Jeremy Robinson's "Instinct"

Jeremy Robinson is a bestselling novelist whose books include The Didymus Contingency, Raising the Past, and Antarktos Rising.

Here is his take on casting adaptations of his first two Chess Team novels, which have been praised by Stephen Coonts, David Lynn Golemon, and Thomas Greanias:

Pulse and Instinct are both part of the Chess Team series which would make a blockbuster movie franchise similar to G.I. Joe meets Clash of the Titans — lots of action, guns, cool tech and mythical monsters. Here’s who I would cast to play the six man Chess Team:

King: Hugh Jackman —I’ve always had Jackman in mind for King. He’s got the right build, the right hair and can pull off the personality without any trouble.

Queen: Charlize Theron – Not only is she a blond hottie, but she can act and do the serious/angry roles that Queen would demand. She’s not always a light character!

Rook - Jason Statham – He’s awesome in action roles, can play the funny man and with a slight tweak to his accent would make a convincing New Englander.

Bishop – I have no idea. Despite all my searching I cannot come up with a large, super-strong actor of Arab decent that fits the bill. Would have to be somebody new.

Knight – Rain (Ninja Assassin) – Knight is a pretty boy Korean that can kick some butt. Rain was born to play Knight.

Deep Blue – Bruce Willis – Deep Blue, then ex-Army Ranger of the team can still open a can of whup-ass if need be, but his tough, smart and balding character is a perfect match for Willis.

And there you have it. With the exception of Bishop, the cast alone would sell movie tickets ... and take up about fifty million of the budget.

Watch the Instinct trailer, and learn more about the book and author at Jeremy Robinson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Grace Coopersmith’s "Nancy’s Theory of Style"

Grace Coopersmith is a San Francisco Bay Area native and still lives there. She went to Stanford, where she studied creative writing, literature, and theatre.

Here she shares some insights about casting an adaptation of her new novel, Nancy’s Theory of Style:

Some characters come to me whole: I can see them in my mind, hear their voices, and know exactly what they’d say and do. Nancy Carrington-Chambers is one of those characters. She’s the girl you love to hate: she’s richer than you, went to better schools than you, and is invited to swankier parties and clubs than you. As a friend, she’s a guilty pleasure. The more you know her, the more you enjoy the appalling things she says and does.

She’s blond, blue-eyed, petite and more cute than beautiful, “a grown-up version of the cutest kid in kindergarten.” She’s formulating an all-encompassing theory of style that she believes will be more useful than Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.

Her playful attitude and sense of entitlement are her most important qualities. I’d like to see someone like Mila Kunis (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and That ‘70s Show) cast as Nancy. Although Kunis is dark-haired, she has a marvelous sense of comic timing and could deliver Nancy’s lines with aplomb.

Nancy hires the perfect assistant, Derek Cathcart, for her event planning company. “The tall, dark-haired man walked into the room wearing a windowpane suit in charcoal with a chalk line in the subtlest lavender, and a lavender shirt. She’d dreamed of meeting a man who could wear a windowpane pattern with élan…he had deep blue eyes… He wore his straight, espresso-dark hair and sideburns long, but beautifully cut -– too beautifully for a straight man.”

Derek is English and he has a smirk more than a smile. So I’d have to say Richard Armitage, who smirks like nobody’s business.

I’d love to see snarky, hilarious Betty White as Miss Binky Winkles, a local character, and America Ferrera as Milagro, Nancy’s smart, sexy, and eccentric friend.

One of the biggest characters in the book is the city of San Francisco. It photographs beautifully and ideally should be cast as itself.

A few producers are now looking at Nancy’s Theory of Style, and I hope one will decide to option it as a movie.

Read an excerpt from Nancy’s Theory of Style, and learn more about the book and author at Grace Coopersmith's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jennifer Stevenson's "The Brass Bed"

Jennifer Stevenson's Brass Bed series includes The Brass Bed (2008), The Velvet Chair (2008), and The Bearskin Rug (2008). Two more books are being written—The Genie Lamp and Welcome to Hel—both planned for release from bookviewcafe.com in 2010.

