A Fancast for My First Novel
Thank you for having me on Ellesea Loves Reading!
Today I’m talking the exciting pastime of fan-casting, sometimes called dream-casting.
I’m not a huge fan of fan-casting for my books while I’m writing the manuscripts. Even after I struggle to create mood/aesthetic boards that feature models (or actors) who I think represent my characters the best. However, I’m going to make an exception for this guest post because now that I’ve given it thought, I can’t see why this won’t be fun!
So before I start, I’ll introduce myself. Hi, my name is Hana Sheik, and my Harlequin Romance/Mills & Boon True Love, Second Chance to Wear His Ring is now out to the world! Yay!
I will be doing a fancast for my characters, starting with my heroine, Amal, and hero, Mansur “Manny”.
Amal
For my heroine, Amal, I would choose actress Anna Diop. Besides that she’s beautiful, I think Anna would portray the softer and tougher parts of Amal’s personality really well! In Second Chance to Wear His Ring, Amal is struggling to embrace her life after she’s been diagnosed with amnesia. A big question in the novel for her is whether she can learn to live with her amnesia if she can’t find a cure for it. Her memory-loss troubles aside, she’s warm-hearted, clever, and just the companion Mansur needs when the two of them travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Mansur “Manny”
I might have gotten distracted looking for a perfect fancast for Mansur…teehee! :D
But huzzah, I found my man. Let me present to you, actor Jocko Sims. He’s tall, dark, handsome, bearded—checking all my boxes for my hero. I think he’d capture Mansur’s brooding wonderfully. Manny has a lot of shields up at the beginning of the book. He doesn’t want to let anyone get close, least of all Amal. It takes him a while to be more open emotionally, though when he does it’s a magical thing. What is it about grumpy characters letting down their guards that makes my heart race? Anyways, I loved writing him, and I hope readers love Manny too!
Other cast:
Mama Halima
Mansur’s mother is all about that tough love. She’s the reason Manny and Amal are heading off to Addis Ababa together. I picked Alfre Woodard to portray her:
Hakeem
Even though he’s a minor player, Hakeem is one of my favorite characters. He’s remained a constant support as Mansur’s friend throughout several revisions of the manuscript; I’m glad he made it to the end with everyone. That steadfast loyalty to his friend is why I had to dreamcast him as O’Shea Jackson Jr. (loved him in Den of Thieves!).
As I said, I don’t fancast often, mostly as I like having an image of my characters in my head looking one way. Although after this, I might start to play around with fancasts more. This has been a blast!
Thank you for having me on your blog, Lynn. It was lovely to be here. :)
* * *
A forgotten past…
Could pave the way to forever!
When millionaire Mansur Ali is called urgently home to Somaliland, he’s shocked to find that the woman who broke his heart needs his help. After an accident, Amal has lost many memories…including Manny’s marriage proposal and her rejection! Manny will help her seek treatment in Addis Ababa, but he’s resolved to keep his heart firmly off-limits. A promise that is tested when their journey brings them closer than ever before…
Amazon UK | Amazon (US) | Harlequin
Hana Sheik falls in love every day reading her favourite romances and writing her own happy-ever-afters. She's worked as a data entry operator, customer service rep, telemarketer, and ghostwriter—but being a romance author is without a doubt the best job ever! Born in Somalia, she moved to the beautiful capital of Canada as a toddler, and still lives there happily with her family.
Twitter (@HanaSoChic), Facebook (@HanaSheikAuthor)
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