The March theme is all about beginnings, and how we would cast our books if they were made into a TV show or a movie. I thought I’d do my hockey books in this post and then Caught and my bull rider books in the post later this month.
Ahhh, beginnings. Any writer can tell you they AGONIZE over their beginning, often changing it several times before it’s where we want it to be. For instance, here’s the first few paragraphs of Talk to Me, my debut:
Drew Milan watched, fascinated, as a leggy woman with unruly dark brown hair that reached halfway down her back twisted herself underneath the producer’s desk. As he continued perusing her body, he noticed her long, slim legs encased in skintight leather boots. Holy shit, are those a sexy pair of boots! Kill me now, and I’ll go with a huge freakin’ smile on my face. He was a leg man, and this angel had been dropped from the sky especially for him. He must’ve done some good deed he couldn’t remember to have had this good fortune bestowed upon him. The question was, what she was doing crawling around under the equipment?
She started to back out, and Drew felt his cock thicken as inch by inch of glorious legs unfolded themselves. Finally managing to pull himself out of his reverie, he cleared his throat. The woman jerked and turned around, revealing a large set of light brown eyes, a small nose set into the middle of a long face with a pointed chin, and an incredible set of full, luscious lips.
“Can I help you?” The woman blushed furiously, her pale skin flushing bright pink.
* * * * *
Knowing instantly that this Adonis of a man was retired hockey player Drew Milan, the host of the show Jamie MacMahon was producing, she silently berated herself for blushing like a schoolgirl as she struggled to her feet and swiped at the dust coating her skirt. If I’d known I was going to be crawling around under the equipment first thing, I would’ve worn jeans.
Okay, let’s dissect a little. Originally the story started with Jamie, our intrepid heroine, crawling under the desk and finding what was wrong, then coming out and seeing Drew. But one of my wise critique partners pointed out to me that the section had more punch if I started with Drew’s POV instead. Another suggested that last bit at the end about wearing jeans.
I also spent a lot of time “layering” this section, adding more detail to the scene than I normally would in order to set the stage/tone for the rest of the book. By the time I was done, that first chapter was probably twice as long as it was when originally written.
The beginning is SO important. It sets its claws into the reader and pulls them into the story. Or, if not done well, it can turn the reader off so much they don’t bother reading past the first few pages. Eek! Pressure!
Okay, on to the fun part of the post. I’m only going to cast my heroes, because, frankly, I like them better. Plus, in three hockey books there are, um, six heroes. (I write menages).
For Talk to Me, I had an actual hockey player in mind when I wrote the character of Drew: Scott Stevens, now retired. Here’s a head shot.
Scott was a rugged, tough defenseman, just like Drew was in my story. He was the captain of the New Jersey Devils for a long time, and Drew played for the Devils, though I changed the name so I wouldn’t have to deal with trademark issues with the NHL. I know he’s not an actor, but that’s who I “cast” in the role of Drew in Talk to Me.
For Head Games, I wanted to make the two heroes, both goaltenders, different so they would be easier for the reader to tell apart even without using their names all the time. Leo was taller and leaner, while Scott was shorter and stockier.
Here’s an idea for Leo, since he’s described as dark-haired and 6’3″, an avenging angel: Colin Farrell
Scott, the other hero, is described as 5’10″ or 5’11 and stockier, with blond hair and a “surfer” look: Owen Wilson
For Cold As Ice, I need three guys. Luc, who’s tall and lean; Carter, who’s about six feet tall with a ropey musculature; and Jake, who’s 5’10″ and stocky.
Here’s a good guy to play Luc: Alexander Skarsgard – he’s a little skinny, but has the right “look” to pull of Luc’s character.
And a suggestion for Carter: Alex O’Loughlin
And for your consideration for Jake: Scott Caan
So what do you think?
Wow – nice casting – I read Talk To Me – and the casting for Drew (although not a movie star) is spot on!