Andromeda Romano-Lax's "What Boys Learn"

Born in Chicago and now a resident of Vancouver Island, Canada, Andromeda Romano-Lax worked as a freelance journalist and travel writer before turning to fiction. Her first novel, The Spanish Bow, was translated into eleven languages and chosen as a New York Times Editors’ Choice, BookSense pick, and one of Library Journal’s Best Books of the Year. Her next four novels, The Detour, Behave (an Amazon Book of the Month), Plum Rains (winner of the Sunburst Award), and Annie and the Wolves (a Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction Book of the Year) reflect her diverse interest in the arts, history, science, and technology, as well as her love of travel and her time spent living abroad. Starting with The Deepest Lake (a Barnes & Noble Monthly Pick and Amazon Book of the Month) and continuing with her new novel, What Boys Learn, Romano-Lax has swerved into the world of suspense fiction, although she continues to write historical and speculative fiction as well.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of What Boys Learn:

To play Abby, my single mother character worried about whether her teenage son was involved in the deaths of two schoolmates, I nominate Elizabeth Olsen (Eternity, WandaVision, Avengers, Love & Death). Abby is struggling, stressed-out, and hopefully sympathetic. She also has a brother in prison and secrets in her past. Ideally, the reader will understand most of her choices yet still wonder if they know the whole story. Olsen manages to pack emotional nuances into every performance. She can be charming, sly, sincere, solemn, or murderous. If she won’t play Abby, I am willing to keep writing characters until we hit upon one that excites her. (Kidding, but I really do love Olsen.)

To play Benjamin, I need a young actor who hold his cards close to his chest—an actor who can seem troubled, duplicitous, nonconformist, intelligent, and either guilty or non-guilty. The Stranger Things actors are getting older but I still think one of the youngest, Noah Schnapp, who played Will Byers, could pull it off. If not him, someone like him—better yet if he’s a complete unknown.

Visit Andromeda Romano-Lax's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Spanish Bow.

The Page 69 Test: The Detour.

Writers Read: Andromeda Romano-Lax (February 2012).

The Page 69 Test: What Boys Learn.

Writers Read: Andromeda Romano-Lax.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kelli Stanley's "The Reckoning"

A critically-acclaimed, bestselling author of crime fiction, Kelli Stanley is the author of the award-winning Miranda Corbie historical noir series (City of Dragons, City of Secrets, City of Ghosts, City of Sharks), featuring "one of crime's most arresting heroines" (Library Journal), private investigator Miranda Corbie, and set in 1940 San Francisco.

Stanley also writes an award-winning, highly-praised series set in Roman Britain (Nox Dormienda; The Curse-Maker).

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her newest novel, The Reckoning, a first-in-series mystery-thriller set in Northern California's "Emerald Triangle" in 1985:

With the exception of Miranda Corbie, I generally don’t think about actors while I’m writing—I dream-cast after the book is through! Miranda was an exception because she looked like Rita Hayworth, so obviously only the woman who played Gilda could play Miranda—at least in my head.

So now that The Reckoning is out in the world, I’ve been ruminating on an imaginary movie. There are a lot of talented young actors out there, right now, and of course I’d love to see this book—a very suspenseful, slow-burning thriller about a young woman with severe PTSD who is on the run from the FBI and stumbles into a crime scene and a hunt for a serial killer—actually adapted (I envision something like Shetland except it’s Humboldt County, CA, not the northernmost islands of Great Britain). But for this dream cast, I’m going to dream all the way—and think about who would have played Renata Drake and the main characters in The Reckoning in 1985, the year the story is set!

The story is centered around Renata: a seriously traumatized, 25-year-old young defense attorney who lost her sister to a murderer who couldn’t be prosecuted. Renata wrestles with the anguish and the anger, and, under treatment for her PTSD, writes a fantasy-revenge journal on how, exactly, she would execute her sister’s murderer.

And then she wakes up on a concrete floor staring at his corpse.

