Laird Hunt's "In the House in the Dark of the Woods"

Laird Hunt's novels include Neverhome, a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice selection, an IndieNext selection, winner of the Grand Prix de Litterature Americaine and The Bridge prize, and a finalist for the Prix Femina Etranger.

Here Hunt dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, In the House in the Dark of the Woods:

There is a scene in David Lynch’s Inland Empire in which one of Laura Dern’s characters (she plays two) comes running around a dark curve in slow motion. As she is approaching the camera everything suddenly speeds up and — wearing an expression that seems forged from rage, terror and a just the slightest vermouth splash of bewilderment — Dern seems to leap toward the lens as if she were going to devour it and us and maybe the world entire. This scene and many others make me think Dern would float easily through the horror-lit New England woods in my novel, either as the central protagonist, Goody, or as one of the older women she finds in that dark place: a wolf-cape wearing piece of seriously complicated work called Captain Jane.

If Dern were unavailable, or, better, to keep Dern company, I might dream-cast Chloë Sevigny in one of those roles, or as the character Eliza, the current occupant of the titular house in the woods, who keeps her darkness somewhat under control until the novel’s final pages. The Sevigny of Lizzie Borden is what I have in mind here. Someone who knows her way around a kiss and an axe.

Visit Laird Hunt's Facebook page and Twitter perch.

My Book, The Movie: Neverhome.

--Marshal Zeringue

Matthew Farrell's "What Have You Done"

Matthew Farrell lives just outside of New York City in the Hudson Valley with his wife and two daughters.

About his new thriller, What Have You Done, from the publisher:

When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he’d had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there’s a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder.

Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. Sean has his back, but incriminating evidence keeps piling up. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth—even if that truth is his own guilt. Yet as he digs deeper, dark secrets come to light, and Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean…

When the smoke clears in this harrowing family drama, who will be left standing?

Here Farrell('s sister-in-law) dreamcasts an adaptation of the novel:

People always ask me who I want to play my characters in movies, but I don't see my characters as anything other than the characters I've lived with in my head for a year, so this is always a very difficult question.

My sister-in-law suggested Ryan Gosling and Ryan Phillippe, so I'll go with that. I think they'd do a nice job with the Dwyer brothers.

Visit Matthew Farrell's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Dana Chamblee Carpenter's "Book of the Just"

Dana Chamblee Carpenter is the author of Book of the Just, the third novel in The Bohemian Trilogy. The first book in the series, Bohemian Gospel, won the 2014 Killer Nashville Claymore Award. Publishers Weekly called it “a deliciously creepy debut.”

Her second book, The Devil’s Bible, won the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Horror Thriller and Best Novel Overall. Publishers Weekly said: “Mouse is both strong and vulnerable, constantly struggling with the dark legacy of her father, her own powers, and her efforts to be a good person. This exciting, poignant novel continues the strong opening in Bohemian Gospel and leaves room for more in Mouse’s fascinating world.”

Here Carpenter dreamcasts an adaptation of Book of the Just:

I’m very much a visual writer, playing scenes out in my head as if I were seeing them on screen, but, oddly enough, I’ve only ever mentally cast two characters in my novels until now. From the moment she introduced me to him at the end of Bohemian Gospel, Mouse’s dad has always been Robert Downey, Jr. in my head. Sardonic, smart, and suave—though he can become vicious at the turn of a dime.

And, without giving any spoilers, there’s a character we meet near the end of Book of the Just who came to me emphatically as Tom Hardy (you’ll see why this is especially interesting when you read the book). Playing with that casting actually helped me develop nuances in the character. What a wicked joy it would be to see these guys actually take on the characters someday! (She says with a wistful and all-too-realistic sigh.)

I’ve tried to cast Mouse countless times. But she’s so real for me, as tangible and fleshed out as my best friend. I don’t get to see Beth every day anymore, but I know the shape of her face, the shade of her eyes, the lilt of her accent. It’s the same for Mouse. I simply see her as . . . her. So I think we’ll need to look for an unknown when we cast for the movie or series. True to every step I’ve taken with Mouse, I know it will be a journey of discovery.

