Gayle Brandeis' "My Life with the Lincolns"

Gayle Brandeis is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (HarperOne), Dictionary Poems (Pudding House Publications), the novels The Book of Dead Birds (HarperCollins), which won Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize for Fiction in Support of a Literature of Social Change, Self Storage (Ballantine), and Delta Girls (Ballantine).

Here she sketches out some casting ideas for an adaptation of My Life with the Lincolns (Holt), her first novel for young readers:

My Life with the Lincolns tells the story of 12-year-old Mina Edelman who thinks her family is the Lincoln family reincarnated and it’s her job to save them from their fate. The novel is set in 1966 Chicago, when Martin Luther King, Jr. brings the civil rights movement north to focus on housing discrimination. Mina and her dad get involved in the movement, with consequences for the entire family.

Since Mina is at the center of the story, she needs to be played by a young actor who can exude a blend of innocence and intelligence, curiosity and anxiety. I think Christina Robinson, who plays the step daughter on Dexter, would be a great choice. I can easily see Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper on Mad Men, as Mina’s younger sister Tabby (maybe because Tabby, like Sally Draper, has a lisp). I can also imagine Alison Brie, who plays Trudy on Mad Men and Annie on Community, as Mina’s uptight (at least at first) 18-year-old sister, Roberta.

Ever since I read an interview where she confessed to having a crush on Abraham Lincoln, I’ve been picturing Julia Roberts as Mina’s mom, Margaret, who is more interested in modern furniture than civil rights. And even though they’d make a somewhat strange married pair, I can totally see Zach Galifianakis as Mina’s dad, Al; he has the beard, of course, plus Al is much rounder and shorter than Abe, so he’s the right body type, too. I also think he’d be able to capture Al’s almost manic and sometimes misguided enthusiasm for the Chicago Freedom Movement. Viola Davis would be wonderful as Carla, the activist he becomes intrigued with. And I think Will Smith would make a fine Martin Luther King, Jr. (although it would also be cool for the movie to include archival footage of the real Dr. King.)

I loved seeing My Life with the Lincoln’s in my mind’s eye as I wrote it; it would be so much fun to see it on the screen now (especially with this cast!).

Learn more about the book and author at Gayle Brandeis' website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Stephen Parrish's "The Tavernier Stones"

Stephen Parrish has been a caddy, factory worker, soldier, chef, teacher, jewelry salesman, and cartographer. He presently lives in Germany where he is at work on his second novel.

Here he offers casting suggestions to anyone courageous enough to produce his first novel, The Tavernier Stones:

The Tavernier Stones is about a modern day treasure hunt. When the well-preserved body of 17th century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius suddenly floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany, and a 57 carat ruby rolls out of his fist, treasure hunters from around the globe race to find the Lost Tavernier Stones of popular European folklore.

John Graf, the chief protagonist, is an Amish-born cartographer who has never ventured out of Pennsylvania, let alone embarked on an international treasure hunt. David Freeman is a gemologist who has done his share of prospecting, but little of it within the boundaries of the law. David's beautiful sidekick, Sarah St. James, and the team's nemesis, Frieda Blumenfeld, round out the main characters.

A Hollywood producer has already suggested Brendan Fraser to play John Graf, so it's hard for me to see anyone else in the role. Also, several female friends have responded enthusiastically to the choice, making Fraser even more difficult to replace. Since I would watch a film merely because he's in it, I'd be perfectly happy to have him appear in mine.

For David Freeman, a small-time crook and opportunist with a big heart, Colin Farrell would make a good choice. He has the star power to play a lead yet he performs well in supporting roles.

Helen Mirren is the only actress I can think of to play Frieda, the chief bad guy. Unfortunately, Frieda is ugly, and Helen is anything but, so the choice feels a little unfair. However, that's Hollywood.

Finally, Sarah St. James should be played by Scarlett Johansson because, well, you know.

Browse inside The Tavernier Stones, and learn more about the book and author at Stephen Parrish's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Tavernier Stones.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sophie Littlefield's "A Bad Day for Pretty"

Sophie Littlefield grew up in rural Missouri. Her first novel, A Bad Day for Sorry, was an Edgar Award Finalist and is shortlisted for an Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award. It won an RT Book Award for Best First Mystery and has been named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The second novel in the series, A Bad Day for Pretty, is now available in bookstores.