She assumes, after an interview, that the FBI are going to figure out that she’s responsible, so she runs to the opposite end of the country and lands in Garberville, California … a tiny town in the heart of the redwoods that is facing its own harrowing crime: a serial killer of young girls. To make matters even more tense, a federal and state paramilitary taskforce surrounds the area, focusing on uprooting every cannabis plant in the Emerald Triangle.

Renata is both vulnerable and resilient, strong and sensitive, unsure, self-doubting and resolute. She’s a complex character in a highly complex situation … so, who in 1985 had the acting chops and was the right age to play her?

Linda Hamilton can certainly portray “tough.” But the heartbreak and survivor’s guilt of trauma and loss? I’m not so sure. On the flip side, Sean Young excelled at unbalanced, off-kilter characters, but could she emote the kind of grit and determination that Renata does? Debra Winger, certainly a brilliant actress, registers as a little too country, a little too Midwest. Renata is from Chicago and grew up in a very urban environment.

So, who’s my pick? One of the two greatest actresses of their generation: Michelle Pfeiffer or Julianne Moore. Michelle would need to darken her blondeness to play Renata—the character is a brunette in contrast with her sister Josie, who was a blonde. And overall, I think Michelle would be the best in the part, because that mixture of vulnerability and strength, of self-doubt and determination to survive, shines through some of her best roles, including Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Other parts are a bit easier … for Mike, the newspaper man, I’d go with Kurt Russell. For Eve, the librarian, only Christine Lahti would do. And for the young Martha, I’d pick a very young Winona Ryder (again, with a hair color change). Ian could be Rob Lowe, Chris, maybe Mickey Rourke. The director? Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential).

I’d love to hear reader feedback about these choices … please stay in touch and let me know what you think of the dream cast when you’re done with the book!

Visit Kelli Stanley's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Kelli Stanley & Bertie.

The Page 69 Test: City of Dragons.

The Page 69 Test: City of Secrets.

The Page 69 Test: City of Ghosts.

My Book, The Movie: City of Ghosts.

The Page 69 Test: City of Sharks.

My Book, The Movie: City of Sharks.

Writers Read: Kelli Stanley (March 2018).

The Page 69 Test: The Reckoning.

Writers Read: Kelli Stanley.

--Marshal Zeringue

Madeleine Dunnigan's "Jean"

Madeleine Dunnigan is a writer and screenwriter from London. She was a Jill Davis Fellow on the MFA at New York University. While there she was awarded a GRI Fellowship in Paris.

Here Dunnigan shares some ideas for the director and principal actors in an adaptation of her new novel, Jean:

Jean is a novel set in a hippie, rural English boarding school for boys with ‘problems’. At its heart is Jean: antisocial, violent, with a refugee single-mother, and on a scholarship, Jean is an outcast even among these outcasts. But then he strikes up a friendship with Tom, a wealthier, fee-paying boy at the school. When things turn romantic, it seems as if Jean has finally found a way to transcend the trappings of his former life. Yet inevitably reality comes crashing in, and Jean must find a new way to escape.

From its inception, my novel Jean has had a strong connection with film. When I described it to people, I would often call it ‘an English Call Me By Your Name’. Andre Aciman’s novel was a huge influence; but it was Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation that informed the visual language of my book. The touches, the looks, the way Jean and Tom interact with and within nature. Similarly Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country showed me how to write queerness within a rural setting; and the heartbreaking tenderness that can come out of new love. One of my favourite films of all time is Lynne Ramsay’s Movern Callar: for its sparse dialogue and for its masterful use of music. Jean would be nothing without music. If Guadagnino, Lee or Ramsay wanted to direct the movie of Jean, I would jump for joy.

While the directorial vision for Jean has always been clear to me, actors have been less so. Harris Dickinson’s ability to transform into a troubled teen in Beach Rats makes him a front runner in my mind, but of course now he is too old. And when I think of Tom, I see Josh O’Connor, but, of course, he is also too old. I think of the actors in Skins, or Timothée Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name, young actors on the cusp of discovery. My instinct is that Jean and Tom would need to be played by people not yet known…and that these roles would launch them into their starlit and celestial careers!

