Lauren Belfer's "A Fierce Radiance"

Lauren Belfer's debut novel, City of Light, was a New York Times bestseller, as well as a #1 Book Sense pick, a Barnes & Noble Discover Award nominee, a New York Times Notable Book, a Library Journal Best Book, and a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. City of Light was a bestseller in Great Britain and has been translated into seven languages.

Here are her thoughts about casting a cinematic adaptation of her latest novel, A Fierce Radiance:

My new novel, A Fierce Radiance, takes place during World War II, primarily in New York City and also overseas, with the Allied troops in North Africa. Claire Shipley, the main character, is a photojournalist with Life Magazine. She’s a brilliant, gorgeous, confident woman, and a single mother with a young son. Professionally, she’s struggling to succeed in a man’s world. In the tense days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, she stumbles upon the story of her career when she’s sent to a medical research center on New York’s Upper East Side to report on the testing of a miraculous new drug, penicillin. When the military makes penicillin development top secret, pharmaceutical companies, including a company owned by Claire’s estranged father, begin a cut-throat competition not only for penicillin but for other, similar medications that they expect will be worth a fortune – after all, how much will consumers pay to save the lives of their loved ones? Claire is drawn into a web of intrigue and murder. She’s also drawn into an intense love affair with Dr. James Stanton, the physician/researcher heading up the penicillin project for the government.

When I write fiction, I try imagine the story as a film that’s running in my head. Visualizing the scenes in this way allows me to make the book more immediate, and more tactile. As I wrote A Fierce Radiance, I saw it in terms of the films of the 1930s and 1940s, and that’s how I still see it – Greer Garson, say, as Claire Shipley, and Leslie Howard as Dr. James Stanton, with Dorothy McGuire as James Stanton’s scientist sister, Tia.

Of course I’d be thrilled if a modern film company produced the novel – but I’ll always visualize it as a film of the 1930s or 1940s.

Read an excerpt from A Fierce Radiance, and learn more about the book and author at Lauren Belfer's website.

Writers Read: Lauren Belfer.

The Page 69 Test: A Fierce Radiance.

--Marshal Zeringue

Mindy Friddle's "Secret Keepers"

Mindy Friddle's first novel, The Garden Angel (St. Martin’s Press/Picador), a SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes and Noble's Discover Great New Writers program in 2004, and was a National Public Radio Morning Edition summer reading pick.

Here she shares some ideas about casting an adaptation of her second novel, Secret Keepers (St. Martin’s Press/Picador):

Secret Keepers is about a group of characters that are stuck--in a small southern town, in marriages, in estranged relationships with their children and parents, in past mistakes--and how they try to move on. Emma Hanley is the matriarch of this southern family, and like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, she yearns to leave Palmetto, her hometown. Her adult children give her fits. Bobby has daily conversations with his brother Will--who died in the Vietnam War. And Dora has a wicked shopping addiction and a controlling husband. When Dora’s old flame Jake Cary returns to town, he and his motley group of gardeners, the Blooming Idiots, complicate matters when they unearth some strangely beautiful plants and the Hanley family’s secrets.

Emma Hanley - Frances Conroy
I’ll never forget Frances Conroy's fascinating role as Ruth, the matriarch on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Both Frances and Emma, as it happens, are redheads and willowy and southern. Frances, born in Georgia, would capture Emma's soft lilt and steely kindness--and her unexpected chance for a late-in-life romance. She’d make Emma her own.

Dora Hanley Quattlebaum - Kim Dickens
Kim Dickens plays the chef Janette Desautel on HBO’s Treme with a kind of complex determination. Kim’s southern accent is genuine; she’s an Alabama girl. She’d be an ideal Dora-- strong-willed, compelling, and lovely--but bewildered: She finds herself nearing middle age, confused about who she really is, and who she loves.

Bobbie Hanley - Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling did a beautiful job portraying the socially inept, fragile but engaging Lars Lingstorm in Lars and the Real Girl. He could bring the same dignity and innocence to Bobby, a former science prodigy who struggles with bouts of schizophrenia. Bobby is obsessed with insects, and sees beauty in the natural world in his own skewed way.

Jake Cary - Benecio Del Toro
As police officer Javier Rodriguez in Traffic, Benecio Del Toro played a character both incorruptible and smoldering. Brooding and principled. It’s an attractive mix. Jake, head of the Blooming Idiots, is like that. He needs to have a head for business, but he has a soft heart for anyone who needs a hand, and he’s carrying a secret torch for Dora.