Here Littlefield proposes her picks for some of the primary characters in an adaptation of the books:

I recently spent a little time daydreaming about who would play the male leads in my mystery series. The thing that makes the exercise interesting is that they are all in their fifties. Among your middle-aged actors, you’ve got your hot-at-any-age tabloid darlings like Viggo Mortensen, and on the other hand there’s this whole regular-guy backlash, almost a defiant “We’re here, we drink beer, get used to it!” sort of thing.

(Of course this is hardly new; it would be far more interesting if women would step up and give this a try. But middle-aged women in Hollywood are already swimming upstream, so I don’t know if we need to burden them with any additional impossible challenges.)

I’m not so interested in the hot guys (I mean, give me a night out and a few drinks and I’m as interested as the next gal, but I’m speaking in the context of the book) – I’m looking for what I guess is called a character actor. (A confusing term; shouldn’t every actor be a character actor?) Someone whose features and general mien convey a certain sense that fits the character.

Here’s what I came up with:

* Sheriff Goat Jones, Stella’s main love interest, is for sure J.K. Simmons (the dad from Juno)

* B.J., bartender and Stella’s occasional crush, could be played by Tim Allen, if he’d put on a few pounds for the role

* Jelloman Nunn, Stella’s ne’er-do-well good friend/big brother figure would be played perfectly by character actor Mark Boone Jr.

Learn more about the books and author at Sophie Littlefield's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: A Bad Day for Sorry.

The Page 69 Test: A Bad Day for Pretty.

--Marshal Zeringue

C. K. Kelly Martin's "The Lighter Side of Life and Death"

C. K. Kelly Martin's books include I Know It's Over and One Lonely Degree.

Here she shares some ideas about who should direct and star in an adaptation of her new novel, The Lighter Side of Life and Death:

The Lighter Side of Life and Death: The best day of sixteen-year-old Mason’s life concludes with him falling into bed with his longtime crush (and close friend) Kat Medina. In the aftermath she’s not as happy about this as he is and Mason sets about distracting himself from the messy state of their friendship by pursuing a twenty-three-year-old woman he’s recently met … a twenty-three-year-old woman who happens to return his interest.

Director: Sofia Coppola. She does such an amazing job with creating tone in her movies. I loved Marie Antoinette, The Virgin Suicides and especially Lost in Translation. I think she could give the movie version of The Lighter Side of Life and Death a terrific, heady vibe.

Mason Rice - Aaron Johnson. I’ve been wanting to see Nowhere Boy where he plays young John Lennon for awhile and then, about six weeks ago, I went to see Kick Ass, which he also stars in. But I didn’t realize it was the same actor in both these films until I saw Aaron speaking on a British talk show in his real-life strong English accent. He was fantastic in a really down to earth way in Kick Ass and we know he can do a completely convincing North American accent! Incidentally, he’s involved with a much older woman in real life…

Kat Medina - Zoe Sandejas. There aren’t many young Filipino actresses in Hollywood but I heard such good things about the Filipino movie Dinig Sana Kita (If I Knew What You Said) when it was at the Toronto film festival last year. I really wanted to see it but couldn’t swing it and have been looking out for it ever since. I think Zoe Sandejas, the seventeen-year old star of that movie (who is fluent in English) would do a great job as Kat and since she can also sing and play guitar it would be cool to work in some kind of musical performance for her. Here you can see her sing the theme song from Dinig Sana Kita and here she talks about her role in Dinig Sana Kita (at the 1:20 mark).

Colette Fournier (the sexy twenty-three-year-old woman Mason becomes involved with) - Elyse Levesque. I’m a big Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe fan and Elyse of SGU is really the image of Colette. I bet she and Aaron Johnson would have great chemistry.

Mr. Rice (Mason’s dad) - Steve Carell (who is always a pleasure to watch) playing more Dan in Real Life than Michael Scott as Mason’s easy going father.

Brianna (Mason’s stepsister-to-be) - Chloe Moretz. She blew me away as Hit Girl in Kick Ass. She and Aaron Johnson have a sort of sibling-like relationship in that movie and it would be fun to see them together again but with a twist, Mason’s stepsister can’t stand him and he’s the kind of person who always wants to be liked. They crash like crazy in the book.

Nina (Mason’s stepmom-to-be) - Rachel McAdams. It wouldn’t be a very big role but Rachel McAdams improves every movie she’s in.

Jamie (Mason’s best friend) - Freddie Highmore. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I saw him in August Rush or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but he’s eighteen now. He’s so talented at playing really thoughtful roles.

Miracle (close friend of Mason’s) - Sofia Vassilieva. She was wonderful in My Sister’s Keeper and always fantastic in Medium. Miracle’s the kind of person who has a really good head on her shoulders but is still a very artistic personality.