Here she lays out some casting ideas should the novels be adapted for the movies:

The Brass Bed was by far my most “constructed” book, as were the sequels. I knew it would be a series from the git-go, and I knew I wanted known faces and voices to help me solidify the characters as quickly as possible.

I picked Drew Barrymore for Jewel Heiss—yes, I know Drew’s five feet tall, but so am I, and honestly who wouldn’t prefer a fictional avatar who was six feet tall if she had the choice? I found a photo of her online that completely characterizes Jewel: Drew is wearing boxing shorts and boxing gloves and a serious expression, poised with her gloves up in front of her. The contrast between her toughness and her nakedness is awesome—perfectly Jewel.

Hugh Jackman must be the sex demon, Randolph Llew Carstairs Athelbury Darner, third Earl Pontarsais. Because who else? He has Randy’s dark air of arrogance but also that brittle edge, as if he’s just waiting for the woman to mock him. At which point his ego will shatter and he’ll have do something sex-demonic to take back the upper hand.

And Owen Wilson is too perfect as the con artist Clay Dawes. Everything about his look screams “I don’t have a real job!” He’ll hang around Jewel, wait for his moment, take his opportunity when he can get it, and never lose his cool. Oh, but I’m doing some awful mean things to this guy in the next book, The Genie Lamp ... bwa ha ha!

Visit Jennifer Stevenson's website, blog, and Facebook page.

My Book, the Movie: Trash Sex Magic.

My Book, The Movie: Fools Paradise.

--Marshal Zeringue

Bill Crider & Clyde Wilson's "Mississippi Vivian"

Bill Crider is the author of more than fifty novels, including the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. He is the winner of the Anthony Award and has been nominated for both the Shamus and Edgar Awards. Clyde Wilson was a legendary Texas private eye. He worked with the famous and the infamous. One of his cases was the basis for two true-crime books and a made-for-TV movie. He died in October 2008.

Here Crider shares his thinking on the cast for an adaptation of their recently released novel, Mississippi Vivian:

Mississippi Vivian is set in 1970, and if the movie could be made in that year, there’s no doubt that I’d cast James Garner in the role of Ted Stephens, a Houston private-eye who’s sent to a small town in Mississippi to investigate an insurance scam. That’s because I’d cast the James Garner of that era as just about any male character that I write about. It’s not that I have him in mind when I’m writing. It’s just that I think he could play any of the roles and do a fine job of it. And since it’s 1970, I’d cast Joanne Woodward as Mississippi Vivian. She can do the accent, and she’s be great as a waitress in a diner.

Unfortunately, it’s not 1970 anymore, and neither Garner nor Woodward is the right age to play those roles. These days I tend to think of Tommy Lee Jones as being able to pull of the male characters I write about. Not everybody thinks of Jones when it comes to characters with a sense of humor like mine have, but I’ve seen Man of the House, and I know that Jones has got a dead-on sense of comic timing that would be perfect for Ted Stephens. As for Mississippi Vivian, maybe I could lure Jamie Lee Curtis. Why? Because I think she’d do a great job, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen her in a movie. She’s always terrific.

I’m not sure about the minor roles, but I’d like to borrow Nick Searcy from Justified to play Sheriff Joe Bronte. He’s got the attitude and a style that would just fit. And while I’m borrowing from the Justified cast, I’d like to have Walton Goggins for just about any of the minor characters with bad attitudes. There’s one named Wade Dickie that he’d be fine for.

And as Kathy Hull, the young woman who tries an inept seduction of Ted Stephens, I’d cast Paris Hilton. I’d like to be known as the guy who gave her her big break.

Read more about Mississippi Vivian at the publisher's website.

Visit Bill Crider's website and blog, and read his My Book, The Movie entry for the Sheriff Dan Rhodes novels.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sarah Quigley's "TMI"

Sarah Quigley is the author of TMI, her first YA novel.

Here she shares her casting preferences for a big screen adaptation of the novel:

Most of these actors are much older than the characters in my book, but Stockard Channing played Rizzo in Grease when she was 33. If Paramount Pictures can take that much chronological liberty, so can I.

