William Boyle's "Gravesend" and "The Lonely Witness"

William Boyle is from Brooklyn, New York. His debut novel, Gravesend, was published as #1,000 in the Rivages/Noir collection in France, where it was nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Gravesend is currently shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in the UK and will be reissued by Pegasus Crime in the US in September 2018. Boyle is also the author of a book of short stories, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, and of another novel, Tout est Brisé (Everything is Broken). His most recent novel, The Lonely Witness, is out now from Pegasus Crime. A new novel, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, is forthcoming in March 2019. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

Here Boyle dreamcasts adaptations of Gravesend and The Lonely Witness:

The Lonely Witness is a follow up to Gravesend, set almost seven years later but in the same neighborhood and with a couple of the same characters. If they make my books into films, here's who I'd like to play the lead roles. (I sometimes imagine actors into roles as I’m writing, though often faces shift and blend. For the purposes of this, I’ll just settle on dream casts.)

Gravesend: Alessandra Biagini (Anna Kendrick); Conway D’Innocenzio (Ben Foster); Ray Boy Calabrese (Jake Gyllenhaal); Eugene Calabrese (Gaten Matarazzo); Pop (Robert De Niro); Stephanie Dirello (Kate Micucci); Amy Falconetti (Kristen Stewart); McKenna (Charlie Day); Mr. Natale (Ray Romano). Directed by James Gray.

The Lonely Witness: Amy Falconetti (Kristen Stewart); Alessandra Biagini (Anna Kendrick); Dom Mescolotto (Emory Cohen); Fred Falconetti (John Turturro); Mr. Pezzolanti (Steve Buscemi); Mrs. Epifanio (Gena Rowlands); Diane Marchetti (Edie Falco); Father Ricciardi (Ralph Macchio); Gwen (Sydney Tamiia Poitier); Mrs. Mescolotto (Annabella Sciorra); Vincent Marchetti (Shia LaBeouf). Directed by Sophia Takal.

Visit William Boyle's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Chad Zunker's "Hunt The Lion"

Chad Zunker studied journalism at The University of Texas, where he was also on the football team. He’s worked for some of the most powerful law firms in the country and invented baby products that are now sold all over the world. He has wanted to write full time since he took his first practice hit as a skinny freshman walk-on from a 6’5, 240 pound senior All-American safety — which crushed both him and his feeble NFL dreams. He lives in Austin with his wife, Katie, and their three daughters.

Zunker's new novel is Hunt The Lion, the third Sam Callahan thriller.

Here the author dreamcasts the lead in an adaptation of the series:

My protoganist, Sam Callahan, has been described as Good Will Hunting meets The Bourne Identity, both movies which starred the talented Matt Damon. I think that’s a great fit. So I guess for Hunt The Lion I would need to put Matt Damon in a time machine and take him back to his twenties to play the role!

Visit Chad Zunker's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Julia Buckley's "A Dark and Twisting Path"

Julia Buckley is a Chicago mystery author. She writes the Writer's Apprentice Series and the Undercover Dish mysteries, and is soon to launch a new series with Berkley Prime Crime.

Buckley has taught high school English for thirty years; she lives near Chicago with her husband, four cats, and a mischievous Labrador named Digby. She has two grown sons. She is a lifelong reader and a writer since around age six, when she started a notebook of poems.

Here Buckley dreamcasts an adaptation of A Dark and Twisting Path, the newest Writer's Apprentice mystery:

Casting the residents of Blue Lake, Indiana was harder than I expected. When you picture people a certain way in your head and then try to match them to already-existing people, you find a certain dissonance.

However, these can certainly get readers thinking about who they themselves would cast as the main characters of my Writer's Apprentice series: Lena London, her employer, Camilla Graham, their neighbor, Sam West, the police chief, Doug Heller, Lena's best friend, Allison Branch, and her research librarian friend, Belinda Frailey.

Here are the people I came up with for my casting call.

For Lena: I needed a young woman under thirty who has dark hair and brown eyes, and Zoey Deutch fits the bill, not only in loveliness but in spunk and personality.

For Camilla: Several women were possible, but of course I had to go with the lovely Judy Dench for a first try-out. She has a real quality, and a warmth of personality, that I think would work well for this famous author.

For Sam West: This was a very difficult one, and the closest I came was New Zealand actor Martin Henderson. He has dark hair and blue eyes, like Sam, and he has a potentially mysterious quality.

For Doug Heller: Doug is blond, with brown eyes. Gabriel Macht from Suits seems like he could fit into Blue Lake, wearing the cop uniform but also hiking around the bluffs.

