Asha Greyling's "The Vampire of Kings Street"

Asha Greyling lives in Maryland with her furry four-footed muses, Gwin the terrier and a guinea pig who thinks she’s a cat. She likes nothing more than swinging in the playground (unless the local children scare her off), collecting acorns, or sitting down with a good book.

Here Greyling dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Vampire of Kings Street:

When I write, I visualize everything. It helps me set up a scene if I can see it in my mind’s eye as a movie. Sometimes I’m describing what I see, not at all what I’ve planned!

My dreamcast for The Vampire of Kings Street would be the following:

Simone Ashley – Simone Ashley has just the kind of flair, style, and attitude that I would imagine for Radhika Dhingra. Radhika is the descent of South Indian immigrants and now an aspiring lawyer in 19th century New York. There is a lot of colorism in India (and the world as a whole), so I deliberately made Radhika darker skinned than most of the Indian actresses you see in film, like Simone Ashley herself. I'd love to see Simone in this role!

Freddy Carter – For the vampire-accused-of-murder, Evelyn More, I think Freddy Carter would fit the role excellently. He’s great at playing ambiguous characters with both a dark and light side, which fits Evelyn exactly – characters who you could imagine being villainous but equally capable of heroism. And after all, maybe Evelyn More is the murderer – read to find out!

Florence Pugh – Florence Pugh’s spunky and no-nonsense performance would fit the character of daring reporter Jane Beverly to a “T.” Jane Beverly is an ambitious, free-spirited character—one of Radhika Dhingra’s few friends—who never lets society’s norms hold her back from her goals.

Visit Asha Greyling's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Vampire of Kings Street.

--Marshal Zeringue

Julie E. Czerneda's "A Change of Place"

Julie E. Czerneda is a biologist and writer whose science fiction has received international acclaim, awards, and best-selling status. She is the author of the popular "Species Imperative" trilogy, the "Web Shifters" series, the "Trade Pact Universe" trilogy and her new "Stratification" novels. She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her stand-alone novel, In the Company of Others, won Canada's Prix Aurora Award and was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award for Distinguished SF.

Here Czerneda shares some ideas for an epic series adaptation of her new novel, A Change of Place:

A Change of Place continues from two previous books in my Night’s Edge fantasy series. The characters are the same, though more arrive, the focal setting—Marrowdell—is always present, but in each book, we visit dramatically different places and problems. It’s, well, big.

Making it not so much a movie prospect and very much an epic series.

Just typing that makes me tremble, a little. Wouldn’t that be something?

Oh I didn’t always think that way. When I first thought of Marrowdell, my dragon, my characters and the entire scope and tone of the story it was in response to what I wasn’t finding. I wanted fantasy where the magic was wondrous and wild. With families that were whole and loving and coped together with their troubles. Characters who weren’t victims but happy or hoping to be, engaged with their surroundings and each other. There’s a mill. Farms. Dancing.

A story that feels like warm cocoa and a blanket on a chilly day, with gleeful ahas!

In other words, no grim. No gore. Okay, maybe a touch of gore and smidge of risk, but countered by a great deal more pie and joy and laughter.

As there wasn’t anything like this in movie or series form—and so much the opposite ::coughs Game of Thrones ::coughs:: as I wrote I never thought a visual edition of my fantasy would be possible. After all, it has moments like this:

As the light of this world faded, the light of the Verge reached the bay, or rather, shone up through it to reveal treasure below.

Mimrol.

The magic that flowed as rivers and filled lakes in the Verge did the same here, in the depths beneath the dark water, its silver like some fantastic etching come to life. In Channen, the stuff had fallen as rain, greedily snapped up by the turtle-like nyim—what wasn’t collected by those who knew its value.

Suggesting she did, Nonny stood, calmly handed Jenn her cup, then shrugged off her rags. Beneath she wore nothing but a woven belt lined with compartments.

With one smooth motion, she stepped up on the gunnel and dove.

Now, however, we’ve a wealth of amazing film and shows with incredible special effects to ably portray beautiful moments, like this, as well as all those action things (which I adore as well, don’t get me wrong). Most recently, the Rings of Power on Prime, season 2 directed by Charlotte Brändström, comes to mind*. Watching lets me truly imagine Marrowdell coming to life on a screen at last, which would be epic--many of my family and friends are movie folks, not so much readers.

And I’d like it too.

*Confession: like every author I know who watched Lord of the Rings I dreamed Peter Jackson would “discover” my book and make it a spectacular umpteen hour movie but--at the time I was writing Species Imperative, a hard sf epic, and I didn’t think it his sort of thing. Peter? Maybe now?

Visit Julie E. Czerneda's website.

The Page 69 Test: To Guard Against the Dark.

The Page 69 Test: The Gossamer Mage.

The Page 69 Test: Mirage.

Q&A with Julie E. Czerneda.

The Page 69 Test: To Each This World.

My Book, The Movie: To Each This World.

--Marshal Zeringue

J.H. Markert's "Sleep Tight"

J. H. Markert, the author of The Nightmare Man, Mister Lullaby, and Sleep Tight, is the pen name for writer James Markert, an award-winning novelist of historical fiction. Markert is a produced screenwriter, husband, and father of two from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was also a tennis pro for 25 years, before hanging up the racquets for good in 2020. He graduated with a degree in History from the University of Louisville in 1997 and has been writing ever since. With a total of 10 published novels under his belt, Markert writes historical fiction under his name and horror/thriller under J.H. Markert. He has recently completed his next historical novel, Ransom Burning, a civil rights era family/crime drama that Markert calls “my best book yet!” He recently finished another horror novel called Dig, and is currently hard at work on his next novel, Spider to the Fly.

Here Markert dreamcasts an adaptation of Sleep Tight:

I always envision “movie” when writing my novels, which means I inevitably think of certain characters when I create my stories and Sleep Tight was no exception. No budget could afford this cast, but in the spirit of sleeping tight, and sleeping right, we can dream, right?

As a Louisvillian, for the main character, I could think of no one other than Louisville’s own Jennifer Lawrence as my Detective Tess Claiborne. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit, in part, writing the story one day hoping she could play Tess!

As far as her husband Justin, I’d go with Chris Pine.

For Detective Danny Gomes, I’d go with a serious Jack Black.

For the incredibly difficult task of playing Noah Nichols, I’d love to have Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and for Father Silence, Joaquin Phoenix.

And for Lisa Buchanon I’d like to cast Lady Gaga!

Visit J.H. Markert's website.

Q&A with J. H. Markert.

My Book, The Movie: The Nightmare Man.

The Page 69 Test: The Nightmare Man.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sofie Kelly's "Furever After"

New York Times bestselling author, Sofie Kelly, writes the Magical Cats mysteries, set in the small town of Mayville Heights, Minnesota. As Sofie Ryan, she is the author of the popular bestselling Second Chance Cat mysteries that feature repurpose shop owner, Sarah Grayson, a group of senior sleuths and the world's oldest computer hacker.

