A. Scott Pearson's "Rupture"

A. Scott Pearson is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. For the past decade, Dr. Pearson has been on the surgical faculty at Vanderbilt University, where he combines cancer research with the clinical practice of surgery and teaches on the importance of the patient’s narrative in medicine.

Here he shares some ideas about the cast for a cinematic adaptation of his new novel, Rupture:

Rupture, my novel of medical suspense, introduces surgeon Eli Branch. While investigating the suspicious death of one of his patients, Eli uncovers an elaborate web of lies spun by his late father, a longtime professor of anatomy at Mid-South Medical College in Memphis. Instead of finding answers, Eli finds more questions–and more victims, each meeting a sudden, violent end.

Eli joins forensic pathologist Meg Daily to find a common thread among the victims. As they piece together the chilling puzzle, Eli and Meg plunge headfirst into the world of deadly medicine–a world way too close to home. Trapped in the paradox of ending one life to save another, Eli finds that in this life-or-death race against time, one false step could be fatal.

For the main character, burgeoning surgeon Eli Branch, I would choose a young Harrison Ford, without question. Since that’s not happening, I turn to Jude Law, or an inquisitive John Cusack. Maybe a serious Jay Mohr. It both thrills and troubles me to consider what Robert Downey, Jr. could do with the role. Jake Gyllenhaal could take this part and run with it. Rising to the top of the pack, however, is Matt Damon.

For the heroine, pathologist Meg Daily, her part is fun to think about, again and again. Cate Blanchett would be sumptuous, as would Juliette Binoche. Then there’s Minnie Driver. Driver and Damon might recreate their relationship in Good Will Hunting. Could be a good thing, but not right for this story. I’d go with Laura Linney.

I would love to see Telly Savalas portraying Lipsky, the gruff police detective. But Harvey Keitel could blow it away.

Henry Branch, Eli’s brother, would be a complex role. Better ask Ed Harris for that one.

For Fisher, the chairman of surgery, bring on Jon Voight. For Harvey Stone, powerful head of the biomedical device company, Donald Sutherland would rock. But, I love Bill Nighy in just about anything. And for Alex Zaboyan, Stone’s second in command, a skeptical Alan Rickman.

For Tsarina, the temptress-turned-villain, a role-reversed Allison Janney would be sublime.

And lastly, there’s Prine, a relatively minor character with major consequences for the ending. To be played by Scatman Crothers, from The Shining. I could “see” his face every time I wrote this character.

Read more about Rupture at the official website or at the publisher's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Linda L. Richards' "Death Was the Other Woman"

Linda L. Richards is the editor and co-founder of January Magazine and a regular contributor to The Rap Sheet. Her latest books are the Kitty Pangborn novels, Death Was the Other Woman and Death Was in the Picture.

Here she shares some thoughts about the cast for a big screen adaptation of the novels:

I was asked to participate in “My Book the Movie” when the first Kitty Pangborn novel came out in 2008. I didn’t. I couldn’t. When I thought about the book, no film faces popped up. That’s just how it is for me. The characters that people my books are never – never – inspired by real people. Without exception. I never have anyone real in mind when I write those characters. They come out of my imagination: individuals fully formed.

Also, I know enough about the making and casting of films to understand that A) my casting choices will have little or anything to do with who ultimately plays those roles should there be a film version and B) there is no role – that is to say, I can’t imagine the role – that could be played by only one actor. Such is the nuance of that particular art that different actors bring different things to different roles. And so, for instance, if you’ve read the first Kitty Pangborn novel, Death Was in the Picture, imagine Charlize Theron in the Kitty role. Now imagine Halle Berry. Or Kate Hudson in the role. Now Jennifer Hudson. Now Katie Holmes. None of those five women would, in my mind, be entirely wrong for the role (and just what is “wrong,” anyway?) but, obviously, it becomes an entirely different role with each of those women: they’d bring different things to playing Kitty Pangborn and none of those things would be wrong; none of them would be incorrect.

That said, not long after Death Was the Other Woman was released in 2008, I was at a play that was produced and partly performed by my son Michael Karl Richards, who is a working actor based mostly in Vancouver. It was actually a series of plays known as The Good Doctor written originally by Anton Chekov and re-imagined for the stage by Paul Simon.

I know, cool right?

