You know those long nights when you just can’t sleep but you’re too tired to get up and write and you don’t want to do it in your head as you’ll forget what you made up by the time I get to a keyboard? I do. And I’ll admit that at those times, when my characters are running around my head (usually naked I should add) and not letting me sleep, I do something a little unusual – I cast the movie version of my books and short stories.
Am I the only one that does that? Am I just nuts? Or do all writers dream that one day they’ll get to see their work on the silver screen?
Take, for example, Charlotte’s Secret (Available now from Phaze Books). I believe I’ve come up with the perfect cast for that. There are four main characters here that need casting. Charlotte, David, Susie and Mike. Here are my picks. (Naturally, they’re all Brits since this is a story set in Britain – it’d be interesting to see how the American version would be cast though)
- Charlotte – the heroine. Strong & independent, but vulnerable and still hurting after David married her sister. I guess this part is perfect for Kiera Knightly.
- David – the hero. Trapped into marriage because he wanted to do the right thing by his unborn son. Quietly intelligent even though his wife thinks he’s naive. At one point I’d have said this part belonged to Robert Carlyle, but now I’d have to go with Daniel Craig (the new Mr Bond)
- Susie – the bitch. Stole her sister’s boyfriend, but only wants him for his money. Sweet & sexy but devious and selfish. Samantha Janus (from Brit Soap Eastenders) would be great.
- Mike – Susie’s bit of rough. All brawn and not much brain. Could I possibly cast anyone but Vinnie Jones?
My other Phaze Book release is Lost & Found. Set in the fictional American town of Rivers Crossing it has three main characters to be cast.
- Chris – The Brit who crosses the Atlantic to comfort his cyber-lover after her brother’s killing in Iraq. Charming and intelligent, I’d play this part myself, but I’m not an actor. I’ll give it to Orlando Bloom.
- Beth – the smart, strong, fiesty American girl. Sarah Michelle Gellar anyone?
- The Colonel – retired military man. Proud, stubborn, willing to kill to protect his daughter. It has to be Jack Nicholson.
I could go on doing this for ever.
In Reunion, I’d have to cast Matt, Kelly, Jerry and Roy.
- Matt – hot shot young lawyer – Nigel Harman, formally of Eastenders fame
- Kelly – Rachel Stevens. No explanation needed – I wrote this character with her in mind.
- Jerry – intelligent but a bit goofy – has to be Kris Marshall.
- Roy – overweight, over confident, bit of a bastard. Hard one this, but I think Peter Kay would be good.
Lost & Found and Charlotte’s Secret are available now from Phaze Book. Reunion is available from Lulu.com