Kelly has been a late night disk jockey—which explains her love of coffee--and taught absolutely terrified adults how to swim. Like Kathleen Paulson in the Magical Cats books, she practices Wu style Tai Chi. Kelly is also a mixed-media artist and likes to prowl thrift shops looking for things to re-purpose in her art.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Furever After:

Librarian Kathleen Paulson lives in Mayville Heights, a small town in Minnesota. In the latest book in the series, Furever After, she’s about to marry Detective Marcus Gordon. Kathleen gets tangled up in quite a few of Marcus’s cases. She’s kind and empathic and people tell her things. Kathleen is also very good at figuring out when someone is lying. Her parents are actors—primarily in the theatre—and she’s learned a lot about human nature from watching them. She has excellent research skills as well. And she has a couple of furry helpers, her cats, Owen and Hercules.

Owen and Hercules are not ordinary felines. There’s a reason this series is called the Magical Cats Mysteries. The cats each have a very unique skill. Owen can become invisible, and being a cat he doesn’t always disappear when it’s convenient for Kathleen. Hercules can walk through walls.

So which actor do I picture playing Kathleen if Hollywood decided to turn the series into a movie? Sandra Bullock. She’s equally good at comedy and drama. She looks right physically for the part. And she’s an animal lover. But Sandra is a little older than Kathleen, who is in her late thirties. However, I’m actually thinking about Sandra Bullock from about 2006 when she was in the movie The Lake House. (Don’t tell me the movie is stupid because I will stuff my fingers in my ears and start humming loudly.)

So if Sandra Bullock was cast as Kathleen I’m thinking maybe…maybe Keanu Reeves for Marcus? Yes, I know his eye color and age are all wrong but again I’m picturing Keanu circa 2006, which does fix the age issue. And I could be flexible about Marcus’s beautiful blue eyes.

So what do you think?

Visit Sofie Kelly's website.

My Book, The Movie: Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

Writers Read: Sofie Kelly (October 2015).

The Page 69 Test: Faux Pas.

Writers Read: Sofie Kelly (September 2022).

Writers Read: Sofie Kelly.

--Marshal Zeringue

Bryn Turnbull's "The Berlin Apartment"

Bryn Turnbull is an internationally bestselling author of historical fiction. Equipped with a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, a Master of Professional Communication from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from McGill University, Turnbull focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record.

Her debut novel, The Woman Before Wallis, was named one of the top ten bestselling works of Canadian fiction for 2020 and became an international bestseller. Her second, The Last Grand Duchess, came out in February 2022 and spent eight weeks on the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star bestseller lists. It was followed by The Paris Deception, which came out in May 2023.

Here Turnbull dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Berlin Apartment:

The Berlin Apartment is a historical love story set in Cold War Berlin on both sides of the Berlin Wall. It’s a story of intrigue, passion and betrayal that spans decades, opening in the tense and sunlit summer days just before the Wall goes up – but within pages, we find friends, families and lovers separated overnight by circumstances far beyond their control.

At the start of the novel, Lise remarks that Uli resembles Buddy Holly, with narrow shoulders, a wide smile and heavy glasses – a classic ‘sixties university student, who, we later find out, will gain a certain familiarity with claustrophobic spaces. In terms of contemporary actors who might fit the bill, Uli would slide into the “Hot Rodent Men” trend fairly easily: someone like Mike Faist or Timothée Chalamet would, I think, carry off his guileless optimism and determination very well.

For Lise – Uli’s pregnant fiancée, trapped in East Berlin and searching desperately for a way out – we need someone who can play tough and soft at the same time: someone who can embody Lise’s seething, steely fury, simmering beneath a downtrodden exterior. Saiorse Ronan would be brilliant in the role – but then, she’s brilliant in every role.

As Inge, Lise’s best friend who becomes Uli’s second-in-command during the long and back-breaking process of working to free Lise from East Berlin, I always saw Elle Fanning, who would be able to capture her steady charm and pragmatism while also carrying off her glacial beauty.

Paul’s a trickier beast: in the novel, he’s described as blindingly handsome and charismatic, and loyal to a fault – a trait which lands him in situations where he’s forced to test the strengths of those loyalties, time and again. Will Poulter would make an ideal Paul: he’s got a certain ruthlessness that would come in handy.

Finally, I can’t leave Jurgen and Wolf, my second set of star-crossed lovers who help Uli in his quest to free Lise from East Berlin, out of my dream casting. I see Edward Bluemel as Jurgen and Regé-Jean Page as Wolf: two actors who could handle a love story worthy of its own novel.

Visit Bryn Turnbull's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Paris Deception.

The Page 69 Test: The Paris Deception.

Q&A with Bryn Turnbull.

--Marshal Zeringue

Elena Taylor's "A Cold, Cold World"

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under the name Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.

With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Taylor returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Taylor uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community.

Taylor is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, a developmental editing house, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays.

Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with their horses, dogs, and cats. Taylor holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new Sheriff Bet Rivers mystery, A Cold Cold World:

These days, as a fiction writer, I imagine less about landing on the big screen and more about streaming potential. My dream is for A Cold, Cold World to become a mini-series on either Amazon Prime or Netflix.

With the rugged scenery of the Pacific Northwest, the fast action scenes, and the intense weather events, I think it would be a dynamic and exciting project.

There are a couple reasons for the shift in my adaptation goals. First off, I love the ability to watch shows at home. As much as I enjoy going to a movie theater, I have a reclining divan, adult beverages, and a fireplace in my living room—definitely my go-to for enjoying a cinematic experience.

Then, I find that mini-series have fabulous production values these days. They can do things with streaming shows that are as complicated in terms of effects and filming as a movie. Whether it’s the opening scenes of my small-town sheriff riding up to a mountain ridge to recover the body of a dead teenager in the aftermath of a snowmobile accident, or her continued search for clues in the storm, the visual elements would be amazing.

Lastly, I think books do tremendously well when the project has more time to develop the characters and the plot. I love shows with several episodes, allowing me to discover a much fuller representation of a novel. A Cold, Cold World is a fairly fast-moving mystery, with some thrilleresque moments, but it’s also about characters grappling with real world issues, so the slower moments of character development would be key.

Even more of a dream for me would be a continuing series. I’m a big fan of shows like The Murdoch Mysteries, based on the novels by Maureen Jennings, DCI Banks based on the novels by Peter Robinson, and Shetland based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. I would love to see my Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries added to that heady list.

Since the first book, I’ve thought about who I would love to see in the major roles. I think Charisma Carpenter would be perfect for the role of Sheriff Bet Rivers. Her evolution from the ditzy party-girl on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the serious and hardcore vampire fighter on Angel was a lot of fun to watch. I know she can be tough and physical, but also thoughtful and smart.

