Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Randee Dawn's "Tune in Tomorrow"

Randee Dawn writes about entertainment glam by day and fantastical fiction worlds by night. A former Soap Opera Digest editor, she now scribbles about the wacky universe of showbiz for Variety, The Los Angeles Times and Today.com. The co-author of The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion, Dawn appeared on L&O once! In the courtroom! Her short fiction has been published in multiple anthologies, and in her spare time she’s a trivia writer for BigBrain Games. Based in Brooklyn, New York she lives with a brilliant spouse, a fluffy Westie, many books and never enough mangoes.

Here Dawn dreamcasts an adaptation of her first novel, Tune in Tomorrow: The Curious, Calamitous, Cockamamie Story Of Starr Weatherby And The Greatest Mythic Reality Show Ever:
Though I have a movie of every story I write going on in my head as I write it, I don't often fixate on one specific actor to fill any given role. Instead, the characters are an amalgam of several people in most cases, and sometimes are more about the essence of a real-life person than an exact likeness.

Tune in Tomorrow is about a reality TV show run by mythical creatures, for mythical creatures – and starring humans. That made things a little easier for me: Nearly everyone has to be preternaturally handsome or pretty, due to the nature of fae creatures and stars alike. I worked at a soap opera magazine for several years, and was inspired by some of the actors on real-life soaps, but these are not meant to be direct pulls whatsoever.

My protagonist Starr Weatherby – still a struggling actor in her mid-20s, looking for her big break – is the one I've given the most thought to – I imagine she's a bit on the short and curvier side, which makes me think of Bridgerton's and Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan, mixed with Rebel Wilson. They're both very funny ladies who don't look like the traditional Hollywood leading lady – and they both have a twinkle in their eye that says they'd get Starr from moment one.

Glenn Close would be a terrific Fiona, our dangerous and heavily-invested diva, who has been playing her role so long the alter ego in her head speaks to her. Someone who can be haughty and patrician – but also downright cruel when necessary – makes her a favorite for me; plus, she has the chiseled cheekbone face Fiona sports. Her partner-in-crime Nico is described as stunningly beautiful, and of Greek and Desi descent. I picture Rufus Sewell mixed with Hasan Minhaj for him. For his rival, the laconic, laid-back cowboy actor Mav I envision Andrew Lincoln or Jeremy Renner: Someone who carries baggage and has expressive eyes, but projects dignity and self-possession.

Jason Valentine, our faun executive producer, is tougher. He's beautiful like so many of them, but has a puckish sense of humor and joy. Someone suggested Alan Cumming would be a great casting choice; I lean more toward Jon Cryer (in his Pretty in Pink days) mixed with the YouTube Tasting History host Max Miller. (Max's show even gets a bit of a reference in the book; Starr finds a recipe for "parkin" on a "web-based cooking show" and makes it to feed a dragon – that's Max's show, and he did do an episode where he mentioned it.)
Visit Randee Dawn's website.

The Page 69 Test: Tune in Tomorrow.

Q&A with Randee Dawn.

--Marshal Zeringue

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Liz Parker's "The Family Compound"

Liz Parker is a literary agent at Verve Talent & Literary and the author of All Are Welcome. She has written for the New York Times’s Modern Love column and lives in Los Angeles with her wife, Sarah, and their dogs.

Here Parker dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Family Compound:
While I think a great book must live truly within a reader’s imagination, The Family Compound is ripe for adaptation. Five cousins inherit a property in Vermont with one critical stipulation: they must decide what to do in unison. Whether the property stays in the family or gets put on the market, The Family Compound looks at what it means for family to stick together. It’s funny, it’s dramatic, and it’s about growing up when you’re already… grown-up.

Writer/Director-wise, I’d love to see Tom Bezucha take this one. Anyone who claims they don’t rewatch The Family Stone every December is lying to you: Tom wrote and directed a holiday classic, and his ability to weave humor and drama within a family is nearly unmatched.

For Penny and Andrew, two young thirtysomethings finding their way in the world. Julia Garner for Penny, and Zac Efron (with a classic outdoor kid scruff) for Andrew.

For Halsey and Heather, two mid-forty something’s not expecting to fall in love with each other. Rachel McAdams for Halsey (who might be lured to do another film with Tom), and Anne Hathaway for Heather.