Becca: Jena Malone (Mary from Saved! and Lydia from Pride & Prejudice)

Katie: Martha MacIsaac (Becca from Superbad)

Jai: Lucas Grabeel (Ryan from High School Musical)

Evan: Paul Dano (Dwayne from Little Miss Sunshine)

Matt: Jonathan Bennett (Aaron from Mean Girls)

Annie, Becca’s mom: Julianne Moore

Dale, Becca’s stepdad: Brad Pitt (ooh, I can picture him with those little round glasses)

Nathan: Knox Jolie-Pitt (not technically an actor and not quite old enough, but he would be by the time filming began)

Read an excerpt from TMI, and learn more about the book and author at Sarah Quigley's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nan Marino's "Neil Armstrong is My Uncle..."

Nan Marino is the author of middle grade books and a librarian who lives at the Jersey shore.

Here's her take on casting an adaptation of her debut novel, Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me (Roaring Book Press, 2009):

Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me takes place on Ramble Street in 1969 in the Long Island town of Massapequa Park, NY during the week of the first moonwalk. While this story is written for middle grade children, it’s got some serious moments as well as humor. The actors need to be able to do both comedy and drama. I hope this is a big budget film because many of the actors below would require a pretty hefty paycheck. Here’s who’d I’d pick for the key roles.

The book’s narrator and the film’s lead character is eleven-year-old Tamara Simpson, a girl determined to prove to the neighborhood that the foster kid who moved on the block is a “squirrelly runt, a lying snake and a pitiful excuse for a ten year old.” A feisty girl with an overactive sense of justice, Tamara is struggling with the sudden departure of her best friend. Actress Morgan Lily, who had a role in the apocalyptic film 2012, would capture Tamara’s tough and tender sides.

Tamara’s mom, thirty-something Shirley Simpson is a neighborhood outsider, more interested in her soap operas and her crush on Jack LaLanne than swapping recipes with the other moms on Ramble Street. She’s fragile, withdrawn, and serves burnt fondues. The role goes to Gwyneth Paltrow.

Ben Stiller is a shoe in for Marshall Simpson, Shirley’s husband, a self-absorbed, dysfunctional father of two. No one plays a better loser than Ben Stiller. He’d bring a comic touch to the character.

Teen heartthrob Logan Lerman is perfect to play Marshall and Shirley’s son Tim, a hippie/college student whose best friend is in Vietnam. After coming off of the action adventure Percy Jackson movie, Logan might enjoy a change of pace in this comedy/drama.

Tamara’s nemesis Douglas McGinty (aka Muscle Man) is a foster kid who tells tall tales and challenges the entire block to a game of kickball. Ten-year-old Preston Bailey one of the youngest actors ever to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award, would be great in this role.

One of the most important characters in this film is Mr. Pizzarelli, a widower whose only son, Vinnie, is off fighting the war in Vietnam. Loved by everyone on Ramble Street, Mr. Pizzarelli (a.k.a. Mr. Pizza) is a New York City cop who takes off from work every July 4th to sing “If I Were A Rich Man” at the Ramble Street barbeque. There were two actors up for this pivotal role. Tom Hanks could do it. He’d bring a sensitivity and depth to this character.

But the role goes to actor Alec Baldwin and it’s not just because of his versatility and screen presence. Alec grew up in the 1960s in Massapequa Park where the story takes place. He knows all about the barbeques, ice cream trucks, lawn-obsessed neighbors and sitting in front of a black and white TV to watch the first men walk on the moon.

There’s only one possible glitch. Mr. Pizzarelli brings the house down with his 4th of July song. So Alec Baldwin, you’d better practice up those “bid de bid de bums”. If you can sing the Broadway hit “If I Were A Rich Man”, the role is yours.

Learn more about the book and author at Nan Marino's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jenn McKinlay's "Sprinkle With Murder"

Jenn McKinlay-Orf writes mysteries under the names Lucy Lawrence and Jenn McKinlay.

Here she shares some casting ideas for an adaptation of Sprinkle With Murder, the first novel in McKinlay's new series set in a cupcake bakery:

I think a cupcake bakery definitely lends itself to the visual. My three main characters (Melanie, Angie and Tate) happen to be old movie aficionados, and spend their weekends watching old movies together. They are always trying to stump one another with movie quotes. If this book were made into a film, it would be a kick to see the movie maker edit in the original footage of the quote. So, in the midst of a scene, a clip from Some Like It Hot would be spliced into the dialogue. Then again maybe I've just watched too much Mystery Science Theater!

