"My Book the Movie"

Sheila Lowe, mystery author and forensic handwriting analyst

I'm in Vancouver this week, working my considerable butt off analyzing handwriting at the 2014 TED Conference (hoping to meet speakers Gabby Giffords, Bill Gates, and Sting, at least!). So my entry today is a reprise, albeit slightly edited, of one I once wrote for Marshall Zeringue's great blog, Mybookthemovie.blogspot.com. Marshall asks authors to share which actors they would pick for their main characters, which was great fun to think about.

Like me in real life, my character Claudia Rose is a forensic handwriting expert who uses her special knowledge to understand the people she gets involved with—especially the ones who create problems. She’s also an independent 40 year-old, facing the challenges many modern women do. She has an LAPD detective lover, Joel Jovanic, and friends Kelly Brennan, a man-eating family law attorney, and Dr. Zebediah Gold, a semi-retired criminal psychologist.

I thought about some of my all-time favorite movies and discovered that Jeannot Szwarc had directed Somewhere in Time, and also currently directs numerous forensic-type shows, so he’s the perfect fit for my forensic handwriting mysteries.

My number one pick for Claudia is Minnie Driver, and many readers of my series agree there’s something very Claudia in Minnie’s energy and her looks. If Minnie isn't available, Amy Adams would be just as perfect (she has the right color hair). When I first created Jovanic, I had in mind a cross between Michael Keaton and Harrison Ford, and then I thought—Denzel Washington! But it took so long to get published that now they’re all too old (sorry, guys). Recently, I saw Olympus Has Fallen and Gerard Butler is Jovanic. He’s goodlooking without being a pretty boy, you can tell he’s sharp and intelligent, and there’s a seriousness to him that would make him a good police detective. He’s about the right age now, so we need to hurry and get this thing made!

Claudia’s irreverent friend and confidante, Zebediah Gold, reminds me of Sean Connery (or someone who looks just like him and has those twinkly eyes). Reese Witherspoon is cute enough and perky enough to be Kelly, but the part might not be big enough for someone with her star power.

If I had a buck for everyone who’s said to me, “this series would make a great movie!” I could buy a new Mont Blanc pen. Happily, the series has already been optioned, so maybe someday my druthers will actually find their way to the screen. Inkslingers Ball, the next Claudia Rose mystery, is set for a May release. This will be the first new Claudia book since 2010.

DiNunzio's Back!

The Accused (Rosato & Associates #12) by Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin's Press hardcover, 20 October 2013).

I love the Rosato & Associates books.  It's easy for any female reader to identify with Bernie, Mary and Judy, and the rest of their staff.  I've always identified most with Mary, who loves her family, but finds them somewhat embarrassing at times.

There are many embarrassing family moments in this story, which opens a party celebrating Mary's partnership at the firm.  Yes, Mary's parents are present, as are "The Three Tonys", friends of her father who treat Mary like a beloved niece, sometimes even "helping" her with her work. 

Uncomfortable with Change, Mary's a little overwhelmed by being the center of attention.  This pressure is eased by the arrival of a young woman hoping to hire her.  Allegra Gardner is thirteen years old, and despite being too young to sign a contract, wants Mary to prove that the young man arrested for murdering her sister six years earlier is innocent, even though he pleaded guilty.  She has her own funds, she says, and her parents are not opposed.

Since she's now a partner, Mary doesn't have to ask Bennie permission to take the case, but Making Decisions has always been difficult for her.  She eventually decides to do it, and finds that it's even more complicated than she'd imagined.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend, history professor Anthony Rotunno proposes to her:  yet another Big Decision to make, and more Change. 

This is a little lighter and more romantic than Scottoline's earlier novels in the series, which may be disappointing to some readers, but I found it to be a  delightful story that I completed in one afternoon.


FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin's Press for the e-galley.