For Laurie, a brittle lawyer who must soften to those around her. Dakota Johnson.

For Chris, an urban financier stuck in Vermont to figure out the property. Joseph Gordon-Leavitt

For William, a yogi-hipster all-too-fluent on social media. Chris Hemsworth.
Visit Liz Parker's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Monday, August 22, 2022

Jerome Charyn's "Big Red"

“One of the most important writers in American literature” (Michael Chabon), Jerome Charyn is the award-winning author of more than fifty works, including The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson. A renowned scholar of twentieth-century Hollywood, he lives in Manhattan.

Here Charyn dreamcasts an adaptation of his latest novel, Big Red: A Novel Starring Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles:
I originally was going to write a novel about Orson Welles. After reading 125 biographies of him I discovered that everything he said was either a total lie, a partial lie or totally irrelevant to the subject; therefore I couldn’t really conceive of writing a novel in his voice. The vanity would have been overwhelming! There wouldn’t have been any space for me.

But the more I read about Rita, the more involved I became with her. She had been violated by her own father, and this would haunt her entire life.

But she was utterly inarticulate, except for her panther-like movements, and so I had to find a narrator who would tell their story. I chose a young lesbian, Rusty Redburn, who worked in Columbia Pictures publicity department. And through the machinations of Columbia president Harry Cohn, she was hired as Rita’s secretary (and Cohn’s spy.) But she loved Rita and admired Orson and never once betrayed them.

We would need to find a young actress to play Rusty, perhaps someone who’s never been in films before. If we want to leap into the past, I would choose a young Jean Arthur; I think she would have been perfect. Of course in my movie, Orson would play himself and we’d have to launch a nationwide search to find the new Rita: a warm, vibrant tigress.
Learn more about the book and author at Jerome Charyn's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Kathleen M. Willett's "Mother of All Secrets"

Kathleen M. Willett grew up in New Jersey and London. She has a B.A. in English from Holy Cross and a M.A. in English Education from Columbia University. She taught English at the Beacon School in New York City for ten years. She lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband, two young daughters, and a cat named Mr. Sparkles. She loves running, reading, and watching Office reruns.

Here Willett dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Mother of All Secrets:
In the throes of the newborn phase, first-time mom Jenn has recently joined a new moms group in Manhattan. When one of the mothers in the group suddenly goes missing, Jenn becomes obsessed with her disappearance, eventually coming to realize that the women in the group are more deeply connected than any of them had realized. Though they don't know each other all that well, the moms quickly have to decide how much they're willing to risk to save one of their own, even if it means unearthing secrets that were supposed to stay buried forever.

What a dream come true it would be to see Mother Of All Secrets as a movie! I always pictured it as scenes while I was writing; in particular, the ending was so prevalent in my mind. I could really see them all in that apartment (no spoilers)!

For the lead, Jenn, I could picture Anne Hathaway or Anna Kendrick. They can both be sort of broody and neurotic, which I think would play well with Jenn's overthinking and anxiety about her baby. I could also see both of those actors throwing themselves wholeheartedly into a deep dive of Isabel's disappearance. Plus, Anne Hathaway actually is an Upper West Side mom!

For Jenn's husband, Tim, I pictured John Krasinski. Partly just because I really love John Krasinski, ha! But also because on the one hand, he seems like such a good guy. . . and yet, is there more to him? Tim is also frustratingly hapless when it comes to helping out with the baby. I think John Krasinski could play all of Tim's traits very well.

For Selena, I would love her to be played by Lauren E. Banks. She plays Siobhan on City On A Hill, and just like Selena, her character on that show is a poised, polished lawyer. Selena is confident and knows just who she is, and Lauren E. Banks plays that same self-possession beautifully as Siobhan.

A bookstagrammer called Katscreations614 sent me some casting choices, and I loved all of her picks-- she'd chosen Kate Bosworth for Vanessa, and I thought that was so ideal-- icy blond and simply too perfect, causing everyone else to feel inadequate. ...[read on]
Visit Kathleen M. Willett's website.

Q&A with Kathleen M. Willett.