Visit Madeleine Dunnigan's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jacquelyn Stolos's "Asterwood"

Jacquelyn Stolos grew up in Derry, New Hampshire. She loves tromping through the forest and reading good books.

Asterwood is her first novel for children.

Stolos holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she was a Writers in the Public School Fellow. Her short fiction has appeared in Joyland and No Tokens. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

Here Stolos shares her choice for the director of an adaptation of Asterwood:

Asterwood, my first middle grade novel and first foray into fantasy, follows Madelyn, a ten-year-old who discovers an enchanted world through a shimmering rift in the forest behind her New Hampshire home. After learning that she might not be who she's been raised to think she is, Madelyn joins up with The New Hopefuls, a group of rag-tag child activists resisting the social, economic, and downright evil adult forces harming this enchanted forest. While honing the tone of the novel, it was important for me to balance my respect for young readers and their desire and ability to engage with some serious themes with the way a child's perspective sprinkles an iridescent dust of magic and wonder on everything, especially interactions with the natural world. Hayao Miyazaki is the master of this duality, and so, for Asterwood, the movie, I would want to call this animation great out of retirement to direct.

My favorite film moment of all time is the climax of Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro, when Satsuki sprints through the rice paddies around their home at golden hour searching for her missing sister Mei, who has run away after an argument between the girls precipitated by panic about their hospitalized mom's mortality. This is some heavy stuff and, out of respect for the hearts and minds of his young audience, Miyazaki shows these real fears plainly. Still, even in its most heart-wrenching moments, Miyazaki's world radiates beauty and wonder. This golden hour is transcendent. The trees and clouds and sky glow. In Asterwood, Madelyn and her environmentalist friends come up against greed, apathy, defeatism, and self-serving, twisted morality in the adults who are destroying the forest. They must reckon with the complicity of their parents and guardians, the very people who are supposed to care for them, in the decimation of their future. Yikes. Still, magic glimmers through every plant, tree, and fungi in Asterwood. Still, there is friendship and love. There is hope, forgiveness, silliness, and adventure. There are swims in cool woodland streams and campfires under glittering night skies.

And there should be no visual representation of Asterwood without Izzy Burton, who drew the book's fantastic, ethereal cover. I don't know if any author has ever felt more seen upon receiving her cover design--Izzy was able to illustrate the inside of my brain, nailing the Asterwood's unsettling mix of heart and horror with her eerie but twinkly color palette and mastery of light and shadow.

Visit Jacquelyn Stolos's website.

Writers Read: Jacquelyn Stolos.

The Page 69 Test: Asterwood.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gabriella Saab's "The Star Society"

Gabriella Saab is the author of The Last Checkmate and Daughters of Victory. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and lives in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where she works as a barre instructor. She is of Lebanese heritage and is one of the co-hosts of @hfchitchat on Twitter, a recurring monthly chat and community celebrating the love of reading and writing historical fiction.

Here Saab dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Star Society:

I think The Star Society would be such an exciting movie or, even better, a Netflix or HBO Max miniseries so we could dive even deeper into the story and characters. The story is set in 1946 during the Golden Age of Hollywood—a setting that is perfect for screen with opulence and glamour while overcast by the shadows of Red Scare paranoia. There are also flashbacks to war-torn Arnhem, which would be riveting and emotional to see on screen. The main characters, Ada and Ingrid, are twin sisters who are separated during the war. They reunite when Ingrid, a private investigator, is sent to uncover if her sister, Ada, an actress, has communist ties.

Ada and Ingrid are Dutch and British and have been educated in England, so most people assume they’re British. Although they are not identical twins, they do favor in appearance. Their hair is naturally dark, but postwar, Ingrid dyes her auburn, and Ada’s character is inspired by Audrey Hepburn. While I would love for the real Audrey to play her, if I were casting a modern- day Audrey, the obvious answer is Lily Collins. She favors Audrey Hepburn, and I think she would fit a 1946 setting perfectly and beautifully portray the charm Ada projects to the world while shielding her insecurities and trauma.

