T. Greenwood's "Everything Has Happened"

T. Greenwood grew up in rural Vermont in the 1970s. She began writing stories at seven years old and wrote her first "novel" at nine on her dad's electric typewriter.

Since then, she has published sixteen novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. She has won three San Diego Book Awards. Five of her novels have been Indie Next picks. Bodies of Water was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award, and Keeping Lucy was a Target Book Club Pick.

Here Greenwod dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Everything Has Happened:

I have been told before that my writing is cinematic, and I think that comes from my deep love of movies. (I often say that in another life, I would have studied film in college.) When I write a novel, I approach each scene like a cinematographer - with a keen eye for detail and physical nuance, with vivid descriptions that help place readers in the moment. I try to create work that provides a sensory experience for the reader rather than a cerebral one.

I don't "cast" my novels per se, but after the novel is done, I often dream about who would play the characters in a film version of the book.

Everything Has Happened is a dual timeline literary mystery about a little boy who goes missing in 1986. The story is narrated by his older sister, Edie, both in the months leading up to his disappearance and nearly forty years later when the cold case is reopened. But in addition to being a mystery, the novel is also a sapphic love story about two young women at the precipice of their lives, and how the secrets they keep change their respective trajectories forever.

Edie Marshall, the narrator, is seventeen in 1986. She's a runner and an aspiring poet obsessed with Sylvia Plath. She comes from a traditional, middle-class family, her mother a pediatric nurse, and her father a carpenter. Trillium Jenkins (Trill) is new to school their senior year, the daughter of counter-culture parents, now living with her mother and older brother, Jericho, on the grounds of a defunct commune. Trill cracks Edie's world wide-open. She is magic. But just as Edie is exploring who she is and who she might be outside the confines of this small town, her little brother disappears, and Trill's brother, Jericho, is the only suspect.

Here is my dream cast for the main roles:

Young Edie: Odessa A'zion

Adult Edie: Pamela Adlon (A'zion's real-life mom!)

Young Trill: Maya Hawke

Adult Trill: Uma Thurman (Hawke's real-life mom!)

Jericho Jenkins: Jesse Plemons (Maybe makeup could make him both young and older.)

Visit Tammy Greenwood's website.

My Book, The Movie: Rust and Stardust.

The Page 69 Test: Rust and Stardust.

Writers Read: T. Greenwood (August 2019).

The Page 69 Test: Keeping Lucy.

My Book, The Movie: Keeping Lucy.

Q&A with T. Greenwood.

The Page 69 Test: Such a Pretty Girl.

My Book, The Movie: The Still Point.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jennifer Pearson's "Drop Dead Famous"

Jennifer Pearson is a former teacher and author who lives in the northeast of England with two energetic boys and her somewhat energetic husband. She’s the author of several middle grade novels, writing as Jenny Pearson, and has been short-listed for the Costa Children’s Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and was the winner of the Lollies (Laugh Out Loud Book Awards). When she’s not writing, Pearson can either be found doing something sporty or binge-watching true crime documentaries while eating astounding quantities of cheese.

Here Pearson dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Drop Dead Famous:

In Drop Dead Famous, global popstar Blair Baker is murdered during her triumphant hometown show. The world is shaken but for her younger sister Stevie, it’s deeply personal. What starts as a search for answers pulls Stevie into the dark, toxic side of fame, where secrets, lies, and betrayal hit closer to home than she ever expected.

When I was writing Stevie, I had Emily Hampshire who plays Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek in my mind, but as she’s even older than me, so, unfortunately, I don’t think I can cast her in the role. Instead, I’d go for Jessica Barden. Stevie needs someone who can balance vulnerability with an offbeat edge, and Barden excels at exactly that. Known for her ability to portray complex, emotionally layered characters, shecould capture Stevie’s inner struggles and sharp wit effortlessly.

Colby brings the spark of fun and energy that keeps the story from getting too heavy. That’s why McKenna Grace is such a strong fit. She has a natural charm and quickness that would highlight Colby’s lighter, more playful side, while still grounding her in real emotion.

Blair needs star power and someone who understands fame, image, and the pressure that comes with it. While Drop Dead Famous was inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, I think Miley Cyrus would make a great Blair as she would bring a more rebellious, unpredictable energy, highlighting Blair’s chaotic or emotionally raw edges.

Ted McGinley’s recent work in Shrinking shows exactly why he’d be such a strong Frank. He excels as showing the protective, loving father. And Katie Lowes who recently played Jill in Hunting Wives would make a great Marnie. She nails that southern accent and would bring wit, warmth and a bit of edge to the Stevie’s mom.