Mouse’s lover, Angelo, needs to be international, a little arrogant but kind, a thinker, and someone who’s eager to believe. Tom Hiddleston or maybe Tom Hughes could pull it off—just the right amount of posh but with some tattered edges.

And Owen Wilson would offer a perfect mix of charming bad-boy, dandy with a heavy dose of ambition that defines Jack Gray. He’s willing to do anything to get what he wants, but he’ll do it with a wink and a smile.

Book of the Just offers a pair of villains who are a little too decadently “live out loud,” but who also have a deep, calculated darkness that drives them to do the unthinkable. I hadn’t thought about it until now, but I would love to see Vincent D’Onofrio as the Reverend and Reese Witherspoon (a little twisted) as Kitty.

Maybe the daydreaming we do here will work like floating wish paper, carrying our dreams out into the universe to have them handed back to us in manifest reality. If we wish it so...

Visit Dana Chamblee Carpenter's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kelly Oliver's "Jackal"

Kelly Oliver is the award winning (and best-selling in Oklahoma) author of The Jessica James Mystery Series. Her debut, Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery, won the Independent Publisher’s Gold Medal for best Thriller/Mystery, was a finalist for the Foreward Magazine award for best mystery. Her second novel, Coyote won a Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery. And, the third, Fox was a finalist for both the Claymore Award and Silver Falchion Award. Jackal just came out.

When she’s not writing novels, Oliver is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

Here Oliver dreamcasts Jackal, A Jessica James Mystery:

I once imagined twenty-something Jessica James, the titular character of the series, played by Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Watson because they both are spunky young heroines. Now, at only 28, somehow Jennifer Lawrence feels too old—maybe because she’s won so many awards and played more mature roles.

So for Jackal, the latest installment in the Jessica James Mystery series, I’m thinking of Saorise Ronan, a fantastic actress who proved her comic chops in Lady Bird, where she was smart-mouthed (like Jessica) but also vulnerable. And in Brooklyn she was self-sufficient, strong and lovely. Hanna is my favorite. She played a genetically engineered badass. Talk about girl power!

I still like Emma Watson because along with being a great actress, she’s a feminist and she has a book club. You gotta like an actress with a book club! Okay, I’m rethinking Jennifer Lawrence too. I just read that she’s dedicated her year off from acting to a grassroots anticorruption campaign. Go JenLaw.

Mackenzie is one of my favorite characters in Jackal (and in the series). She is a dreamer but tough as nails. She goes to Vegas to join Cirque du Soleil and ends up working as an exotic dancer. She is sexy but also sweet. I’m thinking the former Disney star Selena Gomez fits that bill. She’s incredibly charismatic and sexy but also seems like a sweetheart. Like McKenzie, she is gorgeous but could play someone a little naïve.

Leo Spencer is a rookie detective haunted by his past. I’m thinking 13 Reasons Why star (another former Disney kid) Ross Butler would do a great job. He’s cute and sexy and just looks like a nice guy. At the same time, in his acting, he can go deep and dig into the emotional turmoil of a tragic childhood. I’m also impressed that he is committed to changing stereotypes of Asian actors in Hollywood. Hey, Ross, let’s make Jackal into a movie and bust some stereotypes!

Leo’s partner Terrance is a master of disguise and an expert undercover cop. Terrance is hard on the outside but a softie on the inside. Donald Glover, who played the young Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and went viral with his latest Childish Gambino video, would be perfect. He’s handsome, smart, and charming. He’s got the quick wit and sexy twinkle in his eyes that could con the best of the bad guys. Better yet, Donald is committed to social justice. Tackling contemporary social issues in entertaining ways is dear to my heart. I think Donald would make a very cool Terrance aka GQ.

As for Mazzi Honey Bunny, McKenzie’s Parti Yorkie purse dog, let’s borrow Jack from Hilary Duff’s menagerie of rescued animals. Hilary fundraises for animal shelters and says animals teach people “responsibility, kindness, and respect.” Hear, hear, Hilary.

Three Millennials, Two Family Mysteries….and One Parti Yorkie.

Wow, with a cast like this, Jackal would be a blockbuster.

Visit Kelly Oliver's website.

My Book, The Movie: Wolf.

