G. R. Mannering's "Roses"

G. R. Mannering is an English writer and international author. She signed up with literary agency Creative Authors when she was eighteen and secured her first UK publishing deal when she was nineteen.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her first fantasy novel Roses, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast:

I think choosing someone to play my main character, Beauty, is the most difficult. Whoever they are, they would have to be happy to go through a few hours of make-up (Beauty has silver skin and white hair). She ages over the course of the book too so there would have to be a younger version and an older version. But I guess that right now, I get to choose, so I think that I would go for someone ethereal-looking like Saoirse Ronan or maybe Dakota Fanning.

The Beast would spend most of the movie as... a beast, so I think that I would have to focus on his voice and in an ideal world I'd go for someone like Richard Armitage for the deep tone and the fact that he's slightly older. The kindly stable manager, Owaine, would be someone like  Brian Blessed, while the creepy, handsome character of Eli could be Ed Westwick (because, why not).

It would be pretty amazing if  Emma Thompson was Asha and then I think that Jamie Foxx would most accurately fit the picture of The Sorcerer that I have in my head.

If only all of that could actually happen!

Learn more about the book and author at G. R. Mannering's website, blog, Facebook page and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Maria T. Lennon's "Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child"

At fifteen Maria T. Lennon left Santa Barbara to study at The American School in Switzerland. She continued her studies at Brillantmont in Lausanne, got kicked out, then went on to London to complete her A levels. She was accepted to the London School of Economics and studied International Economics and Politics of International Aid. After graduating, she moved to Italy where she ate and drank enormous quantities. She also taught summer school at The American School in Genova, an elementary school. Lennon later moved to Paris and wrote her first novel. When she returned to Los Angeles, she quit all bad habits and continued working on her novel, Making It up as I Go Along, which was published in 2004.

Lennon’s screenplay about the Red Brigade was a third place finalist in Francis Ford Coppola's screenwriter's competition. Today, she lives in Laurel Canyon and has four children and a dog named Frida. Her most recent book, Confessions of a So-called Middle Child, was released by Harper Collins in August 2013 and she is currently working on the series. When not driving one of her four children to school or volunteering at school libraries, Lennon can be found sitting in a parked car, a café or a library writing novels, travel articles or just passed out.

Here the author shares some ideas about an adaptation of Confessions of a So-called Middle Child:

Who Do I Want to Star in my Book?

A Tragic Question.

The movie business is weird. Way weirder than the publishing business that’s for sure. When Harper Collins bought the manuscript, Hollywood agents came calling the same week. They loved Charlie. And what’s not to love?

She’s a major pain in the butt. Got kicked out of school in Malibu. She bullies her way through life to get her way. She’s got a gifted older sister and an angel of a baby brother.

She lives in the Houdini Mansion while her dad rebuilds the original house that burnt down in 1953.

She actually finds the tunnels that go under Laurel Canyon Blvd. and have been rumored to exist for decades.

It would make a great movie right?

Jaden Smith for Bobby.

Hailee Steinfeld for Charlie.

And For Marta… well, by the time I got close to coming up with my dream girl the agents told me they were interested in TV and not film.

What? I cried.

No! I screamed.

And they want others to write it for you!

What? I cried.

No! I screamed.

Visions of Hannah Montanas and I Carlies in my head. What sadness. No, thanks, I said.

Visit the Confessions of a So-called Middle Child website, and follow Maria T. Lennon on Facebook and Twitter.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Maria T. Lennon and Frida.

--Marshal Zeringue

Robert Klara's "The Hidden White House"

Robert Klara is the author of the critically acclaimed 2010 book FDR's Funeral Train, which historian and author Douglas Brinkley called “a major new contribution to U.S. history.” Klara has been a staff editor for several magazines including Adweek, Town & Country and Architecture. His freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, American Heritage, and The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications.

Here Klara dreamcasts an adaptation of his new book, The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America's Most Famous Residence:

If they make my book into a film (and if they do, sweethearts, you’ll all be invited aboard my steam yacht), the casting director is in for a monstrous time: It took many, many people to rebuild the White House, and many of them are recurring characters in my book. So we’ll stick with the top few. I won’t let mortality get in my way nor, as you will note, will I let probable lack of financing do the same.

President Harry Truman should be played by the late Harry Morgan. Best known as Col. Potter in the M*A*S*H TV series, Morgan actually did play Truman—with uncanny brilliance—in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House. So I’d simply like a return engagement.

I would love to see what Meryl Streep could do with the role of First Lady Bess Truman, whose quiet, simple grace served as a counterpoint to her iron resolve. If you saw Streep in The Iron Lady (2011) or you’re old enough to remember how she played Danish plantation owner Karen in Out of Africa (1985), you’ll have an inkling of how well she’d channel this enigmatic, indomitable first lady.

