Jill Kargman's "The Rock Star in Seat 3A"

Jill Kargman is the author of Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut, The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund, Momzillas, The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund and Arm Candy, and the co-author of Wolves in Chic Clothing and The Right Address, which were both New York Times and Book Sense bestsellers. She has written for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview, Town & Country, British GQ, Elle, Teen Vogue, Travel + Leisure, and style.com.

Here she shares some suggestions for casting an adaptation of her latest novel, The Rock Star in Seat 3A:

The Rock Star in Seat 3A is about a thirty year old girl who is upgraded to first class on a NY to LA flight and is seated next to her sex fantasy since she was sixteen, a music icon who's hard guitars and throaty lyrics have always haunted her.

My dream Hazel would be someone like Zooey Deschanel and Finn Schiller the rocker could be anyone from Gerard Butler to Val Kilmer or Ralph Fiennes in age range. Wylie, Hazel's boyfriend could be someone like James McAvoy, someone fifteen years younger than Finn...

Learn more about the book and author at Jill Kargman's website.  Like her Facebook page and visit her Twitter perch.

Writers Read: Jill Kargman.

The Page 99 Test: Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Keith Brooke's "Harmony"

Keith Brooke writes science fiction, fantasy and other strange things.

He also runs infinity plus ebooks, publishing the work of Eric Brown, Anna Tambour, John Grant, Kaitlin Queen, Paul di Filippo, Iain Rowan, Neil Williamson and others.

Here Brooke dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Harmony:

I know some writers find this a natural game to play; they might even have actors in mind as they write. But for me it's quite difficult: I spend months with my characters - I can visualise them, hear them speak, I know their quirks and habits. Choosing an actor changes that: the actor will never be a perfect match, so I have to force myself to sit down and think hard.

The first one that comes to mind is Saneth, an elderly alien who plays a key role in the novel. Andy Serkis is the actor I think of for Saneth, at least partly for the motion capture work he's done with The Lord of the Rings and so on: that mapping of an alien morphology onto human features would be perfect, and Serkis is a master at it. Also, he's opening a motion capture studio in London, and already has the rights to one of my earlier novels, so it's a good match!

Just to contradict myself, while writing Harmony I had one of those very rare - for me - moments when I suddenly realised who one character was based on. Frankhay is a gang-leader who doesn't so much cross-dress as simply doesn't care about gender and clothes - he wears what he likes. There was a lot of Eddie Izzard about him, but worryingly there was also a lot of the eccentric British DJ and TV presenter Jimmy Savile about him, too. Maybe some Richard Harris, too. But given that Harris and Savile are no longer with us, I reckon it's down to Izzard, who would be brilliant in the role.

What about the two main characters?

The female lead, Hope, is a good example of where the author has to just let go. In the book she's young and blonde; but in my mind, the actor I see playing Hope is Christina Ricci: quirky, attractive, and able to convey the spooky edge we'd need so that we're never quite sure if Hope is good, bad, or mad as a box of badgers.

I've left the male lead, Dodge, to last because I really don't know what to do with him. He's quite intentionally a bit of an everyman: young, bright, engaging, a bit crafty and able to dig himself out of situations but just as likely to dig himself deeper. I'd like to think they'd take a risk with him: find exactly the right actor rather than just a name. My fear is that they'd make it a star vehicle and get in someone entirely inappropriate.

So for the final - and central - character, I can't come up with anything, as yet. I think we need to hold auditions...

Learn more about the book and author at Keith Brooke's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Harmony.

Writers Read: Keith Brooke.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Heather Barbieri's "The Cottage at Glass Beach"

Heather Barbieri is the author of the novels Snow in July and The Lace Makers of Glenmara.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her third novel, The Cottage at Glass Beach:

The Cottage at Glass Beach tells the story of Nora Cunningham, a political wife, who retreats to Burke’s Island, the remote Irish-American community where she was born, seeking answers to her mother’s decade’s-old disappearance, and to put distance between herself and the scandal surrounding her attorney general husband. But Nora finds more than she bargained for, as she struggles to confront the past and save her young children, who have embarked on a reckless journey of their own.

I don’t write my novels with film adaptations/actors in mind, but it’s fun to think about now—another good opportunity to put an active imagination to work! Here’s my dream cast:

Nora: There’s much under the surface with Nora. She keeps her emotions in check, both from force of habit, and she’s trying to be a good mother to her two young daughters while dealing with the scandal of her politician husband’s affair. An actress who understands subtlety, with a fine command of her craft, would be perfect for this role: Diane Lane or Naomi Watts.

Malcolm: Nora’s husband is far from being merely a cheating spouse/politician. Greg Kinnear would do an excellent job portraying this complex, conflicted character.