--Marshal Zeringue

Don Zolidis's "The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig"

Don Zolidis is a playwright, novelist, and former middle and high school teacher.

His plays have been produced over 10,500 times in 61 countries.

Here Zoldis dreamcasts an adaptation of The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig (a Love Story), his first novel:

This is so tricky, because I know it takes a few years to get a movie made, so I need to pick somebody younger than my main characters in order to make it remotely realistic. A particular pet peeve of mine is when everyone in a YA movie is clearly in their mid-twenties. Nobody looked like that in high school! So my current choice for the lead is Finn Wolfhard, who is sufficiently dorky and charismatic to pull off the lead in a rom-com about a Dungeons and Dragons playing nerd.

The female lead requires something a little different. I’d be looking for an actress that radiates intelligence, which is sometimes difficult to convey. For the moment I’ll go with Elle Fanning, but it’s a difficult choice!

Visit Don Zolidis's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Edwin Hill's "Little Comfort"

By day, Edwin Hill is the vice president and editorial director of Bedford/St. Martin’s, a division of Macmillan. By night, he writes the Hester Thursby mystery series.

Here he dreamcasts (and travels in time) the first book in the series, Little Comfort. The second book, The Missing Ones, will come out in September of 2019.

When I write, I purposefully don’t imagine characters as Hollywood actors, but when I finish, I do picture who might play a character in a movie using both contemporary and classic actors. Here are some of my thoughts.

Hester Thursby is four-foot-nine-and-three-quarters inches tall and weighs eighty-nine pounds. She grew up with a mentally ill mother and knows how to fend for herself. When I asked other authors to review Little Comfort, many blurbs came back describing Hester as “feisty,” but Hester would hate being called feisty, just as she hates being called “Half Pint” or “Dear” or anything that hints at being dismissed because of her size. In the end, I asked my editor to describe Hester using only adjectives that could be attributed to John Rambo. Hester is tough, she’s smart, she’s resourceful (unlike Rambo, she’s also articulate), but she definitely isn’t feisty. She also couldn’t be played by Sylvester Stallone in a movie, but once I imagined Ellen Page in the role, I couldn’t picture anyone else.

One of the joys of writing is that it allows me to explore the choices I might have made in another lifetime. I love animals and sometimes wonder if I should have gone into veterinary medicine, so I made Morgan Maguire, Hester’s “non-husband” as she likes to call him, a veterinarian, one with a habit of bringing home strays. Morgan is handsome in a way that sneaks up on you, kind, and has red hair. He could be played by a young Ryan O’Neal or Ewan McGregor.

Hester’s niece Kate Maguire is three-years-old and hasn’t learned to use pronouns. She hears everything Hester says, though, and surprises with her recall - especially when Hester swears. Kate has curly, honey-colored hair, and Shirley Temple would easily steal the show playing her. In later books, when she gets older, I’d cast her with a young Tatum O’Neal or Jodie Foster.

Morgan’s fiery twin sister Daphne doesn’t appear physically in Little Comfort, but her presence is strong none-the-less, and there are hints that she’ll likely appear in later books in the series. A few months before the story begins, Daphne abandons Kate, leaving the girl with a Post-It taped to her pajamas promising to be back in an hour. Anyone who played Daphne would need to show unbridled passion and energy, verging on mania, someone like Rooney Mara. Sean Young in her No Way Out days would have been perfect for this role too.

Angela White is a Boston detective who enters the novel about halfway through and befriends Morgan. Angela is tough and no-nonsense, and readers have responded so well to her that she’ll become a main character in future novels. I’d love to see her played by Regina Hall.

Animals play a central role in the entire series, and Waffles, a basset hound mix who’s a sucker for belly rubs, snuggling, and treats, is the main attraction. She could be played by any basset hound who responds to commands (good luck finding one!)

Inspired by the Clark Rockefeller case, Little Comfort began with an idea for a character named Sam Blaine, a handsome, ruthless young man who strives to find a place to belong. Sam is named after a very sweet beagle who lives for chasing rabbits. In drafting, I purposefully used very few descriptors of Sam’s looks because I wanted the reader to imagine him in their own eyes. So I leave the casting on this one to you: who’s your ideal actor?