To play the playful and feisty twentysomething Margaret Truman, I nominate Rashida Jones, whose blend of humor and intellect is perfect for the First Daughter.

Sean Connery would be magnificent as the erudite and brilliant chief architect Douglas Orr. I can see Connery in Orr’s round glasses, bow ties, and Yale tweeds, training a practiced eye on mountains of blueprints.

Lorenzo Winslow, the government architect who drew up the plans for the renovated mansion (and spent much of his spare time communicating with ghosts) is a role I would love to see what Donald Sutherland could do with, just for the hell of it.

Remember how incredible Daniel Day Lewis was as the volcanic Daniel Plainview in There Will be Blood? I’d put Lewis in the role of the White House’s tempestuous and powerful builder John McShain—another self-made man presiding over an empire with no heir.

White House maître d'hôtel Alonzo Fields was a quietly influential force in the White House—insightful and articulate, he was the eyes and ears of the domestic staff and an informal confidant of Truman’s. I can’t see anyone other than the late Scatman Crothers in this role with his deep, knowing smile, and a head full of kept secrets.

Resourceful and fussy, Usher J.B. West—a man whose ability to manage the ever-changing stage set that is the modern White House—was an indispensable force in the book’s narrative. Ben Kingsley would bring a kind of quirky magic to that role, which Mr. West has earned.

General Glen Edgerton—who supervised the entire day-to-day mess of the rebuilding effort—was a stark and steely man. Not only could Robert Downey Jr. play him, he looks like him.

Visit Robert Klara's website and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Mike Maden's "Drone"

About Drone, the first book in Mike Maden's new thriller series:

Troy Pearce is the CEO of Pearce Systems, a private security firm that is the best in the world at drone technologies. A former CIA SOG operative, Pearce used his intelligence and combat skills to hunt down America’s sworn enemies in the War on Terror. But after a decade of clandestine special ops, Pearce opted out. Too many of his friends had been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Now Pearce and his team chose which battles he will take on by deploying his land, sea, and air drones with surgical precision.

Pearce thinks he’s done with the U.S. government for good, until a pair of drug cartel hit men assault a group of American students on American soil. New U.S. president Margaret Meyers then secretly authorizes Pearce Systems to locate and destroy the killers sheltered in Mexico. Pearce and his team go to work, and they are soon thrust into a showdown with the hidden powers behind the El Paso attack—unleashing a host of unexpected repercussions.

Here Maden dreamcasts an adaptation of Drone:

This is a tough question. For the series lead, Troy Pearce, I’d cast Gary Sinise. He has the quiet swagger and thoughtful demeanor that Troy possesses. In Mr. Sinise’s private life, he does a lot of great things for the right people and mostly he does it quietly. On his recent television series, you never heard him raise his voice, but would you ever want to get into a knife fight with that guy? I think not. Troy is wicked smart and ruthlessly dangerous when finally provoked into action and I see Gary Sinise all over that.

Read more about Drone, and follow Mike Maden on Facebook and Twitter.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kristan Higgins's "The Perfect Match"

Kristan Higgins is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Her books have been praised for their "genius level EQ, whippet-fast, funny dialogue and sweet plots with a deliciously tart edge" (USA Today).

Here Higgins dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Perfect Match:

I’m not going to pretend here—Tom Hardy was the inspiration for the hero of The Perfect Match to the point where I now own a Tom Hardy calendar. I even named my hero Tom, which I thought was a solid blue-collar name. Tom Barlow is from Manchester, England, the only son of a butcher, and put himself through school on a boxing scholarship. I have a thing for the movie Warrior, as well as 124 pictures of young Mr. Hardy on my computer. Tom Hardy has such appeal as a romantic lead—when I saw This Means War, I was a little stunned that the heroine goes with the other guy (not that there’s anything wrong with Chris Pine, but please! He’s no Tom Hardy.)

What I love about Tom Hardy is that he can convey both a smokin’ alpha male and a very adorable boy-next-door. In my book, Tom Barlow is some of both—he’s trying very hard to stay close to his “unofficial stepson,” a teenage boy whose late mother was Tom’s fiancée. What woman could resist giving him a green card by way of marriage? But Tom’s got quite an edge, too, which was very fun to write.

For Honor, it was a little harder to choose an actress, but in the end, I went with Laura Linney. She was so magnificent in Love Actually (and everything she does, really), and I like that she’s a bit underappreciated. Honor is the person in her family who gets things done, but she’s got a romantic heart and a whole lot of yearning. Laura Linney is just fantastic at conveying ten emotions at once…to me, she’s second only to Meryl Streep in terms of acting chops. Honor doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and she doesn’t let Tom get away with his usual shtick, so I think Ms. Linney would do a great job portraying her.

