, conducted the Playboy interview with Howard Stern, and chaired the New York Film Critics Circle four times. The author currently lives in Ossining, New York.

Here Fine dreamcasts an adaptation of The Autumn of Ruth Winters, his first published novel:

The Autumn of Ruth Winters focuses on three central characters. Ruth is 68-year-old widow who has lived an unfulfilling life, punctuated by her fractious relationship with her younger sister Veronica. But Ruth is forced to re-engage with her sister when Veronica suffers a health crisis—at the same time that Ruth is corresponding with a high-school classmate and crush, Martin, who is coming to town for their fiftieth high school reunion.

Ruth is someone who deals with her constant social anxiety by being stand-offish and even snappish, while Veronica is someone who has always been able to ask for just what she wants in life, and usually got it. Martin is a bit of a dark horse, someone remembered fondly in flashback who turns out to be even better in person, even after fifty years.

If you’re casting any movie about a woman of a certain age like Ruth, the first choice is always going to be Meryl Streep, who I believe would be lovely as this lonely, repressed character. But I could just as easily see Mary Steenburgen, Alison Janney, Jean Smart, Sigourney Weaver or Catherine Keener.

I really only have two choices to play Veronica: Patricia Clarkson or Michelle Pfeiffer. Both of them have the ability to play the kind of self-centered sass that makes Veronica an interesting character.

As for Martin, I have a number of ideas, starting with Michael Keaton and including Ted Danson, Jeff Bridges, Jeff Daniels and Tim Robbins. They all have both the requisite warmth and that edge of mischief to them.

Re directors: I would want someone who could find the humor in the drama, who is able to shift tones easily and credibly, preferably someone like Nicole Holofcener, Tom McCarthy, Greta Gerwig or Greg Berlanti.

Learn more about The Autumn of Ruth Winters, and follow Marshall Fine on Facebook.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sariah Wilson's "A Tribute of Fire"

Sariah Wilson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love, The Paid Bridesmaid, The Seat Filler, Roommaid, Just a Boyfriend, the Royals of Monterra series, and the #Lovestruck novels. She happens to be madly, passionately in love with her soul mate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She currently lives with her family and various pets in Utah, and harbors a lifelong devotion to ice cream.

Here Wilson dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, A Tribute of Fire:

This question is a bit difficult for me because these characters become so real to me that I can’t imagine any actor in Hollywood ever doing them justice. I definitely drew inspiration from Reylo (the Star Wars pairing of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey), so I can easily envision Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley playing these parts—the problem is that they’re too old for these characters (although I still think they’d both do an amazing job playing Jason and Lia). I am not as familiar with younger actors , but I think Xolo Maridueña and Ariana Greenblatt would do an excellent job.

Choosing a director would be incredibly easy. I would pick the man who created the Reylo dynamic in the first place—Rian Johnson. I think he is a brilliant storyteller, especially visually, and I know he would knock it out of the park. Not only does he have an incredible flow to his movies, but he seems to truly understand the female gaze and with a story that is so heavy on the romance and is told from a female point of view, I think he would get it. Patty Jenkins is another director that I always enjoy and she would also do an excellent job with the adventure and romantic aspects of this book.

Visit Sariah Wilson's website.

The Page 69 Test: A Tribute of Fire.

--Marshal Zeringue

Christina Lynch's "Pony Confidential"

Christina Lynch is at the beck and call of two dogs, three horses, and a hilarious pony who carts her up and down mountains while demanding (and receiving) many carrots. Besides Pony Confidential, her new novel, she is also the author of two historical novels set in Italy and the coauthor of two comic thrillers set in Prague and Vienna. Lynch teaches at College of the Sequoias and lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Here Lynch dreamcasts an adaptation of Pony Confidential:

Pony Confidential was actually born as a movie idea and only later morphed into a novel, so it’s a natural fit for this blog. Although it’s billed as a comic mystery, I'm not afraid to admit it's operatic in its internal and external conflicts (opera directors, take note!). The story of a pony who is trying to find the little girl who ruined his life by selling him twenty-five years earlier, it’s also the story of that little girl, now grown up and accused of a murder she didn’t commit. The novel is full of small satiric observations about human and animal behavior but it's also epic in scope: the pony crisscrosses America in various modes of transport many times, and faces all kinds of challenges including how to traverse a lake on a paddleboard.