That naturally brings me to David Boreanaz playing the role of Rob Collier, her love interest. I already know they have fabulous chemistry from seeing them together on those earlier series, and David is a longtime favorite actor of mine.

Then, I’d love to see Helen Mirren tackle an American accent and play the role of Alma. Alma is the glue that holds the sheriff’s office together. The almost-octogenarian is funny and sharp and likes to put Bet Rivers in her place. Helen is a phenomenal actor who would be delightful to see in such a quirky role.

If she’s up for doing it, I’d even write another book that centers on her!

Lastly, with the addition of a new character in this second book in the series, I would cast Idris Elba as Kane Stand. Besides the fact that he is talented and gorgeous, he would be amazing at playing the stoic character, but still finding those important moments where his where his depth and humor shine through.

Now if I only had a backer . . .

Visit Elena Taylor's website.

Q&A with Elena Taylor.

The Page 69 Test: A Cold, Cold World.

--Marshal Zeringue

Deborah J Ledford's "Havoc"

Deborah J Ledford is the award-winning author of the Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran suspense thriller series, including Redemption and Havoc.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Havoc:

Movies featuring Native American characters seem to be catching on more and more lately, which is great for my latest release, Havoc. My female lead, Eva, is a hard-edged yet fair Taos Pueblo tribal officer who has no compunction to cross the line if necessary while finding truth and justice for her people.

I cast my characters while building their profiles, so it’s not much of a brain break to decide who I would want to portray them. First choice is Lily Gladstone as Eva. As most know by now Ms. Gladstone is an Oscar nominee for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon and could easily slide into the law enforcer role—as she has for her role in Under the Bridge.

It seems that every reader I’ve heard from absolutely loves Kai. This would be a challenging role as the Pueblo young man is forced to navigate grown-up circumstances that cause him to grow up much too fast. Kai also is tasked with training his Belgian Malinois search & rescue dog, Shadow—not an easy mission! For nineteen-year-old Kai, I see D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who played Bear Smallhill in the series Reservation Dogs. D’Pharaoh is up for an Emmy award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

The main location for Havoc takes place on the Taos Pueblo reservation in northern New Mexico, an area rich in traditions and structures that have survived over 1,100 years. I can—and do while writing this series—wholeheartedly see Lily as Eva, D'Pharaoh as Kai and Shadow and their crew solving crime on the reservation and keeping their community safe.

Visit Deborah J Ledford's website.

Q&A with Deborah J Ledford.

The Page 69 Test: Redemption.

My Book, The Movie: Redemption.

The Page 69 Test: Havoc.

--Marshal Zeringue

Adam Mitzner's "The Brothers Kenney"

Adam Mitzner is the acclaimed Amazon Charts bestselling author of Dead Certain, Never Goodbye, and The Best Friend in the Broden Legal series as well as the stand-alone thrillers A Matter of Will, A Conflict of Interest, A Case of Redemption, Losing Faith, The Girl from Home, The Perfect Marriage, and Love Betrayal Murder. A practicing attorney in a Manhattan law firm, he and his family live in New York City.

Here Mitzner dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Brothers Kenney:

The Brothers Kenney begins with Sean Kenney as low as I can imagine a person – estranged from his family and nearly homeless. But it wasn’t always the case, as Sean was once upon a time a world-class 1,500 meters runner.

An actor taking on the role of Sean would have to embody both extremes, and therefore I think it might be the most challenging acting role for any character I’ve written. Robert Pattinson could do the part justice, and I do love a good Batman crossover. Speaking of which, Jared Leto is a bit old, but he looks like a former track star too, and played the Joker too.

There are three strong female characters in the book: Sean’s girlfriend, Rachel, his ex-wife, Meghan, and his sister, Katie.

Rachel is the prom queen who still looks the part in her mid-thirties. Jennifer Lawrence, Alexandra Daddario, or Margot Robbie, contact me if you’re game to take on the part!

Meghan, the ex-wife, is my favorite character in the book. I think of her as someone with a sensitivity and an old soul quality. Nina Dobrev, you don’t even need to audition. Emma Stone, you don’t either.

The younger sister, Katie, is the rock of the Kenney family. Brie Larson, whom I loved in Lessons in Chemistry would be a good choice. Daisy Ridley or Shailene Woodley too.

Who would you cast?

Visit Adam Mitzner's website.

The Page 69 Test: A Conflict of Interest.

My Book, The Movie: A Conflict of Interest.

The Page 69 Test: A Case of Redemption.

My Book, The Movie: A Case of Redemption.

The Page 69 Test: Losing Faith.

My Book, The Movie: Losing Faith.

The Page 69 Test: A Matter of Will.

My Book, the Movie: A Matter of Will.

My Book, The Movie: The Perfect Marriage.

The Page 69 Test: The Perfect Marriage.

Q&A with Adam Mitzner.

Writers Read: Adam Mitzner (May 2023).

My Book, The Movie: Love Betrayal Murder.

The Page 69 Test: Love Betrayal Murder.

--Marshal Zeringue

Reed Farrel Coleman's "Blind To Midnight"

Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times-bestselling author of thirty-one novels—including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series—short stories, poetry, and essays.

In addition to his acclaimed series characters, Moe Prager and Gus Murphy, he has written the stand-alone novel Gun Church and collaborated with decorated Irish crime writer Ken Bruen on the novel Tower.

Coleman is a four time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories: Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, and Best Short Story. He is a four-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.

With their kids moved away to far off Brooklyn, Coleman, his wife Rosanne, and their cats live in the wilds of Suffolk County on Long Island.

Here Coleman dreamcasts a few central characters for an adaptation of his new Nick Ryan novel, Blind to Midnight:

In Sleepless City, book one of the Nick Ryan series, NYPD detective Nick Ryan is recruited, against his will and better judgement, to become New York City’s shadow warrior, cleaning up messes that might throw the city into chaos. In book two, Blind To Midnight, Nick is tasked with solving the decades old homicide that happened on 9/11, the only homicide that day not connected to the terrorist attacks. Simultaneously, he’s dealing with the senseless homicide of his uncle, a long retired uniformed cop, and his second wife.

In writing a series, a good crime writer populates his novels with a strong supporting cast of characters. I don’t believe in “minor” characters. When I write them, all my characters have full emotional lives, so when they appear on the page, regardless of how briefly, they should seem alive to the reader. No one in my novels appears just to say, “Hark, I hear the cannons roar.” While I have done this for thirty plus novels, managing this on screen would depend on the actor playing the role and the director shaping the story.