Learn more about the book and author at Kristan Higgins's website, blog, and Facebook page.

My Book, The Movie: Somebody to Love.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tina Connolly's "Copperhead"

Tina Connolly lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, in a house that came with a dragon in the basement and blackberry vines in the attic. Her stories have appeared all over, including in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Here Connolly dreamcasts an adaptation of Copperhead, the sequel to her Nebula-nominated historical fantasy debut, Ironskin:

I always find this a challenging question – I think because I spent so much time in the theatre myself that my first instinct is always: well, I'd like go hold some auditions ... I bet there'd be some good unknowns out there ... also it takes so long to get a movie rolling into production that surely anyone I pick would have aged out by the time we're ready to cast!

Still, here are some random picks for Copperhead:

Helen – Carey Mulligan. I love Mulligan's work, and she brings such complexity to her roles that I think she would be great with Helen, who tries to pass herself off as superficial, but is actually warm-hearted, stubborn, and capable of much change over the course of the book.

Jane – Keira Knightley. I liked Mulligan and Knightley together in Never Let Me Go. The first book in the series, Ironskin, was Jane's journey, and Copperhead is Helen's. But plenty of interesting things happen to Jane in Copperhead. I think Knightley would look the part, and do a good job with angry, cursed Jane.

Rook – Mm, good question. A young Robert Downey Jr. would be a lot of fun for this quirky, funny, passionate young man with a past full of secrets.

Frye – Frye's a tall, flamboyant theatre actress, a bit of an Auntie Mame type. I'd love some great character actor like Allison Janney—someone who'd have fun swanning around a bit.

Alberta – someone with a lot of strength. Gina Torres would be nice here. And I believe she's a musician, which would be perfect for the character.

Grimsby – I'll go for a classic and say Alan Rickman for the biting, cold-hearted leader of the Copperhead party. Grimsby's got tragedy in his past, so Rickman would have some interesting levels to play.

Learn more about the book and author at Tina Connolly's website, blog, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gina Linko's "Indigo"

Gina Linko has a graduate degree in creative writing from DePaul University and lives outside Chicago with her husband and three children. Linko teaches college English part-time, but her real passion is sitting down at a blank computer screen and asking herself the question, "What if...?"

Here Linko dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Indigo:

It is so difficult for me to picture my book as a movie. I know that usually is not the case for authors, but for some reason, I don't think that way. I create the main characters in my head and so they kind of seem like real people to me. So for me to place that entire personality and history onto an actor, well, I don't know. I take my characters way too seriously, as you can see. Anyway, here goes.

The main character in Indigo is Corrine Harlowe. She is broken in a very big way at the beginning of this book, but she has a quiet strength. Dark haired, serious, and formidable. I think I could see Hailee Steinfeld as Corrine. She has that steely kind of resolve to her. She could take on Corrine's curse/power and do what she has to do.

Rennick Lane is Corrine's love interest in Indigo, and he is not your typical hero. He's kind of your nerdy/artist-type trapped in the body of a rock star. But he doesn't even know it. Plus, his hair. Swoon. So. These are some big shoes to fill. Black converse to be specific. Anyway. I think Logan Lerman could do justice to the part.

Learn more about the book and author at Gina Linko's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Paul Conroy's "Under the Wire"

Paul Conroy, author of Under the Wire: Marie Colvin's Final Assignment, is a former British soldier. As a photographer and filmmaker whose work spans 15 years, he has reported on the conflicts in Iraq, Congo, Kosovo, Libya, and Syria.

Here Conroy dreamcasts an adaptation of Under the Wire:

On February 22, 2012, I was seriously injured in a rocket attack whilst reporting the Syrian uprising. The same explosion that caused my injuries, killed my good friends and colleagues, Marie Colvin and French photographer, Remi Ochlik. It was nine days before I would receive proper medical treatment to the fist sized hole in my thigh and the multiple shrapnel wounds that peppered my body.

After the most harrowing of escapes, I was confined to bed in London for three months. While surgeons patched me up, I was approached by Annabel Merullo of the PFD literary agency, to write an account of events in Syria.

Initially I never saw it as a book, let alone a film and I was happy just being alive in the immediate weeks after my escape. To begin with the writing was difficult, I was on large doses of morphine for my injuries and finding a balance between pain and the haze of drugs, was a real challenge. Purely by accident I woke at 4am one morning, the pain was tolerable, my head was sharper and more focused as the effects of the morphine wore off. I turned on my laptop, wrote till 9am and then passed out as the pain levels rose and the morphine kicked in again. That's how I wrote the book, a daily ritual from 4am to 9am.

On completion people immediately talked about the possibilities of a film adaption. 'Jolly good,' thought I, still intensely relieved to have delivered the manuscript -- almost on time.

