D.J. Butler's "Witchy Winter"

D.J. (“Dave”) Butler grew up in swamps, deserts, and mountains. After messing around for years with the practice of law, he finally got serious and turned to his lifelong passion for storytelling. He now writes adventure stories for readers of all ages, plays guitar, and spends as much time as he can with his family.

Here Butler shares some casting ideas for an adaptation of his new novel, Witchy Winter:

I haven't cast all the roles of the Witchy War books in my head, but I have thought about several:

Krysten Ritter plays Jessica Jones with the kind of damaged fragility and rage that my protagonist Sarah Elytharias Penn needs to show. Her coloring is also right, and if she's clearly much too good-looking ... well, that's Hollywood.

Jeff Bridges might now be getting too old. But whoever plays Bad Bill, the fallen Cavalier military man become a gunfighter and thug in New Orleans, should play him like Bridges played Rooster Cogburn. Occasionally baffled, often over his head, but loyal and able to be decisive. And Bridges in that role looked the part.

I really like Chiwetel Ejiofor for Etienne Ukwu. Again, he might now have aged past the part, but the kind of self-possession, focus, and threat that Ejiofor emanated in Serenity are what the gangster son of the Bishop of New Orleans needs to broadcast.

Visit D.J. Butler's website.

The Page 69 Test: Witchy Winter.

Writers Read: D.J. Butler.

--Marshal Zeringue