Write a signal phrase that introduces the author and the text: "Dennis Lehane's 'Gone Baby Gone' became a Hollywood film in 2007."
Begin with an introductory phrase. While signal phrases introduce quotes, introductory phrases "set the stage for the main action of the sentence, but they are not complete clauses," according to MLA style. Common introductory phrases include infinitive phrases (any phrase beginning with an infinitive) or prepositional phrases (any phrase beginning with a preposition). An introductory phrase would look like this: "To cohesively shift the novel to film form, Dennis Lehane is given a writing credit in the film version of his novel 'Gone Baby Gone.'"
Employ appositives to create an interesting sentence. MLA defines an appositive as "a noun or pronoun --- often with modifiers --- set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it." In this case, it may be easier to make the title of the work the appositive: "Dennis Lehane, in his novel 'Gone Baby Gone,' creates a complex ethical situation."
Introduce the novel and its author with a descriptive verb. Columbia College of Missouri suggests a list of words that are commonly used to introduce quotes; the list includes "states," "remarks," "observes," and "reports." Try using a descriptive verb: "Dennis Lehane discusses the ethics of dying in his novel 'Gone Baby Gone.'"