A couple of months ago, my brother came up with a wild idea. He decided that Sophia Loren would be great as the 80-year-old action hero of A Thread of Grace, Lidia Leone. So Rich found a public address for Ms. Loren and sent her a copy of the book. Why not, right? Her sons are producers. Who knows what might happen!

A month later, the Wall Street Journal’s Style and Fashion section published an interview with Ms. Loren in which she said, “Finding new acting roles is not so easy…You have to find a character that suits you as a person and your age. People have to believe in what you’re doing. But I am reading two or three books that are giving me wonderful ideas of what I might possibly do...because I love to work very much.”

Okay, maybe that’s just coincidence, but… Are you willing to invest $1.20 to airmail a postcard or letter to her?

I checked and $1.20 covers international airmail postage for postcards or an envelope and letter under one ounce. All you’d have to say is, “You’d be wonderful as Lidia Leone in Mary Doria Russell’s novel A Thread of Grace.”

She has a Swiss post office box that collects fan mail, so it’s not like we’d be bothering her at home. If she just gets a big stack of postcards, maybe she calls her sons, the producers, and asks them to think about a project based on the book. It’s certainly a long shot, but I don’t think it can hurt to try! And if this works, Richard Doria will be able to lord it over his big sister forever. Here’s the address:

Signora Sophia Loren

Casa Postale 430

1211 Geneve 12

Switzerland