I’m a little torn about animation vs. live action, but I think we’ve got the technology now to make a round and very furry little pony—and all his many feelings-- come alive in either format. If it’s live action, it would be incredibly funny to see a pony and a goat running through the streets of Los Angeles, and rat having therapy sessions with a racehorse in a trailer rolling across America. The birthday party scenes where the pony commits gentle violence on unsuspecting children would also be funnier in live action. I would love to have Bobcat Goldthwait, with whom I worked for many years on a sitcom, do the voice of the pony in his normal voice. He would be great at playing the many moods of the pony, from pissed-off critiques of humans to epiphanies about love. Bill Murray would also be perfect. Kristen Bell would be a great Penny because not only is she the right height (neither Penny nor Pony are tall), but she can play strength and vulnerability, comedy and drama. I love her range and her smarts.

Because the story is modeled after the epic The Odyssey, it would also be beautiful as an animated film. The tiny pony’s journey across vast landscapes, the horrors of a kill pen, and getting caught in a hurricane would make for breathtaking and heartstopping scenes in the hands of the right artist. I am fortunate enough from my days in Hollywood to know animation artists and directors, and I would love to work with old friends like Lauren MacMullan, a Simpsons director who was nominated for an Oscar for her short film “Get a Horse!” or Disney legend Paul Felix. Or someone I don’t know but whose work I deeply admire like Charlie Mackesy, whose film of his book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse had me weeping in the aisles.

Plus, I would like to attend the premiere with my own small pony, who has his tuxedo pressed and ready!

Visit Christina Lynch's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Italian Party.

The Page 69 Test: The Italian Party.

Writers Read: Christina Lynch (April 2018).

My Book, The Movie: Sally Brady's Italian Adventure.

Writers Read: Christina Lynch (June 2023).

The Page 69 Test: Sally Brady's Italian Adventure.

The Page 69 Test: Pony Confidential.

Q&A with Christina Lynch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nikki May's "This Motherless Land"

Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Wahala won the Comedy Women In Print New Voice Prize, was longlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and the Diverse Books Award, and is being turned into a major BBC TV drama series. May lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard Schnauzers and way too many books. She should be working on her next book but is probably reading.

Here May dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, This Motherless Land:

I always cast my books before I write them – it’s one of the most fun bits. I print out pictures of my leads (and locations) and pin them to the board over my writing desk. When I can’t work out what a character would do – I look up and talk to them. It works!

For This Motherless Land, Funke was Thandie Newton and Kate was Rachel Weisz. I cast the supporting actors too, so Dominic West, Damian Lewis, Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Helen Mirren (I know – I dream big!) were on the board too.

The only thing is, Funke is nine when we meet her, and Liv is only ten – it’s easy to trawl the web for pictures of stars when they were young, slightly less easy to make a fifty-year-old pass for a pre-teen!

So, the real cast will be very different. I’ve just finished watching Industry and think Myha’la would make a great Funke (if she can drop her American accent). And Michelle Dockery could make a good Liv (though she might have to put on a few pounds).

The ink has just dried on the contract for the TV option for This Motherless Land (woo hoo!) so Myha’la and Michelle – are you listening?

Visit Nikki May's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Nikki May & Fela and Lola.

The Page 69 Test: This Motherless Land.

Writers Read: Nikki May.

--Marshal Zeringue

Michael Wendroff's "What Goes Around"

Michael Wendroff is an author and marketing consultant, and has an MBA from NYU. His background is running marketing and advertising for Fortune 500 companies, and he now runs a global consulting practice (one of his clients is a $4 billion firm headquartered in India). He has homes in New York City and Sarasota.

Here Wendroff dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, What Goes Around:

I've been told my book, What Goes Around, would make a great Netflix Original (I was kind of thinking of the Silver Screen, but hey, I'll take it).

