Salon, The Huffington Post, and in the book, Fashionably Late: Gay, Bi and Trans Men Who Came Out Later in Life. He is an IT Director for a global economic consulting firm, where he educates users on the perils of social engineering in cybersecurity. Dameron, his husband, and blended family of five children split their time between Boston and the coast of southern Maine.
Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Way Life Should Be:
As Down East Magazine put it, my novel The Way Life Should Be "is a sprawling, occasionally ribald, often moving meditation on how people who love each other can overcome uncertainty and shame — and on how the consistency of the places we love, like funky Maine beach towns, can set the stage for healing." The ensemble cast includes three generations of a family perched on the coast of Maine for one summer, attempting to make a place for everyone and heal old wounds. These are nuanced characters who balance humor with poignancy, and to explore each character's growth fully, I envision it as a limited series. Not only do I imagine it as a limited series, I am writing it as one, and this is where the fun begins.Visit William Dameron's website.
A writer's job is to utilize the medium they are working in to its fullest potential. In a novel, the writer can explore "interiority," the characters' unspoken thoughts, but dialogue and action must carry the story in a screenplay. As I write my script and study others (This is Us, Euphoria, Little Miss Sunshine), my characters' voices are becoming fine-tuned, and I am learning to hone mine.
So, who gets top billing? I turn to other ensemble series and actors that I admire. Murray Bartlett from The White Lotus and The Last of Us displays vulnerability in a way that would bring doubting Thomas to life. Jennifer Aniston is a shoo-in to play Annie, the sister searching for the type of love her brother Matt and Thomas found with each other later in life. In a very Meta way, Jennifer Aniston is Annie's alter ego in the novel. Think of John Malkovich playing John Malkovich. I would love to see Maggie Smith tackle the darkly comedic and complicated Grammy. Sweet, wonderful, Matt? That's the toughest one. How do I cast an actor in a role that I can only see my husband performing? (He would never go for it). I ask my readers for help, but perhaps in another Meta twist, Matt Bomer?
The third generation in the novel presents opportunities for young actors like Jenny Ortega from Wednesday as Bex, who rescues everyone but herself. Jacob Elordi from Euphoria is the handsome lifeguard Conor, who plays a dangerous game of Kiss or Slap. Sydney Sweeney from The White Lotus is coolly popular Abbie, refusing to call her father Dad in order to protect her heart. In a twist, Timothée Chalamet is neurodivergent Brian, who sees everything the others do not.
I have been told that it is nearly impossible to break into Hollywood, but I have been told my entire life who I was unable to be and what I was unable to do, and yet at 43, I came out, married my husband at 47, published my memoir at 55 and my first novel at 60. For me, this is when the fun begins. This is—finally, the way life should be.
--Marshal Zeringue
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