Laurie Frankel's "Goodbye for Now"

Laurie Frankel was recently named one of ten women to watch in 2012. She is a proud core member of the Seattle7Writers. Her first novel, The Atlas of Love, came out in August 2010.

Here Frankel shares some casting ideas for an adaptation of her new novel, Goodbye for Now:

In fact, fabulously, Lionsgate has bought the film option for Goodbye For Now. Exciting, no? So they’re in charge. This is great news for many reasons, not the least of which is that casting a movie is a great mystery to me. Choosing real live actors to play characters who until recently existed only in my head seems completely daunting to me. But what if we took out the “live” part of that equation?

Goodbye For Now is a book about a software engineer who invents a way to digitally, virtually recreate your dead loved ones from their emails, social media, and old video chats. Remember when they brought Tupac back at Coachella? Like that. And you know who has lots of old video footage? Dead movie stars. I don’t know about the real movie, but it seems just perfect to me that the stars of my fantasy movie of Goodbye For Now should be, well, dead.

So Meredith, female lead. She starts off saucy and sweet and -- I don’t think this gives too much away -- ends up sad and sweet. So I’m torn between Katharine Hepburn at the beginning leaning more towards Audrey Hepburn at the end. Why aren’t those two related? Natalie Wood might be a good compromise -- sweet and saucy and sad and hopeful all the way through.

Meredith’s cousin, Dashiell Bentlively (a name he chose himself), is all L.A. chic and Hollywood cool, mysteriously connected to but not actually involved with the film industry, gorgeous, popular, beloved by all, bisexual, very loving towards his family and friends, and surprisingly loyal and down-to-earth and emotional when push comes to shove (as of course it must). Cary Grant, himself gorgeous, popular, beloved by all, bisexual, and very loving towards family and friends, seems a perfect choice. Dash would be delighted.

Sam’s dad is the main character’s father. We never learn his own name -- to us, as to Sam, he’s just Sam’s dad. He’s sort of the moral center of the book, not a huge part but a hugely important one. I like Paul Newman for him, but then, I like Paul Newman for anything. Paul had it going on: sensitive and concerned without being mushy about it, haunted and aching without shrieking tragedy, on his game but with something lurking beneath those eyes. That’s exactly what Sam’s dad needs.

And that brings us to Sam who’s a tough one. He’s the lead. He’s the genius behind the software. He brings the love and the tragedy and the joy and the heartbreak and the humor and the pathos. He’s very funny, very smart, a little wry, and very loving of lots and lots of people. So we need someone with range. It’s hard to imagine old movie stars as computer geniuses. But though Jimmy Stewart probably didn’t log a lot of hours on Twitter, I think he’d be great for the part. He does smart, funny, sensitive, and caring with the best of them. And he brings a touch of the geek, a notch below completely suave and debonair (see Cary Grant above). He’s a little bit more casual about his loveliness, and that’s Sam all over.

Now that I’ve put this post together, I’m dying to see this cast do this movie. If you are a computer genius or a hologram animator, you should call me.

Learn more about the book and author at Laurie Frankel's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Atlas of Love.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Laurie Frankel and Calli.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Carolyn Wall's "Playing With Matches"

Carolyn Wall is the author of the internationally acclaimed novel Sweeping Up Glass as well as the recently released Playing With Matches.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of the new novel:

I’m overjoyed with reactions to my second novel, Playing With Matches. It was fun to write and, in need of a setting, I did what fiction often writers do – I chose a town in one state and moved it to another. Thus, a chunk of Texas is now in Mississippi. I love the Gulf coast and have witnessed what hurricanes can do – even when they travel upriver. None of those things were hard to write. Neither were Belize or the Mississippi prison.

Creating people, however, has always been my first love.

While I wrote Playing With Matches, I did not visualize particular actors in each role – unusual for me. My favorite character – although I loved many in this book -- was that southern black gentleman, Uncle Cunny Gholar. As her earliest teacher at the domino table under the willow, this pin stripe-suited man with his pencil-thin mustache, is frustrated with young Clea Shine. She knows everything and will argue. But she will not subtract. Cunny Gholar is a role that begs for a young version of the late Sherman Hemsley. Now, however, there’s Will Smith to consider – the only actor whose facial expressions are greater than words, but he’s just not skinny enough.