Inevitably, people started asking,"Who play you in a film?" "Who will play Marie?" To be honest, I thought they were all crazy, however, as the concept of a film grew legs and started to take shape, I started to think up the actors who would best capture mine and Marie's relationship.

To be honest, it was easy picking an actor to portray Marie -- Meryl Streep, without doubt. Meryl, a fantastic character actor would, I'm sure, find capturing Marie a rewarding adventure. Marie had a larger than life personality, a gift for any actor who enjoys a challenging roll.

It was far more difficult when It came to thinking of an actor to portray myself. We all have preconceived ideas of how others see us, probably optimistically inflated but, nonetheless, we all posses a sense of self image which we keep safely tucked away. That's fine, until someone asks, "Who would play you?"

Well, after months of deliberation, the jury has returned a verdict -- Colin Farrell. I contemplated the rather flattering ideas of George Clooney or Brad Pitt, both fantastic actors but, paired with Meryl Streep, Colin Farrell, I believe, could inject that magical spark that epitomised mine and Marie's relationship.

Farrell has the most fantastic, 'What the hell is going on' facial expression, a look I have spent half of my life trying to hide while reporting from the frontline. Being Irish helps too, I'm pretty sure he would understand and portray the black, Liverpudlian humour, that runs through the book.

So there you have it, the elegant and sophisticated Meryl Streep as Marie Colvin, and an unwashed, slightly baffled and wisecracking Colin Farrell as me.
© 2013 Paul Conroy

Learn more about Under the Wire, and follow Paul Conroy on Twitter.

--Marshal Zeringue

Graeme Simsion's "The Rosie Project"

Graeme Simsion is a former IT consultant with an international reputation. His screen adaptation of The Rosie Project won the Australian Writers Guild/Inscription Award for Best Romantic Comedy Script. Simsion lives in Australia with his wife, Anne, and their two children, and is currently working on a sequel to The Rosie Project.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of The Rosie Project:

A big caveat here: I originally wrote The Rosie Project as a screenplay, and Sony Pictures have optioned it. If they go ahead, they’ll doubtless engage a professional casting director, who (experience tells me) will do a much better job than I would. I’ve made a bunch of short films, and have been amazed by what inspired casting can do. Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. Who’d have thought it? Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Jack Nicholson in As Good as it Gets (OK, that one feels like a natural, but perhaps only in retrospect.) The Rosie Project takes us into not dissimilar territory. And, of course, anything I say here does not reflect the views of Sony Pictures, its agents, etc, etc.

That said, rather than second-guess Sony’s choices, I’ve cast my mind back to when I expected that if the movie was made, it would be in my home country of Australia, and imagined an all-Australian cast.

How about:

Eric Bana as Don. He’s known internationally for dramatic / action roles but he started off in comedy.

Melissa George as Rosie. Loved her in In Treatment.

Anthony LaPaglia as Gene. My wife assures me he has the “bedroom eyes” necessary for the role.

Toni Collette as Claudia – great comedy credentials as well as the heart to be the moral center.

Cate Blanchett as the Dean. Because I can.

Learn more about the book and author at Graeme Simsion's website and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tim O’Mara's "Crooked Numbers"

Tim O’Mara has been teaching math and special education in the New York City public schools since 1987. Sacrifice Fly, his top-selling debut mystery introduced the series hero Raymond Donne, a Brooklyn public schoolteacher who was once an up-and-coming police officer until a tragic accident destroyed his knees and the future he envisioned on the force.

In the newly released second book in the series, Crooked Numbers, Donne draws on his past as a cop to find the truth when one of his former students is found stabbed to death under the Williamsburg Bridge.

Here O’Mara dreamcasts an adaptation of the series:

It took me too long to finish Sacrifice Fly to get my dream cast.

I’ve thought mostly of Damian Lewis—Homeland—as an actor I’d love to see play Raymond. Not only is he good, but you could drop him into one of my family get-togethers (Ray looks like me) and no one would bat an eye. Steve Buscemi would make a wonderful Edgar, but now he’s a leading man due to the success of Boardwalk Empire. I recently saw Coppola’s The Conversation again and got chills when I saw the John Cazale character. He would’ve been perfect for Edgar and I can’t help but thinking he was somewhere in the back of my mind when I created the character.

As for Uncle Ray, hands down, Brian Dennehy, but since it took me so long to finish the book, Mr. D’s a bit on the older side now. Currently, I think David Morse—most recently of Treme—would do a fine job in the role. Wendell Pierce—also of Treme and The Wire—would inhabit the role of Detective Royce. As for Rachel, Ray’s sister, I’d go with either one of the Mara girls, Kate or Rooney. Good actors both, easy on the eyes, and I might get some Giants tickets out of them.

Learn more about the book and author at Tim O'Mara's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue