Lara Zielin's "Donut Days"

Lara Zielin is a magazine editor by day and young-adult author by night. She grew up in Wisconsin eating cheese and watching the Packers, both of which she never really stopped doing even after moving to Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Here she shares some thoughts about the actors and director for a big screen adaptation of her debut YA novel, Donut Days:

Donut Days’ protagonist, Emma, is something of a budding hipster living in a community of conformists. Her parents are evangelical ministers who want her to attend a Christian college when she graduates from high school, but Emma can think of nothing worse.

Emma has a funny, often sarcastic voice, so the actress who plays her would need to be edgy, but not too edgy since the book takes place in the Midwest and, well, no one is that mean in the heartland. I think Ellen Page would be a fabulous option. Emma Watson, too, if she lost the British accent. I also think Amanda Bynes could do the role a great justice, and also I’d like her to play me in the Lifetime movie they’ll make about me one of these days: Lara Zielin: The Lara Zielin story: Hallowed Pages [subtitle] Not Without My Pen.

Emma’s in a fight with her best friend, Nat, who is tall and gorgeous, and who has red hair. Her character is more conservative and simple than Emma, so I’m thinking of someone fresh-faced and wholesome like Hayden Panettiere (but with scarlet locks).

Emma’s love interest is a nerd-turned-hunk, which would be a fun twist to bring from real life to the screen. Peter Billingsley is a bronze god of a man, who was Ralphie in A Christmas Story. But he more directs than acts now, so maybe Patrick Dempsey, except a few years younger. But not too young, because then he’s back to being a geek. It’s very nearly a quandary, you see.

To direct, I’d love Rob Hess, who always does an amazing job of capturing humor and drama in his films (full disclosure: I’m sleeping with him. We’re married.).

If not Rob, then Mark Waters who did an awesome job making Mean Girls fast and engaging, or Spike Jonze because he’s amazing and why not. I mean, come on, Being John Malkovich? That’s just brilliant filmmaking right there.

I would caution all the actors and producers and the director that they’d better bring to set a love for donuts and pastries because a big chunk of the book/movie takes place as people camp out in front of a donut shop waiting for it to open (full disclosure: I gained 20 pounds writing this book. I called it research.).

Learn more about the book and author at Lara Zielin’s website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

A.W. Hill's "Nowhere-Land"

A.W. Hill is the author of Nowhere-Land: A Stephan Raszer Investigation, as well as two previous Stephan Raszer novels; he has won numerous literary prizes. He is a Grammy Award-winning music supervisor for films, and was vice president of music for Walt Disney Pictures.

Here he shares some ideas for casting a cinematic adaptation of Nowhere-Land:

Stephan Raszer (the name is an acronym), protagonist of Nowhere-Land and the two novels that preceded it, was real for me long before any of his plots took shape.The first tic I pictured was the squint he registers when something doesn't smell right, or when he's faced with a metaphysical puzzlement. It's a gesture stolen from the facial repertoire of the great Steve McQueen, who is the most enduring model for Raszer. When the first book was in movie development at Paramount under Alphaville and director Alex Proyas, I had to give some serious thought to who a latter-day McQueen might be (not that I would have had any say about casting), and I thought of guys like Daniel Craig (not yet Bond), Guy Pearce, and Viggo Mortensen, all guys whose vulnerability is just barely disguised by tough exteriors, all "on the borderline of handsome." That's still pretty much how I see the character.

Raszer's women are a special breed of dirty angel. They're more grounded than he is, but only because their wings would otherwise carry them off. Monica Lord, his indispensable assistant, has always been Claire Danes. No one else comes remotely close. The character of Ruthie Endicott in Nowhere-Land, a "slice of rhubarb pie too good to spoil with ice cream," is a tougher call. She would be, I think, the present-day version of Valerie Bertinelli at 22. Cat's eyes, full of guile, and impossible to resist.

Learn more about the book and author at A.W. Hill's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Roxana Robinson's "Cost"

Roxana Robinson is the author of Cost, three earlier novels, and three short-story collections, as well as a biography of Georgia O’Keeffe. Four of these were named Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, the New York Times, Best American Short Stories, and Vogue, among other publications. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the MacDowell Colony.

Here she shares her preferences for casting the main roles in Cost...and reminds us of the importance of location scouts and production designers:

If Cost were to be made into a movie, for the parents, Julia and Wendell, I think Meryl Streep and Sam Waterston would be excellent. They'd be able to enter into those characters beautifully. For the two sons, Steven and Jack, I'd see maybe Emile Hirsch and Jamie Bell.

This is all after the fact, though, as I don't write with actors in mind, and in fact I don't write with real physical people in mind.

Just as important as the actors would be the house. This is an old shabby white clapboard farmhouse on the coast of Maine. Beyond it is a meadow, sloping down to the water. Beside the house is an old barn, on the other side, an orchard. This would all have to be exactly right: I do write with a very clear sense of setting and structures.

Read an excerpt from Cost, and learn more about the book and author at Roxana Robinson’s website.

The Page 69 Test: Roxana Robinson's Cost.

--Marshal Zeringue

Vincent H. O’Neil's "Exile Trust"

Vincent O’Neil won the St. Martin’s Press “Malice Domestic” award in 2005 with his debut novel Murder in Exile. The “Exile” series consists of Murder in Exile, Reduced Circumstances, and Exile Trust. Exile Trust was also published as a large-print book by Thorndike Press, and will be released in early 2010 as a paperback in Harlequin’s new “Worldwide Mystery” imprint. His short story “Finish the Job” was selected for the anthology Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers (Level Best Books, November 2009) and another of his short stories, “Blood Tells” will appear in the anthology Bad Cop ... No Donut (Padwolf, 2010).

Here he shares some casting ideas for a big screen adaptation of his “Exile” series:

A pair of book reviews first prompted me to think about the possible casting of my “Exile” mystery novels. Both reviews covered the first book in the series, Murder in Exile, each in a different way. One observed that my main character, background checker Frank Cole, had Jim Rockford’s wisecracking good nature while another said Frank’s unbending loyalty conjured up memories of Thomas Magnum. As The Rockford Files and Magnum, PI are among my all-time favorite shows, this made me ponder who might play Frank and his friends if the “Exile” series ever made it to TV or the big screen.

Frank is a low-key guy, early thirties and quite bright. At the beginning of the series he relocates to the small town of Exile, Florida to restart his life after a disastrous business bankruptcy. His new job as a background checker is what pulls him into murder investigations—making Frank a reluctant amateur sleuth. He’s dogged in his approach and not afraid to make mistakes, but he’s more brains than brawn when it comes to fisticuffs or gunfights.

With all that in mind, I soon decided on Noah Wyle of the hit TV series ER (and many other endeavors) for the starring role. The actor playing Frank Cole has to demonstrate a self-deprecating intelligence backed up by stubborn determination and a good sense of humor. Noah Wyle has covered all those bases in his career, and he possesses one of Frank’s most important attributes: People just plain like him.

Frank is alone in Exile at first, but he soon finds a girlfriend in photographer Beth Ann Thibedault. She’s much more confident than Frank and tries to steer him in the right direction in the series’ second book, Reduced Circumstances. Those qualities made me think of Maggie Gyllenhaal, the smart prosecutor who gives tough love to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. Although that role qualified her to play Beth Ann all by itself, her performance in the literary-themed Stranger Than Fiction showed that she can also play the tender, nurturing partner that Frank needs as he tries to rebuild his life.

Frank’s best friend in Exile is a local retiree named Gray Toliver, a sarcastic know-it-all who would be annoying if he didn’t actually know it all. Gray acts as a sounding board for Frank’s early cases, but has to take over one of his investigations in the series’ third book, Exile Trust. Envisioning a crusty-yet-supportive actor for this role brought up one of my personal favorites, Robert Loggia. Blending two of his previous roles, that of Al Pacino’s doomed criminal mentor in Scarface and Hector Elizondo’s cagey assistant coach in Necessary Roughness would create a very close approximation of Gray Toliver. Loggia is the caliber of actor who can tell Frank he’s a naïve fool while in the same breath expressing complete confidence in his ability to get the job done—and that’s what Gray does best.

Last but not least, Exile’s chief of police is a brilliant small-town cop named Denny Dannon. Provided someone could pry him away from his outstanding spot on CSI, that role would have to go to the inimitable Laurence Fishburne. As Exile’s de facto mayor and guardian angel, Chief Dannon commands respect with just a look—and we all know Laurence Fishburne can do that.

An excellent cast for a great series. Anybody got their numbers?

Read sample chapters and discover other information about the books and author at Vincent H. O’Neil's website, www.vincenthoneil.com.

The Page 69 Test: Exile Trust.