Gordon - Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters played the cool-headed and dedicated Lester Freamon on The Wire— a police detective who languishes, ignored, until his superb investigative talents are discovered. Clarke could bring his intensity and his humorous touch to Gordon—a war buddy of Jake who sleeps in the woods, who sees things others miss, whose latent gifts emerge and change everything.

Kyle Quattlebaum - Zach Gilford
Kyle is full of passion and mischief like his mother, Dora. Unlike his mother, he is close to Emma, his grandmother. Friday Night Lights Matt Saracen, played by Zach Gilford, is a sensitive, occasionally awkward but always appealing teenager, who is close to his grandmother. And, as it happens, Kim Dickens plays his mother on the show.

Screenplay - Nancy Oliver
I’m not even sure she does adaptations, but I’d be thrilled if Nancy Oliver wrote the screenplay for Secret Keepers. I love her original work—she wrote Lars and the Real Girl, and episodes of Six Feet Under. She leavens darkness with humor.

Director - Lasse Hallstrom
His work is sensitive but not sappy. Lasse Hallstrom directed some of my favorite films--My Life as a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, and Chocolat. He has a flair for crafting exquisite tales tempered by humor. His films are full of prickly family dynamics and quirky oddballs. Secret Keepers has plenty of both.

Learn more about the book and author at Mindy Friddle's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Linda Castillo's "Pray for Silence"

New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Holt Medallion and a nomination for the Rita. About her mystery series set in Amish County:

Sworn to Silence was hailed by critics as one of the best thrillers of 2009. Bestselling author Linda Castillo once again immerses readers in the world of the Amish with Pray for Silence, the second novel in her Amish thriller series.

Murder returns to the idyllic town of Painters Mill, Ohio, when an Amish family is found slaughtered on their farm. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive and no suspect. The investigation takes a treacherous turn when Kate realizes a personal connection to the case. With her own past resonating, she must confront an unspeakable evil to solve the murders—even if it means placing herself in the line of fire.

Here Castillo shares some ideas about casting the principal roles in an adaptation of her work:

I tend to be a visual writer. I see my characters, visualize the situations and events in my head as I write and the story unfolds. (If you’ve read Pray for Silence, I know that’s a scary thought , but I digress…)

I don’t usually “cast” my books with actual actors. Instead, I keep a sort of physical and psychological imprint of them in my mind as I write their stories. A few months ago, my agent mentioned there was some interest from Hollywood. Nothing has come to fruition yet, but at that point I started wondering: If the book were made into a movie or cable series, who would I cast to play the roles of my lead characters?

I spoke with my sister—who is an avid fan and terrific sounding board—and just for fun we discussed casting at length. With the exception of John Tomasetti, we agreed on every character. Here’s what we came up with:

Kate Burkholder: Evangeline Lilly (Kate from Lost)

John Tomasetti: Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan from Law and Order)

Glock: Dennis Haysbert (Jonas Blane from The Unit)

Roland “Pickles” Shoemaker: Sam Elliott (Ghost Rider)

Sheriff Rasmussen: Nathan Fillion (Castle)

T.J. Banks: Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island)

My sister, by the way, envisioned Colin Farrell (Crazy Heart) as John Tomasetti.

Which actor do you feel would make the best John Tomasetti?

Learn more about the author and her work at Linda Castillo's website.

The Page 69 Test: Sworn to Silence.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gregg Hurwitz's "They're Watching"

Gregg Hurwitz is the author of several novels, including The Crime Writer and Trust No One, and has been a finalist for the ITW Best Novel and the Ian Fleming Gold Dagger.

Here he shares some insights into the film adaptation of his new novel, They're Watching:

First up, here's an update on the film rights.

As for the leads who we'll go after, there are a lot of good options. Someone who is believable as an ordinary guy makes sense -- an Everyman. Which brings to mind Tobey Maguire or Jake Gyllenhaal. Another route would be Tom Cruise -- he is terrific with characters under pressure (think The Firm, not MI). Johnny Depp would also be terrific.

Learn more about They're Watching and its author at Gregg Hurwitz's website and blog.

My Book, The Movie: The Crime Writer.

The Page 69 Test: They're Watching.

--Marshal Zeringue

Joanne Lessner's "Pandora's Bottle"

Joanne Lessner is a singer, actor, and writer. Her play, Critical Mass, was named the winner of the 2009 Heiress Productions Playwriting Competition and will receive its New York premiere at the Lion Theatre on Theatre Row in October 2010. She has written the book and lyrics to several musicals with her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, including the cult hit Fermat's Last Tango, which received its Off-Broadway premiere at the York Theatre Company in November 2000. The original cast recording became a bestseller, and the DVD has been screened at festivals from New Jersey to New Zealand.