Ella: Hmm. Open casting call for the part of Nora’s brooding, whip-smart older daughter. Will be fun to see what bright new talent arrives on the scene.

Annie: Maggie Elizabeth Jones, utterly delightful in We Bought A Zoo, has the effortless charm that would shine in the part of Nora’s youngest child.

Maeve: The Irish actress Susan Lynch or Helena Bonham Carter would be naturals for the part of Nora’s enigmatic mother, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances decades before.

Maire: For Nora’s aunt, a woman with a long, complicated history and a secret she doesn’t reveal until it’s too late, the impeccable Meryl Streep.

Owen: And for the possibly otherworldly man with problems of his own, who unexpectedly comes into Nora’s life, the Irish actor, John Lynch or Jason Isaacs.

Learn more about the book and author at Heather Barbieri’s website.

The Page 69 Test: The Lace Makers of Glenmara.

The Page 69 Test: The Cottage at Glass Beach.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Patrice Kindl's "Keeping the Castle"

Patrice Kindl is the author of several Young Adult (YA) novels (usually for people aged 10 – 14, though lots of people younger and older read them too).

Here she shares her vision for casting an adaptation of the latest book, Keeping the Castle:

When I began looking for young actresses to play my heroine I found myself dissatisfied. I had already cast my book; while writing it I’d selected images to suit each major character, and I found these images far more pleasing than anyone I would be likely to find in the pages of “Variety.”

So, to be frank, my “actors” all have two things in common. First, they are not actors but real people, and second, they all (save one--my dog Dante, who should play Fido of the book/movie) are dead. Long dead. My book, Keeping the Castle, takes place in 1811. My characters are drawn from period miniatures:

Lord Boring:	Miss Althea Crawley	Miss Charity Winthrop

Miss Prudence Winthrop	Mr. Fredericks	Mr. Godalming

The Marquise of Bumbershook	Miss Hephizibah Vincy	Fido

(The portrait of Miss Hephizibah Vincy [center, bottom row] is heavily veiled at the insistence of her mother.)

Learn more about Keeping the Castle and the author at Patrice Kindl's website.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Patrice Kindl and Dante.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Simon Mawer's "Trapeze"

Simon Mawer is the author of the New York Times best-selling novel The Glass Room, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His previous novels include The Fall (winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize), The Gospel of Judas, and Mendel’s Dwarf (long-listed for the Man Booker Prize). English by birth, he has made Italy his home for more than thirty years.

Here Mawer shares some ideas for cast and director of an adaptation of his latest novel, Trapeze:

It’s a game, isn’t it? Fun, but pointless because what will really happen is that someone will option the book, spend years writing a miserable script, try without success to get Angelina Jolie in the leading role, reset the whole thing in Afghanistan, make Marian a CIA operative with fluent Pushtu, and then fail to sell it because in the meantime the Taliban have become pacifist, NATO troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan and everyone is saying, “Where the hell?”

But even so, it is fun. I see it filmed with an understated colour palette, all greys and browns, and lots of mysterious, angled shots of Parisian streets. Absolutely no views of the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum (largely because the Coliseum is in Rome, not Paris). 1940s period detail, both in Britain and in France. Director? Carol Reed, seeing what he did with The Third Man. He’s dead? Well someone must be able to do stuff like him. Noir. French, you see.

As regards cast – I’m in a bind here because the lead actress playing the part of Marian Sutro has to be bilingual in English and French, and actors suffer from the same problem that strikes all mortals – aging. Because I really need someone who can pass as 19 years old. That rules out Kristin Scott Thomas – but she’d have been great a few years ago. Quite a few years ago, actually. Sorry about that, Kristin. Maybe Natalie Portman could wing it in French (they say she studied the language) and also pass as ten years younger than she really is. Trouble is, I just don’t know many 19-25 year old actresses who are bilingual in French and English, although my life would probably be much more interesting if I did.

Then the two men in Marian’s life. They are both French. Oh dear, I can see no one in Hollywood is going to put up the money for this movie, more so because I’d want the French scenes to be in French with English subtitles. Death! Anyway, one of them I can do: Grégory Fitoussi. He’s the cool young lawyer in the current TV crime series that is a huge hit both sides of the English Channel: Engrenages (Spiral, in English). He’d be excellent as the worldly research physicist who Marian has a crush on. The second man, Benoît Bérard, would have to be younger. Young French hopefuls able to utter a few lines of English? There must be dozens of them...

Then there is the cameo part of Vera Atkins, the spymaster who sends Marian off on her mission. Well, there’s only one choice really. She’s also far too old but, hey, who cares? Helen Mirren.

