When we're drafting a new book or are preparing for a book to be published a fun thing to do is scour actors to potentially play the roles of our characters. Yes, it's dreaming big, but like I said it's fun. Since The Monster Within released yesterday, I want to share my dream cast—well, a partial cast at least.
Samantha Thompson ~ Sam is my MC. She dies of cancer at seventeen and is brought back to life by her longterm boyfriend, Ethan. Sam is strong but falls victim to a monster inside her, one that surfaces after she's brought back to life. She definitely has a dark side, but she's also a survivor. My pick for Sam is Adelaide Kane. You probably recognize her from the TV series Reign.
Ethan Anderson ~ Ethan is the male lead and Sam's boyfriend. He loves her so much he found a way to bring her back from the dead, but he won't tell her what he did. Ethan is extremely loving and sexy, but he's keeping a big secret. My choice for Ethan is Brandt Daugherty. You might recognize him as Noel Kahn on Pretty Little Liars.
Mr. Ryan ~ Mr. Ryan is one of Sam's teachers at her new school. He happens to both help Sam get used to a new school and cause problems for her at the same time because he's the hot young teacher every girl in school drools over. This was a no-brainer for me as far as casting Mr. Ryan. He's definitely Jensen Ackles, best known as Dean Winchester on Supernatural.
Now, there are a lot of other characters in this book, but I'm not going to post them all. Instead I'm going to show you the triquetra necklace that goes along with this book, because it's not just fun to think of dream casts. It's also fun to see objects in the book brought to life.
Do you create dream casts for your books? Do you do this before you start drafting, while you're writing, or after the book is finished?
*I'm officially out of my house for a few days due to the construction so if I'm not online as much, you know why.*
*I'm officially out of my house for a few days due to the construction so if I'm not online as much, you know why.*
No dream casts, because my characters are sort of dreams of mine... I suppose if I wrote romance I would look to real world actors.
ReplyDeleteYour cast is dreamy...
Thanks, Mirka. lol
DeleteAbsolutely. My novel has a wonderful cast that includes Rhys Ifans, Brian Blessed and Judi Dench. All part of the fun.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun, isn't it? I've recently started using my Pinterest boards for my dream casts.
DeleteI love using Pinterest to collect images that I use for inspiration for my novel, for instance a derelict theatre interior.
DeleteActually, I gave up dream casting because I rarely find an actor or actress who would be perfect for the role. Especially for my main characters. But I love reading other people's dream casts. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's how I was with my Touch of Death series. I couldn't find people who fit the way I pictured my characters.
DeleteThat's one heck of a dream cast. It's awesome to let yourself go 'there', isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI love casting. I started down a path a while back and cast my first character for a collaborative story which never got fully plotted out, but I did start a skeleton for the story. I really wish I had the time to flesh it out some. Sebastian
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely fun.
DeleteNice choices!
ReplyDeleteI decided for my two protagonists that Emily Blunt would be great for Meredeth Devon and either Charlie Cox or Ben Barnes would be ideal for Tom Stryker.
Awesome. I try to cast my characters, but I can't ever find actors or even pictures that completely match them. It's so frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI love your cast.
It can be difficult to match the vision in your head.
DeleteAdelaide could be your doppelganger, Kelly! You two look so much alike :-)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Gotta love the shout-out to Jensen.
Lol Really? Love Jensen. ;)
DeleteI definitely create dream casts but I do this as I go. I feel like my characters grow and change as I write so I like to get into the plot before I make any solid decisions. Good luck with the construction, Kelly! I hope you will be able to get some work done!
ReplyDeleteI cast this book after I wrote it so I know what you mean.
DeleteI don't--my characters are always so young, it's hard to find anyone that young...most actors and models are too old to play 13-year-olds!
ReplyDeleteCheck Disney Channel and ABC Family actors. Some are only 13.
DeleteI'll take either Ethan or Mr. Ryan, please! Ooh la la!
ReplyDeleteLol I'll fight you for Jensen. ;)
DeleteSometimes I think about certain actors and specific roles they played while I'm writing. It's great fun, and it helps with creating the characters, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does.
DeleteDean, of course! I don't have a dream-cast of characters because my characters are young though I have imagined my Little Orchid story in animation with beautiful haunting music.
ReplyDeleteEverybody loves Dean. :)
DeleteCool post. I rarely cast for my books since I only sometimes have a celebrity in mind. I make up a face or use a real person's face when I'm thinking of characters.
ReplyDeleteOoh, that's interesting!
DeleteI always create dream casts for my characters. It's fun! I usually can pick the cast for the hero and heroine when I'm creating the outline. While I'm writing, I create the cast for the other characters.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices for your characters. I especially love Jensen Ackles. ;)
Jansen is so yummy!
Delete