Diablo Cody
After completion of her book, Cody was encouraged by Mason Novick to write her first screenplay. Within months she wrote "Juno", a coming-of-age story about a teenager's unplanned pregnancy. The Jason Reitman-directed comedy stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera.
Don Winslow
In the late 1970s, Winslow returned to New York City, first working as manager of a chain of movie theaters, then as a private investigator in movie theaters and the back alleys of Times Square. He went back to school to earn a master's degree in Military History, led safaris in Kenya and hiking trips in China's Sichuan province. His first published novel, "A Cool Breeze on the Underground" (1991) was written during this time. It was the first of a series of books about investigator Neal Carey, and was nominated for an Edgar award. His thriller "The Death and Life of Bobby Z" (1997) was a success, and allowed him to become a full-time writer. In 2007 "Bobby Z" was turned into a film starring Paul Walker and Laurence Fishburne. Winslow wrote the adaptation of "Savages" into a film of the same name with Oliver Stone directing.