The Page 69 Test: Mother of All Secrets.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sunday, August 14, 2022

Mark Pryor's "Die Around Sundown"

Mark Pryor is a former newspaper reporter and felony prosecutor, originally from England but now living in Austin, Texas. He is the author of the Hugo Marston mystery series, set in Paris, London, and Barcelona. Pryor is also the author of the psychological thrillers, Hollow Man, and its sequel, Dominic. As a prosecutor, he appeared on CBS News's 48 Hours and Discovery Channel's Discovery ID: Cold Blood.

Here Pryor dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Die Around Sundown:
My main character, Henri Lefort, is a smart-aleck, highly intelligent, and has no time for fools (or Nazis). One actor kept popping into my head as I wrote him, because I've seen him exhibit all of those traits in the roles he's played: Jensen Ackles. Sure, he's handsome as heck, but he's also funny and a great actor. I first saw him in the TV series Supernatural, and over the course of 15 seasons I saw him grow as an actor, as his character Dean Winchester grew. I think he could carry Henri's great secret, and reveal it slowly as Henri does, and demonstrate the weight of that secret.

Henri's colleague and housemate, Nicola, is as French as can be, highly intelligent and hard-working, and not one to put up with Henri's nonsense. I see a lot of Lauren Cohan in Nicola, visually and in terms of her character. Nicola is the only one to know Henri's reality, and Lauren Cohen has those big, soulful eyes that hint of secrets and mystery. Having watched her for years in The Walking Dead, she's played everything from mother to warrior and would be amazing as Nicola.

The third major character I would like to cast is Princess Marie Bonaparte, or "Mimi" as Henri and Nicola call her. A strong, independent, incredibly bright woman, she would need to exude curiosity and intelligence. And look French, but without being overly glamorous. For me, Joan Cusack fits the bill, perfectly. It's true that she's played a lot of roles in comedies and romantic shows, but she's received recognition for dramatic roles, too, and has even played a therapist once before.
Visit Mark Pryor's website.

My Book, The Movie: Dominic.

--Marshal Zeringue

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Erin Flanagan's "Blackout"

Erin Flanagan’s most recent novel Blackout was a June 2022 Amazon First Reads pick. Her novel Deer Season won the 2022 Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Author and was a finalist for the Midwest Book Awards in Fiction (Literary/Contemporary/Historical). She is also the author of two short story collections–The Usual Mistakes and It’s Not Going to Kill You and Other Stories. She’s held fellowships to Yaddo, MacDowell, The Sewanee Writers’ Conference, The Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, UCross, and The Vermont Studio Center. She contributes regular book reviews to Publishers Weekly and other venues.

Flanagan lives in Dayton, Ohio with her husband, daughter, two cats and two dogs. She is an English professor at Wright State University and likes all of her colleagues except one.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of Blackout:
Seven hard-won months into her sobriety, sociology professor Maris Heilman begins having mysterious blackouts. She chalks it up to exhaustion, though she fears that her husband and daughter will suspect she’s drinking again. When another blackout lands her in the ER, Maris meets a network of women suffering the same fate, and they have limited time to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it before it’s too late.

While this novel is billed as a thriller, at its center it’s a book about women and how we balance our increasingly complicated lives. After her first blackout, Maris makes the decision not to tell her husband, Noel, what happened and instead explains away her odd forgetful behavior by saying she probably just needs a good night’s sleep. “She worked a demanding job, was hounded by trolls online for her articles on rape culture and masculinity, was raising a teenager, and was in her forties. Of course she needed a good night’s sleep.” But of course, too, she knows it’s more than that and an actress would need to be able to portray a character’s ability to lie to her husband and herself for different reasons.

While Jenny Slate is known mostly for her comedy (I loved her as Mona-Lisa Saperstein in Parks and Recreation), there’s a certain scrappiness to her that I would love to see take on Maris. Slate seems to understand that it’s difficult and exhausting to be a woman right now (and historically), and that it’s not just one job but many. That comedy she’s so good at is a form of bravado, and I think bravado is just what Maris has used to get through the world. By the end of the movie, it would need to be clear what vulnerability lurks underneath it.

