One of the best parts of writing a book is imagining all of the people who populate it: their piercing eyes, their mysterious smiles, the careful tilt of their heads when they’re slowly falling in love.
And one of the best parts of dreaming about your book being turned into a movie or a television show is getting to decide which hunky, dreamy, and versatile actors would step into those skins. Remember how exciting it was when Harry Potter hit the screens, and every single character was exactly how we had imagined them all? Remember how disappointed we all were in the new James Bond (but he’s blond!, we shouted) until we saw how wonderfully he could act, and then we all fell in love?
So of course, if you asked me who I had in mind for the characters in my book, I would rattle off names without thinking twice. But you know what’s even more fun than rattling off names? Showing you pictures!
Taya
Taya is described as having black hair, brown eyes, and tanned-dark skin. She’s fierce, proud, confident, and a little bit scrappy. She doesn’t think of herself as a great beauty because she doesn’t ascribe to the beauty standards of her culture – but she takes people’s breath away.
Lindsey Morgan has proven with her role on The 100 that she can portray all of those attributes. While she butches it up on the small screen with her slicked-back ponytails and cargo pants, this photo proves she can be softly beautiful, but with that fire in her eyes that defines Taya.
Of course, we’d have to dye her hair black, but look at those amazing eyes!
Darren
For someone who spends so much time front-and-center in Taya’s fantasies, we don’t get a lot of description of Darren. We hear about his perfect blue eyes, just exactly the color of the sky reflecting in the sea; but other than that, Darren is all about personality. It’s about his charming smile with that hint of mischief in it; about his sculpted arms from hours of hauling ropes on a ship; and we can imagine a sheen of stubble across his laughing jaw.
So call me distracted by the perfect crinkles at the corners of this bright smile, but I would definitely cast Joe Dempsie (most recently from Game of Thrones stardom) as one of my two leading men. We know that he has the acting chops to pull off this complicated role; at times brooding, at times brilliantly fun, and always at the center of Taya’s world and thoughts.
I know I would think about him as I fell asleep!
Jeremy
Unlike Darren, Jeremy is described to a tee: his blond hair, just a little bit wavy; his dark stormy eyes, so intense, staring right through you; his square jaw, rough-hewn but regal. As soon as a friend sent me a picture of Sam Heughan before he got his Outlander redhead makeover, I knew he was perfect (and that wasn’t just because I was melting into a puddle remembering that scene
where he whispered Gaelic into Claire’s ear… …)
When he was younger he was blond, and when he was older he had a beard, but we were having trouble finding a picture of him with both. Finally I tracked one down and sent it to her. “What about this one?” I asked. She would have given me a confused look if we weren’t having this entire conversation over messenger. Instead she said, “I do love Jamie Bamber, but isn’t he a bit old?”
I looked at the picture again, and then messaged her a second time: “That’s not the same person?” I asked.
Apparently I am really bad at facial recognition. But I would be happy to have either of these desperately dreamy dudes sweeping Taya off her feet as Jeremy.
Except I would definitely give Jamie Bamber a hair brush first. Did he put his fingers in a light socket at the office??
David
The first thing we ever learn about David is his deep, baritone voice. Though I never describe his chin in one way or the other, I definitely picture him with a thick, dark beard. Everything about David is deep, dark, and warm – like a warm quiet night beside a crackling fire. He’s the kind of man you would want to carry you through a frosted winter night in the encircling protection of his arm. Though he’s still young there’s a wisdom about him that makes you feel like he’s older, a
nd the kindness in his eyes never fades.
I know he’s been in a lot of other movies, but Kellan Lutz will always be Hercules to me; and though he usually sports a clean-shaved jaw, I think you can agree that he rocks the bearded look. I can’t remember what his voice sounded like, to be honest, but I’m sure he could deepen it to pull off David’s rumbling bass, and I know we would all be cheering when he caught Taya in his arms as she plummeted from a second story window (how she gets into that predicament I’ll leave you to discover for yourself!)
Ryan
The man of mystery himself, Ryan was 
by far the hardest to cast. He’s the kind of man who you would never think to look at twice, and with our looks obsessed culture, there aren’t many Hollywood actors who fall into that category! Ben Lloyd-Hughes certainly isn’t hard to look at, but I have the feeling he could fade into the background if he wanted to; and with a little grizzle on his cheeks and the right clothes, I think he could fade into the character of Ryan with no trouble at all.
Princess Nicola
The Sephrian princess is really the daughter of a Duke, not a King, but she wears her royalty like a coat of armour, looking down on her subjects with a smile that feels a little too set. Blonde, thin, corseted, and perfect, she is everything that Taya has never wanted to be… until she stands in Nicola’s shadow, and wonders if maybe she should have been trying at least a little.
I have to give some props to my Canadian compatriots. Laura Vandervoort would look stunning in a silk and brocade gown, don’t you think? And that chin is just made for playing royalty.
Leanne
The daughter of rebel fighters, Leanne is dark skinned, with tight braids and a desperate yearning not be left behind – which Taya not only understands, but deeply shares. As soon as I wrote her I thought of who I would want to play her – and Shanola Hampton was the obvious answer.
Annelle
Taya’s best friend (and did we mention casual love?), Annette is all sweetness, light, and charm. She’s a little bundle of adorable propriety, and I can’t think of anyone better to play her than the enchanting Amanda Seyfriend, who proved in Les Miserables that she could be as fragile as glass, with the sweet soft voice of a hummingbird.
King Octarion
We may not love him, but we sure do love to hate him – Darren’s evil uncle is a classic villain, grasping for power and then unsure what to do with the power he has. But Octarion is also a father; and a husband. You can’t help but wonder… who might he have been, if he hadn’t chosen this dark path?
Luke Evans, from The Hobbit fame, would make quite the brooding King.