Of all the characters in Little Comfort, Gabe DiPursio surprised me the most. When I began drafting, he was a minor character in one scene. He eventually became one of the main point-of-view characters, one with a tender, flawed heart that stems from a deep well of loneliness. Gabe would have to be played by an actor who can move deftly from creepy to kind, someone like Adam Driver.

This dream casting is excerpted from the Little Comfort Book Club Kit.

Learn more about the book and author at Edwin Hill’s web site.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ellen Goodlett's "Rule"

Ellen Goodlett writes science fiction because otherwise she would spend her days plotting to take over the world. She figures that the former would benefit humanity ever so slightly more than the latter (which would be disastrous and involve a lot of cats in government positions). She lives in New York City with two demons masquerading as felines. She is a proud graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a Pittsburgh expat.

Here Goodlett dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Rule:

I am terrible at mentally casting movies, so I’ll just preface this whole post with that. But one of my first friends who read and fangirled over Rule told me in her head she’d cast the three narrators’ father, King Andros, as Idris Elba the whole time, and after that, I couldn’t resist trying to cast my three protagonists, at least for my own sake.

I don’t watch a lot of TV, so to start with I tried googling actors. That never really works out, though. But I caught a lucky break when I went to watch Solo in theaters. At the very end, a girl came on-screen (no spoilers about her role in the movie, I promise), and I actually gasped aloud in the theater, because I was like, that’s Akeylah.

Akeylah is my quiet sister, the one who’s usually in the background. But don’t mistake her quiet for ignorance or acquiescence. In reality, she’s the one who often has the best suggestions. She doesn’t speak often, but when she does, you’d better listen, because she’s figured out what’s actually going on. If I had a say in it, Erin Kellyman would play her in the movie adaptation of Rule (or, you know, more realistically these days, in the Netflix original series…).

As for Ren, she’s always been Zendaya in my mind. She’s tall, graceful, put-together, and the most articulate and made-for-court of any of the sisters. She knows how to dress to impress, how to say just the right thing at the right time to get what she wants, and most of all, she always keeps her eyes on the prize.

Zofi was the most difficult to cast. She’s the outspoken sister, the blunt one who doesn’t abide by court rules (or anyone’s rules, really). But she has a big heart under that tough coating—especially when it comes to anyone she decides to call family. She’ll do anything for them. The closest actor I’ve found who strokes me as Zofi-esque is Ashleigh Murray from Riverdale, but it’s still not exactly the right fit.

And finally, because I can’t resist, for Rozalind, my favorite secondary character, I’d cast Aeriél Miranda (yes, from Pretty Little Liars, which is the show we used as a comp title for Rule. But, confession time: I’ve never actually seen the show. Just a lot of clips of Aeriél since one of my friends mentioned she was picturing her as Roz).

Visit Ellen Goodlett's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kathleen J. McInnis's "The Heart of War"

Kathleen J. McInnis is a U.S. national security policy geek by trade, who happens to be moonlighting as a novelist. Or maybe it's the other way around?

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon:

It’s funny. While my career in U.S. national security requires me to write a lot, it’s always analytic pieces that I’ve had to put together. So when I started writing The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon – my first real work of fiction – I didn’t have a clue where to start.

I decided to take a cue from my buddy Mike Flanagan, who’s a writer and director of horror movies, and compiled a book of actor’s headshots to give myself a clear sense of what the characters look like. But, because I’m an analyst by training, my version of was enormously elaborate: each page had an image of an actor that fit the bill, along with notes on their character, bios, and even Myers-Briggs personality types.

Yet as I went through rewrite after rewrite (after rewrite!), the story changed significantly, and so did the characters. And it turns out, they had opinions about what they looked like, and were very insistent that I go back and get that right. As it happens, they also told me to stuff my Myers-Briggs character notes and just listen to them tell their story. So when I sent the final manuscript to the publisher, the characters looked and felt very different to the beginning of the writing process five years ago.