Bill Hader would be a great choice for Noel, an empathetic ER doctor. Noel learns firsthand the destruction wrought in a family through secret keeping. He knows he loves Maris but does he trust her? Bill Hader is tall, looks good in scrubs, and can play a range of roles from those embodying distrust and despair (Barry) to unexpected heartthrob (Trainwreck).

And finally there’s Cody, Maris’s thirteen-year-old daughter, who is trying to navigate growing up in a patriarchal society where girls are seen in relation to their sexuality. Add onto this a mother she doubts, a biological father a thousand miles away, and the hormones of puberty, and good luck. Elsie Fisher is probably aging out of this role, but I was so incredibly struck with her performance in Castle Rock, I’d love to see her as Cody. Every time I’d see Fisher on screen, so awkward and teenaged and vulnerable, it would be like looking at a real kid. Not a kid who was acting these things, but that was these things. It was almost uncomfortable, and it took me a few episodes to give her her due and realize this was a part she was playing and not her. That’s both a great compliment to her acting, and just the kind of devaluation girls face day in and day out.

As for Eula, the older neighbor who gave up her academic career in the sciences to support her husband’s, Frances McDormand in ten more years, full stop. I think everything I’ve ever written is for Francis McDormand at some stage in her career. Mostly, I’d be so curious to hear who readers would want to see in these roles and who they envision, so if you have ideas, please let me know!
Visit Erin Flanagan's website.

The Page 69 Test: Blackout.

--Marshal Zeringue

Monday, August 1, 2022

Leslie Karst’s "The Fragrance of Death"

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock and roll band, before deciding she was ready for ‘real’ job and ending up at Stanford Law. It was during her career as a research and appellate attorney in Santa Cruz County that she discovered a passion for food and cooking, and she once more returned to school – this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, she spends her time cooking, singing alto in her local community chorus, gardening, cycling, and of course writing. Karst and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawaii.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Fragrance of Death:
Sally Solari is a fourth-generation Italian, part of the community of fishermen who first emigrated to Santa Cruz, California back in the 1890s. Not yet forty, she’s already experiencing erratic hormones and hot flashes. As a result, she can tend towards over-the-top emotions and sarcasm (though cycling and bourbon help). But she’s also smart, stubborn, and resolute, and rarely takes no for an answer. As a result, when Sally sets her mind on tracking down a murderer, you do not want to be the one who gets in her way.

So what actor should play this spunky gal? Why, Jennifer Garner, of course. Not only does she have the correct build for Sally—tall and lanky with shoulder-length dark hair—but she’s got the right personality, as well: tough-as-nails, but with a sweetness and vulnerability at her core. I’m thinking the Jennifer Garner of Alias fame, where she played Sydney Bristow, a fearless secret agent posing as a mild-mannered bank clerk. And I bet Jennifer would have loads of fun learning the skills of a line cook/restaurateur to prepare for the role!

As for Eric Byrne, Sally’s ex-boyfriend and current BFF, with his charming smile and boyish blond locks, this district attorney who’d far rather be surfing waves than prosecuting criminals should most definitely be played by none other than the eternally youthful Brad Pitt. I mean, c’mon—wouldn’t you pay good money to watch Jennifer Garner and Brad Pitt square off in a bout of snarky jokes and quick repartee?

Finally, I would have dearly loved to see the late Robert Forster as Sally’s father, Mario. With his sweetly gruff manner, he would have been perfect to showcase the hurt that the swaggering, can’t-show-my-feelings fisherman feels when his daughter decides to leave their family’s Italian seafood eatery to take over the trendy, French-Polynesian restaurant, Gauguin, left to Sally by her murdered aunt in book one of the series.

Oh, and speaking of sweetness-and-vulnerability-meet-snark-and-quick-repartees, how fun would it be to score Nancy Meyers as director and Aaron Sorkin as screenwriter for The Fragrance of Death?

I can dream, right?
Visit Leslie Karst’s website.

Coffee with a Canine: Leslie Karst & Ziggy.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Alison B. Hart's "The Work Wife"

Alison B. Hart’s writing has appeared in Joyland Magazine, Literary Hub, The Missouri Review, and The Millions, among others. She co-founded the long-running reading series at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn and received her MFA from The New School. She grew up in Los Angeles and lives in North Carolina.

