Charlotte

Julia Buckley is a Chicago mystery author. She writes the Writer's Apprentice Series and the Undercover Dish mysteries, and is soon to launch a new series with Berkley Prime Crime. Buckley has taught high school English for thirty years; she lives near Chicago with her husband, four cats, and a mischievous Labrador named Digby. She has two grown sons. She is a lifelong reader and a writer since around age six, when she started a notebook of poems. Here Buckley dreamcasts an adaptation of A Dark and Twisting Path , the newest Writer's Apprentice mystery: Casting the residents of Blue Lake, Indiana was harder than I expected. When you picture people a certain way in your head and then try to match them to already-existing people, you find a certain dissonance. However, these can certainly get readers thinking about who they themselves would cast as the main characters of my Writer's Apprentice series: Lena London, her employer, Camilla Graham, their neighbor, Sam Wes

Rea Frey is an award-winning author of nonfiction books. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter. Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of Not Her Daughter , her debut novel that raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe: When I wrote Not Her Daughter , I saw it as a film first. (And how trippy that it was optioned for film by Argent Pictures before publication!) My hubby, who happens to be a graphic designer, rigged up a casting board for me to look at while I wrote the book. While I think Sarah could be played by a variety of actors, I’d love to see Anne Hathaway or Alison Brie from Glow . Amy has always been one actor and one actor only to me: Melissa McCarthy. I know she’s known for light, humorous roles, but I think this could be a breakout drama for her. Ethan could be played by Bradley Cooper. Richard by Bryan Cranston. I’m not sure what five-year-old actors are out there, but it would be a big role. Visit Rea

Katharine Weber grew up in New York City and has lived in rural Connecticut since 1976, when she married the cultural historian Nicholas Fox Weber. (They have two daughters and a grandson.) She also spends parts of the year in West Cork, Ireland, and in London. She is the author of five previous novels and a memoir. Here, Weber dreamcasts an adaptation her new novel Still Life With Monkey : Still Life With Monkey stars a very successful architect, Duncan Wheeler, 37, who has recently become a quadriplegic as the consequence of a car accident. He has an identical twin, Gordon, who has a very different personality and life. The able-bodied twin presents a dilemma for casting, because in principle I would dearly love to envisage an actor in the Duncan role who in real life uses a wheelchair. In nearly every film with a disabled character, able-bodied actors are cast in those roles. But if the same actor were also to play the part of the twin brother, which would be the obvious double-ro

Christian Di Spigna is a writer based in New York City and Williamsburg, Virginia. A regular speaker and volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg, Di Spigna is an expert on the history of the era and educates a wide array of audiences. Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new book, Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero : A charismatic and courageous man who by all standards of the time should have never risen in the socio-political ranks, Dr. Warren was possessed of many talents. Tom Hardy would convey the fiery side of Warren’s revolutionary fervor, as well as his more tempered demeanor befitting a spymaster and doctor. Although a young man, Warren had experienced much loss, which would have aged him in many other ways, that Hardy would have to bare. Warren’s first wife, Elizabeth Hooton Warren would be portrayed by Oona Chaplin exuding a frail but mysterious woman. For Samuel Adams, the incomparable Brian Cox as a grand incend

Gina Wohlsdorf ’s first novel, Security , was chosen as an Amazon Best Book of 2016. Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Blood Highway : If Sofia Coppola directed Blood Highway the film, I could die happy. The best adaptation from book to movie I’ve ever seen — bar none — is The Virgin Suicides . That novel was friggin’ impossible to put to the screen: first-person plural narrator, disjointed timeline, thematic complexity that seemed beyond the reach of visual images. Coppola did the impossible, and then some. People will call this sacrilege, but I’m saying it: the movie might be even better than the book. And I do not remotely mind being bested by the best. Taissa Farmiga is Rainy. That’s it, the end, cut, print, check the gate. I’ve been working on this story for fifteen years. You better believe I had my eyes open the whole time for an actress who could nail this part. For a decade, there was nobody. Then I rented The Bling Ring (directed by Sofia Coppola),

T. Greenwood is the author of twelve novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. She has won three San Diego Book Awards. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/IndieBound picks. Bodies of Water was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award. Here Greenwood dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, Rust & Stardust : Because Rust & Stardust is based on a true crime (the 1948 kidnapping of eleven-year old Sally Horner – the crime that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita ), I was writing with real people in mind. However, this novel is, in the end, a piece of historical fiction, and these characters have, in many ways taken on a life of their own. I always love to imagine who might play the roles of the various characters if the novel were adapted for film. And this one was easy. (Here’s my all-star cast.) Sally Horner: I adored Brooklynn Prince as