Dr. Heather Reilly, the story’s protagonist, is a strong and intelligent woman but with some profound pain at the center of her being. She is brave, but at times naïve. And she’s in an environment where the work is deadly serious, but she and her colleagues use humor to cope with the Pentagon’s insanity. While I have a very clear idea of what Heather looks like, I think that capturing her spirit would be more essential to pulling off a movie adaptation. Some actors that I think could really capture those kinds of dualities while bringing humor to the role include Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence.

Incidentally, the one character who didn’t change much for me over the course of writing: the main antagonist, Ariane Fletcher. Fletcher is a complicated woman, but Heather mainly sees her as the boss from hell. It always seemed to me that Helena Bonham Carter would be perfect for the role.

Visit Kathleen J. McInnis's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Roger Johns's "River of Secrets"

Roger Johns is a former corporate lawyer and retired college professor with law degrees from Louisiana State University and Boston University. During his nearly two decades as a professor, he served on the editorial staffs of several academic publications and he won numerous awards and recognitions for his teaching and his scholarly writing. Johns was born and raised in Louisiana. He and his wife Julie now live in Georgia. Dark River Rising is his first novel.

Here Johns shares some insights into dreamcasting an adaptation of Dark River Rising and River of Secrets:

Warning: I’m about to cheat. I’m not normally a cheater, but today is different, and for good reason. First, though, a confession: I don’t watch television and I very rarely go to the movies. Consequently, as much as I’d like to, I haven’t a chance when it comes to choosing a recognizable current actor to play the part of Wallace Hartman, the female police detective who is the lead character in my two recent mysteries, Dark River Rising and River of Secrets. That said, I remember very well an experience I had after I finished an early draft of the first book. The manuscript contained very little physical description of Wallace. After my wife read it, I asked her who she thought Wallace looked like. Her answer took me completely by surprise: “She looks like me.” At that moment, I made a conscious decision to keep Wallace’s physical appearance rather vague. My thinking was that if, by keeping the description to a minimum, readers could more easily identify with the character, then who was I to get in the way. With the exception of the following, the books are bereft of clues as to Wallace’s appearance: she’s five-seven, in her mid- to late-thirties, white, dark shoulder-length hair, and a bit on the athletic side. Here’s the cheat: I couldn’t possibly name anyone to play the part, but if you’re in the mood to play casting director, please send your suggestions to me at: roger.johns@rogerjohnsbooks.com.

Visit Roger Johns's website.

The Page 69 Test: Dark River Rising.

--Marshal Zeringue

Paula Munier's "A Borrowing of Bones"

Paula Munier is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and Fixing Freddie: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle. She was inspired to write A Borrowing of Bones by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own Newfoundland retriever mix rescue Bear, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Here Munier dreamcasts an adaptation of A Borrowing of Bones:

Someone once said that it takes six real people to create one well-rounded character. Mine are true composites in that way. But when I think of casting them in the movies, I can usually come up with an actress or an actor I think could inhabit my characters with grace and dignity and power.

Mercy Carr, the heroine of my Mercy and Elvis series, is a former Army MP who was wounded in Afghanistan. She’s attractive, but she's also tough physically, mentally, and emotionally. I think an actor like Jessica Chastain or Mireille Enos could play Mercy, as they are both beautiful redheads who manage to play tough characters credibly. They play strong women well, and that's what Mercy is: a strong woman.

Vermont game warden Troy Warner is character who's good looking in that sort of boy-next-door way. He has an open face and a guarded soul. Someone like Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood, and a good actor in his own right, could play Troy. Captain Thrasher, Troy 's superior officer, is a former Marine and the handsomest man in Vermont (which he considers a sort of curse). I think of him as a cross between Jesse Williams and Idris Elba: a tough guy with a good heart.

As for the dogs: Elvis, the bomb-sniffing Belgian shepherd, was inspired by the military working dogs I met through Mission K9 Rescue. He’s a fierce and worthy companion for Mercy. Susie Bear, the search-and-rescue dog who accompanies Troy Warner on his patrols in the Vermont wilderness, was inspired by our own rescue dog, a Newfoundland-Retriever mix named Bear. He is the happiest dog in the world, and accordingly, Susie Bear is cheerful and hard-working. I don’t know any actor dogs, but they’d have to be as swell as the dogs who inspired my hero dog characters.

Visit Paula Munier's website.

--Marshal Zeringue