Here Hart dreamcasts an adaptation of her debut novel, The Work Wife:
The Work Wife is a novel, set over the course of one day, that’s told from the perspective of three women in the orbit of billionaire movie mogul Ted Stabler—his personal assistant Zanne, his wife Holly, and his ex-business partner Phoebe Lee. Maybe it’s because I wanted to be a screenwriter before I ever wanted to be a novelist, but I’ve always enjoyed dreaming up who would play my characters in the movie. So let’s give my Hollywood novel the Hollywood treatment!

Zanne’s the hardest for me to cast. She’s Joan Jett without the makeup, Snow White if she were a daddy. Zanne Klein’s a tough nut. She grew up in LA as the only child of a single mother, the product of an affair between a professor and his teaching assistant. When she was thirteen, her mother died, and Zanne was shipped off to Boston to live with a father and a step family she never knew. All of the ingredients are there for her to develop a substance abuse problem, and she does. At 18, she gives the finger to her dad (and the free tuition she could get at the college where he teaches) and heads back to LA to work on a film crew. Zanne was striking even as a child, and never knew what to do with all that attention from men, which felt barbed and hostile. But when she finds herself struggling to make ends meet on the peanuts she’s paid as a production assistant, she picks up extra work as a “model,” paid to attend parties and look pretty, and sliding perilously toward dangerous situations. Eventually, she leaves LA, comes out as gay, gets clean, and by the time we meet her on the morning of this one extraordinary day, she’s built up a hard shell around herself. There are a lot of actresses who could play Zanne, but I picture her like Ally Sheedy in High Art, someone who’s battled so many demons they seem impenetrable, but look closer and you realize they’re walking a tightrope toward everything they’ve ever wanted, and one misstep can cost them everything.

Holly Stabler is Hollywood’s golden girl. She grew up modestly in the mountains north of LA, a sweet, popular girl who loves to paint and ride horses. In art school, she doesn’t recognize the trustee and famous director who paid her a studio visit, but Ted Stabler takes a shine to the young artist. Next thing she knows, she’s married with two kids and smiling on the cover of all the tabloids in the nail salon, her art career an afterthought. No one really knows Holly Stabler but everyone loves her—except maybe her husband, who’s so busy he looks right through her. Everyone wants her long, reddish hair that’s straight out of a Pantene commercial. Everyone wants Holly Stabler to be nice, and she is—until she’s not anymore. Picture Connie Britton in White Lotus or Leslie Mann in This Is 40.

Phoebe Lee is a better filmmaker than Ted Stabler, and she knows it. Or she once was—and might still have been—if her career hadn’t been derailed twenty years ago while her creative partner, Ted Stabler, went on to amass a shelf full of trophies, a film and TV empire, and a giant fortune. She’s never kidded herself; she knows success won’t come as easily to her as it did to Ted. She’s a Korean-American woman, the daughter of immigrants, and she’ll have to fight to make it into the same rooms where Ted is welcomed with pats on the back from the rest of the boys club. Now 48, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her film on the silver screen. Chloé Zhao won her Oscar for Nomadland as I was revising The Work Wife, and Crazy Rich Asians’ Gemma Chan’s arrival at the Oscars inspired a key scene in the book, but the actress I’ve always seen when I think of Phoebe is Sandra Oh.
Visit Alison B. Hart's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Friday, July 22, 2022

Paula Munier's "The Wedding Plot"

Paula Munier is a literary agent and the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A Borrowing of Bones, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and named the Dogwise Book of the Year. The sequel Blind Search, inspired by the real-life rescue of a little boy with autism who got lost in the woods, was followed by The Hiding Place in 2021.

Here Munier dreamcasts an adaptation of The Wedding Plot, the new Mercy Carr mystery:
Dreamcasting The Wedding Plot is a fun exercise because it means finding actors not only for my series heroine, Mercy Carr, but also for her extraordinary family, all of whom are gathering together at a luxe resort in Vermont for her grandmother’s wedding. The ultra-glam extravaganza is thrown off course by missing persons, family feuds, and murder, not necessarily in that order. Everyone is hiding something, and it’s up to Mercy to save the day—and the bride and groom—before it’s too late.