Let me focus on three crucial supporting characters in the Nick novels and who I might cast in their roles. Nick’s ersatz partner is a tough, mostly silent, Black detective known only as Ace to Nick. The easy choice would be Samuel L. Jackson, but my pick would be Jeffrey Wright. Wright is so gifted and his range is broad. What I appreciate about Wright’s style is his quiet acting. What he does with his eyes, his expressions says a great deal. In the role of Shana, the love of Nick’s life, mother of his child, who is married to another man, I would cast Mila Kunis. I could give you lots of reasons, but the easiest answer is that in Book 1, I describe Shana as looking like Mila Kunis’ sister. She’s an underrated actor because of her looks and her beauty is essential to the role. Third is Mac, the seemingly harmless, full of blarney, bartender who is actually a former British Intelligence operative. There’s only one man for that role, Brendan Gleeson. It was Gleeson I was imagining as I wrote the character. He’s got the perfect look, he’s the right age, and his ability to be both comedic and terrifying make him perfect for the role.

Director? We’ll save that for the next book in the series.

Visit Reed Farrel Coleman's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Hollow Girl.

The Page 69 Test: Where It Hurts.

The Page 69 Test: What You Break.

My Book, The Movie: Sleepless City.

Q&A with Reed Farrel Coleman.

The Page 69 Test: Sleepless City.

Writers Read: Reed Farrel Coleman.

The Page 69 Test: Blind to Midnight.

--Marshal Zeringue

Snowden Wright's "The Queen City Detective Agency"

Snowden Wright is the author of American Pop and Play Pretty Blues. He has written for The Atlantic, Salon, Esquire, and the New York Daily News, among other publications. A former Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellow at the Carson McCullers Center, Wright lives in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Queen City Detective Agency:

My mind’s eye is a fountain of youth. It magically keeps actors the same age as when I first encountered them. For that reason, whenever I try to imagine which actors should play the co-leads in my latest novel, The Queen City Detective Agency, I think of ones who’ve aged out of the two parts: Sanaa Lathan and Steve Zahn, for example, or Thandiwe Newton and Norman Reedus.

In those pairs of examples, you probably noticed a specific racial coupling. There’s a reason why.

The central protagonist of Queen City is the private investigator Clementine Baldwin, a young Black woman and former cop. Clem’s a pragmatist at heart. In her early years as a PI, she quickly realized that as a Black woman in 1980s Mississippi, she wasn’t granted much authority by the white people she encountered during her investigations. To contend with such deeply ingrained racism, Clem hired a “prop” to stand beside her as she questioned witnesses, interviewed clients, and navigated the bureaucracy of city hall: a lunkhead of a white guy, as she at first calls him. Dixon Hicks may be a lunkhead, but he and Clem soon grow closer than she expected. By the start of the novel, they’ve reached a genuine partnership, one of mutual respect and camaraderie. Consider Hicks a Watson to Baldwin’s Holmes.

Although Sanaa Lathan and Thandiwe Newton would be great for Clem—as would Reedus and Zahn for Dixon—I feel it’s important to keep her age around thirty, not because of ageism on my part but professionalism on hers. Clem needs to be young enough to make mistakes. She needs to doubt herself. Clem isn’t new to private investigation, but she’s still learning the trade. For the part, I could see Myha’la, absolutely riveting in Industry and hilarious in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies; Jurnee Smollett, excellent in everything; Amandla Stenberg, star of The Hate U Give, which dealt with similar issues as Queen City; or Quintessa Swindell, perhaps less well-known than the others on this list but, I think, an actor to watch.

For Dixon? I could see Kyle Gallner, Lucas Till, Owen Teague, or Lukas Gage. The character has been (accurately) described to me as a human Golden Retriever. He’s also a decorated Vietnam vet who can handle himself. To play him, an actor needs strength and vulnerability, the same as whoever plays Clem.

Both actors need the opposite power of my mind’s eye. They have to be anti-fountains of youth, able to portray wise cynicism and cynical wisdom, flippancy and jadedness, assured composure and sure-fire wit beyond their thirty-something years. Any takers? I’ve been told the water’s fine.

Visit Snowden Wright's website.

The Page 69 Test: American Pop.

Writers Read: Snowden Wright (February 2019).

--Marshal Zeringue

Liz Alterman's "The House on Cold Creek Lane"

Liz Alterman is the author of The Perfect Neighborhood, He'll Be Waiting, and Sad Sacked. Her work appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney's, and other outlets. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons where she spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When Alterman isn't writing, she's reading.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The House on Cold Creek Lane:

The House on Cold Creek Lane is an unflinching examination of motherhood and the dark side of domesticity set against a suburban backdrop that’s anything but blissful. This twisty tale invites readers to a slow motion unravelling that culminates in a devastating finale

When Laurel and Rob West move into their new home in New Jersey, it seems too good to be true. But Laurel can’t shake off her old feelings of anxiety. The neighbor who pays far too much attention to the Wests’ two young children . . . Rob watching her every misstep . . . and there’s something people aren’t telling her about this house . . .

Corey Sutton is trying to outrun her past. Recently divorced and reeling from a devastating loss, she moves into her widowed mother’s retirement condo in Florida. Everyone says she just needs some time to recover and rebuild . . . but is Corey beyond saving? She wants answers. And there’s very little she won’t do to get them.

If The House on Cold Creek Lane were turned into a movie, I'd love to see Elizabeth Olsen as Laurel West. I was riveted by Elizabeth's performance in Love & Death. She has a quiet, understated strength but also the vulnerability that Laurel emodies.

Jennifer Lawrence would be fantastic as Corey Sutton, who's trying to overcome a loss and outrun her past by moving into her mom's retirement village condo in Florida. I loved her gritty but plucky turn in Joy. Jennifer is also a great comedic actor and Corey has a lot of snarky and sarcastic observations that the Oscar-winner would nail.

Addie Conroy is the stunning neighbor who befriends Laurel West and seems so much more intriguing than the rest of the suburban moms Laurel encounters. Margot Robbie would make an ideal Addie because it's impossible not to be charmed by her beauty.

As Rob West, Laurel's overbearing husband, I'd cast Scott Eastwood. He's handsome but with Dirty Harry as his dad, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side.

Jack Lowden, whom I adore in the series Slow Horses, would be perfect as Officer Mike Moffatt, a kind cop who offers Corey a lifeline when she needs it most.

I could see Zendaya as Desiree, Corey's plucky co-worker and only friend. Desiree is wise beyond her years and also adorable and fun. I think the Emmy-winner would be awesome in this role.

As meddling Marian, the neighbor Laurel suspects of spying on her, I'd cast Dame Maggie Smith, who can deliver barbs like no one else as we witnessed when she brilliantly portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey.

I'd love to see June Squibb as Mary Lou, Corey's well-meaning but misguided mom.

Visit Liz Alterman's website.

Q&A with Liz Alterman.

My Book, The Movie: The Perfect Neighborhood.

The Page 69 Test: The Perfect Neighborhood.

The Page 69 Test: The House on Cold Creek Lane.

--Marshal Zeringue

Melanie Sumrow's "Girls Like Her"

Melanie Sumrow is the author of the novels The Inside Battle, a New York Public Library Best Pick, and The Prophet Calls, a Writers' League of Texas Award Finalist. Girls Like Her is her YA debut. Before becoming an author, she worked as a lawyer for more than 16 years, with many of her cases involving children and teens. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University and lives in Dallas.

