James Byrne's "Deadlock"

James Byrne is the pseudonym for an author who has worked for more than twenty years as a journalist and in politics. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

Here Byrne dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Deadlock:

This challenge is really fun for me. I teach mystery writing occasionally, and I often tell new writers to “cast” their books. I always do. Not only do I cast the major parts, but I create a PowerPoint with images of the actors, and keep it up, visible, next to my Word document, as I write first drafts.

The reason: It helps tremendously with dialogue. I don’t want any character to sound like, well, me.

Your readers should take this test: Imagine a quick scene of heated dialogue in your head. Anything at all. Got it? Good.

Now imagine that the female protagonist is played by Dame Judi Dench. OK, write it in your head (or write it for real, it’s a good test). Sound pretty good? Sure.

Now imagine that the female protagonist is played by Margot Robbie. Write the exact same scene of heated dialogue.

Did the dialogue change? Of course it did. You’d never write the exact same words for Dench and Robbie. So by writing for a specific voice, you differentiate your dialogue.

Neat trick, yeah?

You can use actors from the past (I recently cast David Niven in a manuscript; his death in 1976 didn’t hinder me much) and people who aren’t actors (I once cast my high school principal in a book).

As for a director, how about Mimi Leder (The Morning Show, On the Basis of Sex)? She’s not as well-known as a lot of hot thriller directors, but her work on the 1997 movie The Peacemaker with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman (written by, with others, Michael Schiffer) was terrific.

Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) can knock an action sequence outta the park.

And both know how to get the most out of strong female characters. Plenty of them in my books.

Now to the jackpot question: Who would play Dez?

In case you haven’t read The Gatekeeper and Deadlock, Desmond Aloysius Limerick is a former soldier who grew up in the United Kingdom. At 35, he’s touring the United States with a guitar and a collection of scars from battles in the world’s hot spots. He thinks he’s the luckiest bloke in the world, he’s very good in a fight, loyal to friends, loquacious and funny.

I would cast for three things: A sturdily put together guy who knows how to fight; somebody who can deliver the comedy elements; and somebody who can carry off the working-class British accent.

Dez himself is 5-8, sandy haired, pinkish complexion, bowlegged and “built like a Buick,” as I describe him.

For the first three characteristics, I might pick an actor who looks nothing like my Dez. Jason Statham (The Fast and the Furious franchise, The Meg) clearly can lead an action film. He can fight, and he’s funny. The accent: no prob.

Another interesting choice: Brett Goldstein (Roy F****** Kent of Ted Lasso). Insanely funny and muscular build. Doesn’t look like Dez, but I bet he’d make me laugh while speaking these lines out loud.

Who did I cast? I don’t usually tell anyone, because I fear readers will be disappointed if my Dez doesn’t look like the one in my head. For physical characteristics, he’s Warren Brown (Justin Ripley in Luther with Idris Elba; Thomas McAllister in Strike Back.) Baby-faced but powerfully built (a two-time world Thai boxing champion, I’ve been told). And his accent’s spot-on.

If you have read my books, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the casting of Dez and other major characters.

Visit James Byrne's website.

Q&A with James Byrne.

The Page 69 Test: Deadlock.

--Marshal Zeringue