Watch The Lighter Side of Life and Death video trailer, and learn more about the book and author at C. K. Kelly Martin's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Doug Magee's "Never Wave Goodbye"

Doug Magee has been a photojournalist, screenplay writer, children’s book author, death penalty activist, film producer and director, war protester, college football player, amateur musician, and the basis of the Aidan Quinn character in Meryl Streep’s Music of the Heart.

Here he shares some thoughts about casting an adaptation of Never Wave Goodbye, his first novel:

I've been a screenwriter for a number of years and have had my heart broken when actors I had hoped would play roles weren't available, didn't want to do the role, etc. So when I wrote Never Wave Goodbye I didn't have actors in mind. Now that it's making the rounds in Hollywood I've been doing some dreaming. I'd like Naomi Watts to play Lena Trainor, an oncologist who puts her nine year-old daughter Sarah on a bus to camp, not knowing its a fake bus. I'd like Ethan Hawke to play her husband. And I'd like to find somebody to play against type for the role of Chase Collins, the guy who pretends he's a counselor from the camp, a young comedian maybe.

Read an excerpt from Never Wave Goodbye, and learn more about the book and author at Doug Magee's website.

Writers Read: Doug Magee.

The Page 69 Test: Never Wave Goodbye.

--Marshal Zeringue

Robert Dugoni's "Bodily Harm"

Robert Dugoni has practiced as a civil litigator in San Francisco and Seattle for seventeen years. In 1999 he left the full-time practice of law to write, and is a two-time winner of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a degree in journalism and worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times before obtaining his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.

Here he shares some thoughts on casting the David Sloane character in an adaptation of his series which includes the recently released Bodily Harm:

I honestly never thought about who could play David Sloane in my three novel series, The Jury Master, Wrongful Death and Bodily Harm. Sloane is a unique hero – a lawyer who is brilliant but also physically capable. Readers have suggested Tom Cruise – nope not enough grit. Brad Pitt – perhaps but he likes the quirkier movie roles. Leonardo DiCaprio – maybe too much grit. And of course, George Clooney – perfect but maybe too old by the time the first movie came out. I like Matt Damon, who I think gets better and better, but not sure he pulls off the intellectual lead that well. Then the other day I was sitting watching Iron Man 2 with my kids and I suddenly started to consider Robert Downey Jr., who wasn’t even on my radar. I thought of Sherlock Holmes, in which he displayed a character who could be both heroic physically and intellectually brilliant. I remembered then his stint on the television show Ally McBeal, in which he was the best part of the show. So I started thinking, you know. He might just be the right fit and the dark complexion helps fit who the character is.

The best fit of any character I’ve ever written is Charlize Theron to play Dana Hill in Damage Control. She would be perfect. Anyone who can get a copy of the book to her gets a part in the movie.

Learn more about the book and author at Robert Dugoni's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Wrongful Death.

The Page 69 Test: Bodily Harm.

--Marshal Zeringue

Maya Sloan's "High Before Homeroom"

Maya Sloan has an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University, as well as a MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Arkansas. This year her short story about Christian rock groupies was featured in the 25th Anniversary Issue of Boulevard. She has also had stories published in Passages North and Driftwood.

Here she shares some ideas about the cast of an adaptation of her first novel, High Before Homeroom, newly published by Simon & Schuster:

High Before Homeroom is about a sixteen year-old boy in Oklahoma named Doug. He is in love with a girl named Laurilee, but he’s not cool enough for her. She likes bad boys. So he decides to become a crystal meth addict, get sent to rehab, come back with street cred and win her affection.

It’s a weird book.

I’ve been told my writing is cinematic, which doesn’t surprise me. I’ve always loved movies. Small indies, foreign films, big-budget crapfests (especially the kind that involve a hurricane/crater/nuclear catastrophe destroying the world as we know it), Sci-Fi epics especially the post-apocalyptic kind), and, of course, totally unrealistic, weepy chick flicks (especially the kind that feature endearingly neurotic female leads, highlight couture gowns, and end with romantic kissing scenes in the rain/with a historical landmark as a backdrop/in some exotic tropical locale). Not to mention, I’ve been known to see the occasional highly acclaimed Academy Award-approved saga (especially if they require some gorgeous actress to put on forty pounds/some heartthrob A-list movie star to play a character that is mentally-challenged or handicapped/ornate period costumes).

I like all kinds of movies, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Well...there is one genre I adore that causes me a bit of embarrassment. No, not porn. Even more humiliating than that...