Here Sumrow dreamcasts an adaptation of Girls Like Her:

Girls Like Her is the story of a 15-year-old girl who is in jail awaiting trial for the murder of a wealthy businessman. But as you read Ruby’s story, you realize there is so much more to her than that. With the help of her assigned social worker, the layers of truth are peeled away to reveal what really happened the day Ruby met the man who would end up dead.

I relied heavily upon my experience as a lawyer to craft Ruby’s story and when I’m writing a new book, I often try to think of the stories that already exist in the space I’m working. In this case, if you liked books-turned-film series such as Defending Jacob, Orange is the New Black, Anatomy of a Scandal, and Monster, you will probably also enjoy Girls Like Her, which explores the truths so often lost in the American justice system and one girl’s fight to be heard.

I was recently asked who my dream casting would be if Ruby’s story was translated into film, which was something new for me. Typically as I’m writing, I think more of what’s on the inside of a character rather than their physical appearance. But after initially drawing a blank, I started to have fun with imagining what real people could play the characters that had lived in my head for so long.

Because Ruby is a teenager with an edge, an unreliable narrator who also has an unmistakable vulnerability, I would love to see what actors like Jenny Ortega, Abby Ryder Fortson or Sadie Sink could do to bring out that multi-dimensional part of her character.

For Ruby’s appointed defense lawyer, who is skilled and kind with the ability to see past Ruby’s tough shell, I thought Andrew Garfield, Chris Evans or Bradley Cooper would be natural choices.

Ruby’s dedicated caseworker, Cadence, has experienced hardship of her own and is one of the few people who truly understands everything Ruby has experienced. Thus, I would first look to Mira Sorvino to play Cadence, not only for her acute acting skills but also for her real-life role as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking. Because trafficking is a huge part of Ruby’s story and is at the root of what brings her to a jail cell in Dallas, I believe an actor with an intricate understanding of that world would bring necessary depth to Cadence.

Of course there are other characters, but if I say too much more, it might give away spoilers which I would prefer to leave to my readers to discover on their own. Suffice it to say, it would be a dream of mine to witness a director take the raw material I have provided in Girls Like Her and see how they would translate Ruby’s story to the screen!

Visit Melanie Sumrow's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Sarah Easter Collins's "Things Don't Break on Their Own"

Sarah Easter Collins is a writer and artist. A mother to a wonderful son, she has worked extensively in the field of education, teaching art in the UK, Botswana, Thailand, and Malawi. Collins now lives on Exmoor with her husband and dogs, where she loves running and wild swimming. She is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course.

Here Collins dreamcasts an adaptation of her debut novel, Things Don’t Break On Their Own:

Things Don’t Break On Their Own is a story about sisters, hidden histories and the unreliability of memory. Female friendships are at the heart of the novel, as is a girl who goes missing on her way to school at the age of thirteen. The entire novel spans a period of some thirty years, with one character in particular being seen in one scene as a six-year-old but in other scenes in her late thirties, but in terms of thinking about who might play these characters in a movie, I’m going to think about each character as their adult selves, at the age where they gather together for a supper in London.

Robyn as a character is generous, straightforward, warm, loyal and loving. She carries into adulthood a deep wisdom that comes from having grown up in a home environment that is safe and loving, where broken things are mended, and where generosity and kindness are the order of the day. She’s described as sporty and having a wonderful smile with dimples, but there is great depth to her character too. I think Carey Mulligan would be amazing in that role. I once had the privilege of seeing her on stage in David Hare’s brilliant play Skylight, in which she was stunningly good. I think she’s a phenomenal actor and she also has a perfect impish smile. She was also brilliant in the film adaptation of Never Let me Go, one of my favourite ever books.

In Skylight, Carey Mulligan played opposite Bill Nighy, another actor I love, and I think he would make an amazing Chris Bee (Robyn’s father). Firstly, he has the physical presence required of that role. In Things Don’t Break On Their Own, he is described as tall and a little stooped plus, plus he is wise and generous. Another actor who I’d love to play that part, and for similar reasons, would be Richard E Grant, someone who is a little gawky, but who also expresses great natural warmth.

Ben Whishaw would be brilliant as Robyn’s brother Michael: he is the perfect combination of geeky and warm.

Willa is a damaged soul. She is beautiful and highly intelligent, but her adult life has been overshadowed by both her domineering father and the loss of her sister, meaning she has never pursued a career or, vitally, accepted her own sexuality, and as a result she is not, as an adult, in a safe and loving relationship. I would love to see what Daisy Edgar Jones could do with that role. In the brilliant adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, she played Marianne with such amazing mix of vulnerability and damage. Jodie Whitaker would also be amazing, as would Jodie Comer.

Willa’s father, Bryce, is highly domineering, powerful, physically large, handsome, mercurial, and chameleon-like: a man who comes across as benevolent and generous to outsiders, but who is a terrifying presence within his family home. Imagine Brian Cox playing a younger version of Logan Roy. Dominic West would be brilliant in this role.

Willa’s mother is highly protective of her daughters and as a result stuck in an impossible situation: she can’t risk leaving. She is the proverbial ‘doll in a music box’: a beautiful woman who is turning on the spot. She is capable of great anger, but it is usually deeply hidden. I’d love to see Rosamund Pike in that role.

Laika: this part needs to be played by someone capable of expressing strength, anger, intelligence and resilience. I think Jessie Buckley would be amazing in this role.

Visit Sarah Easter Collins's website.

The Page 69 Test: Things Don't Break on Their Own.

Q&A with Sarah Easter Collins.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ellen Won Steil’s “Becoming Marlow Fin”

Ellen Won Steil is the bestselling author of Fortune and the newly released Becoming Marlow Fin. She grew up in Iowa in a Korean-American family and earned her BA in journalism from Drake University and law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Steil believes most good stories have at least a hint of darkness.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her novel Becoming Marlow Fin:

Becoming Marlow Fin is a suspense, family drama that centers around the sudden appearance of a little girl at the Baek Family’s Lake Superior cabin, and how her absorption into the family disrupts their seemingly perfect lives. Isla watches on as her adopted sister Marlow, grows up into a famous model and actress, their lives continually intwining with both moments of closeness and tension. Told through Isla’s reflections and Marlow’s perspective in a sensationalized “tell all” interview format, the twists and turns all culminate into a deadly incident at the lake where it all began.

As an author, I’m very visual in my process and tend to picture “scenes” playing out in my mind as I write them. Even with dialogue, I find it helps to envision the characters and their facial expressions. Especially with this story, I wanted characters who were diverse and uniquely beautiful, showcasing how our physical differences are truly our gifts.

For Marlow: The absolute dream, ideal casting for this multi-layered character is Zendaya. Unique in her loveliness both inside and out, she personifies how the standard for what we consider “beautiful” has changed. There’s something enigmatic about her and it’s hard to picture anyone else as close to the character as her.