Learn more about the book and author at Simon Mawer's website.

The Page 69 Test: Trapeze.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Brian Freeman's "Spilled Blood"

Award-winning author Brian Freeman is an internationally bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries and translated into 20 languages. Freeman's debut thriller, Immoral, won the Macavity Award and was a nominee for the Edgar®, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry awards for best first novel. Since then, each subsequent novel has been published to similar acclaim. Freeman lives and writes in his native state of Minnesota.

Here Freeman dreamcasts adaptations of his Stride novels as well as his latest book, Spilled Blood:

I’ve spent the first few years of my writing career talking with readers about the perfect actors to play my series characters from Immoral, Stripped, Stalked, In the Dark, and The Burying Place. Nothing generates more passionate discussion (or disagreement!) than the idea of finding stars for Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial.

George Clooney as Stride? A lot of readers think so, although he seems a little polished and perfect for Stride in my mind. Stride wears his emotional scars on his sleeve. I’ve always thought Russell Crowe could do the job; he’s got the right combination of toughness and sensitivity.

As for Serena…well, I always said Catherine Zeta-Jones. My wife always said Angie Harmon. So I guess we’ll go with Angie.

But now I have two stand-alones…The Bone House from last year and my newest book, Spilled Blood. It’s a different experience “casting” a stand-alone novel than a series book, because the actor only gets one shot at the role. (Well, unless it’s a huge hit…then you’ll see him over and over in sequels.)

The hero of Spilled Blood is Chris Hawk, a Minneapolis lawyer who comes to the rural lands of southwestern Minnesota to defend his daughter against a murder charge – and gets pulled into a bitter feud between two towns. It’s intense emotional suspense, like my other books, so you need an actor who can bring out the emotional depths of the character. Chris Hawk is a father trying to trust his daughter. He’s an ex-husband trying to re-kindle a spark with his ex-wife. He’s a man in search of redemption.

Ryan Gosling? He’s got the depth of expressions in his face. Jim Caviezel? He definitely has the intensity.

Of course, great actors make the roles. I was always a big fan of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne novels, and I was surprised (dismayed?) when Matt Damon first took on the role of Jason Bourne. I thought he was too young and “baby-faced” to step into Bourne’s shoes. But he took that role and made it his own; it was inspired casting.

So whoever plays Chris Hawk…or Jonathan Stride…I’ll be rooting for him, and I’ll be in the theatre watching for that immortal line to cross the screen: “Based on the novel by Brian Freeman.”

Learn more about the books and author at Brian Freeman's official website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Jon T. Coleman's "Here Lies Hugh Glass"

Jon T. Coleman is an associate professor of United States history at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Vicious: Wolves and Men in America, which won the W. Turrentine Jackson Prize and the John H. Dunning Prize.

Here he shares some ideas for director and star of a big screen adaptation of his new book, Here Lies Hugh Glass: A Mountain Man, a Bear, and the Rise of the American Nation:

For an obscure fur trapper famous for nearly being eaten by a grizzly bear in 1823, Hugh Glass has a surprisingly high Hollywood profile. Richard Harris (Camelot, A Man Called Horse) played a character based on Glass in Man in the Wilderness (1971). Rumor has it that Christian Bale was all set to play Glass in a recent adaptation of the legend when the production was canceled. Both Harris and Bale lend British acting gravitas to this grueling role, but I think their casting misses the historical point: Hugh Glass wasn’t a leading man. He was a bit player who became a model American by surviving an epic workplace accident. Instead of an action hero’s grimace, he met adversity with a grin and twinkle in his eye. A sidekick and a trickster, he stumbled onto the main stage of American culture and tweaked his audience and those in authority with his wild tales.

Instead of giving Glass to an action director or a man vs. nature essentialist like Werner Herzog, I would ship him off to Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers have a knack for westerns, off-beat Americana, and extreme violence, the perfect combination for a Hugh Glass biopic. To star, I would cast John Hawkes, the sheriff’s sidekick in HBO’s Deadwood who burned a hole in Winter's Bone as Teardrop, the vengeful meth-snorting uncle.

Around Hawkes, the Coens could gather their usual cast of misfits: Jeff Bridges as Herman Melville; Steve Buscemi as James Hall, the lawyer who first wrote down the legend; John Goodman as William Ashley, Glass’s fur trade boss; William H. Macy as James Clyman, a trapper colleague who kept a journal; and Don Cheadle as James Beckwourth, the story-spinning mountain man.

Learn more about Here Lies Hugh Glass at the Hill and Wang website.

The Page 99 Test: Here Lies Hugh Glass.

--Marshal Zeringue

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