Thursday, June 23, 2011

Michele Young-Stone's "The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors"

Michele Young-Stone's debut novel The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors came out last year to wide acclaim and is now available in paperback.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a big-screen adaptation of the novel:
People always ask: When your book is made into a movie, who do you want to star in it?

I have zero illusions—but lots of fantasies!!!!!! My sister used to ask if my niece could be in it as an extra. I guess… Oh, sure! What the hell…

At that time, the novel wasn’t even published. But, all that said, here is my wish list:

Becca Burke (main character—feisty redhead) Abigail Breslin with curls. She is a fantastic actress.

Buckley Pitank (next main character—victim of fate or God’s will; Biblical Job figure; wonderful boy; loves his mother more than ice cream) Someone unknown, someone like the actor from About a Boy; someone with serious talent, but hasn’t had his big break…

Abigail Pitank (Buckley’s mother): Beat down but triumphant. Katie Holmes plus one-hundred pounds.

Paddy John (Salty sailor with no filter): Jeff Bridges—absolutely and without a doubt. Definitely Jeff Bridges.

Mary Wickle Burke: (Becca’s drunken poetic abused mom) Amy Adams; she can play any age. She’s superb.

Patty-Cake: (Sexy, determined; ambitious; talented) Scarlett Johansson.

Rowan Burke: Son-of-a-bitch womanizer, chemist; Aaron Eckhart.
I want Helena Bonham Carter in the movie version, but I’m not sure who I’d want her to play. Ever since I saw her in Lady Jane, I’ve been in love with her, and unlike the fashion critics, I adore her style! I was once super Goth and I still like to retain my funk in fashion.
Read an excerpt from The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, and learn more about the book and author at Michele Young-Stone's website, blog, and Facebook fan page. 

The Page 69 Test: The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Michele Young-Stone & Emma (May 2010) and Coffee with a Canine: Michele Young-Stone & Emma Peel and Chauncey.

--Marshal Zeringue