For Isla: This character requires someone who can be both understated and then unexpectedly brash. Ashley Park has that persona. I’ve seen her play bold roles like Emily In Paris, and more subtle yet powerful ones like Naomi in Beef. She’s so fiercely talented and it would be amazing to see her take on this complex role.

Visit Ellen Won Steil's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Molly MacRae's "Come Shell or High Water"

Molly MacRae spent twenty years in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Upper East Tennessee, where she managed The Book Place, an independent bookstore; may it rest in peace. Before the lure of books hooked her, she was curator of the history museum in Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town.

MacRae lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois, where she recently retired from connecting children with books at the public library.

Here MacRae dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, Come Shell or High Water:

Professional storyteller and mollusk biologist Maureen Nash sees narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the owner of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous among shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from shop owner Allen Withrow that convince Maureen to travel to the small island at the tail end of a hurricane.

In Maureen’s first hours on Ocracoke, she averts several life-threatening accidents, stumbles over a body, and meets the ghost of an eighteenth-century Welsh pirate, Emrys Lloyd. To the untrained eye, these unusual occurrences would seem to be random misfortunes, but Maureen senses there may be something connecting these stories. With Emrys’s supernatural assistance, and the support of a few new friends, Maureen sets out to unravel the truth, find a killer, and hopefully give the tale a satisfying ending . . . while also rewriting her own.

Winona Ryder will make a fine Maureen Nash. Maureen, in her early fifties, has an adventurous streak, a love for jokes and puns, and a healthy fear of unhealthy situations like being in a sinking boat surrounded by sharks. While practical, she’s also prone to flights of fancy. Ryder has a wide range of talents and proved, in Beetlejuice, that she can hold her own with a ghost.

There are other actors who might play Emrys Lloyd, the ghost, but I can’t think of anyone better than Adam Driver. Emrys died in 1750 at age thirty-seven. He claims he didn’t mean to be a pirate, only did it once, and it didn’t end well. He has a beautiful tenor and a bit of an ego. Can’t you picture Driver in a tricorn hat, full-skirted knee-length coat, waistcoat, knee breeches, stockings, and buckles shoes? If he can do a Welsh accent, he’s got the part.

British actor Miriam Margolyes (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, several Harry Potter movies, etc.) and the late Wilford Brimley will play siblings Glady and Burt Weaver. Glady and Burt spend a lot of time arguing with each other, correcting each other, and confusing Maureen by answering her direct questions with somewhat adjacent answers. But they like Maureen and decide to help her solve the murder, even though they don’t seem to trust her (and vice versa).

Frances McDormand is National Park Ranger Patricia Crowley. Patricia always looks unruffled and in control when she’s in uniform. On her days off, in civies, she admits she becomes “a mass of Sturm und Drang.” In the book, Patricia is in her early 50s, and National Park Rangers are required by law to retire at fifty-seven, but who cares. McDormand will be fabulous.

Dr. Irving Allred, the island physician, believes he sees “tokens of death” before people die. He’d also dearly love to see – or catch – a ghost. At best he’s a snoop and a quack. If Wayne Knight is available, he’ll be the perfect Allred.

To bring this movie to life, I’ll approach Nigel Cole who directed Saving Grace (2000, Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson), Calendar Girls (2003, Helen Mirren, Judy Walters), and many episodes of the British TV series Doc Martin. Cole is great at bringing out the subtle humor in situations and he knows how to film a setting so that it becomes a character too. Mr. Cole, if you’d like a new project, may we talk over lunch?

Visit Molly MacRae's website.

My Book, The Movie: Plaid and Plagiarism.

The Page 69 Test: Plaid and Plagiarism.

The Page 69 Test: Scones and Scoundrels.

My Book, The Movie: Scones and Scoundrels.

The Page 69 Test: Crewel and Unusual.

The Page 69 Test: Heather and Homicide.

Q&A with Molly MacRae.

Writers Read: Molly MacRae.

The Page 69 Test: Come Shell or High Water.

--Marshal Zeringue

Derek Milman's "A Darker Mischief"

Derek Milman is the author of Scream All Night and Swipe Right for Murder. A graduate of Yale Drama School, Milman has performed on stages across the country, and appeared in numerous TV shows and films, working with two Academy Award-winning film directors. He lives in Brooklyn.

Here Milman shares some ideas for an on-screen adaptation of his new novel, A Darker Mischief:

Well, A Darker Mischief is YA, and it features teenagers, and while sometimes I do occasionally think of actors, I haven't much in this case, as I'm not familiar with too many teenage actors, and the ones I've seen I can't quite see in this world.

In terms of directors, I think that's the easier route for me. I can see Italian film director Luca Guadagnino returning to his queer roots and taking a shot at this, if he can nail the atmosphere and not chop up the narrative. Within that same theme, I feel similarly to Gus Van Sant, going back to his Private Idaho days. Sofia Coppola would dream up a gloriously stylized world, which an adaptation would need, but I haven't seen her take on queer characters. What might be interesting is to blow up the staid world of the boarding school a little bit and bring in Harmony Korine who did Spring Breakers as I think that would lend a gust of neon-saturated punk to an adaptation which could work very well, since this is a fairly edgy book.

The actors from Euphoria are probably getting a bit old, but if they could play American actors, casting directors could source actors from three popular teen shows that are also queer-centered within the teenage zeitgeist: Heartstopper, Elite, and Young Royals.

Visit Derek Milman's website.

My Book, The Movie: Scream All Night.

The Page 69 Test: Swipe Right for Murder.

My Book, The Movie: Swipe Right for Murder.

Q&A with Derek Milman.

The Page 69 Test: A Darker Mischief.

--Marshal Zeringue

Maggie Nye's "The Curators"

Maggie Nye is the author of The Curators. She is a writer and teacher whose work has been supported by MacDowell, Tin House, and the St. Albans Writer in Residence program.

Here Nye dreamcasts an adaptation of The Curators:

It’s every author’s secret dream to have their novel turned into a feature film, and I’m no exception. And, OK, maybe I’m biased, but there are some really cinematic moments with shadow puppets, turn-of-the century home video, and a golem. You’d go see that movie, wouldn’t you, reader??

Here’s a very simplified rundown of the novel: A group of just-fourteen-year-old Jewish girls in 1915 Atlanta becomes obsessed with the murder of a factory girl their age and the subsequent trial and lynching of her Jewish boss, Leo Frank (real historical events in 1913-1915 Georgia). In an attempt to keep the story alive, they bring a golem to life using dirt from group leader Ana Wullf’s garden. And they build it in the likeness of Leo Frank. Predictably, once magic is involved, things go terribly awry. The Curators is a tale of obsession, devotion, and the pursuit of truth--at any cost.