A key protagonist in my film shares some similarities with Jack Reacher, but I sure as hell don't want Tom Cruise playing him! I could see John Cena playing him. Given his impressive stature, and background in action films, he could easily portray his stoic and physical presence. Another good choice would be Chris Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in the Marvel films. He has the size, strength, and charisma to play such a commanding character.

The other protagonist in the novel, his foil, is a female detective, Jill. She gets partnered up with Jack, and together they must solve a string of killings in a small town. They had been enemies ever since their days together in the police academy, and now must see if they can find the killer before they kill each other. Jill is smart, intuitive and beautiful. I think Emily Blunt would be a good choice to portray her. She is versatile and capable of playing tough, smart roles (Sicario, A Quiet Place). She combines depth with an approachable yet strong persona that would suit a detective role.

There is also a naive teenager in this thriller that gets caught up in the evil of others. This could be played by Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea, Boy Erased) because he has the emotional range to play a character struggling with identity and regret. Another good choice would be Timothée Chalamet, who excels in roles where characters face emotional turmoil and personal growth.

For director, I would choose David Fincher. With movies like Gone Girl, Zodiac, and Seven, he has a talent for dark, psychological thrillers with complex characters and shocking twists. Another candidate would be M. Night Shyamalan, given the twist in The Sixth Sense and the twist in What Goes Around.

Visit Michael Wendroff's website.

The Page 69 Test: What Goes Around.

Q&A with Michael Wendroff.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tony Wirt's "Pike Island"

Tony Wirt was born in Lake Mills, IA, and got his first taste of publication in first grade, when his essay on Airplane II: The Sequel appeared in the Lake Mills Elementary School’s Creative Courier.

He's a graduate of the University of Iowa and spent nine years doing media relations in the Hawkeye Athletic Department. He's also been a sportswriter, movie ticket taker and Dairy Queen ice cream slinger who can still do the little curly thing on top of a soft serve cone.

He currently lives in Rochester, MN, with his wife and two daughters.

Here Wirt dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Pike Island:

Pike Island is a dual POV book split into two timelines, the current day and twenty years ago. Since the past timeline revolves mostly around teenagers, I’ll stick to the current timeline with my casting.

Krista Walsh – Krysten Ritter

Krista is a take-no-crap woman who is often underestimated because of her age and gender, but never lets that stand in the way of getting what she wants. Who better to play her Krysten Ritter, than the woman who brought Jessica Jones to life?

Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard – Glen Powell

I know he’s everywhere now, but Glen Powell is about perfect for the adult version of Harry Leonard. Tall, blonde, with an aura that makes you trust him even if something inside tells you not to, the guy just screams “young, ambitious congressman with a secret past.”

Jake Nelson – Jesse Plemons

The adult version of Jake is a guy who has been through the wringer. He’s been living with secrets his whole life, and those demons have taken a toll on him. He might be okay, but he might not, so you need an actor who has an edge to him. I fell like Jesse Plemons would be able to nail it. He’s guy you can scruff up and believe he’s been living out in the middle of nowhere with just a bottle and his memories for years.

Visit Tony Wirt's website.

The Page 69 Test: Pike Island.

Q&A with Tony Wirt.

--Marshal Zeringue

Stephanie Booth's "Libby Lost and Found"

Stephanie Booth has an M.A. in English from the University of New Mexico and an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, O, Marie Claire, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Booth has been a contributing editor at Teen People and an advice columnist for Teen, and she has helped with casting for MTV’s award-winning documentary series, True Life.

Her new novel is Libby Lost and Found.

Here Booth shares some ideas for casting an adaptation of her novel:

Forty-year-old Libby Weeks writes the best-selling fantasy series in the world, The Falling Children. (Imagine the popularity of Harry Potter, then dial it up a million.) But before she can finish the last book in the series, which fans across the globe are impatiently waiting to be published, Libby learns that she has early-onset dementia. Desperate to save the characters she loves so much, Libby reaches out to her biggest fan, an 11-year-old girl named Peanut Bixton, to help her finish the very last book.

I did not have any actors in my head while I was writing this, so it’s harder than I thought it would be to answer this question!

Peanut should probably be played by an earnest kid who begged her parents to go to the audition, they said, “No, you’re not missing school for this,” and she sneaked out and went anyway. I also expect that she gave the casting director a few notes about their line reads on the way out.