For Allison: Lena's friend always looks effortlessly lovely (at least from Lena's perspective), so the ever-beautiful Margot Robbie could certainly do justice to the character. Allison is an endless well of love and compassion, and Robbie's varied performances have demonstrated her ability to play someone kind yet vulnerable.

For Belinda: I discovered this young lady in Google Images. Emily Bett Rickards, a Canadian actress who stars in the show Arrow, seems able to convey the introversion and brilliance of Belinda Frailey. And of course here she is wearing a necessity for Belinda--a pair of glasses.

Learn more about the book and author at Julia Buckley's website and her blog, Mysterious Musings.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rea Frey's "Not Her Daughter"

Rea Frey is an award-winning author of nonfiction books. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of Not Her Daughter, her debut novel that raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe:

When I wrote Not Her Daughter, I saw it as a film first. (And how trippy that it was optioned for film by Argent Pictures before publication!) My hubby, who happens to be a graphic designer, rigged up a casting board for me to look at while I wrote the book.

While I think Sarah could be played by a variety of actors, I’d love to see Anne Hathaway or Alison Brie from Glow.

Amy has always been one actor and one actor only to me: Melissa McCarthy. I know she’s known for light, humorous roles, but I think this could be a breakout drama for her.

Ethan could be played by Bradley Cooper.

Richard by Bryan Cranston.

I’m not sure what five-year-old actors are out there, but it would be a big role.

Visit Rea Frey's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Katharine Weber's "Still Life With Monkey"

Katharine Weber grew up in New York City and has lived in rural Connecticut since 1976, when she married the cultural historian Nicholas Fox Weber. (They have two daughters and a grandson.) She also spends parts of the year in West Cork, Ireland, and in London. She is the author of five previous novels and a memoir.

Here, Weber dreamcasts an adaptation her new novel Still Life With Monkey:

Still Life With Monkey stars a very successful architect, Duncan Wheeler, 37, who has recently become a quadriplegic as the consequence of a car accident. He has an identical twin, Gordon, who has a very different personality and life. The able-bodied twin presents a dilemma for casting, because in principle I would dearly love to envisage an actor in the Duncan role who in real life uses a wheelchair. In nearly every film with a disabled character, able-bodied actors are cast in those roles. But if the same actor were also to play the part of the twin brother, which would be the obvious double-role casting for this movie, this presents a practical dilemma. However, I have the perfect solution in mind—if varieties of time travel are permitted. My dream casting for these two roles would in fact be the same actor: quadriplegic Christopher Reeve for Duncan Wheeler, and pre-accident Christopher Reeve for Gordon Wheeler. The spirit of Christopher Reeve definitely hovers over my novel. In 1981 I saw Christopher Reeve on Broadway when he starred in the Lanford Wilson play The Fifth of July in the role of a gay, paraplegic Vietnam veteran. (The riding accident that paralyzed him lay fourteen years in the future.) In the play there is a running reference to a plan for sprinkling someone’s ashes in the penstemon.

For Duncan’s wife Laura, the third (human) star of this movie, I would cast Alexis Bledel, whose work as Emily/Ofglen in The Handmaid’s Tale shows an extraordinary and nuanced capacity for conveying wordless emotions. Laura is a bit of a loner, someone who at times does the wrong things for the right reasons. Alexis Bledel would inhabit this part perfectly.

For Ottoline the capuchin helper monkey, I would hope for Crystal the monkey (Night at the Museum, We Bought a Zoo, Community), but she is a very big star, and if she is not available, then Katie the monkey (Friends, Outbreak), would be a strong second choice.

My dream director would be Lasse Hallström, whose quirky body of work, from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? to Cider House Rules, makes me believe he would know how to direct these principal characters and a capuchin monkey.

Visit Katharine Weber's website.

Writers Read: Katharine Weber.

--Marshal Zeringue

Christian Di Spigna's "Founding Martyr"

Christian Di Spigna is a writer based in New York City and Williamsburg, Virginia. A regular speaker and volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg, Di Spigna is an expert on the history of the era and educates a wide array of audiences.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new book, Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero:

A charismatic and courageous man who by all standards of the time should have never risen in the socio-political ranks, Dr. Warren was possessed of many talents. Tom Hardy would convey the fiery side of Warren’s revolutionary fervor, as well as his more tempered demeanor befitting a spymaster and doctor. Although a young man, Warren had experienced much loss, which would have aged him in many other ways, that Hardy would have to bare.