To play Ingrid, I would cast Emma Stone. Side by side, the two actresses favor enough to pass as siblings, I think—even if not as similar as fraternal twins can often be—and I think they would play off one another very well. Emma Stone would fit the 1940s setting, too, and I think she would capture Ingrid’s determination and concern for her sister as she wrestles with her duty to her career.

Long before he became famous for playing James Gunn’s Superman, I had David Corenswet cast as Ada’s love interest, Vince Hart. Vince is known as “Hollywood’s Hartthrob” by the gossip columns because he’s the most sought-after leading man in Hollywood—very talented, and very handsome. Corenswet has an old Hollywood appeal with his wavy light brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and charismatic smile, and he was actually in a Netflix series set during the Golden Age of Hollywood. I thought he fit the period piece very well, and he is perfect for Vince, who is kind and protective and very attuned to Ada.

Ingrid’s husband, Lars, is a lawyer and former member of the Dutch army, and the two fell in love as teenagers. Lars is a man of quiet strength with a gentle, calming presence to offset Ingrid’s fiery nature, and I would love to see someone like Alexander Skarsgård play him. Although Skarsgård is older and it’s a bit outside his usual roles, I think he would be a wonderful choice.

Before I get carried away and cast the whole book, I will cast one more: Ada and Ingrid’s mother, Constance de Vos, is a very interesting character. When the twins were growing up, Mother always favored Ada and clashed with Ingrid, and these issues extend to their adulthood for reasons you’ll have to read the book to find out. Constance is proper, reserved, complicated, and enigmatic, and I would love to see Madeleine Stowe play her.

Visit Gabriella Saab's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Star Society.

Q&A with Gabriella Saab.

--Marshal Zeringue

Katie Bernet's "Beth Is Dead"

Katie Bernet is the author of Beth Is Dead, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She’s an award-winning creative director and a long-standing member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop. As the oldest of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women.

Here Bernet dreamcasts an adaptation of Beth Is Dead, her debut novel:

Beth Is Dead is a modern reimagining of Little Women as a mystery-thriller in which Beth March is found murdered in chapter one.

Naturally, I’d melt into a puddle if Greta Gerwig directed the film adaptation. Her adaptation of Little Women reinvigorated my love for Louisa May Alcott’s classic, but I’ve been a Greta stan since the days of Francis Ha and Lady Bird. I’d flip to see her take on a mystery-thriller, and I can hardly imagine the fun of cozying up to her versions of Little Women and Beth Is Dead back to back to back forevermore.

Beth Is Dead is written from the alternating perspectives of all four March sisters—including Beth in flashback, so we’ll start by dream-casting the girls. They’re not redheads in the novel, but I think this redheaded quartet would do a fantastic job of modernizing the characters.

Madalaine Petsch could play Meg who’s a rising sophomore at Harvard. Sadie Sink could play Jo who’s amassed a social media following by posting personal essays and would do anything for a story. Evie Templeton could play Beth who faces an impossible decision between an elite boarding school for artists and her first love. Jessica Barden could play Amy who’s desperate to study art in Europe—even if it means taking money that’s always been earmarked for Beth.

Meg, Jo, and Amy each have motives for killing Beth, but they’re not the only ones with a story to tell. Suspects include modern versions of many beloved characters. Laurie could be played by Niles Fitch. John Brooke could be played by Joe Alwyn. Sallie Gardiner could be played by Maude Apatow. Fred Vaughn who’s reimagined as Amy’s problematic art mentor could be played by Cole Sprouse. And one of the Hummels who’s reimagined as Beth’s first love could be played by Mason Thames.

Oh, and Marmee who’s known simply as “Mom” in Beth Is Dead absolutely must be played by Amy Adams.

Visit Katie Bernet's website.

The Page 69 Test: Beth Is Dead.

--Marshal Zeringue