So, obviously, my son was brilliant in several roles, but that’s not the point of this particular exercise. One of the plays was actually a monolog performed by a young actress I’d met before on several social occasions. I’d never seen her act before. And she knocked my socks off. And though she was playing a heartbroken Russian woman, almost from the first moment, she took my breath away.

“Ohmigawd,” I whispered to my partner before very long. “She’s Kitty. I mean, she is Kitty.” It was like the character had gotten up and out of my book and strolled onto the stage.

Adrianna Spence is an actor you probably have not heard of, but she’s immensely talented and, to my mind, she could handle all aspects of the Kitty character, including the physical. Spence is young, lovely in an incredibly cute way, her coloring is just what I had in mind when I wrote Kitty: the sort of pert redhead who entrances men with a proclivity for that particular combination.

I think many, many actors – men of a certain age – could do a fantastic job with Dex, the damaged World War I veteran who is Kitty’s shamus boss. It actually would be the kind of role a lot of people would enjoy playing, I think. Dex is critically damaged; fatally flawed. Actors like dealing with the sort of challenge and nuance that sort of role brings.

So I’ll give you two names. Either would do wonderfully as Dex. Russell Crowe seems to inhabit and embody the necessary damage and danger Dex brings. I think also Robert Downey Jr. would do a great job. He’s a wonderful actor and he really walks that walk. And both of them would look killer in a high-crowned fedora.

But again, I have a great deal of respect for the acting profession and understand that a dozen competent people would bring a score of different things to those roles. I’d love to see any of them have a run at it. What fun to see your waking dreams brought to life.

Learn more about the author and her work at Linda L. Richards' website.

View the Death Was in the Picture trailer.

The Page 69 Test: Death Was the Other Woman.

The Page 69 Test: Death Was in the Picture.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gabriel Cohen's "Red Hook"

Gabriel Cohen is the author of Red Hook, The Graving Dock, and Neptune Avenue (coming April 27, 2009, from St. Martin’s Minotaur), three crime novels featuring Brooklyn South Homicide detective Jack Leightner. He is also the author of the novel Boombox and of Storms Can’t Hurt the Sky, a nonfiction book about how to recover from divorce.

He has written for the New York Times, Poets & Writers, the New York Post magazine, Crimespree, and other publications, and will be the guest lecturer aboard the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner in May, 2009. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Here he shares his tale of Jack Leightner's leap from novels to the movies:

It’s funny—not ha-ha funny, but I just fell down a flight of stairs and got severely banged up but I’m still alive funny—but this was almost not a theoretical question for me. My first novel Red Hook came out in 2001. After it got nominated for the Edgar award the next year, I got a hotshot Hollywood agent. In very short order, she found an interested production company (Denis Leary’s) and an interested screenwriter (Will Rokos, who was very hot that year as he had just co-written Monster’s Ball). There was just one inconvenience: they needed some serious studio money to make the film happen.

I didn’t let that little detail faze me. I was too busy dreaming about the single phone call, the tap from a studio head’s magic wand, that would instantly transform my life for the better. No more struggling to pay the rent. No more part-time gigs doing work I had zero interest in. No more plugging away in total obscurity.

My agent asked me to come up with a list of possible actors for the lead role. I figured, hey, why not start at the top? I still have the list on my computer: Robert De Niro. Nick Nolte. Ed Harris. David Strathairn. Etc. My books are as much about the mysteries of human character as the simple question of whoddunit, and I had gone to great pains to give Jack Leightner, my protagonist, a complex, well-rounded life. Aside from the big case he was working on, the divorced cop was struggling to deal with a difficult son, an uncertain new romance, and a painful secret from his childhood. It seemed (and still seems) like a dynamite role for a middle-aged actor looking for a meaty challenge: a flawed but deeply sympathetic human being, a homicide detective confronting his own mortality and personal life.

To make a short story even shorter, my little bubble managed to stay afloat for just a week. Our attached screenwriter made the rounds of the big Hollywood studios to pitch the tale. Nobody bit. Maybe there weren’t enough car crashes or explosions in the plot.

And that was that. The End. A little window of magical opportunity opened for a second, and then slammed shut. Back to the daily work. Which is okay with me, mostly, because I love the writing. My third Jack Leightner book, titled Neptune Avenue, will be released soon by St. Martin’s Press and I’m hard at work on a fourth installment in the series. I’m just as excited about deepening my protagonist’s character as ever.

