Lauren Bjorkman's "My Invented Life"

Lauren Bjorkman grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. She now lives in Taos, New Mexico.

Here she shares some ideas about actors and director for an adaptation of her debut YA novel, My Invented Life:

When my agent called to say that Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B had expressed an interest in My Invented Life, I immediately thought about actors. Not that they were going to ask me for suggestions. It was just plain fun to think about. Eventually the deal fizzled. But the question remained. How would I cast a movie of my book? To add to the challenge, I enjoy movies with unknowns or lesser-knowns.

My heroine, Roz is a very tall, not-very-skinny teen. As a drama queen and theater geek, she lives to be the center of attention. And she’s wounded. Her older sister who she’s worshipped since forever recently deleted her from her life. Roz hides the wound behind a snarky and hilarious attitude. Whoever plays her would have to be tall. Mandy Moore fits the bill at 5’10’’ and has proven herself capable of playing a teen with an attitude.

Still, I imagine Roz’s face to be more like singer/songwriter Pink. Or like Busy Philipps who played a punky girl in the movie Home Room. Busy looks tough but vulnerable, and has the perfect chin. She would have to dye her hair brown, though.

Someone much shorter and sweeter should play the older sister, Eva. Eva is the perfect one—talented, funny, and, well, perfect. Though she’s excellent at ballet, cheerleading, and acting, she doesn’t brag. Some perfect girls are detestable, but Eva is not. In fact, she’s rather adorable and insecure. Ashley Greene (Twilight) would do justice to Eva’s sense of humor.

On the outside, Carmen is the smart, beautiful, Latina best friend to Eva. On the inside, she’s a bundle of complex phobias. Emily Rios (Quinceañera) would capture this unusual mixture of haughtiness and fear. Not to mention Carmen’s more hidden loveable side.

When it comes to the sexual orientation of my characters, ambiguity rules. Nothing happens beyond a little kissing (e.g. no sex), but my actresses would have to be comfortable showing attraction to another girl onscreen.

I’d like Ang Lee to direct because he’s so good at revealing the emotions beneath. And he’s the most versatile director around, trying his hand at so many genres—Chinese movies, dramas, a Jane Austen movie, a surreal martial arts movie, a superhero movie, and a gay western. It’s about time that he did a smart teen movie about sisters, Shakespeare, sexuality, and secrets.

Read an excerpt from My Invented Life, and learn more about the book and author at Lauren Bjorkman's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Walter Greatshell's "Xombies: Apocalypse Blues"

When not writing satirical horror novels, Walter Greatshell dabbles in freelance illustration (with an eye to creating dark children’s books, comics or graphic novels), humorous nonfiction (a throwback to his early days as a freelance journalist and arts critic), and stage acting (including in local productions of Oedipus Rex and Karel Capek’s R.U.R.). He has been a graveyard-shift nuclear-submarine technician and the general manager of a Providence landmark: the Avon Cinema.

His latest book is Xombies: Apocalypse Blues.

If they made my book Xombies: Apocalypse Blues into a film, here's who I'd like them to cast:

For the plucky-but-difficult heroine, Lulu Pangloss, I originally envisioned Christina Ricci circa Addams Family Values, but she's the wrong age bracket now, so I'm thinking Abigail Breslin or Dakota Fanning. The '70s actress Kim Darby (True Grit) would have been ideal.

For her doomed mother, I can picture Kathy Bates, but the ultimate crazy-mom candidate would have been late-Fifties-era Shelley Winters.

Steve Buscemi would be a bug-eyed marvel as Lulu's estranged dad, Fred Cowper--both before and after Xombification.

The role of unctuous Chairman Sandoval demands the sleazy charm of Alec Baldwin. In an earlier time, it would have been George Sanders (Rebecca).

Commander Coombs calls for the seriousness and desperation of Harvey Keitel.

The nasty Navy duo of Kranuski and Webb should absolutely be played by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Their physical types are perfect, and they would also bring a funny edge to the characters. This whole thing should be played as dark comedy.

For Dr. Alice Langhorne, I can think of no actress as scary as Sharon Stone, although Glenn Close comes a close second. Or maybe even Meryl Streep, a la The Devil Wears Prada.