I think Jennifer Kente would be my ideal director for the film adaptation. She’s Australian, so she might need a southern co-director, but the dark, highly-stylized atmospheres she conjures in films like The Nightingale (2018) and The Babadook (2014)--women-focused lyrical and compassionate descents into mania--would make her an excellent candidate, in my mind, to direct The Curators film.

As for casting, this is tough because I’m not super familiar with child/early teen actors. My ideal Ana Wulff would be someone in the spirit of Kate Winslet’s Juliet Hume in Peter Jackson’s early and excellent 1994 film, Heavenly Creatures. A tenacious, fierce smart-aleck. Yellowjacket’s young Misty, played by the half-rabid goody-two-shoes Samantha Lynn Hanratty might make an excellent Franny, too, though she’d need to soften up a bit to be the sympathetic heart of the friend group.

Finally, I think Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West, of The Wire fame, would make a very compelling and disturbing Fiddler. Wiry, ferocious, exhausted, and scrappy. I can see him fiddling away, drinking, and rousing striking cotton mill workers. In short, making very big, very real trouble.

Visit Maggie Nye's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kathleen Bryant's "Over the Edge"

Kathleen Bryant inherited a love of travel from her parents, who bundled her up for her first road trip when she was only six months old. Originally a Midwestern farm girl, she’s spent the past decades thawing out in the West, hiking its deserts and mountains, bouncing along backcountry roads, and sometimes lending a hand at archaeological sites. After writing numerous travel guides and magazine articles about Sedona, Grand Canyon, and the Four Corners, she’s returned to her first love, writing novels. Today, Bryant lives with her musician husband in California, where she continues to seek out new adventures, finding them on hiking trails, at farmers markets, and in the pages of a good book.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Over the Edge:

As I wrote Over the Edge, a mystery-thriller set in Sedona’s red rock canyons, I definitely pictured the book as a movie. Not because I dared hope my story would end up on screen (though wouldn’t that be cool?) but because Sedona is already a cinematic icon. Dozens of movies were filmed here, most of them during the heyday of Hollywood Westerns.

Besides, imagining a book on film is a useful tool for writers. Visualizing scenes with the eye of a location scout or cinematographer helps add local color and authenticity. The right setting can create mood—the unsettling isolation of a narrow canyon, the menace of an approaching storm. Setting can even become character—the Navajoland of Tony Hillerman’s books, for example. Most important, movies (like book editors!) are all about showing versus telling.

Here's a surprising fact: Though many Westerns were filmed in Sedona, the town was usually a stand-in for somewhere else. In my dream movie, Sedona gets the star treatment. I’d choose Robert Redford as executive producer with Graham Roland heading up the production. I’m a huge fan of their work on Dark Winds, the electrifying television series based on Hillerman’s Leaphorn/Chee mysteries. The show weaves setting, character, and story into a tapestry as bold and beautiful as a Two Grey Hills rug.

The events in Over the Edge unfold through the eyes of Del Cooper, a Jeep guide struggling with PTSD. During a tour, she discovers a body in a remote canyon. Suspecting the murder has something to do with a proposed forest service land trade, she starts digging for the truth. When her witnesses disappear, she realizes the killer is watching her every move.

Thinking about casting, Glen Powell (Hit Man, 2024) has the edgy charm of forest service cop Ryan Driscoll. For Jeep guide Del Cooper—broken but driven to find the truth—I’d choose Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, 2021), who’s brilliant at blending fragility with strength. I think Teejay—the poster boy for Blue Sky Expeditions in his faded jeans and braided hair—needs to be the Sedona local who’s hanging around a coffee shop right now, ready to be discovered by Hollywood.

The biggest star, of course, is Sedona’s otherworldly landscape, where anything can happen.

Visit Kathleen Bryant's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Yoon Ha Lee's "Moonstorm"

A Korean-American sf/f writer who received a B.A. in math from Cornell University and an M.A. in math education from Stanford University, Yoon Ha Lee finds it a source of continual delight that math can be mined for story ideas. Lee’s novel Ninefox Gambit won the Locus Award for best first novel, and was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Clarke awards; its sequels, Raven Stratagem and Revenant Gun, were also Hugo finalists. His middle grade space opera Dragon Pearl won the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature and the Locus Award for best YA novel, and was a New York Times bestseller. Lee’s short fiction has appeared in publications such as Tor.com, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Audubon Magazine, as well as several year’s best anthologies.

Lee’s hobbies include composing music, art, and destroying the reader. He lives in Louisiana with his husband and an extremely lazy catten.

Here Lee dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Moonstorm:

Moonstorm follows a teenage girl, Hwa Young, in her dream to become a mecha pilot, except she’s hiding the fact that she’s an orphan from the other side. Obviously, this is an excellent life choice and there’s no way it can blow up in her face.

My film agent has explained to me that for live-action, teen characters can get tricky simply because actors and their characters get out of sync in terms of age. (Less of an issue for animation and voice actors.) I would expect to have to age things up a bit for the screen. The most prominent mecha pilots in Moonstorm are in their teens and early twenties because, contrary to Imperial propaganda, the Empire of New Joseon is losing.

I’m very intrigued by actress Susan Elle, who I saw in Nimic. It’s a very short film (twelve minutes) but her performance is incredibly evocative in a very short space, and in a film that brief, there’s no room for wasted motion or expression.

If I may, the film composers I think of for this are Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica reboot, Agents of SHIELD), Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel), and Ramin Djawadi (Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones). I’ve only listed a few of their better-known works, but they’re all fantastic!

Visit Yoon Ha Lee's website.

The Page 69 Test: Revenant Gun.

My Book, The Movie: Ninefox Gambit.

Q&A with Yoon Ha Lee.

The Page 69 Test: Fox Snare.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ellery Lloyd's "The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby"

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for the London-based husband and wife team of Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos whose last novel, instant New York Times bestseller The Club, a “smart, stylish, and savage” (People Magazine), was a Reese’s Book Club pick. The former deputy editor of Grazia Middle East, content director of Elle (UK), and editorial director at Soho House, Lyons studied History of Art at Trinity College, Cambridge, and has worked in Sydney, Dubai, and London. She has written for the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Sunday Times. Vlitos is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day Is Like Sunday. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.They are also the authors of People Like Her.

Here the authors dreamcast an adaptation of their new novel, The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby:

Vlitos: The Final Act of Juliette Willoughy is a mystery set over the course of one hundred years, and centers around a runaway aristocratic painter – Juliette – and her great lost masterpiece, which was believed destroyed in the studio fire which killed her and her older married lover, Oskar, in 1938. In 1990s Cambridge, Patrick and Caroline, two art history students become obsessed with this story, and uncover something which they believe proves that the fire was no accident and there was something sinister at play. Fast forward to now, and Patrick, an art dealer in Dubai, is accused of murdering his oldest friend - and the only surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty – after selling Juliette’s newly-rediscovered painting for a fortune.