I don’t dream about Hollywood very much anymore, though I would love for some serious, thoughtful star, writer, or director to get interested again. Barring that, I’d even settle for a hack job. Why? Because the money would enable me to focus even more intensely on my writing.

But what about quality, you ask? What about ensuring that the movie lives up to the promise of the book?

That’s simple. I always think of the famous novelist who was interviewed while sitting at his writing desk. “What do you think of what Hollywood has done to your movies?”

“Hollywood didn’t do anything to them,” he replied calmly, pointing at his bookcase. “They’re still right there.”

Learn more about the author and his work at Gabriel Cohen's website.

The Page 69 Test: Gabriel Cohen's The Graving Dock.

--Marshal Zeringue

David Blixt's "The Master of Verona"

In David Blixt's The Master of Verona, Shakespeare's Italian characters meet the historical figures of Dante's Inferno, setting the stage for the famous Capulet-Montague feud from Romeo & Juliet.

Here the author picks the director and principal cast for a film adaptation of his novel:

Directed by:
Peter Weir

Starring:
Hugh Jackman as Cangrande della Scala

Jake Gyllenhaal as Pietro Alaghieri

Cate Blanchett as Katerina della Scala

Robert Pattinson as Mariotto Montecchio

Chris Pratt as Antonio Capulletto

Anne Hathaway as Gianozza della Bella

Avery Brooks as Tharwat al-Dhamin

Stacy Keach as the Count of San Bonifacio

Ritchie Coster as Asdente

and

Peter O'Toole as Dante Alaghieri

WHY:
Weir - did you see Master and Commander?
Jackman - because he, like Cangrande, is everything a man should be.
Hathaway - beautiful, but empty.
Brooks - he, too, is everything a man should be.
Keach - because he'd eat this role alive.
O'Toole - he's too old, but he would still be genius.

Read an excerpt from The Master of Verona and learn more about the book at the official website.

The Page 69 Test: The Master of Verona.

--Marshal Zeringue

Zachary Lazar's "Sway"

Zachary Lazar's first novel is Aaron, Approximately. He graduated from Brown University, has been a Fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Works Center, and received the Iowa Writers Workshops James Michener/Copernicus Society Prize.

Here he shares some thoughts about a cinematic adaptation of his second novel, Sway:

A few months ago, I came across this exchange on the internet, in which Dan DeLuca, a critic at the Philadelphia Enquirer, interviews Martin Scorsese:

DeLuca: Do you know about Sway, Zachary Lazar's novel about the Stones in the '60s?

Scorsese: I have a copy of it. I haven't read it yet. I have stacks of books which I intend to read while shooting, which is impossible. [Laughs].

I could do without the [Laughs] part, which seems to underscore the “I haven’t read it yet” part. Still, while this internet chat may be as close as I ever get to seeing my novel turned into a movie, the mere idea of the book being in Scorsese’s possession (even if it remains unread) is exciting. But I wonder who could play any of my novel’s characters in any case? The recent Brian Jones biopic “Stoned,” which covers some of the same ground as Sway, shows how difficult it is for an actor to play a rock star without becoming a cartoon in the process. Another of Sway’s strands—the story of the Manson Family—poses the same kind of challenge, which was demonstrated in Jeremy Davies’s recent portrayal of Charles Manson in the remake of “Helter Skelter.” Perhaps the story is best left as a book (though I’d probably not complain if anyone wanted to make a movie out of it).

It is a movie that forms Sway’s connecting thread, Kenneth Anger’s 1969 short film “Invocation of My Demon Brother.” I once saw that film with Anger standing right behind me in the darkened theater, and it felt as if he was peering right through my skull into my mind. In a sense, this is the reverse of what many viewers of “Invocation” feel: as though they are peering directly into Anger’s mind. It is a quick, dark, powerful film—in its abstract way, it sums up everything corrosive and fatal about the counterculture of the 1960s. Anger’s reputation as hostile, even towards those who admire him, is legendary, and as I said, I felt in that theater as if he was peering into my mind. If he was, then he would have known that even then I was in the process of making a book out of his movie.

Read an excerpt and learn more about Sway at the publisher's website.

Check out Lazar's playlist matching songs to the chapters in Sway.