My ideal director would have been Stanley Kubrick in his most satirical Dr. Strangelove mode. Since he's dead, I would go with Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) or Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers).

But why have actors at all? I wouldn't mind seeing the whole movie done with puppets (check out the Xombies: Apocalypse Blues book trailer on YouTube), or CGI, or Miyazake-level anime! Let's get crazy, people!

Learn more about the book and author at Walter Greatshell's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Beth Kery's "Daring Time"

Beth Kery writes for Berkley Sensation, Berkley Heat, Ellora’s Cave and Whiskey Creek Press. She grew up in a huge house built in the nineteenth century where she cultivated her love of mystery and the paranormal. When she wasn’t hunting for secret passageways and ghosts with her friends, she was gobbling up fantasy and romance novels along with any other books she could get her hands on. Currently she juggles the demands of her career, her love of the city and the arts and a busy family life. Her writing today reflects her passion for all of the above.

Here she shares some casting ideas for a cinematic adaptation of the recently released Daring Time:

I actually had asked my readers the "My Book, The Movie" question about my time travel/erotic romance Daring Time.

We narrowed it down via consensus to Eric Winter cast as the alpha male, twenty-first century detective, yet cerebral Ryan Daire, and the lovely, spirited Anne Hathaway as early twentieth century suffragette, Hope Stillwater.

The readers had a lot of fun with it, and web designer Fiona Jayde even came up with a movie poster with Chicago as the backdrop.

I rarely have an actor or actress in mind when I write a character; I typically want to provide some milestones as far as physical appearance and allow the reader to link the dots in their own minds to formulate their ideal hero or heroine. I will admit that for Hope Stillwater, who is the feisty and likeable heroine in Daring Time, I did have a fairly clear image that sprung into my mind's eye. However, Anne Hathaway would fit that vision nicely.

Who to direct Daring Time, which includes two different centuries and the necessity for some apt symbolism to distill manifold meanings (not to mention convey a sense of intense eroticism without making an X-rated movie)? I'd love James Mangold, who directed the romantic time-travel Kate & Leopold, among other great movies, but my first choice would go to M. Night Shyamalan because he does do a great job of concentrating diverse meanings into single images, and because--whether he realizes it or not (or desires it or not)--his movie The Village had some of the classic elements of a romance novel.

Yes, M. Night. You have been known to draw sighs out of females at romance book conferences in regard to the The Village.

Read more about Daring Time, and visit Beth Kery's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Sarah Bryant's "The Other Eden"

Sarah Bryant was born in Brunswick, Maine, USA and attended Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. In 1996 she moved to Scotland to do an MLitt in creative writing at University of St. Andrews, and ended up marrying a Scot and settling in the UK. She now lives with her husband and daughter in the Scottish Borders, where along with writing she doubles as a teacher of Celtic harp, and occasionally triples as a printmaker.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a film adaptation of her novel, The Other Eden:

I'm a very image-driven writer. I have a lot of visual art in my background and present-ground, and I love films, but oddly, the only book I've written where I pictured specific actors in my lead roles is The Other Eden. And even that is problematic, as you'll see! But taking a stab at it, In Order of Appearance:

The first characters we meet are Eve and Elizabeth, a very young pair of identical twins. They are meant to be dark-haired, large-eyed ingenues. Although she didn't 'exist' in the public realm when I wrote the first draft of this book (it was 1990, I was 16!) I think now that Norah Jones would be perfect for them. Plus, she plays the piano, and they're meant to be piano virtuosi...

Next is the narrator and main character, Eleanor Rose. She is actually my hardest character to 'cast'. She's meant to be blond, dark-eyed, fragile, and very young. I always imagined Natalie Portman, but she's not blond. I can't even imagine what she'd look like blond. I also think Katherine Heigl is gorgeous, she has the perfect face for Eleanor, but she's so tall and would maybe come off as too forceful. I wonder what Emmy Rossum would look like blond? I think of all of the characters in this, Eleanor might best be played by an unknown.

Then there's her older companion/mother figure, Mary Bishop. I see her as a slightly faded beauty, rather vague and washed-out - perhaps Miranda Richardson or Michelle Pfeiffer? Someone who could come off as sympathetic and vulnerable, but who could also believably be the instrument of things going terribly wrong. You'd have to be able to hate her for a while, before you forgive her. A good actress!