Cousin Bitsy, a strong, sexy role throughout, will be played by Gabourey Sidibe – a fantastic match that would steal the show. However – and I laugh as I write this -- I welcome help filling the bedroom slippers of the irascible Miss Shookie. Wheezer, kept under a house as a child, requires a pale, blond actor. And Thomas – well, I never developed much visual for him. As for Sunnie, his undressed, desk-hopping, red-haired student – well, any undressed, red-haired actress will do. (You can see that I was, and remain, on Clea’s side.)

Through the writing of the book, I adored the invincible Jerusha Lovemore who’s fed up with her sister and niece from page one. I considered Loretta Devine for this part, but Mo’Nique is an excellent character actor, and I can almost see her pulling this off. Not sure, though, whether to team Gabby with Mo’Nique so soon, on the heels of Precious.

The main character, Clea – all grown up -- fits Cate Blanchett to a tee. The lovely Cate would have to be made-down, rather than up, to feature plainness, that beautiful commonness she portrayed in The Gift. She’d be the perfect candidate for this now-single mom who has been betrayed, is on the run, and is terrified for her children. I can see her with an ultra-smart daughter rescued from South America, and rocking five-year-old Harry, who won’t talk anymore.

But -- calling all movie-goers! I need help lining up Finn – a thirteen-year-old who lives in a tree – and Clea the child. She’d need to be willful and brilliant, show an abnormal curiosity and able to carry off frequent heartbreaks. A child who could carefully play with matches.

In the book that is currently on my computer – soon to be the third novel, the lead will bring home an Academy Award for Mare Winningham. Watch for it – no title, yet. I’m hoping Mare’s character will give me a clue.

Visit Carolyn Wall's website and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Matthew Parker's "Larceny in My Blood"

Matthew Parker recently earned an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has been drug- and crime-free since 2002. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he now lives in New York City.

Here he shares a suggestion for the lead in a big screen adaptation of his new book, Larceny in My Blood: A Memoir of Heroin, Handcuffs, and Higher Education:

There are a several reasons why I’d choose Sean Penn to play me in a film of my book.

First off is we are close in age, both of us being born in 1960. Penn is also, like myself, a natural-born iconoclast, and often portrays such characters in film; from the perpetually stoned Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High to his Oscar-winning portrayal of in-your-face gay activist Harvey Milk in the critically acclaimed 2008 film Milk.

But his performance in the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman is the most analogous with me and my book. In the film Penn plays drug addict and larceny opportunist Andrew Daulton Lee who, with the help of childhood friend Christopher Boyce, went from part time dealer and smuggler (hence his moniker “the Snowman”) to espionage in an effort to support his habit. Lee was given life in prison for his crime. After serving 22 years, he made parole and is now out and working as Sean Penn’s personal assistant, in tune with the rehabilitative power of art and creativity which is a major theme in my book.

But perhaps the most striking parallel is that I was in prison with Lee in 1988 and 1989. It was in the medium security Federal Correctional Institution located just north of Phoenix, Arizona. He lived in Navajo Unit while I was housed in Pima, the building next door (I have yet to fathom the reasons why many of the buildings, along with a good deal of the prisons themselves, are named after Native American tribes, and not just in Arizona). I didn’t know him personally, but I used to see him around the recreation yard. Lee was a quiet prisoner who, like me, stayed out of the mix. Most often he could be found on the tennis courts where, by all accounts, he was an exceptional player.

The deciding factor, however, is that Penn and I are both altruistic, left-leaning liberals. He is a bit too far left for my tastes on occasion—embracing the civil rights-crushing regimes of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, for instance—but his opinions, political or otherwise, are his own, and only underscore the themes of freedom and its most extreme antithesis, prison, which are both hallmarks of my book.