I love movie musicals.

So, with that in mind, here is the cast:

Doug, the lead: John Savage as Claude Bukowski in Hair (1979). He’s from Oklahoma. He’s all sweet, corn-fed innocence until he meets a bunch of hippies in Central Park and learns the merits of kinky sex and LSD.

Laurilee, the bad-girl he adores: Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (1957). For the dance sequence alone.

Dingo, the nerdy best friend: Rick Moranis in Little Shop of Horrors (1986).

Mitch, the trouble-making drug addict: Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger in Oliver (1968).

Trevor, the All-American brother: Richard Beymer as Tony in West Side Story (1961).

Pops, the unstable, slightly insane meth “cook”: Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964).

Angela, the seemingly innocent Christian youth group devotee with a dark side: Suzanne Cupito as Baby June in Gypsy (1959).

Visit the official High Before Homeroom website and view the video trailer, which has been nominated for Best Big Budget/Big House Trailer by The Moby Awards. There is currently an independent movie in the works.

--Marshal Zeringue

Lucy Balch's "Love Trumps Logic"

Lucy Balch loves everything Regency, particularly when it applies to men. From their shining Hessians to their noticeably absent powdered wigs, they are the epitome of style. The ladies’ dresses aren’t bad either.

Here she shares some insights about casting an adaptation of her first novel, Love Trumps Logic:

The casting game can bring a book to life, sometimes in unintended ways. Imagining this, that or the other actor as my various characters renders giggles, frowns or—finally—a sigh that acknowledges rightness.

An interesting thing about favorite actors: They can inspire whole books. Johnny Depp, my pick for sexiest actor of all time, kept my fingers flying over the keyboard as I wrote Love Trumps Logic—particularly during certain spicy scenes that are key to a romance novel. And the twelve or so year’s difference between him and my hero, Beau? It didn’t matter a whit. Beau’s sultry eyes and kissable lips—taken straight from Johnny’s face—give believability to his legendary status in the gossip rags of his day. He’s a man women want to read about, to spy on, nay, to bed.

Who better to catch charismatic Beau than Scarlett Johansson as Fiona, my heroine, a beautiful, bluestocking debutante? Fiona has limited patience with most of her suitors, and is not easily swayed by a good-looking man. A red-haired Charlize Theron would be a more typical smart-chick pick, but I cannot resist the pairing of Johnny and Scarlett.

Fiona thinks she’s found good husband material in Henry, a scientific-minded man who doesn’t slather her with compliments and drool. I wish Henry could be played by William Hurt, the perfect man to play a stuffy, sometimes grouchy, eccentric. But he’s simply too old now. If anyone can think of a younger version of Hurt, I’d love to hear about it.

Despite his shortcomings, Henry, too, has a love interest by the end of the book. The gossipy coquette who claims Henry’s heart is played by Helena Bonham Carter. She has just enough quirkiness and just the right mixture of pathos and kittenish appeal to pull off this lady.

The main villain in the story is Daphne Tarkington. She’s beautiful and heartless to the point of being cruel, and Nicole Kidman is the no-brainer choice. Her impeccable beauty makes her believable as someone who lured Beau into her bed, only showing her undercurrent of evil insanity after he was reeled in.

The secondary villains’ roles, a Cockney brother and sister, I gave to Bob Hoskins and Julie Walters. Hoskins was almost too easy to cast; the decision to cast Walters came about only after I remembered her independent, sexy older woman in Mama Mia! Speaking of which, Meryl Streep as Beau’s mother, Lady Margaret, feels right as rain.

This movie will be a blockbuster, I can feel it! Are there any screenwriters out there who want to take on the adaptation? Let me know!

Balch's Love Trumps Logic is available on Amazon.com or through Second Wind Publishing.

Visit Lucy Balch's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Aaron Michael Morales' "Drowning Tucson"

Aaron Michael Morales is an Assistant Professor of English at Indiana State University where he teaches Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature. His fiction has appeared in Another Chicago Magazine, Passages North, and MAKE Magazine, among other places. His first short collection of fiction, titled From Here You Can Almost See the End of the Desert, was published in 2008.

Here he shares some ideas for casting a cinematic adaptation of his new novel, Drowning Tucson:

Drowning Tucson is set in inner-city Tucson during the late 1980s, which was a turning point for violence and gangs in this particular part of the country. To put it simply: it got much worse around this time. Not that Tucson is a bad place today. But the part of the city I explore in my novel is its underworld, the gritty underbelly of what is now widely perceived as a tourist destination for its spas, Old West theme parks, posh golf course retirement communities (in the middle of the desert!), and Native American arts and crafts. There are no cowboys in Drowning Tucson, but there are still scenes of violence that might make the Old West depictions of Tucson and its surroundings seem quaint. While there are certainly a number of Latinos who are characters in the novel, there are also some intriguing non-Latino characters as well, so it’s here that I want to start.

