Gail Oust's "Rosemary and Crime"

The author of the Bunco Babes mystery series, Gail Oust is often accused of flunking retirement. Hearing the words "maybe it's a dead body" while golfing fired her imagination for writing a cozy. Ever since then, she has spent more time on a computer than at a golf course.

Here Oust dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Rosemary and Crime, the first of her Spice Shop mysteries:

I’ve confided to friends on occasion that if I had a do-over, I’d run off to Hollywood and be a casting director. For some strange reason, the thought of finding just the right person for the right role appeals to me. When I’m in the zone, I can see the scenes in my books playing out on a movie screen inside my head.

Now who would play the lead of Piper Prescott in my little who-dun-it?

In my own private Fantasy Land, I possess a time machine. I’d turn back the years just a bit and make a younger Reba McEntire my leading lady. Like Piper, she is red-haired, sassy, and, in spite of adverse circumstances, determined to make her mark on the world.

Her ex-husband, CJ, who dumped her in favor of chasing ambulances and a bimbo in a short-skirt, would be played by a fortyish Alec Baldwin. Alec possesses CJ’s good looks and charm, but can also portray a jerk when a script calls for it.

Jim Caviezel is a shoo-in for the part of Police Chief Wyatt McBride. Add a hint of Georgia to his baritone, and he’s good to go. Height, weight, age, and build, he’s perfect for the former Miami-Dade detective returned to his boyhood home for a quieter life. Sorry, but with Piper finding dead bodies, he’s in for a rude awakening.

The part of Melly Prescott, Piper’s former mother-in-law, goes to Mary Beth Peil. For those not familiar with the name, Ms. Pell ably plays Alicia Florrick’s mother-in-law in the CBS drama, The Good Wife. Mary Beth is a dead ringer for Melly. She can be bit of a meddler at times but is still likeable.

I still haven’t found the perfect actress to cast as Reba Mae Johnson, Piper’s best friend forever, but I’ll know her when I see her.

Learn more about the book and author at Gail Oust's website.