Jay Schiffman is an award-winning writer and creator of games, animations, apps, and web experiences. He was a practicing attorney for several years and has been involved in a number of successful businesses in the digital, educational, and technology spaces. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children. Here Schiffman dreamcasts an adaptation of Game of the Gods , his debut novel: Game of the Gods is the story of Max Cone, a former military commander and judge in the Federacy. Max wants to leave war and politics behind, but when his family is taken he must fight. Max and a band of outcasts—a 13-year-old girl with mysterious powers, a math savant, a revolutionary turned drug addict, and the daughter of the world’s most powerful religious leader—must save their family, friends, and the world. Game of the Gods is a fast-paced action adventure that follows Max and his band as they travel through exotic lands and strange political landscapes. In terms of bringing Game of the Gods

Michael J. Sullivan 's books include the Riyria Revelations series: Theft of Swords , Rise of Empire , and Heir of Novron . Here the author dreamcasts an adaptation of the series: When I first conceived of the Riyria Revelations, it was the 1990s. I saw Braveheart and The Man In The Iron Mask and thought Mel Gibson and Jeremy Irons could play Hadrian and Royce in the movie version. They are now 62 and 69 years of age, so that no longer works. And that’s my problem. Actors get old while my characters remain young. I had the characters cast, but alas, time ruined everything. I gave up trying to cast them, until recently when two actors appeared on screen together that I thought would work. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Only problem with that—these two are doing pretty well for themselves these days and would be a tad expensive to hire for the roles. However, if they happen to be fans of Riyria, and reading this post, as I’m certain they are, and interested in working for scal

Susan Elia MacNeal is the author of The New York Times , Washington Post , Publishers Weekly , and USA Today -bestselling Maggie Hope mystery series, starting with the Edgar Award-nominated and Barry Award-winning Mr. Churchill’s Secretary , which is now in its 22nd printing. Her latest book is The Prisoner in the Castle , the eighth novel in the series. Here MacNeal shares some insights into an adaptation of the series: I’ve never really toyed around with the idea of a “perfect cast” for the Maggie Hope novels, as all the characters started out as composites of various friends and people I actually know, along with historical figures. They’re all, well, themselves , to me when I’m writing. That’s how I see them. It would be odd to suddenly start seeing them as a popular actor or actress. However, I was absolutely gobsmacked when the actress Daisy Ridley ( Star Wars , Murder on the Orient Express ) bought the TV and film rights to the Maggie Hope series. And even more floored when I l

Ellison Cooper has a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCLA, with a background in archaeology, cultural neuroscience, ancient religion, colonialism, and human rights. She has conducted fieldwork in Central America, West Africa, Micronesia, and Western Europe. She has worked as a murder investigator in Washington DC, and is a certified K9 Search and Rescue Federal Disaster Worker. She now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. Here Ellison dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Caged : I don't know a single author who hasn't fantasized about their book being turned into a movie. Which is to say that I know exactly who I would love to cast in Caged . My main character, Sayer Altair, is a biracial FBI neuroscientist and I would love for Zazie Beetz to play her! Beetz was fierce as Domino in Deadpool 2 , tough but also funny and genuine. I actually wrote Sayer's partner, Vic Devereaux, with Misha Collins in mind. He has the perfect "undertaker handsome" vibe I

Georgia Clark is an author, performer and screenwriter based in Brooklyn. She wrote the critically acclaimed novel, The Regulars , and the "witty, sexy" ( L.A. Times ) The Bucket List , both Simon & Schuster. Her first books were the Young Adult novels She’s With The Band and Parched . Clark is the host/founder of the storytelling night, Generation Women , which invites six generations of women to tell a story on a theme. She is currently developing The Regulars as a TV show for E!. A native Australian, she lives in Brooklyn with her girlfriend and a fridge full of cheese. Here Clark dreamcasts an adaptation of The Bucket List : Lacey Whitman, main character: I love Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper in the teen noir melodrama, Riverdale ): she’s an incredibly expressive and powerful performer. And this role would allow her to explore her more comedic side, channeling Lacey’s great sense of humor along with her strength and vulnerability. Steph, Lacey’s best friend/former roo

Fiona Davis began her career in New York City as an actress, where she worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theater. After getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she fell in love with writing, leapfrogging from editor to freelance journalist before finally settling down as an author of historical fiction. She's a graduate of the College of William & Mary and is based in New York City. Here Davis dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Masterpiece : I love this assignment because before I start writing a book, I come up with ideas of whom the characters resemble and post them on the bulletin board behind my computer. That way I can stare at their faces when I hit a wall, and that always seems to help. Half of my story takes place in the 1920s at the Grand Central School of Art, where a couple of faculty members - Clara Darden and Levon Zakarian - are fighting to rise in the art world, often butting heads themselves. The other half of th

Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction. In hundreds of reviews, his novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real. These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. Here DiLouie dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, One of Us : In One of Us , a disease has produced a generation of monsters who are now growing up in orphanages and must find a way to fit in—or fight for what’s theirs. It’s both a misunderstood monster story and a novel about prejudice. As a Southern Gothic story, the characters are an ensemble and half of them are mutants, so it’s a tough cast for me. I’ll pick two. Amy is a plague girl, but her mutation only appears under severe stress. As a result, while all the o