Warren’s first wife, Elizabeth Hooton Warren would be portrayed by Oona Chaplin exuding a frail but mysterious woman.

For Samuel Adams, the incomparable Brian Cox as a grand incendiary.

General Thomas Gage would go to Clive Owen a battle-hardened general in the waning years of his career.

Dr. John Collins Warren played by James Cromwell, a soft spoken gentleman doctor of the Brahmin elite.

Warren’s mother, Mary Stevens Warren, who sacrificed to send young Joseph to Harvard—Elizabeth Perkins.

The role of Dr. James Lloyd, Warren’s mentor, to a younger Michael Caine (in his late 40’s.) Caine would embody the role of benevolent mentor.

Thomas Hutchinson to Gary Oldman who would convey the gentleman politician caught in a political tidal wave that he was not prepared for.

Warren’s fiancée Mercy Scollay--the dutiful and loyal companion--by Amy Adams.

Visit Christian Di Spigna's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gina Wohlsdorf's "Blood Highway"

Gina Wohlsdorf’s first novel, Security, was chosen as an Amazon Best Book of 2016.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Blood Highway:

If Sofia Coppola directed Blood Highway the film, I could die happy. The best adaptation from book to movie I’ve ever seen — bar none — is The Virgin Suicides. That novel was friggin’ impossible to put to the screen: first-person plural narrator, disjointed timeline, thematic complexity that seemed beyond the reach of visual images. Coppola did the impossible, and then some. People will call this sacrilege, but I’m saying it: the movie might be even better than the book. And I do not remotely mind being bested by the best.

Taissa Farmiga is Rainy. That’s it, the end, cut, print, check the gate. I’ve been working on this story for fifteen years. You better believe I had my eyes open the whole time for an actress who could nail this part. For a decade, there was nobody. Then I rented The Bling Ring (directed by Sofia Coppola), and there’s a scene in that movie where Taissa Farmiga’s character is playing with a gun in her boyfriend’s bedroom. My mouth fell open, my tears welled up, and I said, out loud: “Jesus Christ, that’s her.”

For Blaine, we’d need somebody who could do a lot with a little. It would be such an easy role to do as stock beefcake, but that’s not what Blaine is. I was super-impressed with Theo James in Divergent, because he could have played Four as the Hot Fighting Instructor and he didn’t. He used every line, every movement and every moment to maximize his character’s impact. And he dug. That scene toward the end when Four confronts his abusive father in a simulation — James didn’t overdo it, didn’t under-do it. Very contained, very measured, very intentional. He would bother to find the broken-hearted kid behind Blaine’s badass exterior. (Though how we make him look bland in any way, I don’t know. We’ll probably need the Benjamin Button makeup people.)

Sam’s where we get to have a little fun. He’s supposed to have the body of the Incredible Hulk, but I’m flexible on that as long as the actor can convey size, strength, excess. Sam Rockwell would kill it. He has a scary charisma that can go either way, nice or wicked-mean or both, back and forth and back again. Michael Fassbender would make it intriguing. I had David Duchovny in mind when I first wrote the character, and I thought of Bruce Willis a few years later — a sly smile that draws you in, a wall behind the eyes that keeps you out.

And I have a secret fantasy where I somehow get my acoustic cover of “The Chain” on the soundtrack — just me and a piano, soft and raw, fading to nothing on the final note.

Visit Gina Wohlsdorf's website.

My Book, The Movie: Security.

--Marshal Zeringue

T. Greenwood's "Rust & Stardust"

T. Greenwood is the author of twelve novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. She has won three San Diego Book Awards. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/IndieBound picks. Bodies of Water was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award.

Here Greenwood dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, Rust & Stardust:

Because Rust & Stardust is based on a true crime (the 1948 kidnapping of eleven-year old Sally Horner – the crime that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita), I was writing with real people in mind. However, this novel is, in the end, a piece of historical fiction, and these characters have, in many ways taken on a life of their own.

I always love to imagine who might play the roles of the various characters if the novel were adapted for film. And this one was easy. (Here’s my all-star cast.)

Sally Horner:
I adored Brooklynn Prince as Moonee in The Florida Project. She’s both beautifully innocent and wise in that film; her performance was heart-breaking. She’s still a little young to play Sally, but luckily filmmaking takes time, so in a couple of years, she’d be perfect!

Frank La Salle:
Jackie Earle Haley brilliantly played a pedophile in Little Children. While he might not want to revisit that sort of role, I think he’d make a terrific Frank: able to portray a sick man who is simultaneously ominous and pathetic.