Briefly, there's Eleanor's grandfather, William Fairfax. A somewhat eccentric Boston Brahmin. Dark eyes - Sean Connery would be brilliant.

The easiest and clearest cast in my mind has always been Alexander Trevahov. There is an amazing Russian actor called Oleg Menshikov who has been Alexander in my mind for so long, I can't think of him any other way. He's probably best known in the western world for Burnt by the Sun, and that's the first film I saw him in. I remember thinking he had the most astonishing face - creepily malleable, and innocent even when you know he's a villain. He's even a virtuoso pianist in real life! Too good to be true. If I couldn't have him, then Johnny Depp. Dark and intense!

Dorian Ducoeur...now he's more difficult. He'd have to look very straightforward, boy-next-door handsome. Very charming, but able to do unhinged. I used to think Brad Pitt, now I think he's too pretty. A Brit would be nice. Paul Bettany would be absolutely perfect.

The only other significant character is Natalya, but I'm not really up on child actors. A young Dakota Fanning or Kirstin Dunst would have been perfect...

Learn more about the book and author at Sarah Bryant's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Patricia Gussin's "The Test"

Patricia Gussin is a physician who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and practiced in Philadelphia.

She is also the author of Shadow of Death, Thriller Award nominee for “Best First Novel,” Twisted Justice, and a new thriller, The Test.

Here she shares some suggestions for casting a film adaptation of the new novel:

The Test is a thriller masquerading as a family saga that goes very, very wrong. We start off with a billionaire patriarch. (In the book, he’s already dead, but in the movie…who knows!) Paul Parnell realizes that he’d been too dedicated chasing wealth and fame to imbue in his children the moral value code that he now embraces. Is it too late? Can he rule from the grave? Paul may be dead, but his contemporary, his friend and attorney, is charged with executing a very unusual will. Paul has six children and for them to inherit massive wealth, they must pass a moral value test within one year.

So the will has to be read by this old gentleman, perhaps Alan Alda.

Then we must cast the six children in contention for the inheritance. Here they are in birth order. See the family tree inside the front cover of the book for a complete picture of this complex family.

Dan, in his early forties, a tree farmer, a recluse, not much interested in the money until he’s reunited with his ex wife, a beautiful Latino woman, and his twin son and daughter. Mark Wahlberg or Aaron Eckhart would be a good pick for Dan, and we need a strikingly beautiful woman for his wife, Gina.

Frank, a U.S. senator, a very powerful contender, and his ambitious wife, Meredith, and their so perfect little daughter. The challenges they encounter are deadly. Frank looks a lot like Bobby Kennedy (but he could be played by Brad Pitt), and Meredith is a younger Hillary Clinton.

Rory, an altruistic mother of eight young kids. Her husband, Chan, is a family doctor. All American types, wanting to do the right thing when leukemia strikes Rory. Here we need a very wholesome couple in their late thirties, and what an opportunity for kid actors, eight of them, four girls and four boys.

Monica, this one was unexpected, an out of wedlock daughter, just now making her appearance on the family scene, she’s a superstar vocalist, a version of Céline Dion. This character is a hot, flashy professional, yet a nice person on the inside. She has an attractive sports media husband, a hunk. So here we need a very attractive, media friendly couple.

Ashley, the medical student, a good girl, who falls prey to a psychopathic professor. Ashley takes center stage as a character as she is the focal point that will destroy this family. Although she’s had an ultra privileged life, she’s not a pretentious person. Her character has a deep core of innocence, but still we wonder how such a competent person could fall victim to a terrifying monster. Ashley is the key female lead and would present a wonderful opportunity for a young actress with a rising star.

As for the monster, fifty year old psychiatrist professor, Conrad Welton, could be played by Jack Nicholson, or John Travolta could also fill the bill. Conrad is the evil villain in The Test, although contending family members do have their mean streaks.

Carla, the youngest, a former model, turned drug addict, is a very sympathetic character despite her devastating addiction. Somebody painfully thin and young will be needed here.