Noah Jupe has built a reputation for delivering emotionally mature performances, and that makes him an ideal Oliver. Oliver’s role likely requires quiet strength, and Jupe could bring that in a way that feels natural and compelling.

Jharrel Jerome is a standout choice for Trent not just because of his acting ability, but because of his presence. He has a distinctive, expressive look that naturally draws attention on screen which is perfect for a character like Trent. Beyond that, Jerome’s background in music adds another layer to his casting.

For Blair’s manager, I’d choose Jon Hamm. He naturally gives off that smooth, powerful, industry-insider vibe, but can easily layer in arrogance and sleaze. He’d make Kirk feel like someone who’s been controlling careers for decades.

Visit Jenny Pearson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

April Howells's "The Unforgettable Mailman"

With a background in magazine publishing, April Howells has built a career in global communications and employer branding. Raised in southern Ontario, she now resides on the west coast of Canada with her husband and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog named Chief.

The Unforgettable Mailman is her debut novel.

Here Howells dreamcasts an adaptation of the new novel:

If The Unforgettable Mailman got optioned for a movie, I would cast Harrison Ford as Henry. (Please say yes, Harrison!) I can picture him bringing the humour and determination of Henry to the role, capturing hearts the same way he has in Shrinking and the Indiana Jones franchise.

I’d also cast Morgan Freeman as Stan, Henry’s close friend and confidante. Morgan Freeman was a substitute letter carrier in San Francisco in 1965, and it would be amazing to have him revive that role on screen.

I didn’t have either actor in mind while writing. My characters are so fully themselves in my mind, I never see them as anyone else. But, if I’m allowed to dream, this is my all-star cast.

I often hear from readers that they think it would make a wonderful film and I wholeheartedly agree. Plus, the Old Chicago Post Office is a rentable building now! I wonder if Steven Spielberg is looking to take on another 60s film inspired by true events?

Visit April Howells's website.

Q&A with April Howells.

--Marshal Zeringue

Helen Benedict's "The Soldier's House"

Helen Benedict, a British-American professor of journalism at Columbia University, is the author of nine novels, six books of nonfiction, and a play.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Soldier's House:

I've always imagined The Soldier's House as a play or a movie, set, as it is, in a house and community in upstate New York, with flashbacks to Iraq. The three main characters in the novel are Naema, an Iraqi widow; Khalil, her husband, who appears in flashbacks before he is killed; and Jimmy, an American soldier.

Even though Riz Ahmed isn't Iraqi, or even an Arab, he would be a perfect Khalil: handsome, charismatic, deeply kind and yet determined. I would also love to see the Irish actor Paul Macal play Jimmy Donnell, if he can do a good American accent. But most important of all would be who play Naema. My choice is the Moroccan actor, Oumaima Barid, whose beauty, intelligence and intensity match those of Naema.

But there is one more principal character, too: Tariq, Naema's little one-legged son, who is full of life, curiosity and bravado. I have no idea who could play him, but all suggestions welcome.

Visit Helen Benedict's website.

My Book, The Movie: Sand Queen.

The Page 69 Test: Sand Queen.

The Page 69 Test: Wolf Season.

Q&A with Helen Benedict.

The Page 69 Test: The Good Deed.

--Marshal Zeringue

Garrett Curbow's "Whispers of Ink and Starlight"

Garrett Curbow is the author of Whispers of Ink and Starlight and the Daughter of Light trilogy, which was short-listed for the Publishers Weekly Selfies Award. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.

Here Curbow dreamcasts an adaptation of Whispers of Ink and Starlight:

We have made it to the future and Whispers of Ink and Starlight is being adapted into a film! Yay! In this fictitious reality, I, the author, get total executive control over who will direct this adaptation and which actors will star in it.

Whispers of Ink and Starlight is a coming-of-age, literary romance with a heavy dash of magical realism. It follows Nelle, a young woman written into life, and her relationship with James, a young man from a small town in Georgia, as they juggle the independence of adulthood and Nelle’s magical drawbacks.

For the director, I would hire Greta Gerwig. Coming off the tails of Barbie (2023), Little Women (2019), and the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia adaptation, I want her directorial vision more than anyone else’s. Whispers of Ink and Starlight is a dangerous novel to adapt because it travels fluidly between genres. If someone tries to make a romantic drama out of it, or if they ignore the romance in favor of the magic system, they will lose the heart of the book.

It’s important to hire a director that has illustrated in the past that they can execute a unique, singular vision. Barbie is a perfect example of this. While tonally different from Whispers of Ink and Starlight, if any other writer or director had tried to make Barbie, they would have failed. Gerwig is skilled at balancing writing that contradicts visuals, and does so in a style that makes both elements shine together. I trust her to understand the breath and life of this book, and to translate it from page to screen.

