Ted Kosmatka's "The Flicker Men"

Ted Kosmatka was born and raised in Chesterton, Indiana, and spent more than a decade working in various laboratories where he sometimes used electron microscopes. He is the author of Prophet of Bones and The Games, a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel and one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2012. His short fiction has been nominated for both the Nebula and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards and has appeared in numerous Year's Best anthologies. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest and works as a writer in the video-game industry.

Here Kosmatka dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Flicker Men:

I grew up going to the movies all the time, so for me, now that I�m a writer, picking out actors to play the movie in my head is always a lot of fun. The main character of The Flicker Men is Eric Argus, a troubled scientist who soon finds himself out of his depth. I�m a huge fan of what James McAvoy did in The Last King of Scottland, so I�d love to see what McAvoy could do as Eric. For Satvik, one actor leapt to mind�Irrfan Khan, most recently the park boss on Jurassic World. He'd bring exactly the solemn thoughtfulness that the role needs. For the part of Joy, I think Margot Robbie could be a great fit. For Point Machine, I can totally see Steven Yeun, from The Walking Dead. For Mercy, Sienna Miller would fit the bill nicely. For Vickers, I can see somebody with the quiet, understated authority of Robin Wright Penn. For Stuart, we could use the manic intelligence of Jesse Eisenberg. For Gillian, I�d love to see someone like Marcia Gay Harden, who you can't help but like on screen. On the flip side of things, I can see Neal McDonough�s piercing eyes glaring at you as the confident and powerful Brighton. For Boaz, the menace of Mads Mikkelsen would work well. There are a few other more characters, but I think this list covers most of the main speaking parts.

Writers Read: Ted Kosmatka.

The Page 69 Test: The Flicker Men.

--Marshal Zeringue