Libby is quiet and typically prefers to be alone, but she has an exhilarating inner life which she goes to great lengths to hide from others. What if this is a role for Alexis Bledel who does internal angst so well? Plus, everyone knows Rory Gilmore loves a good book and is an excellent writer.

Jessie, Peanut’s overprotective, pugnacious 20-something sister, might be played by Shailene Woodley, while their father, Dr. Bixton, would require an actor who’s folksy, likable, but also able assert an impatient authority. JK Simmons? John Goodman?

I could see Anthony Mackie playing the ambitious, charming, but not totally trustworthy journalist, Glenn, who is determined to figure out who’s writing the Falling Children books. And for Buzz, Peanut’s brother who plays a pivotal role in the book, the role description might read, “Handsome in a sloppy slacker way. Must have the right ratio of surly misanthropy and kindness, and be able to talk clearly with their mouth full of candy.”

Visit Stephanie Booth's website.

Q&A with Stephanie Booth.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sung J. Woo's "Lines"

Sung J. Woo's short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, PEN/Guernica, and Vox. He has written five novels, Lines (2024), Deep Roots (2023), Skin Deep (2020), Love Love (2015), and Everything Asian (2009), which won the 2010 Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Literature Award. In 2022, his Modern Love essay from The New York Times was adapted by Amazon Studios for episodic television. A graduate of Cornell University with an MFA from New York University, he lives in Washington, New Jersey.

Here Woo dreamcasts an adaptation of Lines:

I imagine my fifth novel, Lines, would be a welcome challenge to actors, because the four main characters would each get to play two very different versions of themselves. The stars are Joshua the writer and Abby the painter, who in one "line" are married and miserable (which I call Together), while in the other line, they meet for the first time five years later and maybe-sort-of fall in love (which I call Apart). In both lines, they interact with the same two people, Marlene for Joshua and Ted for Abby. In Together, Marlene is Joshua's "work wife"; Ted and Abby share an office and are friendly. In Apart, Josh and Marlene are married; Abby and Ted are about to be.

In Together, Joshua is bitter about everything -- his lack of money, his hatred of his job, his disappointment at his fledgling writing career. Here, Abby unhappily paints large canvases to make money, and she very unhappily lives with her angry tyrant of a husband.

In Apart, Josh and Marlene share a comfortable life, and even though Josh's writing is no more successful than in Together, his financial situation smooths out any and all wrinkles. Here, Abby and Ted are also well off so she has the freedom to paint her true passion, miniature paintings.

In both lines, Abby becomes pregnant. The novel spans nine months. That's not a coincidence!

Okay -- so, whom to cast...

Joshua Kozlov - Jonah Hill. I was actually thinking of him when writing this book. A few years back he starred in a limited TV show called Maniac with Emma Stone, and he showed some impressive dramatic chops.

Abby Kim - Kelly Marie Tran. I did not enjoy any of the new Star Wars movies, but I did like Kelly's take on her Rose Tico character. She'd make a great Abby; she's got the right sad eyes.

Marlene McNally - Melissa McCarthy. If you haven't seen her in non-comedic roles, you really should. Even before Can You Ever Forgive Me?, she was great in The Nines. She's probably a little old for the role, but hey, she can still pass for forty.

Ted Wingfield - Walton Goggins. Also probably a bit too old to play Abby's love interest, but if anybody can pull it off, it's Walton! Such a versatile actor, flips between comedy and tragedy on a dime.

As far as directors go, how about John August, who helmed the movie I already mentioned, The Nines? If you haven't seen that film, it's absolutely worth watching, and because he so effortlessly moves between three stories (Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, and Hope Davis each play three different people), I can't think of a better person to make this movie.

Visit Sung J. Woo's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Sung J. Woo & Koda.

The Page 69 Test: Everything Asian.

My Book, The Movie: Skin Deep.

Q&A with Sung J. Woo.

The Page 69 Test: Skin Deep.

My Book, The Movie: Deep Roots.

The Page 69 Test: Deep Roots.

Writers Read: Sung J. Woo (September 2023).

The Page 69 Test: Lines.

--Marshal Zeringue