There are three main roles that I want to discuss. The first two, James and Nelle, are arguably the most important and, therefore, the most difficult to cast.

For Nelle, I would cast Mckenna Grace. She is a talented actor who has been working since she was a child, and as a young adult now, she would be the right age to play Nelle. More than any other actors in this age group, I think she would be able to pull off Nelle’s fire, her strength, and her thirst for life.

James is harder for me to cast. Ideally, I would find a time traveling device, go back to 2004, and hire a young Milo Ventimiglia, the actor who played Jess in Gilmore Girls. He has the perfect look for James, and he would bring a layer to the character that would be exciting to see on-screen. In reality, I would love to cast an unknown actor to play James.

The third role is Wallace Quill, Nelle’s father. For this role, I would cast none other than Penn Badgley (Dan from Gossip Girl, Joe Goldberg from You). No one else could switch between Quill’s bone-chilling stare and charismatic smile in the blink of an eye like him.

Now that we have a director and our lead actors locked down, I can’t wait for the world to see my book, the movie.

Visit Garrett Curbow's website.

Q&A with Garrett Curbow.

Writers Read: Garrett Curbow.

The Page 69 Test: Whispers of Ink and Starlight.

--Marshal Zeringue

Diana Awad's "As Far as She Knew"

Diana Awad is an Arab American who grew up all over the world as the daughter of a United States Foreign Service Officer. After college, she became a local television journalist and often covered stories about violent crimes and mysterious disappearances. She eventually decided to write her own stories with unexpected endings. Awad also writes historical romance as Diana Quincy and historical mystery as D. M. Quincy. She is now happily settled in Virginia but still gets the itch to explore far-off places. When she’s not bent over her laptop, Awad reads, devours streaming thriller series, and plots her next travel adventure.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, As Far as She Knew:

I didn’t have any particular actors in mind when I wrote As Far as She Knew but would love to dreamcast my novel. Because representation absolutely matters, I’d want the majority of Arab American characters in the novel to be played by actors of Arab descent. Unfortunately, there are so few Arab Americans working in American TV and film that it would be difficult to come up with a comprehensive list, but I do have some thoughts.

A younger version of the Palestinian-American actor Waleed Zuaiter would be perfect in the role of Ali, husband of the lead character, Amira. Ali dies off page in the first scene but features prominently in flashbacks throughout the novel. Zuaiter, who I last saw in the miniseries The Girlfriend with Robin Wright, could effectively capture Ali’s quiet strength, kindness and empathy. 

For Ayla, Amira and Ali’s college-age daughter, I’d turn to Josie Totah, an actress best known to me for her role in The Buccaneers. I think Totah, who is of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, could portray the character’s outward grit and strength, as well as her inner emotional turmoil. 

Alia Shawkat, an American actress of Iraqi descent, would be perfect for the role of Lulu, Amira’s thirtysomething, straight talking, former wild child younger sister. Skawkat has embodied some of those qualities in shows like Arrested Development and Severance. 

I also have an idea of who would do a masterful job directing a movie or miniseries version of As Far as She Knew, and that is Cherien Dabis, an acclaimed Palestinian- American actress and director who excels in Arab American storytelling. Her multi- generational Palestinian family drama, All That’s Left of You, was shortlisted for an Academy Award for best international feature. Dabis has also directed episodes of Only Murders in the Building, so she knows her way around producing compelling shows with mystery elements.

Mostly though, since As Far as She Knew is published by Mindy’s Book Studio, it would be a dream if Mindy Kaling wanted to develop this project for the screen. With her writing and producing talents, my novel could not be in more capable hands.

Visit Diana Awad's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pamela Steele's "In The Fields of Fatherless Children"

Pamela Steele holds an MFA in Poetry from Spalding University. Her books include Paper Bird: Poems and Greasewood Creek. She has been awarded residencies and fellowships by the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Woodside, California; the Hindman Settlement School Oak Ledge, in Knott County, Kentucky; the Jentel Artist Residency in Banner, Wyoming; and Fishtrap’s Gathering of Writers in Joseph, Oregon. She lives on a ranch in the high desert of Eastern Oregon.

Here Steele dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, In the Fields of Fatherless Children:

June, sixteen and pregnant, lives with her mother and stepfather in the Appalachian mountains in the Vietnam Era. When her baby girl is born, Isom, her stepfather steals it and June sets off on a journey to find her.

The abundance of the novel's strong female characters calls for a female director. Greta Gerwig is my choice, hands down. She's amazing, especially with her direction of Lady Bird.