Lyons: Now I have to be honest, I don’t think we usually have actors or actresses in mind when we write our novels - I know some writers actually have photos up on their walls of real people who they imagine in their books - but I have to admit that Eddie Redmayne did pop into my head as Patrick occasionally, as I studied History of Art with him at Cambridge, and he was pretty much the only man on the course in our year! For Caroline, the dream casting would be Florence Pugh because she is always brilliant in everything and Caroline has her feisty, headstrong energy. For her best friend Athena, I think Marisa Abela. And for Juliette, Sophie Turner would do an incredible job. Now all we need is someone to make it…

Visit Ellery Lloyd's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Maggie Auffarth's "Burn It All"

Maggie Auffarth is a lifelong book obsessive and crime fiction enthusiast. She holds a degree in creative writing from Wheaton College and she was a finalist for the Helen Sheehan Book Prize in 2018. When she isn't plotting fictional crimes, she enjoys baking, running, and binge-watching Lifetime movies. She lives in Atlanta.

Here Auffarth dreamcasts an adaptation of Burn It All, her debut novel:

Burn It All centers on a trio of main characters. There’s steely and ambitious Marley, whose fixation with improving her social standing in her small hometown has cost her everything, her best friend, introspective and cautious Thea, who has spent most of her life pushing her own dreams aside to care for her family, and Thea’s charming stepbrother Austen, whose fate is intertwined with both women.

When a string of vicious house fires rips through town one summer, culminating in Thea’s death, Marley and Austen must piece together the sparse evidence to figure out what, exactly, happened to the woman they thought they knew. What they discover is a viper’s nest of secrets that could destroy them both. Burn It All is told from both Marley and Thea’s perspectives across multiple timelines.

For Marley, I think Elle Fanning would absolutely nail the balance of the character’s often-callous exterior with her more sympathetic underbelly.

Auli'i Cravalho would make a fantastic Thea, capturing both her quiet yearning for a different life, and the hyper-independent shell she’s built to keep others from ever seeing who she truly is.

For Austen – a character who is charismatic but unpredictable – I see either Kyle Allen or Jacob Elordi.

And my dream director? Definitely Emerald Fennell. Promising Young Woman was a big inspiration to me as I was drafting Burn It All. Fennell has such an incredible talent for creating an atmosphere that’s equal parts claustrophobic and alluring, and she wouldn’t shy away from exploring the darkness at the heart of each character.

Visit Maggie Auffarth's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Andrew L. Erdman's "Beautiful"

Andrew L. Erdman is a writer living and working in the New York City area. He is the author of Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay and has also written comedy for the stage, TV, and online platforms. He has a doctorate in theatre studies from the City University of New York, a master's in social work from Yeshiva University, and psychoanalytic training from the Contemporary Freudian Society.

Here Erdman dreamcasts an adaptation of his new book, Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator:

Julian Eltinge, né William Dalton, was born near Boston in 1881. His dad dragged him and his mom around the Americas in a frontier fantasy, in search of fabled goldmine riches that would never materialize. But with his mom’s encouragement, young Billy began perfecting his remarkable female-impersonating skills. This was a time when many men, from stage luminaries to fraternity bros to business men in Elks’ chapters to military units, had no problem with dragging-up for a good musical comedy or show. It was celebrated. By 1901, Billy Dalton was Julian Eltinge, wowing Boston’s elite in transvestic musicals and on his way to vaudeville, Broadway, and silent screen fame. He would become one of the highest paid, cisgender male actors in the world and virtually define the hugely popular art of precise, nuanced, female impersonation. As his fortunes and health declined in the 1930s, and as fearful, reactionary voices clamped down on sexual and gender nonconformity amid a global economic upheaval and the rise of fascism—sound familiar?—Julian Eltinge and his artistry receded into history. But his story and its era are so lively and relevant that I felt a foolish-joyful drive to write about it all.

Who could play young Billy Dalton as he transitioned into the star named Julian Eltinge? How about Timothée Chalamet?

Who could play his bitter, inebriated father? Joaquin Phoenix seems about right.

His loving, supportive mom? I see Amy Adams.

A. H. Woods, the real father-figure in Eltinge’s life? With the right costuming and makeup, none other than David Cross.

Directed by? Baz Luhrmann seems like a no-brainer, though Sofia Coppola, since she has done interesting stuff with historical content. And whoever designs her productions.

Visit Andrew L. Erdman's website.

The Page 99 Test: Queen of Vaudeville.

My Book, The Movie: Queen of Vaudeville.

The Page 99 Test: Beautiful.

--Marshal Zeringue

Chris Harding Thornton's "Little Underworld"

Chris Harding Thornton, a seventh-generation Nebraskan, holds an MFA from the University of Washington and a PhD from the University of Nebraska. Her first novel, Pickard County Atlas, was chosen by author Tana French (In the Woods, The Searcher) as a PBS Masterpiece Best Mystery of 2021. The book was also featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

Here Harding Thornton dreamcasts an adaptation of her recently released second novel, Little Underworld:

Little Underworld is a novel set in Omaha during Prohibition—specifically, during the spring of 1930. Jim Beely, a private investigator, kills the man who sexually assaulted his daughter. While disposing of the body, he runs across a dirty cop, Frank Tvrdik, who helps cover up the crime for a trade. Jim agrees to take down a candidate for city commission by bungling an investigation. When that plan goes awry, Jim and Frank try to figure out what happened. The answers lie in the twisting, turning, and brazenly ridiculous machinations of the city’s corrupt politics.

For better or worse, I write books to be read in one sitting (because that’s how I read them). To me, books are films inside a reader’s head, so I keep the intermissions to a minimum. What kept this book rolling for me, what made it a good time, was the dark humor and the absurdity of the plot. So, ideal directors of an adaptation would be someone like Paul Thomas Anderson or Joel and Ethan Coen, people who can balance intensity and hilarity on the head of a pin. There are only two movies I’ve re-started immediately after first watching them: Phantom Thread and No Country for Old Men. During the initial viewing of both, I was too tense, too sucked in, to fully appreciate how funny they were, so the second watch was solely for laughs.

As for casting, I’d pluck the leads from the historic silver screen. I based Jim Beely on one of my great-grandfather’s uncles (who really was a PI who ran afoul of politicians). He was a huge guy, and while Edward G. Robinson was not, with some tricky camera angles, Robinson would fit the bill. He could capture Jim’s cranky cynicism, his unwillingness to crack a grin, while delivering on the rat-a-tat hardboiled dialogue.

Pulling from the same period, James Cagney would’ve made a great Frank Tvrdik. They’re both lit fuses—unpredictable and seemingly capable of anything. Cagney’s background in dance would fit Frank’s sure and bouncy stride. His mischievous (but somehow cherubic) face would be a dead ringer for the character, and Cagney could capture the terrifying intensity Frank’s prone to.

Visit Chris Harding Thornton's website.

Q&A with Chris Harding Thornton.

--Marshal Zeringue