The Book Movie Connection

It's Friday and I'm in a cracking good mood, so I thought I would have a little fun on the blog today.

So... Do you ever think about what your book characters would look like if it was dramatized? Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but I think a lot about who would play who on the big screen. Plus it's easier to describe my characters to people by saying, "If Julienne was a real person, she would be this actress..." So if I was casting "Rebel Heart," I would so be demanding that these actors play some of the roles!

Let's start with Alex because let's face it, I've spent my fair share of time visualizing what he looks like. For the longest time, I thought he would look like a love child of Daniel Craig and Paul Bettany.
         

But I was recently having a conversation with one of my co-workers about hot British actors (the only type, right?) and one of my perennial (but often forgotten) favorites came up.



Rupert Penry-Jones. Oh yes, I do believe this is Alex. And he's perfect, right? Period drama actor already, blondish hair, etc. This was taken from the most recent version of "Persuasion". I think he really gave Ciaran Hinds a run for his money.

 

And now for Julienne... For whatever reason, I've never thought of any actress parallels for her. So I'm going to have to dig deep for this one. I love Michelle Dockery (from Downton Abbey) and she can play prickly to the tee. But she also has that rare gift of playing vulnerable. And she can ride a horse! Ha! But I'm not sure if she can do spy--I have a sneaking suspicion she can. I also like the look of Vanessa Kirby from the newest adaptation of "Great Expectations." She's got Julienne's lighter color eyes.

From "Enchanted Serenity of Period Films" blog, which quite awesome
if you're a period films geek like me!

But I also think I should give a nod to Julienne's nationality and pick an American as well. So who could handle her... My hubby would say "Emma Stone! Emma Stone!" But I think she lacks sufficient gravity. Leighton Meester has a nice look to her...she would look good in a hoop skirt. I love her as Blair Waldrof (closet "Gossip Girl" watcher here) but I don't know if she has the sufficient acting chops to pull off a period drama. Of course, I think she really limits herself with the roles she plays.

 

 

Lastly, there's poor Richard Ashby. You won't be able to help feeling sorry for him when you read the novel. Poor BSC British aristocrat that he is. Toby Stephens would rock. And oh! how I love him. I think he may be a *bit* too old (don't worry Toby...I have a thing for older guys!) but I suppose it would depend on how he is styled. He is absolutely, hands-down my favorite Rochester from the myriad of "Jane Eyre" adaptations. He does angry so well. He smoulders pretty well but not as well as Matthew MacFadyen. He definitely can act the heck out of a period drama. He does moody and contained well and Richard is definitely moody and contained.

 

Toby Stephens as Rochester. From Charlotte Rubarb's Tumbler.

So that's all for actors. Next time I will write about some of the places that inspired me while writing "Rebel Heart."

And what about you all? Do you ever have fun with casting your novels?

Taking the Plunge...

Well folks, I have a pretty big announcement to make. If you follow me on Facebook you probably already know, but if not... I've decided to self-publish "Rebel Heart." I'm still working on some last minute edits including an epic war with myself on whether or not to make the whole thing 3rd person (instead of having Julienne's part in 1st and Alex's part in 3rd). What do you guys think? If it's clearly delineated, would you be miffed by the shifting tenses?

As you can see, I went ahead and designed a book cover. After two days of fiddling fighting with Gimp, I finally got this result via Mircrosoft Powerpoint of all things! I'm pretty pleased it, to be honest! I'm hoping to have everything edited and up for sale by July, so stay tuned for more updates. I will of course document the ins and outs of this process as I go along. I'm sure it's going to be a wild ride!

Getting Started...and Finishing

In between huffing and puffing during my run this evening, I got to thinking about writers...specifically how I got my start. I started writing when I was twelve. I used to think I was special, but via the power of the internet, I've discovered a lot of writers who also started early in life. Well boo. I think I preferred feeling special!




Andrew Andrews, I do adore you!

Writing was my happy place growing up. It was where I could retreat after a bad day at school. I was perenially picked on in those days because I was a little plump. All I can say is that the concept of bullying has progressed in the years since I left public school. Anyhoo... I was much happier in the Antebellum period with my characters. My first novel was entitled "Secrets in Savannah" and featured William Bradford (named after my middle school crush, of course) who was actually the "Savannah Shadow" who was modelled after "The Scarlet Pimpernel."

Except instead being set during the French Revolution, "Secrets" was set in Antebellum Savannah. And instead of secreting aristocrats out of Paris, my hero conducted slaves through the Underground Railroad. And naturally, there was the independent, willful heroine Drusilla Jessica who somehow married William via a marriage of convenience and was certain he was the devil because he owned slaves in the first place (but he was secretly paying them on the sly). Wow--I had an imagination! But now that I think of it, this was a pretty good idea. Maybe I should revisit it someday!

I still remember the day that my crush found out about my dark secret (i.e. that my hero was modelled on him). I was terrified...I was sure my life was over. But lo and behold, he was flattered and somehow I became a temporary celebrity amongst my classmates. I should have charged money for all the folks who wanted me to name characters after them!

I sometimes wish I could go back to the days when writing was my hiding place. It's more of a chore these days--as I have mentioned it's turned into a "got to finish this so I can maybe hopefully pursue publication." I wish I could go back to the days when it was easy...when I was blind to the idea of ever seeing publication. I know I've got to find my mojo again; to just ignore what happens once I finish that last word.

So how about you? When did you start writing and what are your obstacles to finishing your own works?