The Page 69 Test: Sway.

--Marshal Zeringue

Chris Marie Green's Vampire Babylon series

Chris Marie Green writes the Vampire Babylon series. Night Rising, Book One, was reissued in mass market format on January 27, 2009, and Midnight Reign and Break of Dawn are already available in trade editions. A Drop of Red, Book Four, will be released in trade on March 3, 2009.

Here she shares some casting ideas for the screen adaptation of the series:

Welcome to Hollywood after dark, where the stars shine brightly, the famous fall from their sparkling heavens, and the vampires lurk just under the ground, waiting for their own chance to “make it” in the biz.

So how does a writer go about populating an urban fantasy such as this? I would start with the hunters. The main heroine, Dawn Madison, is a lean, mean ex-stunt woman who’s returned to town to discover the whereabouts of her missing father. She’s got a lot of attitude that covers a few soft spots that she’d rather keep buried, as well as a real complex about her mother, a beautiful superstar whose unsolved murder made her a silver-screen legend. Even though Summer Glau has cornered the market on vulnerable scowls in action franchises, I’d love to see her wielding a machete at some vamps in the wilds of L.A.

Dawn’s co-worker at the paranormally inclined “firm” that employed her missing father is a far harder part to cast. Kiko Daniels is a twenty-something “little person” actor whose career is on the skids. But his psychic powers and hunting skills keep him cocky and confident, even when his agent can’t get him much work during the day. I’m not sure who’d play this role—someone unknown? A blond-haired, boyish guy who wears a soul patch with panache?

The third team member, Breisi Montoya, is a former Mexican soap opera actress, around thirty years old and seemingly too long in the tooth for the ingénue parts that used to give her a paycheck. But she’s hell in the lab, where she creates the team’s weapons, and she can handle a mean saw-bow outside of headquarters, too. I don’t know how tall Bianca Marroquin is, but this woman would carry petite Breisi’s trademark Louise Brooks hairstyle pretty well.

Dawn’s missing father, Frank Madison, is a former bar bouncer. He was everyone’s best buddy at tequila hour and, as far as his daughter knew, lived a wastrel’s life. But that was before she found out that he was a vamp hunter. Tough yet world-weary and remorseful, Frank is Bruce Willis. He was really the only character model I had while writing these books.

And then there’s Jacqueline Ashley, a rising starlet who befriends Dawn whether Dawn likes it or not. She’s plucky and naïve, sweet and wholesome. She’s also been targeted by studio suits to become the “next big thing,” seeing as she has a certain je ne sais quoi that defines a true star. I can see Jac as a twenty-three-year-old Charlize Theron, but with long strawberry blond hair.

Last, but not least, we’ve got “The Voice,” who communicates to his vamp hunting team only through speakers. It sounds as if his tone has been dragged through centuries of fights, and there’s a hint of “the old country” in every carefully chosen word. Michael Wincott’s tortured voice would be just the thing for this mysterious guy.

For more about Vampire Babylon, including book videos and excerpts, stop by www.vampirebabylon.com.

--Marshal Zeringue

Justin Gustainis' "Quincey Morris" series

Justin Gustainis is a Professor of Communication at Plattsburgh State University, where he earned the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002. His academic publications include the book American Rhetoric and the Vietnam War, published in 1993. The Hades Project, his first novel, was released to rave reviews in 2003.

Here he shares some ideas for the principal cast in film adaptations of his “Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigations” novels:

There are two books in my urban fantasy series about occult investigator Quincey Morris and his partner, “white” witch Libby Chastain. Black Magic Woman was released in January 2008, and Evil Ways came out December 30th. The third one, Sympathy for the Devil, is due in late 2009.

My first choice to play Quincey, the tall Texan with a degree from Princeton, would have been Tommy Lee Jones, about twenty years ago. But Mr. Jones is too old now, and, besides, the role might be too reminiscent of his work in the Men in Black movies. Among those available now, I’d pick Russell Crowe. He showed in 3:10 to Yuma that he can do the accent, and he combines the attributes of an action hero with real acting ability.

Libby Chastain should be played by an actress whose name might not be immediately recognizable: Catherine Keener. You might have seen her in Capote or The 40 Year Old Virgin. Catherine is more of a character actress, who combines the intensity, intelligence and courage that are the essence of Libby Chastain.

