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I obsess about the “casting” of my books quite extensively, so this question is right up my alley. I started as a playwright and I’ve written a lot of screenplays, so casting feels like a natural part of the writing process for me. Seeing and hearing the characters is so essential, and assigning a specific actor to the role really helps flesh out their possibilities.Visit Jody Gehrman's website.
My suspense novel, Watch Me, centers around Kate Youngblood, a thirty-eight-year-old writing professor who fears she’s disappearing. Her husband left her for a younger woman. Her second novel tanked. Her best friend’s having a baby, something she dreads more than she’d like to admit. She feels men’s eyes on her less and less, which is messing with her confidence. All of this forms a perfect storm of vulnerability, making her easy prey for a charming sociopath, Sam Grist. Sam also happens to be her star writing student. He’s stalking her, and he’ll do anything to ensure their future together.
I realize these casting choices would require a time machine, but no matter. They’re useful archetypes.
Kate Youngblood is Cate Blanchett, no doubt. I even borrowed a bit of her name. She has the acting chops to pull off a character who’s both bitingly cynical and hopelessly romantic. Blanchett’s range is so impressive, and her poise remarkable. She would be the hands-down most elegant choice for Kate.
Sam Grist is a young...[read on]
Writers Read: Jody Gehrman.
The Page 69 Test: Watch Me.
My Book, The Movie: Watch Me.
--Marshal Zeringue