The Test takes place in Devon, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, the family estate. Ashley moves about the country to escape Conrad and to provide setting diversity. The final contest climax takes place in Sarasota, Florida, on Longboat Key, not a bad place to film a movie.

Learn more about the book and author at Patricia Gussin's website. Gussin's previous novels include Shadow of Death, Thriller Award nominee for “Best First Novel,” and Twisted Justice.

The Page 69 Test: The Test.

--Marshal Zeringue

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John J. Le Beau's "Collision of Evil"

John J. Le Beau served as a clandestine operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency for over twenty-five years. Since January 2006, Dr. Le Beau has served as a Professor of National Security Studies in the College of International Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany.

Here he shares some casting ideas for a film adaptation of his debut novel, Collision of Evil:

Without doubt, the real star of Collision of Evil would be its setting – the strikingly tranquil pastoral terrain of the Bavarian Alps, the handsome old world city of Munich, and the colorful and gaudy Oktoberfest, the largest folk-festival on the planet. Filmed atmospherically on location, the movie would from the opening scene draw the audience into the enchanting world of Southern Germany and Austria, as a backdrop to lethal evil unleashed. As well, because an important part of the story takes place during the closing days of the Second World War, the setting would involve dramatic scenes from this violent era too.

The two main characters in Collision of Evil are a Bavarian police detective, Kommissar Franz Waldbaer, and a somewhat mysterious American named Robert Hirter, who is the brother of a man murdered in the alpine countryside. Hirter insists on taking an active hand in the murder investigation, much to the annoyance of the grumpy, go-it-alone rumpled detective. Their joint inquiries eventually establish that the events they are investigating are far more malignant and dangerous than a ‘mere’ murder.

The Hirter character calls for a relatively young, athletic and clearly American actor. Ben Affleck would be well cast in this role. The Kommissar Waldbaer character, on the other hand, requires an older man, perhaps in his fifties, heavy-set without being actually fat and with an expressive, ‘lived-in’ face. Alec Baldwin, if provided an indifferent haircut and a creased Bavarian jacket, might be able to inhabit this role convincingly, quietly conveying a sense of experience and gravitas to provide counterpoint to the more restless and impatient Affleck protagonist. Both actors would interact with one another throughout the film, moving along a trajectory from mutual dislike to grudging mutual respect as the investigation proceeds, revealing an intersection of evil past and evil present.

Apart from the two main characters, three supporting characters play important roles in plot development. A notable supporting character is Caroline O’Kendell, a young professional woman in the U.S. government and something of a romantic interest for Robert Hirter. Neve Campbell would be engaging in this role and would be able to give the character some flair. The character of Allen Chalmers, a black government chemist, is introduced later in the plot but is nonetheless an important role. James Avery would have the requisite sense of earnestness for this role. A final and colorful supporting character of consequence to the plot is an elderly but cogent German SS veteran, August Sedlmeyer. Hardy Krueger, who is German and has played in a number of Hollywood films, would be ideally cast.

Collision of Evil as a film would enjoy a fast pace and numerous setting changes and attempt to develop from the start a sense of believable menace and realistic story development. This is a film that would not require special effects but would rely on strong acting to build an atmosphere of drama. And, as noted at the outset, sensitive, on-location filming would be a key factor.

Learn more about the book and author at John J. Le Beau's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Merrill Markoe's talking dog script/novel

Merrill Markoe is the author of three books of humorous essays and the novels It’s My F---ing Birthday, What the Dogs Have Taught Me, and Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, and Nose Down, Eyes Up. She has also co-authored with Andy Prieboy the novel The Psycho Ex Game.

Here she shares a tale of (not) getting a movie adapted from her fiction featuring women and their talking dogs--and of the various actors and producers who sniffed around the various projects:

In 1986, when Ronald Reagan was President, Paramount bought a screenplay from me about a girl who worked at a magazine, was about to turn thirty and her talking dog. It was called “Me and My Boy.” I had decided to write a talking dog movie because I was working on The Letterman Show, and noticed that the short movies that I shot from the point of view of a dog seemed to have wide appeal. Also I lived with four dogs and in 1986 the talking dog genre, which I’d always liked, was lying fallow.