--Marshal Zeringue

Lawrence Watt-Evans' "Dragon Weather"

Lawrence Watt-Evans has been a full-time writer and editor for more than twenty years. The author of more than thirty novels, over one hundred short stories, and more than one hundred and fifty published articles, Watt-Evans writes primarily in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books. His short fiction has won the Hugo Award as well as twice winning the Asimov’s Readers Award.

Here he shares some casting ideas for the principal roles in an adaptation of Dragon Weather, a novel in the Obsidian Chronicles, the story of Arlian of the Smoking Mountain, a man obsessed with revenge on the dragons that killed his family:

The fact is, I try not to cast my novels -- I prefer to let the reader do it. I don't usually give much physical description of the protagonist, either, so that the reader can imagine himself in the role. (I know not every reader does that, but some do.)

But since you ask, let me consider one of my own favorites, Dragon Weather. I absolutely did not cast it when I was writing it, but I had a pretty good idea of what the characters were like, so looking back now, I can see who would fit. Alas, some of the ages aren't right, but allow me some impossibly good make-up, or maybe a little CGI, to fix that.

The book has a cast of hundreds, and I'm not going to try to find someone for every role; let's restrict it to the four most important characters.

I'm tired of the cliche of casting British actors for the villains and Americans for the heroes, but I can't help myself -- the chief villain, Lord Enziet, needs to be played by Alan Rickman. He's so good at playing supercilious villains, and his face and physique are perfect.

The poor doomed sweetheart, the girl called Sweet, I'd like to see played by Dichan Lachman -- if you don't recognize the name, she plays Sierra on the TV series Dollhouse. (I'd actually been thinking of maybe Kristin Bell or Sarah Michelle Gellar when I started on this, but then I remembered Lachman and that was that.)

For the mentor/sidekick Black, I'm thinking Russell Crowe.

As for the hero, Arlian of the Smoking Mountain -- well, it took me awhile, but you know, I think a younger Robert Downey, Jr. would be perfect. Arlian's a little disconnected from the people around him because he's obsessed with revenge, and Downey's good at that sort of disconnect. His appearance is very much what I'd imagined for Arlian. So if he wants it, the role is his.

And hey, that final confrontation between Arlian and Enziet, with Downey and Rickman -- I want to see that!

Learn more about the author and his work at Lawrence Watt-Evans' website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jim DeFelice's "Leopards Kill"

Jim DeFelice is the author of many military thrillers and has frequently collaborated with New York Times bestselling authors Stephen Coonts, Larry Bond, and Richard Marcinko. DeFelice’s solo novels include Threat Level Black, Coyote Bird, War Breaker, and My Brother's Keeper.

Here he shares an idea about which action-movie star might be a good lead for adaptations of a few of his novels, including Leopards Kill:

There’s one at every book signing – the reader who comes up and says, “You don’t look anything like your book.”

If I’m in a certain kind of mood – in other words, if the person is buying – I smile and ask, “What should I look like?”

The answer is inevitably an actor. The exact one tends to vary somewhat depending on age, but the most common by far is Bruce Willis.

What readers really mean – I think – is that they see Bruce Willis in the role of the book’s lead character. This is great, though it would be even better if Bruce Willis saw himself as the book’s lead character.

And that of the movie to follow.

Which makes sense – he stars in thrillers and action movies, I write thrillers and action books...

Now the truth is that I don’t actually model my characters after anyone when I’m writing them, not even me. (Honest.) But if Bruce Willis is the star of the movie they make of your book, all sorts of good things happen. So when they ask if I had “Bruce” in mind, I always agree. Who knows? They’re calling him by his first name; maybe they’re a friend of his.

Where it gets tricky is when the reader wants to know which Bruce Willis I had in mind: “He’s done so many movies... the Die Hard Bruce Willis? Or the True West Bruce Willis?”

More the former than the latter, but I’ll take what I can get.

What most people don’t know is that Bruce Willis did star in the movie version of a book I wrote – the novelization of The Sixth Sense. The only thing is, I wasn’t thinking of Bruce Willis when I wrote it. I had Anthony Hopkins in my head, and it was his voice I heard in every line. (Specifically, the Anthony Hopkins of The Edge, which I’d just seen twice before starting work on it. Don’t look for the book, by the way; as far as I know the only edition now in print is Japanese. The story about what happened is much longer than this blog, and has nothing to do with Bruce Willis.)

It’s possible that I’ve lost my chance with Bruce Willis, but I still try to make shots. Lately I’ve been working with a game company on a new video game. Recently one of the producers asked me who I saw as the lead character.

