Ann Herendeen is a guest author today at Romance by the Blog, revisiting several topics pertaining to her novel Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander, which I read and reviewed back in July.
Now, aside from the fact that she paid me and my review a nice compliment (thanks!), her article is a fun topic to visit, one that we’ve discussed here before: what actor plays your character in the movie version of your book? Herendeen has a luscious list of folks, as well as a discussion addressing some of the criticisms and comments of her novel, including some of my own.
I have to love when an author can defend her work without shrieking that I ought to be beheaded or something. It’s very refreshing, and endears me all the more to her book, which was a dishy Regency and an enjoyable read.
Oooh, people are always asking me who’d I want to play my heroes. Less so the heroines…wonder why? Anyway, here’s my short list for heroes from my books:
Captain Sinister (Morgan Roberts)—Hugh Jackman
Rand Washburn—Nathan Fillion
Justin Delerue (Smithton)—Hmmm…I would have said Timothy Dalton 30 years ago. Now, maybe Ioan Gruffudd.
Oooh. I like that list. Now, you have to write a novel about a slightly chunky blonde who has all three of them in her man-harem, with a little Vin Diesel on the side. :smirk:
I’d do write it myself, you understand, but I would get rather distracted in the process!
Heh,heh. Yes, that trio could eat crackers in my bed anytime.
And I understand the distraction. Oddly enough, I don’t visualize a particular actor when I’m writing. It’s only after the book is done that I begin thinking about who might play them in Hollywood. Firefly came out after I’d written Smuggler’s Bride, but as soon as I saw Captain Mal I began thinking “Ooooooh, Rand Washburn! Shiny!”
It’s only after the book is done that I begin thinking about who might play them in Hollywood.
And as a reader, Darlene, I appreciate this. I was really grateful that Lani Diane Rich waited until the very end of Ex and the Single Girl to explain that she visualized Colin Firth as her hero. Because as much as I love love love Firth (a more sexy brooding Mr. Darcy than he there will never be), imaginging the hero as Colin Firth would have seriously jeopardized my enjoyment of the book, especially as Firth continues to age and gets more of that dissipated look that can be either very sexy or very not. In Firth’s case, it’s still very sexy, IMO, but it’s not how I wanted to see Ian. I just do better when I can add my own details to a hero’s description (how wonderful it is that the author and I can visualize the hero differently, even though we’re sharing one description), because taste in celebrities is so individual and subjective.
Thanks for that comment, Robin. In my head I still see my heroes as I wrote them, and Morgan Roberts of Captain Sinister’s Lady, is much larger and hairier than Hugh Jackman, and Rand Washburn is blonder and has more of a square face than Nathan Fillion.
But as an author, it’s fun to daydream about that call from your agent saying “Your books have been optioned by a major Hollywood studio.” And then to daydream further about being in on the casting call…