Attached as producers were the team of Lynda Obst and Debra Hill.

So I wrote a few drafts that everyone liked. And the movie almost got made. Then it didn’t.

Instead it went in to “turn around.” For a while it was shepherded by Bernie Brillstein who was running a studio that year. I was attached as director. I even got a shooting schedule.

The chorus of this particular song is well known in Los Angeles but everyone adds their own verse. Almost got made, then it didn’t. Lather, rinse, repeat.

For a while it moved from place to place. I rewrote it over and over. At some point, I threw up my hands in despair. If this movie ever got a green light, I promised, I would rush in and tailor it to the cast. Never happened.

Over the next few years I heard rumors that Lynda and Debra had hired other writers. Some of them contacted me. Lather, rinse and repeat. George HW Bush became President, then Bill Clinton. By now it was hard to find a movie, sit com, animated show or commercial that didn’t contain at least one talking dog.

I lost track of my script.

In 1999, I met Nora Ephron. “Whatever became of that dog script?” she asked. So I jumped back on board and we exhumed the original. This time it got all the way to a table read with Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. Unfortunately it took place moments before the tabloids reported that Matthew Perry went to rehab. Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t read a line of dialog without having to start over.

I never heard another word from any one.

A friend read that someone else rewrote it. I imagined it in the catacombs beneath the Hollywood sign, buried under dozens of proposals for sequels for Marley and Me.
In 2005, Debra Hill died an untimely death.

By then George W. Bush was President and I was writing novels and looking for an idea for my next one. I lived with four other dogs and still had a lot to say about the great funny relationships I’ve had with my dogs over the years. I had written dozens of short pieces about talking to dogs, and also made a lot of videos. But I had never gotten to the heart of my feelings in print. It was time.

So I wrote a book called Walking in Circles Before Lying Down about a woman in her forties ,who worked at a doggy day care center and her ability to talk to all the dogs she tended.

Because I don’t like to repeat myself I went to a lot of trouble to make sure that I had brand new characters, with new occupations and a whole different set of dogs. It was slated for publication in August of 2006 and had just gotten good reviews from the publishing trades when I got a call from the legal department at Fox where apparently my script was now interred. No, it was not in development. But someone heard I had written a book about a woman who talked to dogs and decided to try and stop publication. This time I went in to shock. I was being accused of plagiarizing myself? Even though I had written a whole new original story and it was a novel, not a screenplay or a movie? If Rupert Murdoch was so covetous of my unique voice why had people been hired to rewrite me? And why, in 20 years, had the movie never been made?

So I had to pay a lawyer a lot of money to explain that writing dog voices was something I’d been doing for decades. And incidentally, I wasn’t the only one who wrote talking dogs. And that William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth AND Richard III, but everyone agreed they were two different plays even though both were full of blood and talking kings..-

By 2008, to my surprise and delight, my book was selling well enough to get on the best seller list.

In 2009 Barack Obama became president. But don’t expect to see a talking dog movie by me during this or any future administration.

Reprinted with permission from Merrill Markoe's website.

Nose Down, Eyes Up is one of 7 books for dog lovers selected by Oprah and associates.

The Page 69 Test: Nose Down, Eyes Up.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Merrill Markoe & Jimmy, Ginger, Puppyboy, and Hedda.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Louise Penny's "The Brutal Telling"

Louise Penny's bestselling first mystery, Still Life, was the winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards; her second, A Fatal Grace, won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel; her fourth, A Rule Against Murder, was a New York Times bestseller. The Brutal Telling is the fifth novel in the Three Pines mystery series.

A couple of years ago Penny took a very entertaining stab at the My Book, The Movie exercise for the series. Here she revisits the casting of an adaptation:

I love this idea, and have given several answers depending on the book. None of them, truth be told, very serious. Though John Travolta as Ruth still appeals to me. And I think Mo'Nique or Oprah for Myrna would be great fun! But, suddenly, unexpectedly while watching a film I found my Gamache.