Here she develops some casting ideas for an adaptation of her new novel, Pandora’s Bottle:

It seems that whenever I tell people about Pandora's Bottle, their immediate response is: “Wow – that would make a great movie!” From their mouths to Hollywood’s ears! Casting could go any number of ways, but here are some of my current thoughts:

Sy Hampton: my lonely, middle-aged financier, a dreamer led astray by excess and hubris. Tom Hanks is probably my first choice, but isn’t he everyone’s for everything? I can also see Paul Reiser. But it could almost be anyone from Dennis Quaid to Kevin Costner to Robert Downey, Jr. to Alfred Molina.

Valentina D’Ambrosio: Aphrodite to Sy’s Bacchus. She needs to be all delicious femininity and curves, while sounding like Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. A beautiful, but earthy innocent. Jamie-Lynn Sigler is kind of perfect. But I’d also thought of Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson and Mila Kunis. Twenty years ago I’d have said Sherilyn Fenn.

Annette Lecocq: ambitious, but ultimately vulnerable restaurateur. I’d love to see Cynthia Nixon in the role. The character is French-Canadian, though, so perhaps it should be Juliette Binoche or even Kristin Scott Thomas who conducts half her career in French these days.

Tripp Macgregor: charming, handsome waiter who is a terrific dancer. Cheyenne Jackson.

Antony Farrell: suave but unscrupulous British auctioneer. Mr. Branagh? Pick up your phone, that’s me calling.

MaryLou Sampson: Annette’s mentor, a black female restaurateur in Atlanta with a magnetic personality. Another easy one: Queen Latifah.

Vito Scarparelli: my favorite character in the book. Flamboyantly gay, but happily married and very Italian oenophile, with a hint of Mafia. John Travolta twenty years ago. Maybe Michael Imperioli.

Jessica Whitbank: chipper but clueless PR flack. Sorry folks, that one’s got my name on it. After 20 years scraping a living in PR, I’m looking forward to the opportunity of sending myself up!

Visit Joanne Sydney Lessner's website.

Writers Read: Joanne Lessner.

The Page 69 Test: Pandora's Bottle.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nic Pizzolatto's "Galveston"

Nic Pizzolatto's fiction has appeared in The Atlantic, The Oxford American, The Missouri Review, The Iowa Review, Best American Mystery Stories and other publications. His work has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award, and his story collection Between Here and the Yellow Sea was named by Poets & Writer’s Magazine as one of the top five fiction debuts of the year.

Here he shares some ideas about adapting his new novel Galveston for the big screen:

We've sold the movie option to a production company that's very enthusiastic about the work, so hopefully a movie will go forward. In my fanboy imagination, though, I suppose I'd fantasy cast something like this: Sam Peckinpah circa 1972 to direct. I of course would write the script. Starring Nick Nolte circa 1985 as Roy (I'd also take Warren Oates,'76), Natalie Portman circa 2002 as Rocky, Harvey Keitel as Sam Ptiko, Annabella Sciorra as Loraine, and, uh, Marisa Tomei as Carmen. Sure, why not.

Obviously Roy and Rocky are the two big roles, and you need a brutish, atavistic man to play Roy, an old-school tough guy possessing range, with a voice that can be played like a box guitar. Nolte, of course, would have done outstanding work. I know Warren Oates isn't always classified as a tough-guy, but the important thing here is that he was a bad motherfucker, and there's even a line in the book where somebody basically tells Roy he resembles Warren Oates. Nowadays...? Viggo Mortensen? Liev Shreiber? Bruce Willis? Rocky is a sprite, albeit a damaged one, so for that I think of a petite actress with a well of emotional depth. Forgetting the Star Wars movies, that'd seem to be Portman.

For the crew at the donut shop, I'd say they could just CG in the old cast of Barney Miller.

Learn more about the book and author at Nic Pizzolatto's website.

The Page 69 Test: Galveston.

--Marshal Zeringue

Hope Tarr's "The Tutor"

Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of more than a dozen historical and contemporary romance novels, including The Tutor (Harlequin, July 2010).

Here she shares some casting ideas for an adaptation of the new novel:

Period pieces adapted to film are my personal favorite. There’s something about imagining oneself in a far away, and presumably more genteel time, that screams romance, glamour, and yes, escape.

Flash backward in time to late 19th century Scotland. Victoria is still queen, the English empire is still sufficiently vast that the sun never sets on all of it, and technological advances such as the telephone and telegraph are finding their way into middle and upper class daily life.