Learn more about Larceny in My Blood at the publisher's website, and visit the Larceny in My Blood Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: Larceny in My Blood.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Shon Hopwood's "Law Man"

Shon Hopwood is a law school student at the University of Washington School of Law who, prior to law school, served over ten years in federal prison for a string of bank robberies he committed as a young adult. While in prison, he learned the law and he wrote legal briefs for other prisoners, two of which were granted by the U.S. Supreme Court—the equivalent of winning the legal lottery. Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Court Cases, and Finding Redemption is the story of his prison term, legal successes, and the romance of his now wife while he was still incarcerated.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of Law Man:

Law Man has six main characters.

By far the hardest choice would be picking a character for my wife, who is movie star beautiful. Many people mention Angelina Jolie as the obvious choice, but Annie would prefer Rachel McAdams, who seems to possess the same sweet quality as my wife.

Seth Waxman is the former U.S. Solicitor General who took over the Supreme Court case and became a mentor to me. I think George Clooney could play a great Seth because Clooney seems to pull off the charming but confident persona.

Noah Levine is another attorney involved in the Supreme Court case who later became a mentor to me. Noah has an uncanny resemblance to Rob Lowe and the same reserved demeanor.

John Fellers is my friend from prison. It was his case that was granted by the Supreme Court. Bradley Cooper would play an awesome John because both think they are players.

Bobbie is my best friend from prison. I actually think Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would play a good Bobbie, if only because they have the same build and same shaped head.

People have told me about a bunch of different actors that could play me, including Matt Damon, a guy from Mad Men, and Edward Norton. But the one I like best is Ben Affleck. I don’t pretend to look anything like Affleck. I just like that he normally plays a guy’s guy—not a lot of fluff.

To be honest, if one day a movie is made about my memoir, it will mean that my book is successful, which will mean I probably won’t care as to who plays the roles. But it’s fun dreaming!

Learn more about Law Man at Shon Hopwood's website, blog, and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Margaret Dilloway's "The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns"

Margaret Dilloway was inspired by her Japanese mother's experiences when she wrote The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns, and especially by a book her father had given to her mother called The American Way of Housekeeping.

Here the author shares some suggestions for casting a big screen adaptation of The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns:

I didn’t have any specific actors in mind as I was writing The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns except for two (which you will read about below), but when I see certain actors they conjure my characters. It’s shaping up to be an extraordinary (and probably extraordinarily expensive) cast.

Galilee Garner (Gal for short) is a high school biology teacher in her mid-30s whose amateur rose breeding hobby seems close to a breakthrough: the new Hulthemia rose, which breeders have been trying to perfect for 200 years.

Gal has one other major concern besides her students and her roses: she has end-stage kidney failure from a childhood ailment, and therefore must use dialysis every other day. Her long-term struggles with her kidneys have contributed to her stubborn way of thinking, which is really necessary for survival.

To keep herself going, Gal adheres to a rigid schedule, which she believes should include emotional distance from other people. She hasn’t seen her older sister Becky or her niece in years. Becky’s struggled with substance abuse and mostly cut herself off from the family. When Gal’s niece Riley arrives unexpectedly, Gal must re-examine her life and start having real relationships.

The other day I was looking at some website and saw a photo of Michelle Williams and Jason Segel together, and I immediately thought of them for my imaginary movie. Gal would be a very difficult role, because on the outside, Gal is very tough-minded. Williams needs to make her empathetic and convey her internal sweetness and grace. I think she would be able to do it perfectly.

Jason Segel is my choice for George Morton, the new chemistry teacher who shakes up the friendship between Gal and her teacher friend, Dara. His character is recovering from a bitter divorce, and has moved from the private sector to teaching. He’s got to be hopeful, the one who sees Gal’s beauty when she can’t see it herself.

I’d like Chloë Grace Moretz for Gal's neglected niece, Riley. She’s a teenager who vacillates between acting like a jaded grown-up, and being a very injured kid.

For Gal’s sister, Becky, I pictured Jennifer Aniston. Becky is in pharmaceutical sales, an ice princess with a vulnerable core. During the sisters’ childhood, Becky was often neglected due to her sister being so ill. Gal is clearly the family favorite, and it’s affected Becky profoundly.

Gal’s mother is a fiercely protective woman who has to yell at a lot of doctors. She’s a painter, kind of a hippie. Again, a difficult character. You love her for how she defends Gal, kind of hate her for how she treats Becky. My choice is Meryl Streep.

