T. J. Forrester's "Miracles, Inc."

T. J. Forrester has been a fisherman, a subsistence farmer, a bouncer, a window washer, and a miner. He is one of the few hikers in the world to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. He has written fiction since 2001, and his stories have appeared in numerous literary journals. Forrester also edits Five Star Literary Stories, an online site that brings the best fiction published on the web to a new audience for both reading and review.

Here he shares his choices for principal cast and director of an adaptation of his new novel, Miracles, Inc.:

I suspect Miracles, Inc. is too controversial for Hollywood, but if a director shows interest I hope it's Francis Ford Coppola. He is the founder of Zoetrope.com, the writing workshop where I honed the craft, and I'd like to meet him and personally thank him for his philanthropy. Hopefully he'll bring along some of his wine. The Coppola Claret is one of my favorites.

Jake Gyllenhaal, a terrific actor who doesn't shy from difficult roles, will make an excellent Vernon Oliver. Mr. Gyllenhaal brings sensitivity to the big screen, and I'd love to see how he couples that strength with the commanding presence required to pull off the main character. Plus, I think Mr. Gyllenhall will enjoy riding a Harley.

Of Juno fame, Ellen Page is one of my favorite movie stars. Rickie, Vernon's lover, has a tortured existence and is the perfect role to challenge this maturing actress. I have no doubt she is up to the task.

A powerful business woman who is haunted by a past indiscretion, elegant Miriam MacKenzie might be just the right character for Jodie Foster. I so enjoy her work.

Lastly, we need someone to play Alton Pierce, the character who lives on a secret island in the Everglades. When I think of Alton, Robert Duvall comes to mind. There's a western feel to Alton, a weathered personality that fits Mr. Duvall. (I loved Lonesome Dove, and I'd like to see this actor one more time with a cowboy hat on his head.)

Read Chapter 1 of Miracles, Inc., and learn more about the book and author at T.J. Forrester's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Miracles, Inc.

Writers Read: T.J. Forrester.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Rachel Brady's "Dead Lift"

Rachel Brady is the author of the Emily Locke mysteries, Final Approach and Dead Lift.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a cinematic adaptation of Dead Lift:

If Dead Lift were developed into a film, I’d cast Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet from Lost) as the main character, Emily Locke. When I picture Emily in my mind, she’s a lot like Mitchell. Kim Catrell would be a shoe-in for Emily’s best friend, Jeannie. The role of Richard Cole, Emily’s private investigator boss, would go to Tom Selleck. He has the perfect look and all the right mannerisms. Her boyfriend Vince, would have to be played by a tall, dark, and sexy country music singer, but this is the actor I’ve been stumped on for days. Maybe your readers can help me out with that one. Sharon Stone would be a perfect Claire Gaston, the sexy fifty-something who is accused of murder in the book. And Claire’s nemesis, Diana King, would be Susan Sarandon, with a chip on her shoulder.

Learn more about the book and author at Rachel Brady's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Dead Lift.

Writers Read: Rachel Brady.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Matt Haig's "The Radleys"

Matt Haig is the author of The Labrador Pact, a UK bestseller narrated by a Labrador; The Dead Fathers Club, a widely acclaimed update of Hamlet featuring an eleven-year-old boy; and The Possession of Mr. Cave, a horror story about an overprotective father

Here he shares some thoughts on casting the big screen adaptation of his new novel, The Radleys:

This is interesting because I have actually written a screenplay of The Radleys, which is now in the hands of Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) who has acquired the rights. So, inevitably, I have thought and talked a little about how it could look on the big screen.

When I was writing it I kept on having images as to who should play the devilish, bloodthirsty uncle Will. I had the picture of a young Oliver Reed or even the Jack Nicholson of the early seventies (both impossible, of course). As to today's actors, I don't know... Robert Downey Jr? He'd be good at it. Someone with that gleam in their eye...

As to the others, well Rowan and Clara Radley would work best as unknown teen faces and their repressed mum could be played by anyone from Gwyneth to Julianne Moore. Never pictured who should play the Dad, Peter. American Beauty-era Kevin Spacey would have worked I suppose...

Read an excerpt, watch a video trailer, and learn more about the novel at the official The Radleys website. Visit Matt Haig at his official website.

The Page 69 Test: The Radleys.