Now as for the casting, you've got Melanie Cooper our main character, who is tall and thin with short blonde hair. She has a wicked sense of humor so it has to be someone who can deliver the joke: Elizabeth Banks seems like a perfect fit. As for her sidekick and best friend, Angie DeLaura, it needs to be someone who can be funny and tough (Angie is known for her firecracker like temper). Physically, she's shorter than Mel and curvier with long dark hair, so I can see Jamie-Lynn Sigler playing a spot on Angie. And finally, there is our male lead, Tate Harper. He is Angie and Mel's childhood friend and the main investor in their bakery, although he has a good sense of humor, he is more the straight man. He has wavy brown hair and all American boy good looks. When I try to picture him, Chris O'Donnell comes to mind.

A director? Hmm. My books are heavily dialogue based. I like the snappy repartee between my characters, which is based on their longtime friendship. A relationship based director, who has a gift for comedy would be perfect. Someone like Amy Heckerling, Nora Ephron, Penny Marshall or from television, Amy Sherman.

Wow, a movie of Sprinkle With Murder! That would be killer (pun intended)!

Learn more about the book and author at Jenn McKinlay's website. She also is a member of the The Mystery Lover's Kitchen group blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Natasha Friend's "For Keeps"

Natasha Friend is the author of the YA novels Perfect, Bounce, Lush, and the newly released For Keeps.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a big screen adaptation of For Keeps:

The storyline:

For sixteen years, Josie Gardner and her mom, Kate, have been a team. It’s been the Gardner Girls against the world, and that’s how Josie likes it. Until one day, in the pet food aisle of Shop-Co, they run into the parents of Paul Tucci, Kate’s high school boyfriend—the father Josie has never met. If Mr. and Mrs. Tucci are back in town, it’s only a matter of time until Paul shows up. Suddenly Josie’s mature, capable mother regresses to the heartbroken teenager she was when Paul moved away. Meanwhile, Josie’s on the verge of having her first real boyfriend, while her free-lovin’ best friend, Liv, begins yet another no-strings-attached fling. When Josie learns some surprising truths about Paul Tucci, she finds herself questioning what she’s always believed about her parents—and about herself. In For Keeps, Natasha Friend tells a fresh, funny, smart story about what happens when a girl gets the guy she always wanted and the dad she never knew she needed.

The cast:

Josie Gardner: Ellen Page (cast her quick; she won't be able to pull off 16 much longer....)

Kate Gardner: Julie Bowen (riding the wave of her hot/quirky Modern Family momness)

Liv: Mia Wasikowska (aka Alice in Wonderland, who was downright brilliant in the HBO series In Treatment)

Pops and Dodd, Liv’s two dads: Colin Farrell and Neil Patrick Harris (oddly perfect together)

Matt Rigby, Josie’s boyfriend: Zach Gilford (of Friday Night Lights fame)

Paul Tucci: Kyle Shandler (aka Coach Eric Taylor)

Mrs. Tucci: Meryl Streep (if I may be so bold ...)

Mr. Tucci/Big Nick: Alec Baldwin (say no more)

Learn more about the book and author at Natasha Friend's official Facebook page and website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Carol Snow's "Just Like Me, Only Better"

Carol Snow, a former contributor to Salon.com, lives in California with her family where she writes books for teens as well as for adults.

Here she shares some casting ideas for a film adaptation of her new novel, Just Like Me, Only Better:

Just Like Me, Only Better tells the story of a struggling suburban single mother and substitute teacher (yes, I overdid on the s’s) named Veronica Czaplicki who gets hired to be a celebrity double for an imploding young Hollywood starlet named Haley Rush. In her job, Veronica must deal with Haley’s controlling manager, Jay Sharpie. Fake dates with Haley’s ex, B-list hunk Brady Ellis, sweeten the deal. And so, on to the casting.