The hero of The Tutor, Ralph Sylvester (maybe his real name, probably not) holds court as a scalawag turned semi-respectable private secretary in the Scottish castle now owned by his friend and former partner-in-crime. Fortunately for the sensually curious and newly engaged Lady Beatrice Lindsey, Ralph’s…skills extend well beyond dictation and telegraph wiring. When Bea makes Ralph an indecent proposal he can’t refuse, to teach her everything he knows about sex in preparation for her wedding night, seven sexy days and nights ensue.

Ralph is inspired, dare I say modeled, on fair-haired Aussie TV and film actor, Simon Baker. I’ve followed Simon Baker’s…career for some time now. My fan-ship started late in the game when Baker starred as Nick Fallon on the short-lived CBS drama series, The Guardian (2001-2004). A recovering coke-addicted attorney, Simon’s Fallon found redemption through child advocacy despite being thwarted in love. I so wanted to help him out. With the love part, I mean.

But it’s Baker’s current portrayal of yet another tortured anti-hero, Patrick Jane on the hit crime solving series, The Mentalist that gave me the idea for The Tutor. As a former con artist turned police investigator with razor sharp observational skills, Baker’s vest-wearing Jayne strikes the perfect balance between being tortured by the past and exhibiting jaunty cockiness in the present.

Mentally casting the female parts feels like slightly less fun but cast them I do. For my heroine, Lady Beatrice, Scarlett Johansson is my hands-down primary pick. The tall, nubile blonde exhibits the perfect balance of innocence and sensuality, of vulnerability and yes, pluck. Roles in The Horse Whisperer, Lost in Translation, and The Other Boleyn Girl, the latter a film adaptation of Phillippa Gregory’s historical novel of same name—hey, I’m just sayin’—show Johansson has the talent and then some to back up her classic Hollywood sexy starlet looks.

For her caring if occasionally uptight older sister, Kate, I’m seeing Emily Blunt. In The Young Victoria, Blunt shows she has the acting chops to carry off leading lady status and admittedly “Kate” is a secondary character. Then again, maybe Blunt’s affinity for all things nineteenth century—she also appeared in the ensemble film, The Jane Austen Book Club—will prompt her to throw this not quite starving if hopeful Harlequin “authoress” a proverbial bone.

“Let them eat cake,” is well, so very eighteenth century.

Look for The Tutor in bookstores now, and visit Hope Tarr's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

David Moody's "Dog Blood"

David Moody self-published Hater online in 2006 and, without an agent, succeeded in selling the film rights to Hollywood.

Here he shares some ideas on a possible cast for the film version of Hater and its sequel, Dog Blood:

The movie rights to Hater were acquired by Mark Johnson (producer of the Narnia films) and Guillermo del Toro (director of Hellboy 1 and 2, Pan’s Labyrinth), so I’ve spent endless hours thinking about who I’d like to star in the film.

Both Hater and its sequel, Dog Blood, centre on the character of Danny McCoyne, an average guy: he lives in a small, rented apartment with his partner and (too many) kids, has a job he despises, no cash, no social life etc. etc., until ‘the Hate’ tears his world apart and turns everything on its head. Danny is such an ordinary fellow, such an everyman, that I’ve struggled to think of a current movie star who could portray him effectively. At the beginning of the story he is anonymous and unimportant, and for that reason I’d really like him to be portrayed by an unknown. Danny is certainly no Tom Cruise!

Danny’s close family also play an integral part of the story. His father-in-law, Harry, is a cantankerous old bugger who constantly looks down on him with disappointment and dismay. The character was written with Michael Caine in mind. Caine’s career has been unprecedented and he continues to take great roles. I envisage him as Harry being a cross between his portrayals of Jasper in Children of Men, and as the titular pensioner-turned-vigilante in Harry Brown.

Danny has three children. Like many parents he dearly loves his kids, but they also drive him to distraction. He shares an important bond with his young daughter, Ellis, and, during the writing of Dog Blood, I became aware of a BBC TV programme here in the UK called Outnumbered. It’s a sitcom based around a family situation very similar to that of Danny McCoyne in Hater. One of the young stars of the programme, Ramona Marquez, captures Ellis to a tee – she possesses an extraordinary combination of innocence and an intelligence and manner way beyond her years.

Understandably, with people of the calibre of Guillermo del Toro involved in the project, I’ve spent more time thinking about who will be behind the camera rather than in front of it! As a long-time fan of del Toro, I’d struggle to think of anyone I’d rather have working on the film. With his huge list of current commitments, though, it’s unlikely he’d direct. At the moment J A Bayona (who directed the beautifully creepy The Orphanage) is slated to take that role and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the story.

Learn more about the books and author at David Moody's website.

The Page 69 Test: Hater.

The Page 69 Test: Dog Blood.

--Marshal Zeringue

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