Ella Horner:
Sally’s mother would be such a challenging role. A woman who suffers not only emotionally but physically, it would need to be an actress who could capture the sort of resignation that I believe Ella exhibits. I think Laurie Metcalf might be an interesting choice.

Sister Mary Katherine:
I adore Amy Adams’ work, and I think she’d be wonderful in this role, the nun who suspects something is amiss with her young student but is unable, in the end, to save her.

Lena:
Lena is a hermaphrodite with the traveling circus in Dallas, TX where Frank and Sally settle at a trailer park. I’d love to see Jessica Chastain play this role.

Ruth:
Ruth, in many ways, is the heroine of this story. I could see Reese Witherspoon taking on this part beautifully. There’s a tremendous lightness and simple goodness to Ruth that I believe Witherspoon could capture.

Al Panaro:
Al is such an important character in this story, Sally’s gentle and kind brother-in-law who never gives up hope. I would love to see him played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

In terms of directors, my dream director would be Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird and Jackie). This is a pretty gritty story, but there are moments of grace, and I think Gerwig knows exactly how to reveal that dichotomy. As a photographer, I am also very interested in the cinematography…my dream Director of Photography would be Christina Voros. Her work is amazing.

Visit T. Greenwood's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jay Schiffman's "Game of the Gods"

Jay Schiffman is an award-winning writer and creator of games, animations, apps, and web experiences. He was a practicing attorney for several years and has been involved in a number of successful businesses in the digital, educational, and technology spaces. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.

Here Schiffman dreamcasts an adaptation of Game of the Gods, his debut novel:

Game of the Gods is the story of Max Cone, a former military commander and judge in the Federacy. Max wants to leave war and politics behind, but when his family is taken he must fight. Max and a band of outcasts—a 13-year-old girl with mysterious powers, a math savant, a revolutionary turned drug addict, and the daughter of the world’s most powerful religious leader—must save their family, friends, and the world. Game of the Gods is a fast-paced action adventure that follows Max and his band as they travel through exotic lands and strange political landscapes.

In terms of bringing Game of the Gods to the screen, I would choose the little screen over the big one. I am an avid reader, but I am also an avid watcher of quality television. I will name just a few of my favorite shows to give a flavor of what I love to binge on: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, and Westworld. Many of these fall into the sci-fi/fantasy category or gang-life category, but I enjoy any well-written drama. In fact, if you forced me to choose my favorite show, it wouldn’t be sci-fi, fantasy or gangs. I would say it’s Mad Men, mostly because it is the best written.

Many of my choices for casting are going to come from these shows I love. So, without further ado, on to central casting.

My main character and the first-person narrator of the story is Max Cone. He’s a military and political leader who is smart and stoic. He has lost his family and is in a great amount of emotional pain, but he struggles with his feelings. I would cast none other than Mad Men’s Don Draper, Jon Hamm.

For my favorite character, the uniquely talented 13-year-old Pique Rollins, I would hop in a time-machine and head back to 2011. I would cast a young teenage Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark and was about 14 when HBO aired its first Game of Thrones episode.

For the Holy Father, who is formal, mysterious, solemn, and maybe even a little evil, I would cast Jeremy Irons.

For Mavy Sway, the Holy Father’s smart, powerful, and beautiful disciple, I would cast another Game of Thrones actress, Nathalie Emmanuel.

And for Anther Vrig, the callous leader of the National Freedom Force, I would cast Breaking Bad’s Walter White, the actor Bryan Cranston.

I could do this all day, but there are a lot of characters in my book, and I think this gives a good idea of my AMC-HBO-Netflix dream team.

Visit Jay Schiffman's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series

Michael J. Sullivan's books include the Riyria Revelations series: Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron.

Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of the series:

When I first conceived of the Riyria Revelations, it was the 1990s. I saw Braveheart and The Man In The Iron Mask and thought Mel Gibson and Jeremy Irons could play Hadrian and Royce in the movie version. They are now 62 and 69 years of age, so that no longer works. And that’s my problem. Actors get old while my characters remain young. I had the characters cast, but alas, time ruined everything.

I gave up trying to cast them, until recently when two actors appeared on screen together that I thought would work. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Only problem with that—these two are doing pretty well for themselves these days and would be a tad expensive to hire for the roles. However, if they happen to be fans of Riyria, and reading this post, as I’m certain they are, and interested in working for scale to bring the world of Elan to life. Call me.

Visit Michael J. Sullivan's website.

--Marshal Zeringue