Writers Read: Matt Haig.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Trent Jamieson's "Death Most Definite"

Trent Jamieson lives in Brisbane, Australia. A multiple Aurealis Award winner for short fiction, he has taught short story writing at the Queensland University of Technology, and Clarion South Writer's Workshop. Death Most Definite, Book One of the Death Works Series, was published by Orbit Books in September 2010. Book Two, Managing Death, was released in January 2011, and Book Three, The Business of Death, is due for publication in September 2011. He has just sold a two book series of Steampunkish novels to Angry Robot Books, the first of which, Roil, is due for publication in September 2011.

Here he shares his preference for the director of an adaptation of Death Most Definite, as well as ideas for actors in some of the supporting roles:

It's so hard to cast Death Most Definite. I've been asked this question before, and even as a fantasy I have an awful lot of trouble imagining it.

But, when I try, I can't help but be parochial. The Australian accent is so hard to get right, it either gets played too broadly, or ends up sounding like a South African accent. I know, most people wouldn't notice, but it would bother me! And, anyway, there are so many great Australian actors and actresses.

For the principles - Steven de Selby and Lissa Jones, there are a good dozen or so people that could play them. And, maybe, I find it too hard to settle on just one.However, away from the leads it gets much easier. For Tim, Steven's cousin, I've always imagined a mate of mine, Lucas Stibbard, a Brisbane based stage actor with tremendous range.

Morrigan and Mr D are quite a bit older than the rest. I could imagine someone like Bryan Brown playing Morrigan. And Geoffrey Rush would make a very sinister Mr D: a character who is very theatrical.

As far as the director goes Duncan Jones would get me very excited. I loved Moon, and I think he could pull off the pace, and humour, as well as the dark longing that is at the heart of the book.

Learn more about the book and author at Trent Jamieson's website.

The Page 69 Test: Managing Death.

Writers Read: Trent Jamieson.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Sofie Kelly's "Curiosity Thrilled the Cat"

Sofie Kelly is an author and mixed-media artist who lives on the east coast with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she practices Wu style tai chi and likes to prowl around thrift stores.

Here she explains her choice of actors for a television movie adaptation of her new novel, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat:

When I start a book, I do have an idea of what the characters look like, but not specific faces. I tend to think in terms of hair like the woman at the bagel place, or a tattoo like my dentist’s, as I imagine the characters.

But it is fun to “cast” a book with help from a couple of my friends, particularly J, who has probably seen every movie ever made. We’ve decided Curiosity Thrilled the Cat should be a TV movie, which leads to a TV series, because one of us grew up wanting to be a TV director. (Okay, that would be me.) So, with a little help from my friends, here’s the cast of Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

Maura Tierney as Kathleen. Choosing Kathleen was the hardest pick. Tierney doesn’t physically match my vision of the character, but I think she could play Kathleen’s humor, as well as showcase her kindness and her intelligence.

Alex O’Loughlin as Marcus. It was suggested by someone who will remain un-named, that O’Loughlin is a tad…stiff as an actor. Since Marcus is a tad stiff as a character, I think it’s a good match. It has nothing whatsoever to do with how O’Loughlin looks without his shirt. We also like Skeet Ulrich, but he’s a bit older than I envision the character. (Sorry, Skeet.)

Judy Greer as Susan. She was the first person I thought of for the part and I think she’d be terrific.

Katee Sackoff as Maggie. Except for the hair, she’s physically close to Maggie and I think she could do the character justice.

We spent a lot of time trying to figure out Rebecca, Kathleen’s backyard neighbor, and in the end we decided on Fionnula Flanagan. She looks a lot like my image of the character. And I think she’d play well opposite my choice for Everett Henderson, Rebecca’s old friend. Everett is the only character I did picture as a specific person—Sean Connery.

The character of vet, Roma Davidson, was another difficult person to cast and in the end we settled on Annette Bening. She looks nothing like my mental picture of Roma—for one thing I always saw the character as shorter—but I think she’d play Roma’s kindness and toughness well.

I have no particular preference for a director, but I would have one requirement for the producers before I’d sign anything: I want Matt Lauer to do a small cameo. In the book Maggie has a thing for Matt Lauer, who is a celebrity participant on Gotta Dance, a show very similar to Dancing With the Stars. I really want at least one scene where Matt is dancing on TV in the background. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a little crush on Matt Lauer.

Really.