For Mercy, I’d choose Rose Leslie from A Game of Thrones, another strong and passionate redhead who’s not afraid to fight the good fight, no matter the cost. Mercy served in Afghanistan as a soldier and a military policewoman; she’s a warrior, and Rose Leslie knows how to play a warrior.

When I write Grace, Mercy’s chic, perfectionist mother, I always see my own mother, as played by Cate Blanchett. Which means she’d be a brunette, but just as formidable.

Mercy’s beloved grandmother Patience is a veterinarian adored by most all creatures, both two-legged and four-legged. Wise and wonderful, Patience is Mercy’s Obi-Wan, the person she turns to for counsel as well as comfort. She’s everything a woman in her early seventies should be—just like Meryl Streep.

Troy Warner, the game warden trying to win a place in Mercy’s heart forever, is a good guy through and through. Someone like Alan Ritchson from Reacher would be perfect.

Last but not least, while I was writing The Wedding Plot, my father died unexpectedly. The Colonel was an officer and a gentleman, and I grieved terribly for him. But I had a deadline to meet, so I did the only thing I could do and continue on: I wrote him into the book. My dad became Mercy’s great-uncle, and on the screen only an actor like Robert Duvall could do him justice. If only….

PS: If you’re wondering who’d play the dogs, they’re right here in my living room: Blondie, our Malinois rescue, is as fierce and smart and athletic as Elvis; and Bear, the Newfoundland retriever mix who, like Susie Bear in the books, is The Friendliest Dog in the World.
Visit Paula Munier's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Paula Munier & Bear.

My Book, The Movie: A Borrowing of Bones.

My Book, The Movie: Blind Search.

My Book, The Movie: The Hiding Place.

Q&A with Paula Munier.

--Marshal Zeringue

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Meghan Holloway's "Killing Field"

Meghan Holloway found her first Nancy Drew mystery in a sun-dappled attic at the age of eight and subsequently fell in love with the grip and tautness of a well-told mystery. She flew an airplane before she learned how to drive a car, did her undergrad work in Creative Writing in the sweltering south, and finished a Masters of Library and Information Science in the blustery north. She spent a summer and fall in Maine picking peaches and apples, traveled the world for a few years, and did a stint fighting crime in the records section of a police department. She now lives on the Atlantic coast with her standard poodle and spends her days as a scientist with the requisite glasses but minus the lab coat.

Here Holloway dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Killing Field:
I never have a model or actor in mind for a character as I am writing. The characters reveal themselves to me as fully evolved, entirely unique individuals, not based on any specific person. It is not simply a matter of looks that captures a character. The strength of the actor, the range of emotions they are able to portray, the actors’ presence on the screen balancing the parallel of the character on the page…I gave the subject of starring roles for Killing Field some consideration before I came up with my answer.

I wrote Hector more in the vein of an antihero than a hero. He lived a hard life from the time he was a boy, and he is a cold, driven man. The only gentling influences in his life are Frank, his dog, and Maggie, his wife’s closest friend. Hector has chased his missing wife’s trail of secrets to the end. He has no answers, no job, and no patience for the girl who has been following him. Her claim to be his lost daughter sets the town ablaze and forges an unexpected alliance with his most bitter enemy, his wife’s family. Although he is a bit younger than the character, I think Josh Brolin could pull off the stern, weathered, distant character of Hector.

Annie Between Lodges knows who murdered her sister and why. She has proof. She also knows that if she comes forward with the evidence she has stolen, she will not survive long enough to tell the truth. She needs an ally, someone unflinching and unafraid, someone who knows how to make enemies and remain unscathed. But one lie catapults her into deeper danger. Annie is such a strong character. The vulnerability of youth still clings to her, but she has immense courage and tenacity. Her lies force Hector to confront the past. Blu Hunt would make an excellent Annie.

As you read Killing Field, tell me what you think of my choices for these leading roles. Who would you cast to portray Hector and Annie and the rest of the key characters in Raven’s Gap?
Visit Meghan Holloway's website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

My Book, The Movie: Once More Unto the Breach.

Q&A with Meghan Holloway.

My Book, The Movie: Hunting Ground.

My Book, The Movie: Hiding Place.

Writers Read: Meghan Holloway.

--Marshal Zeringue