Bruce Borgos's "The Bitter Past"

Bruce Borgos lives and writes from the Nevada desert where he works hard every day to prove his high school guidance counselor had good instincts when he said “You’ll never be an astronaut.” He has a degree in political science which mostly served to dissuade him from a career in law while at the same time tormenting his wife with endless questions about how telephones work. When not writing, you can usually find him at the local wine store.

Here Borgos dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Bitter Past:

I think there are several actors who I think would do a great job in the lead role of Sheriff Porter Beck. I say that because I purposely did not include a description of him in the book that would tell a reader exactly what he looks like. I tried to leave at least a little of that to the imagination. We all know what Jack Reacher or Walt Longmire looks like from reading those wonderful pages by Lee Child and Craig Johnson. The actor I pictured most of the time was Chris Pratt. He's the right age and has the same quick wit as Porter Beck. But there's Ryan Reynolds, too, who would be a good fit. Jeremy Renner could do it. He lives here in Nevada, and he was great in Wind River. He has the grit and the humor. And here's a pick out of left field: Jason Bateman. I don't think he's ever played a rural cop, though he did a terrific job playing an FBI agent in The Kingdom, and he's not a superman. Neither is Porter Beck.

As far as directors go, I would want one that had a great love for the west and who knew how to shoot in the wild. Taylor Sheridan, who directed Wind River, certainly would work. But Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood would be strong candidates (if I were picking. Jason Bateman could do both the lead role and act as director. Ozark was so good!

It's not easy getting your novel on the big screen (or even the small screen), so if it were to happen with The Bitter Past, it would be a real surprise and pleasure to see. I've had lots of early reviews on the book that said it needs to be a movie or TV series, and hopefully the folks we'll get some opportunities to make that kind of deal happen. As the next books in the series hit the shelves, this may become more of a possibility. We'll see!

Visit Bruce Borgos's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Bitter Past.

--Marshal Zeringue