I wasn't looking - but there on the screen he was. It was while watching this wonderful, fairly modest British film called Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. It stars Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, as Miss Pettigrew, a middle-aged British nanny in the late 1930's, who finds herself taken on by a giddy American singer. It's hilarious, and wonderful. There's a character named Joe. And I suddenly realized Joe was Gamache, in slightly different circumstances. The same warmth, dignity, humour but with a touch of sadness. A happy man, but one who has seen more than anyone should.

And while the actor, physically, wasn't perfect he was close. The right age, the right height, the right body type.

His name is Ciarán Hinds.

There might be a better Gamache out there, but for now, when I wrote The Brutal Telling and the book I'm now finishing, I see Mr. Hinds as Gamache. It's an amazing, transforming, experience. I would never have guessed how powerful it is, to have a live man as my fictional character. I'm more than a little afraid to meet Ciarán Hinds one day in case he turns out to be some horrible man. I suspect he's lovely - but hate to be disappointed.

I've since seen him in other roles, since I wanted to research him (and felt more than a little like a stalker!) He was Caesar in Rome, and did a good job. He was also in Munich, a Speilberg film - and was fabulous I thought.

You know, up until now I've sort of joked about the film versions, or TV versions, of my books, giving obviously ridiculous casting ideas. But now I'm quite serious. I've turned down a number of offers for the rights, because I never felt the project was right. But there are a few companies interested right now, so we'll see. The one casting decision that would make or break the entire thing is Gamache. But - we'll see.

Learn more about the book and author at Louise Penny's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Still Life.

My Book, The Movie: A Fatal Grace.

The Page 99 Test: The Cruelest Month.

The Page 99 Test: A Rule Against Murder.

The Page 69 Test: The Brutal Telling.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Belinda Acosta's "Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz"

Belinda Acosta lives and writes in Austin, Texas, where she is a columnist for the Austin Chronicle. Her non-fiction has appeared in Poets & Writers, Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, AlterNet, the San Antonio Current, and Latino Magazine.

Here she shares some ideas for the principal cast should Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz, her debut novel, be adapted for the big screen:

What a fun project, imaging Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz as a movie. I asked some friends for their suggestions and there were a couple of great ones, but in the end, this is my dream list of who would play the major characters in Damas, as a movie.

First, Ana Ruiz: I had a lot of difficulty with this until my good friend Maribel Sosa reminded me of Talisa Soto. “She's got that soft look, she's thin, but curvy, she has those eyes, and even that dark little patch of skin,” Mari e-mailed me. “In most pictures she has straight hair and looking very va-va-va-voom, but sometimes she looks so gentle and fragile but ultimately has that don't f**k with me thing.” I couldn’t agree more. Check her out. I think she would make a perfect Ana.

Casting young people is always difficult for me, and I found this especially true when it came to Carmen, Ana’s difficult teenager, full of spit and vinegar, angry over her parents’ separation. Since the invitation was to “imagine,” I would cast Madison De La Garza—in five more years. The nine-year-old currently plays the oldest child of Gabrielle and Carlos Solis (Eva Longoria Parker and Ricardo Chavira) in Desperate Housewives. Madison’s little spitfire is cute at nine but I can see her pulling off the mouthiness AND the anger as a teenager.

As for Bianca, the hands down favorite is Selena Gomez, who currently appears in Wizards of Waverly Place. Cheerful, bubbly, and pretty, she would make a perfect Bianca. Of course, she has to dye her hair (Bianca is blond), but somehow, I think Ms. Gomez would be up for it.

Montalvo: Ah, this was fun. After a couple of false starts, my friends and I all voted for one perfect choice: Benjamin Bratt. Sexy, athletic, handsome—did I mention sexy? He would be the ideal Montalvo, Ana’s dangerously attractive, almost-love-interest. The fun thing is that in real life. Bratt and Soto are married. So, I would hope the chemistry that brought them together in real life would burn up the screen.

And finally, Esteban, Ana’s husband. My personal choice is Mike Gomez. Mike is one of those actors you’ve seen, but can’t quite place. The thing I like about him (besides the fact that he’s a dear man in real life) is that I think he embodies the rough, workingman look that Esteban requires, but would still be able to imbue him with a gentleness that makes him a loving father. Mike is one of those actors that should be working more. In my dream world, he would have this role and become a big star!

Learn more about the book and author at the publisher's website and Belinda Acosta's blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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