In the Fields of Fatherless Children is a polyphonic novel told in third person and the first person voices of Bethel and Granny, the main character’s mother and grandmother.

June, the main character, is seventeen, resourceful and resilient, but suffering a quiet rage.

June’s physical appearance harkens to her Scots-Irish-Cherokee ancestors. Sadie Sink, of Stranger Things, is 23 but looks seventeen and I have no trouble seeing her standing up to Isom, her step-father, or searching a flooded holler or scavenging for food and tools.

Tom, June’s older brother, is protective and tender and doesn’t want to spend his life digging coal. As I wrote the novel, Tom seemed dangerously fragile at times. Alas, Eddie Redmayne, perfect for the part, is too old. Youthful Ian Belcher (26) of Lost in Space can be trusted to portray Tom’s complexities.

Bethel, June’s mother, is hard-working, highly religious and a witness to Isom’s cruelties. I’ve imagined her to be lush, with a round, youthful face. Merritt Wever (46), of Nurse Jackie, will fit the bill.

June’s step-father, Isom, suffers from black lung disease. He’s stubborn, overbearing and not above doing people dirty. Recently, I watched James McAvoy (47), a favorite since Atonement, in the 2021 film My Son and marveled at his telegraphing of emotion using only the slightest movement of an eyebrow. As an experiment, every other actor in My Son except McAvoy worked from a script. He nailed it and would do a fine job of playing mercurial Isom.

While drafting the novel, I imagined Sol, the antagonist, being played by John Hawkes (66). I fell in love with Hawkes in Winter’s Bone. As Ree’s uncle Teardrop, he conveys a sense of justice and family loyalty. He’d be right at home in my novel.

The part of Ellis calls for a boy of eighteen with dark features. My lack of awareness about new, young actors sent me to IMDB. Liam Woodrum (22) of Geek Girl, seems fitting. Like Ellis, he emits a vulnerable and brooding vibe.

June Diane Raphael (47) of The Morning Show, is a natural for the role of Beauty. She’s lovely and elegant and grounded. Sorry, Amy Adams. You had your chance and blew it on that other movie.

I’ve paired Amy Lou Wood (32), exquisite in The White Lotus, who deserves higher visibility in a screenplay, and Lewis Pullman (33), of Thunderbolts to portray Rena, June’s older sister and Walk, her husband.

Granny Carrie is the local midwife, historian and advocate for women’s reproductive health. She’s progressive and empathetic. Jane Alexander (86), known for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer, is perfect to play Carrie, who won’t stop her work until she loses her command over the natural order of things.

Lastly, we cast Granny, the loving ghost who wants desperately to help June. Granny is pragmatic and wise, a caretaker of the cultural knowledge of the Southern Appalachian mountains. For this reason, I’ve chosen Amy Madigan (76), recent Oscar winner for her role in the terrifying film Weapons. I can’t wait to hear my native dialect in her mischievous, scritchy- scratchy voice.

One last thought: like my friend Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr., previously featured on this blog, I feel that Walton Goggins is a must-have for any film peopled by Appalachian characters. I’ve loved him since I saw him in the role of Boyd Crowder in Justified. His Boyd reminded me so much of elder men I knew in childhood, who seemed slightly dangerous, but had a good heart in them. I’ll start working on a part just for Walton right away.

Follow Pamela Steele on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rebecca Morrison's "The Blue Dress"

Rebecca Morrison is a lawyer and writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TODAY, NBC News, Salon, HuffPost, and Newsweek, among others. She was born in Iran, and now lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and two kids.

Here Morrison shares some ideas for the above the line talent for an adaptation of The Blue Dress, her debut novel:

I didn’t have any actors in mind when I was writing The Blue Dress, but if it were ever made into a film, I would hope they cast Iranian-American actors. The story is based on my life and follows a 13-year-old Iranian girl who comes to America. She has a deep yearning to belong, a crush on a boy, and is navigating a complicated and heartbreaking relationship with her mother, who pushes her to lose weight. There's an actress in the new reboot of Scrubs, Layla Mohammadi, who’d be wonderful as the mother in my story. The mom is a complex character that we judge harshly at first, but then empathise and maybe even root for at the end.

And this might sound a little crazy, but I’d want Jacob Tierney, the director of Heated Rivalry to do the movie. I love the way he handles the tension of a crush. When you’re thirteen, those feelings are enormous. I think he would do such a beautiful job capturing Yasmin’s experiences, some of which are so dark, painful, and full of shame. Even though that show was made for adults, so much of it is about emotional intensity. And that fits so well with the feelings of adolescence, the angst, the longing, the rivalries, the pain, the feeling that everything matters so much. He could bring Yasmin’s experience to life: her first serious conflict with her mom, first time she hurts her body with her eating disorder, first time being vilified for her ethnicity, her first crush and nemesis, all the big emotional stakes of trying to figure out who she is in a new world.