For the role of seedy, rapist cop, Officer Loudermilk, I eagerly invite Gary Busey to come do a reading. Though I didn’t write this character with him in mind, I think he would fill the role of crooked, waste-of-space cop quite well. If he wouldn’t come read, I’d then ask Mickey Rourke to try out for the role, though he’s slightly younger than I’d prefer. Still, he looks rough enough around the edges, which is a good thing for Officer Loudermilk. He’s what I have always envisioned when I hear the word “grizzled.”

For the wheelchair-bound preacher who preys on the less fortunate with his annual park revivals, I think Jeffrey Tambor would be a perfect fit. He would easily be able to channel his inner evangelical preacher. I see it as a logical reprise to his role as George Bluth, Sr. on the wonderful TV series, Arrested Development. Tambor treads the line of solemnity and sarcasm perfectly.

There are a few Latin Kings gangsters in the book, and the most complicated of them is the character Davíd Nuñez. The perfect fit for this role would be Gael García Bernal. He has a great range of emotion and depth. He’s Mexico’s answer to Brad Pitt, in my humble opinion. And the ladies apparently adore him. Drowning Tucson could use a heartthrob.

Benicio Del Toro, who broke my heart in 21 Grams, would be excellent as Alejandro Santiago, the man who murders his daughter’s accused rapist/murderer live on television during the accused’s arraignment. He’s a complicated character, and I could easily see Del Toro bringing him to life on the screen in the heartrending, yet believable manner necessary to pull off this role.

I realize, suddenly, that this list is heavy on the men. And, I hear that Ugly Betty is going off the air. So, who better to fill the role of abandoned-teenaged-girl-turned-prostitute than America Ferrera, the star of the now-defunct show? I think this role would finally get her the indie cred she needs to have Hollywood staying power.

There are far too many characters to go into much more detail, but suffice it to say that if this book were actually made into a film, everyone from Edward James Olmos to Selena Gomez would be able to play one role or another. It would be a horrifically beautiful cast. And it would probably be a Focus Feature, maybe even directed by Darren Aronofsky. Hey, a writer can dream too.

Learn more about the book and author at Aaron Michael Morales' website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Barbara Levenson's "Justice In June"

Barbara Levenson is the author of Fatal February, the first novel in the Mary Magruder Katz mystery series.

Here she sketches out some choices for director and cast for a television adaptation of her new novel, Justice in June:

I really see these books as a TV series, or a movie of the week on Lifetime.

Either way, the producer director must be Tony Sears, who has directed numerous plays and musicals and has that inate sense of humor and timing to set the pace for these fun mysteries.

The female lead, Mary Magruder Katz, is a fearless criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida. Joelle Carter is perfect for this part. She is appearing now as Ava in the new FX television series, Justified, and I am convinced she can play almost any young, pretty, smart protagonist.

Carlos, the hot Latin boyfriend who all women readers are in love with must be cast perfectly and Raul Esparza, star of several Broadway plays, could fill the bill. He is Cuban, handsome, and a great actor with four Tony nominations. Best of all he was raised in Miami, so he personifies the spirit of the book.

Sally Field is just annoying enough to play Mary’s mother in the same way she plays the mother on Brothers and Sisters. As for Mary’s father, Bradley Whitford now looks old enough to play the role of this curmudgeon, golf nut.

Casting Carlos’s parents is more difficult. A younger looking Rita Moreno could play ditzy enough for the mother (think good makeup). As for the father, I would have to hold a “reality show” contest in Miami for this part, or perhaps comb through the latest tela-novellas on Univision.

Mark Epstien, Mary’s old college boyfriend who deserted her in order to play baseball in the major leagues, makes an appearance in Justice In June. Joseph Fiennes would be a good fit for the role. FlashForward is about to be canceled anyway, so he’ll be looking for work.

That only leaves Sam, the German Shepherd , the last major role to cast. This is where nepotism rears its head and my own dog, Mac, short for Mr. Magruder, wins the part paws down.

So all you TV development gurus, get busy and start bidding for this series now that I’ve done all the hard work.

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

My Book, The Movie: Fatal February.

The Page 69 Test: Justice in June.

--Marshal Zeringue