Another character appearing in both books is Walter Grobius, the slightly demented zillionaire who uses his money to dabble in black magic. I’d want someone who can capture his madness without chewing the scenery, and for that John Malkovich would be perfect.

A couple of cops play important roles in Black Magic Woman: an African-American FBI agent named Fenton, and a white South African, from that country’s Occult Crimes Unit, who’s been brought over to lend his expertise to a very nasty case involving murders with occult overtones. Don Cheadle would be great as Fenton, and for Van Dreenan I’d go with Ralph Fiennes. He has a world-weariness about him that would work well in portraying this South African cop who is haunted by too many memories.

Black Magic Woman features several villains. Christine Abernathy is a “black” witch whose roots go back to the Salem witch trials. She is just plain evil. For her, I’d cast against type and pick Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett’s age would fit the character well, and the malevolent Christine Abernathy would be a nice stretch for her.

There’s another evil woman in the story: Cecelia Mbwato, an African witch whose magic is as bad as it gets. The spell she wants to cast requires bodily organs from five children – removed while they are still alive. Cecelia has a bodyguard/chauffeur, the appropriately named Snake Perkins. A psychopathic redneck, Snake will commit any atrocity asked of him, without hesitation. To play Cecelia, I’d choose C.C.H. Pounder, a character actress whose most recent work has been in TV’s The Shield. To get inside Snake’s skin, I would send Jake Gyllenhaal, and ask him to turn his Brokeback Mountain character on its head.

Quincey and Libby are back in Evil Ways, as are Agent Fenton and Walter Grobius. But there are two new parts that need casting. One is Pardee, the ruthless wizard in Grobius’s employ who is behind the plan to stage the ultimate black magic ceremony on Walpurgis Night. I like Edward Norton for the role. He can keep the goatee he wore in The Illusionist, but shave his head for a more sinister look.

The other important character is occult bounty hunter Hannah Widmark, known in some circles as “Widowmaker.” The role of this deadly, obsessed, ice-cold beauty would have been perfect for a younger Sigourney Weaver. As it is, I’d probably go with Linda Fiorentino.

Learn more the books and author at Justin Gustainis' website and MySpace page.

--Marshal Zeringue

Barbara Levenson's "Fatal February"

Barbara Levenson, former prosecutor and judge, is the author of Fatal February, available on February 1st.

Here she lays out some ideas for cast and director of a film adaptation of the novel:

Fatal February is one part romance, one part mystery with a large spoonful of humor. After I wrote the book, I received several suggestions that it really was the blue print for a TV series, because it is the first in a series of mysteries with continuing characters. But who hasn’t dreamt of selling their brainchild as a movie?

The protagonist, Mary Magruder Katz, is a quirky criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida. She is half Jewish and half Southern Baptist which explains her name. She has a hot Latin lover who is half Cuban and half Argentine. In Miami, the melting pot often begins in the wedding chapel.

I didn’t write with an eye to a particular look or actor in mind. Now that the characters are full blown, I do visualize who would fill the parts. Drew Barrymore has the right mix of comic timing and intelligent demeanor to be Mary. If I were casting a lesser known actor, Joelle Carter has the look. She has done television and movies but not as the lead, so this could be beneficial to her and to the film.

Carlos Martin, the Latin hotty, exudes head-turning sex appeal. Javier Bardem has the look, but an open casting call in Miami would probably net 500 great newcomers.

It’s really all about the directing. Tony Sears is a bright new director who has made great documentaries as well as directing musical comedies and plays in regional theatres. He’s got the insight to pull out on-target performances from lesser known actors, since he runs his own actor’s school. Another choice to direct is Darryl Hickman if he could be lured out of retirement.

Mary’s client, Lillian Yarmouth, is accused of stabbing her philandering husband to death. Glenn Close is just right. She can exude venom while still appearing to be fragile and feminine. Maddy Rodriquez, the “other woman” would be an easy role for Jennifer Lopez.

This movie is sure to be a hit in Miami. I can even imagine the preview. Maybe I better go buy a gown – just in case.

Learn more about the book and author at Barbara Levenson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jill Sorenson's "Crash Into Me"

Crash Into Me, Jill Sorenson's new romantic thriller--"featuring one too-tough female agent, one too-hot male suspect, and a head-on erotic collision"--hits bookstores on Tuesday, January 27th.