Read an excerpt from Curiosity Thrilled the Cat, and learn more about the book and author at Sofie Kelly's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Kevin Fenton's "Merit Badges"

Kevin Fenton lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota and works as an advertising writer and creative director. His fiction has appeared in the Northwest Review, the Laurel Review, and the Emprise Review. His writing on graphic design has been anthologized in Looking Closer 2 and Emigre No. 70: The Look Back Issue.

He holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Here he shares his thinking on adapting his new novel Merit Badges for the big screen:

A screen writer has already started thinking about what the movie might look like, so I don’t want to prejudice his work. But I can say what movie inspired the book, even though the structure wound up spanning many more years: Barry Levinson’s Diner. That sense of showing a world formed by friendships, that oddly vital nostalgia, those great lines, the characters who were part boy, part man. My friends and I quote it over and over again. I wanted to make readers feel about Quint, Slow, Chimes and Barb the way I feel about Fenwick, Boogie, Shrevie, and Beth.

Learn more about the book and author at the Merit Badges website and Kevin Fenton's blog.

The Page 69 Test: Merit Badges.

Writers Read: Kevin Fenton.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Sharon Potts's "Someone’s Watching"

Sharon Potts worked as a CPA, business executive, and entrepreneur before turning to a career of murder and becoming a crime fiction writer. Potts’s Miami-based thrillers are about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Her debut novel, In Their Blood, won top honors in the Mystery/Suspense category of the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Awards. Her latest thriller, Someone's Watching was called "shiver-rich" by Publishers Weekly, and “stunningly well-handled” by Booklist.

Following the success of In Their Blood, here is Potts’s unusual take on the casting of Someone’s Watching:

Alfred Hitchcock Returns

I: Mr. Hitchcock, we’re so pleased to have you back. It’s the scuttlebutt around town that you’re casting for your latest project, Sharon Potts’s thriller, Someone’s Watching.

AH: Good evening. Excuse my deadpan expression, but there are days I feel as though I’m returning from the dead.

I: Under the circumstances, you look remarkably well, Mr. Hitchcock.

AH: Thank you. And the rumors are indeed true. Someone’s Watching is an irresistible follow-up to my last success with Potts’s psychological suspense thriller, In Their Blood.

I: Is Someone Watching a sequel to In Their Blood?

AH: Not in the traditional sense. Both stories are set in a bi-polar Miami that’s both paradise and hell, and involve ordinary people trying to make sense of catastrophic events in their lives. Many of the characters are the same, including youthful hero Jeremy Stroeb, but this time his love interest, Robbie Ivy, a businesswoman-turned-bartender, takes center stage. When Robbie learns that her high-school-age half-sister has descended into the bowels of the decadent South Beach scene, Robbie is at first reluctant to get involved with this girl whose existence she hadn’t even known about. Then her sister’s friend is found dead and Robbie is drawn into searching for a cold-blooded killer in the hottest South Beach hotspots.

I: Is there something in particular that attracted you to Someone’s Watching?

AH: Indeed. Even in the far reaches of the cosmos where I reside, I keep myself informed. Publishers Weekly called Someone’s Watching “shiver-rich,” certainly a term I like to associate with my films. And Booklist wrote of Potts excelling in camouflaging plots twists. If that doesn’t bode well for a Hitchcock movie, then bury me.

I: Whom are you considering for the key roles in the film?

AH: Robbie is smart, determined and independent, but at the same time, wounded. Her eighteen-year-old half-sister Kate, who looks a lot like Robbie, is sweet and naïve, until she’s swept into the underworld of prostitution and becomes known as Angel. I’m considering Natalie Portman for both roles. Natalie is an extremely versatile actress who can pull on her youthful naivety from Where the Heart Is, then ratchet up the intensity, as she does so well in The Black Swan.

I: Any other names you can share with us?

AH: Coming from the hereafter (and before) as I do affords certain casting advantages. I am considering Tippi Hedren as she was in The Birds, for the role of Gina Fieldstone, the remote, scarred politician’s wife who befriends Robbie. And I can see Anthony Perkins, showing the complexity and ambiguity he displayed in Psycho, in the role of Puck, the lonely guy who frequents the bar where Robbie works.

I: Final words, Mr. Hitchcock?

AH: Nothing’s final where I come from. But I’m negotiating with The Devil to film several of the South Beach sequences down in his neck of the universe. The scenes, particularly those set in the club ‘Burn,’ get pretty hot.

Learn more about the book and author at Sharon Potts' website.

My Book, The Movie: In Their Blood.

--Marshal Zeringue

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