Dara, Gal’s best and pretty much only friend, is a very sweet art teacher who can’t seem to settle down with one man. Amy Adams would be perfect as the concerned woman who has her own issues to work out.

For Byron Madaffer, the rival rose grower, I had an actor in mind: Daniel Craig. Byron is a morally ambiguous character, and Craig would bring out his depths.

Mark Walters is a minor character who plays a pivotal role as another patient awaiting transplant. He’s got a white mustache and always dresses in white. When I wrote Walters, I was actually picturing Mark Twain, but my daughter just suggested Alan Rickman and I think he'd make an interesting choice.

Brad is another important minor character, one of Gal’s star students who is harboring a secret. My pick for him is Dylan O’Brien.

Learn more about the book and author at Margaret Dilloway's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Daniel H. Wilson's "Amped"

Daniel H. Wilson earned a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. His books include How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Where’s My Jetpack?, How to Build a Robot Army, The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame, Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown, A Boy and His Bot, and Robopocalypse.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Amped:

Amped is a techno-thriller about a guy living through a civil rights movement that is sparked when people with disabilities start using neural implants that make them smarter and faster than average people. The protagonist, Owen Gray, starts out as a wimpy high school teacher, but pretty soon figures out that he has a weaponized neural implant that gives him the power to do really great things -- or really terrible things. A few days ago I found out that Chris Hemsworth is likely starring in the movie based on my novel Robopocalypse, and so I went and watched his movie Thor. I came away really impressed with Chris, but also with the character of Loki, played by an actor named Tom Hiddleston. I recognized him from another great movie, War Horse. Hiddleston has this way of transforming from a vulnerable, inoffensive guy into an icewater-veined badass on the spot. It's a transformation that would be perfect for Owen Gray.

Learn more about the book and author at Daniel Wilson's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Boy and His Bot.

Writers Read: Daniel H. Wilson.

The Page 69 Test: Robopocalypse.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Jeffrey Wilson's "The Donors"

Jeffrey Wilson has at one time worked as an actor, a firefighter, a paramedic, a jet pilot, a diving instructor, a Naval Officer, and a Vascular and Trauma Surgeon. He also served two tours in Iraq as a combat surgeon with both the Marines and with a Joint Special Operations Task Force.

Here he shares some ideas for the cast and director of an adaptation of his new novel, The Donors:

So the premise of who would play whom in a movie version of my book, The Donors, is incredibly fun, but really not something I had ever thought about before (no, really-- I know that everyone thinks all authors write for the movie rights). Don’t get me wrong, a movie deal on any of my books would be fantastic-- I simply don’t write with that mindset. For me, writing is like watching a movie, but one about very real people played by-- well, themselves. The characters are very real for me, and when I’m writing I see them in my head as real people, not as Matt Damon or Brad Pitt.

So, enough of the disclaimer. Now that I am thinking about The Donors as a movie, the thought of picking the characters is really fun. Let’s start with those evil demons-- the Lizard men as my five year old protagonist calls them, for that’s how he sees them in the “other world” of his dreams. Max Van Sydow, especially as he appeared in the movie adaptation of King’s Needful Things, is very much like I pictured the human manifestation of this character. Pull a wide brimmed hat low over his eyes and flip up the collar on his long trench coat and with a little special affect for the glowing eyes-- you’ve got ‘em. Alternatively, since I’m told time has no meaning in this game, Vincent Price in his forties would do quite nicely also.

The main protagonist is five years old Nathan and any lovable, believable five year old would do great. Think of a five year old version of Haley Joel Osment in Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense and you are on the right track. Nathan’s new best friend is his ER Doctor, Jason, and this character is best played by someone not terribly “Hollywood”. Not a Brad Pitt or other mega-star, but rather solid character actor. I would pick Edward Norton for this role. And for his Nurse love interest and soon to be victim of Nathan’s Lizard men, actress Sarah Jones would be perfect.

This group would bring the characters of my book to life beautifully, especially if they directed by the M. Night Shyamalan who gave us Signs and The Sixth Sense.

Learn more about the book and author at Jeffrey Wilson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

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