Visit Rebecca Morrison's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Albertine Clarke's "The Body Builders"

Albertine Clarke received an MFA in fiction from the University of Florida and studied English Literature at the University of Edinburgh where she won the Lewis Edwards Memorial prize for creative writing. Raised in London, she now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Here Clarke dreamcasts an adaptation of The Body Builders, her debut novel:

The Body Builders follows an alienated young woman, Ada, who believes her body has been replaced with an identical synthetic copy. Her relationship with Atticus, an older, married man, and the breakdown of her relationship with her mother, are the triggers which send her spiralling out of reality and into a self-directed dream-space designed especially for her.

I watch a lot of movies, and I wrote the book with cinematography always in the back of my mind. Even before I started writing I knew who I would want to direct it: Yorgos Lanthimos, with his uncanny ability to walk the line between tragedy and farce. Yorgos, if you’re reading, I’m waiting for you.

So, if Yorgos is our director, who would play Ada? Emma Stone, Yorgos’s longtime collaborator, wouldn’t be quite right. Ada is cold and detached, tormented by her feelings of unreality, the lack of connection between her and the world around her. I imagine somebody somewhat stormy and androgynous. Emma D’Arcy, who I recently saw in Alexander Zeldin’s play The Other Place, would be ideal.

In the first part of the novel, Ada spends time primarily with her cousin Francesca, and her friend and occasional love interest Patrick. Francesca is manic, performative, sexually chaotic – everything that Ada’s not. Sydney Sweeney, with her talent for playing women who are desperate to be wanted, seems like a good fit, but could she nail the British accent? Patrick is robust, attractive, grounded. He is the connection between Ada and the world around her, even if ultimately he fails to reach her. Leo Woodall has the right type of charisma, or Daniel Kalyuua.

Ada’s mother and father are the other two major characters in the first half. Arnold Schwarzneggar unquestionably is the father, who is a body builder with German heritage (making him Austrian felt too on-the-nose). I watched Pumping Iron more than once while I was writing the novel. Ada’s mother would be played by whoever Yorgos felt was best.

In the second part of the novel, things get weirder. Ada moves from the “real world” to The Facility, a supernatural environment where her thoughts and feelings manifest externally. The Facility is ruled over by Don, an extraterrestrial being wearing the face of a middle-aged man, dressed in a doctor’s white coat. Who walks the line between unsettling and strangely comforting? Tramell Tillman, or Jon Hamm.

Finally, there’s Atticus, charismatic, sensitive, slippery, attractive in a way that is not immediately obvious. He’s also the only American character, heralding from Los Angeles. There are many men who could play this role, but for me, it could only be Al Pacino in his Michael Mann-directed era of Heat or The Insider. Since those days are long past, I would settle for Bradley Cooper or Matthew McConaughey, both icons of American masculinity who both look like they occasionally dip into Russian literature.

Follow Albertine Clarke on Instagram.

Q&A with Albertine Clarke.

--Marshal Zeringue

Megan Jauregui Eccles's "Sing the Night"

Megan Jauregui Eccles lives in the foothills of San Diego and is a writer, poet, and professor at John Paul the Great Catholic University. Her gothic fantasy novel, Sing the Night, explores the ambition and grief of being an artist. When she’s not writing or rehoming rattlesnakes, she plays Dungeons and Dragons with her husband and six kids. She holds an MFA in Fiction from UCR—Palm Desert.

Here Eccles shares some thoughts on the artist who may be best suited to adapt her new novel for the big screen:

Since Sing the Night is a Phantom of the Opera inspired gothic fantasy, the obvious choice, the only choice is the great Guillermo del Toro. He is the king of atmosphere, of gothic symbolism, of nuance. I have been inspired by his use of color for metaphor and have integrated that into my own work. I also find his casting to be thoughtful and would defer to him on all of that, hoping that he would highlight lesser-known actors and actresses.

One aspect of Sing the Night that makes it interesting for adaptation is the music. I have some of the motifs for magic in my mind but would not want to stand in the way of a composer with a vision. I love adaptation that captures the spirit of the work, not necessarily relying on direct source material. I am a firm believer that for the literature, the book will always be the same and a great screenwriter and director can transport an adaptation into a new and engaging form of art.

Guillermo del Toro, call me.

Visit Megan Jauregui Eccles's website.

--Marshal Zeringue