Veronica/Haley: Since Veronica and Haley are supposed to look so much alike, one actress could play both roles, but I’ve always found that technique distracting. Parent Trap, anyone? I’d encourage the studio to cast two similar-looking actresses. The studio would completely ignore my advice and do whatever the hell they please.

Publishers Weekly described Haley as a cross between Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus. Kudos to the reviewer: I had both of them in mind when I wrote the book. Lindsay Lohan even has that Parent Trap split-role experience. Of course, there are way too many problems with casting Lohan. No manager in his right mind would let her play a role that emphasized her instability. Even if she did agree to the part, the insurance would be prohibitive. And, c’mon. Do you really think she’d show up?

Miley Cyrus wouldn't work either, at least not now; she’s far too young. Also, she takes herself way too seriously. And she can’t actually, like, act. And so, the role of Veronica and/or Haley goes to … Amanda Bynes (and another actress who looks like Amanda Bynes). She can sing. She can act. She’s got that wholesome girl-next-door thing going on. And even though she’s been in the spotlight so long that she should be on her third stint in rehab (at least), she seems remarkably sane.

Jay Sharpie: Sometimes the most obvious choice is the most effective. I’d give the role of Haley’s manager to Kevin Connolly, the guy who plays Vince Chase’s manager, Eric, on Entourage.

Brady Ellis: How hard can it be to cast a minimally talented pretty boy? Not very. In the first draft of the book, Brady was named Brody. It wasn’t until I came across Brody Jenner in a magazine that I realized my subconscious had already cast him.

Learn more about the book and author at Carol Snow's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Edward M. Lerner's "InterstellarNet: Origins"

For thirty years, Edward M. Lerner toiled in the vineyards of high tech. Then, suitably intoxicated, he began writing science fiction full-time. He writes both near-future, Earth-based techno-thrillers (like Fools’ Experiments and Small Miracles) and -- as with his latest novel, InterstellarNet: Origins -- more traditional spacefaring adventures.

Here he explains some casting challenges for a cinematic adaptation of InterstellarNet: Origins, as well his choice of a couple of stars with significant sci fi credits for the lead roles:

InterstellarNet: Origins, as its cover suggests, starts with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence -- a quest that succeeds. Contemplating I: O as a movie, it’s hard not to think, almost immediately, of the few well-done SETI movies. There’s Contact, starring Jodie Foster as a radio astronomer. There’s The Arrival, starring Charlie Sheen as a radio astronomer. Hmm ... the opening of I: O needs male and female scientist leads. Okay, I can’t help casting Sheen as the hero, Dean Matthews, and Foster as the heroine, Bridget Satterswaithe.

But InterstellarNet: Origins the movie rapidly part ways with those earlier films. Earth stays in contact with the aliens who have reached out across the light-years -- and light speed being a limit, those exchanges last years. Even with our nearest neighbors (native to Alpha Centauri), the round-trip radio delay approaches a decade. And so, the first, tentative message swaps gradually transform into a robust interstellar internet over which information -- science, technology, and culture -- is traded. And so, I: O became a family saga. Dean and Bridget marry, and by the end of the story, their children and grandchildren are the ones immersed in alien plots. What can we say about casting them? Starting from Sheen and Foster, if we know nothing else, we can assume the rest of the clan is very attractive.

Arguably the most interesting characters aren’t human -- nor, exactly, are they alien. The way to circumvent the light-speed limit is to download artificial intelligences, AIs, possessed of delegated authority. But other species’ technologies are potentially incredibly valuable. What is to prevent the aliens’ AIs from becoming victims -- or being criminal masterminds? As archetypes for alien AIs interacting with humans within an ever-expanding network, I can’t help but think of Max Headroom, the Hal 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey), Colossus (The Forbin Project), and SkyNet (The Terminator) – with virtual-reality appearances animated with a bit of Gollum or the Navi from Avatar.

Learn more about the author and his work at his website Edward M. Lerner, perpetrator of science fiction and techno-thrillers, and blog SF and Nonsense.

The Page 99 Test: Small Miracles.

The Page 69 Test: Fools’ Experiments.

The Page 69 Test: InterstellarNet: Origins.

--Marshal Zeringue