“Bruce Willis,” I said, without hesitating.

Of course, I just got the storyboards the other day, and I have to say, the character doesn’t look much like Bruce Willis – not even The First Deadly Sin Bruce Willis. I guess he wasn’t available.

I’m not ready to give up. One of my books, Leopards Kill, comes out in paperback this month. It’s an action adventure story, with a strong character, biblical themes, an epic landscape – a perfect Bruce Willis vehicle if ever there was one. I’ve been telling people that Bruce Willis would be perfect in it. Well, mostly I’ve been telling my agents that, in hopes that they’ll tell his agents that, but I’m happy to share.

The Bruce Willis of Tears of the Sun, by the way. If I have a choice.

I have learned a few things over the years about movie stars and book characters and fiction and fantasy.

After nominating Bruce Willis as the lead for the movie, most women readers ask me who I want to play the strong, smart, and sexy heroine.

I always smile and say, “My wife.”

Learn more about the author and his work at Jim DeFelice's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rebecca Barnhouse's "The Book of the Maidservant"

Rebecca Barnhouse teaches and writes about medieval topics and children’s literature set in the Middle Ages.

Here she shares some casting ideas for a cinematic adaptation of her new novel, The Book of the Maidservant:

I thought about this and then took a look at the blog. Can't believe it: THE EXACT SAME ACTORS were just cast in a zombie movie that I was considering for my middle grade novel set in the Middle Ages. I thought about changing things, but decided these actors are talented enough to pull off both roles with ease. So here's my vote:

Abigail Breslin would be perfect for Johanna, the maidservant of my title because she can be both naive and feisty. Plus, she has an appealingly medieval-looking face.

And who else could play Dame Margery Kempe, who was either exceedingly pious or completely bats, better than Kathy Bates?

John Mouse, the charming, waggish student on his way to the great law school in Bologna, is more problematic. I'm thinking there will have to be a casting call for a teenaged John Cusack type.

Finally, John C. Reilly is my choice for Petrus Tappester, the snarling owner of the Cock and Hen who bedevils both Johanna and Margery as they take their pilgrimage from England to Rome.

Learn more about the book and author at Rebecca Barnhouse's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Lauren Bjorkman's "My Invented Life"

Lauren Bjorkman grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. She now lives in Taos, New Mexico.

Here she shares some ideas about actors and director for an adaptation of her debut YA novel, My Invented Life:

When my agent called to say that Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B had expressed an interest in My Invented Life, I immediately thought about actors. Not that they were going to ask me for suggestions. It was just plain fun to think about. Eventually the deal fizzled. But the question remained. How would I cast a movie of my book? To add to the challenge, I enjoy movies with unknowns or lesser-knowns.

My heroine, Roz is a very tall, not-very-skinny teen. As a drama queen and theater geek, she lives to be the center of attention. And she’s wounded. Her older sister who she’s worshipped since forever recently deleted her from her life. Roz hides the wound behind a snarky and hilarious attitude. Whoever plays her would have to be tall. Mandy Moore fits the bill at 5’10’’ and has proven herself capable of playing a teen with an attitude.

Still, I imagine Roz’s face to be more like singer/songwriter Pink. Or like Busy Philipps who played a punky girl in the movie Home Room. Busy looks tough but vulnerable, and has the perfect chin. She would have to dye her hair brown, though.

Someone much shorter and sweeter should play the older sister, Eva. Eva is the perfect one—talented, funny, and, well, perfect. Though she’s excellent at ballet, cheerleading, and acting, she doesn’t brag. Some perfect girls are detestable, but Eva is not. In fact, she’s rather adorable and insecure. Ashley Greene (Twilight) would do justice to Eva’s sense of humor.

On the outside, Carmen is the smart, beautiful, Latina best friend to Eva. On the inside, she’s a bundle of complex phobias. Emily Rios (Quinceañera) would capture this unusual mixture of haughtiness and fear. Not to mention Carmen’s more hidden loveable side.

When it comes to the sexual orientation of my characters, ambiguity rules. Nothing happens beyond a little kissing (e.g. no sex), but my actresses would have to be comfortable showing attraction to another girl onscreen.

I’d like Ang Lee to direct because he’s so good at revealing the emotions beneath. And he’s the most versatile director around, trying his hand at so many genres—Chinese movies, dramas, a Jane Austen movie, a surreal martial arts movie, a superhero movie, and a gay western. It’s about time that he did a smart teen movie about sisters, Shakespeare, sexuality, and secrets.