Here she shares some preferences for the main cast of a cinematic adaptation of the novel:

Crash Into Me is set in San Diego, a real place, but none of my characters are based on real people. I guess I start with a blank face, adding details as I go. It was a lot of fun to surf the net, searching for actors who resemble the pictures in my head.

With his brown hair and dark, bedroom eyes, Eric Bana is a good match for Ben Fortune, my surfer hero. Ben is a struggling single father and a successful pro athlete, a former ladies’ man and current murder suspect. Since his wife’s death, he’s been in virtual seclusion, shunning fans and avoiding the media. Bana seems like a reluctant heartthrob, and a strong, sensitive type, which makes him a perfect choice for Ben.

My heroine, Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez, is more difficult to cast. Physically, she’s kind of fierce, like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. She’s also part Latina, with light eyes and dark skin. The only actress I can think of who even vaguely resembles her is Estelle Skornik, a sultry-looking Frenchwoman. If I had to pick an American actress, I’d go with Cameron Diaz. In a bikini! She’s the ultimate California babe, and Crash Into Me is all about suspense (and sex) on the beach.

High School Musical vixen Vanessa Hudgens could play the role of Carly, Ben’s troubled teenaged daughter. This spoiled rich girl with a disturbing secret falls for James, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. No squeaky clean Zac Efron will do here. I’d choose a younger, edgier James Franco from Freaks and Geeks.

Read an excerpt from Crash Into Me and learn more about the author and her work at Jill Sorenson's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Laurel Corona's "The Four Seasons"

Laurel Corona is a professor of English and Humanities at San Diego City College and the author of more than a dozen middle school books and Until Our Last Breath: A Holocaust Story of Love and Partisan Resistance.

Her latest novel, The Four Seasons, is set in "glittering 18th-century Venice, [where] music and love are prized above all else—and for two sisters coming of age, the city’s passions blend in intoxicating ways."

Here she shares some ideas for the principal cast in a film adaptation of the novel:

Writing The Four Seasons, I quickly realized how much of a challenge it was going to bring to life the sensual extravaganza that was Venice in the early eighteenth century. I think every writer comes up against the sobering fact that in our culture we shortchange our sensory experiences, so that we really can’t, for example, describe with any great degree of specificity the way a rose smells or butter tastes. I am old enough to remember American Bandstand, where cute teenagers, when asked whether they liked a new record, would almost inevitably say they did, with no more explanation than “it has a good beat and I can dance to it.” Novels based on paintings, such as those by Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland, get a visual boost from their covers, but alas, there’s no such help for the poor soul writing a novel about music.

I often joked with my friends about how I was writing “Amadeus Meets Girl with the Pearl Earring,” realizing early on that for The Four Seasons to come to full life it needed to be experienced with Vivaldi’s music backing it up. I won’t be bashful about saying that I really, truly hope it will become a movie. In addition to the two main characters that can’t be cast—Venice and Vivaldi’s music--here are some ideas for first-rate actors who could bring The Four Seasons to life on screen.

For Vivaldi, Elijah Wood and Tobey Maguire bear a pretty good resemblance, but I have it on good authority (my son Ivan) that Daniel Bruhl is perfect, and after a peek at some photos on IMDb, I concur!

Chiaretta, the younger of the two sisters, is the epitome of fair beauty, inner strength, and grace, and these qualities are abundant in Kristen Stewart and Sienna Miller.

Maddalena, the older sister, is an auburn haired woman of quiet charisma, arising out of the passion with which she plays the violin. Her face becomes beautiful by knowing the person. Rose Byrne, Emmy Rossum, and Alexa Davalos are all prettier than I envision Maddalena, but right on target for how I hope she will be cast.

As for the men in Chiaretta’s life, I picture Claudio as looking something like Joaquin Phoenix. (Someone tell him not to retire—there’s another great role for him here!) A bit of world-weary intensity is essential for Andrea, and Christian Bale, Ethan Hawke, and Paul Bettany fit the look quite nicely.

And because The Four Seasons is about capable women, I would love to see a woman producer—perhaps someone who could take a smaller role, such as the Priora or one of the soloists in the choir. Madonna—are you interested?

Read an excerpt from The Four Seasons, and learn more about the book and author at Laurel Corona's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Four Seasons.

--Marshal Zeringue