Read an excerpt from My Invented Life, and learn more about the book and author at Lauren Bjorkman's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Walter Greatshell's "Xombies: Apocalypse Blues"

When not writing satirical horror novels, Walter Greatshell dabbles in freelance illustration (with an eye to creating dark children’s books, comics or graphic novels), humorous nonfiction (a throwback to his early days as a freelance journalist and arts critic), and stage acting (including in local productions of Oedipus Rex and Karel Capek’s R.U.R.). He has been a graveyard-shift nuclear-submarine technician and the general manager of a Providence landmark: the Avon Cinema.

His latest book is Xombies: Apocalypse Blues.

If they made my book Xombies: Apocalypse Blues into a film, here's who I'd like them to cast:

For the plucky-but-difficult heroine, Lulu Pangloss, I originally envisioned Christina Ricci circa Addams Family Values, but she's the wrong age bracket now, so I'm thinking Abigail Breslin or Dakota Fanning. The '70s actress Kim Darby (True Grit) would have been ideal.

For her doomed mother, I can picture Kathy Bates, but the ultimate crazy-mom candidate would have been late-Fifties-era Shelley Winters.

Steve Buscemi would be a bug-eyed marvel as Lulu's estranged dad, Fred Cowper--both before and after Xombification.

The role of unctuous Chairman Sandoval demands the sleazy charm of Alec Baldwin. In an earlier time, it would have been George Sanders (Rebecca).

Commander Coombs calls for the seriousness and desperation of Harvey Keitel.

The nasty Navy duo of Kranuski and Webb should absolutely be played by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Their physical types are perfect, and they would also bring a funny edge to the characters. This whole thing should be played as dark comedy.

For Dr. Alice Langhorne, I can think of no actress as scary as Sharon Stone, although Glenn Close comes a close second. Or maybe even Meryl Streep, a la The Devil Wears Prada.

My ideal director would have been Stanley Kubrick in his most satirical Dr. Strangelove mode. Since he's dead, I would go with Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) or Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers).

But why have actors at all? I wouldn't mind seeing the whole movie done with puppets (check out the Xombies: Apocalypse Blues book trailer on YouTube), or CGI, or Miyazake-level anime! Let's get crazy, people!

Learn more about the book and author at Walter Greatshell's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Beth Kery's "Daring Time"

Beth Kery writes for Berkley Sensation, Berkley Heat, Ellora’s Cave and Whiskey Creek Press. She grew up in a huge house built in the nineteenth century where she cultivated her love of mystery and the paranormal. When she wasn’t hunting for secret passageways and ghosts with her friends, she was gobbling up fantasy and romance novels along with any other books she could get her hands on. Currently she juggles the demands of her career, her love of the city and the arts and a busy family life. Her writing today reflects her passion for all of the above.

Here she shares some casting ideas for a cinematic adaptation of the recently released Daring Time:

I actually had asked my readers the "My Book, The Movie" question about my time travel/erotic romance Daring Time.

We narrowed it down via consensus to Eric Winter cast as the alpha male, twenty-first century detective, yet cerebral Ryan Daire, and the lovely, spirited Anne Hathaway as early twentieth century suffragette, Hope Stillwater.

The readers had a lot of fun with it, and web designer Fiona Jayde even came up with a movie poster with Chicago as the backdrop.

I rarely have an actor or actress in mind when I write a character; I typically want to provide some milestones as far as physical appearance and allow the reader to link the dots in their own minds to formulate their ideal hero or heroine. I will admit that for Hope Stillwater, who is the feisty and likeable heroine in Daring Time, I did have a fairly clear image that sprung into my mind's eye. However, Anne Hathaway would fit that vision nicely.

Who to direct Daring Time, which includes two different centuries and the necessity for some apt symbolism to distill manifold meanings (not to mention convey a sense of intense eroticism without making an X-rated movie)? I'd love James Mangold, who directed the romantic time-travel Kate & Leopold, among other great movies, but my first choice would go to M. Night Shyamalan because he does do a great job of concentrating diverse meanings into single images, and because--whether he realizes it or not (or desires it or not)--his movie The Village had some of the classic elements of a romance novel.

Yes, M. Night. You have been known to draw sighs out of females at romance book conferences in regard to the The Village.

Read more about Daring Time, and visit Beth Kery's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue