Lynn Kiele Bonasia's "Countess Nobody"

Lynn Kiele Bonasia is the author of three novels. Released this June, Countess Nobody, her first novel for young adults, is about a teenage girl whose noble dreams are dashed when she learns she won’t inherit the family title. Summer Shift and Some Assembly Required are women’s fiction set on Cape Cod where Bonasia lives and writes.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a big screen adaptation of Countess Nobody:

I have no trouble imagining who might star in my two adult Cape novel fantasy film adaptations, but casting for my latest book, Countess Nobody, which happens to be a novel for young adults, left me in quandary. The last time I picked up a People Magazine, Scarlett Johansson was the “it” girl. Ok, maybe I’m not that bad but I did cheat a little for this exercise and tapped some of the kids in my publisher’s office, Egmont USA. Thanks to Sam, in particular, for these amazing recommendations.

Countess Nobody is about a young girl whose tiara dreams are dashed when she learns that, just because she’s a girl, she won’t inherit the family title. For my nobility-challenged heroine, Sophie, I choose Dakota Fanning. Aside from knowing that she has the acting chops, she’s also the right mix of smart and plucky to play a teenager who doesn’t roll over when faced with disappointment.

For Sam, Sophie’s charmingly clueless twin brother who has no idea how really good looking he is, my beefcake consultant at Egmont suggested Alex Pettyfer. Let’s assume, for the sake of my fantasy, that he’s one of those British actors who can fake an American accent like nobody’s business. Because he’s otherwise ridiculously appealing and I think he’d make a great Sam. And, at the very least, someone fun for girls to look at on a big screen for two hours.

Which brings me to the role of Spencer, Sophie’s beloved, for whom I choose dark, handsome heartthrob Colton Haynes, who tried out for Edward in Twilight but lost to Robert Pattinson. No worries, Colton. You’d make a perfect Spencer. And you won’t have to drink any animal blood-tinis.

While it’s fun to think who might play my characters in a movie, I truthfully don’t think about “casting” when I’m writing. For me, characters need to come about organically for me to be able to inhabit them. So, no matter how adeptly cast, the people in my head will never see the big screen and I’m fine with that.

Learn more about the book and author at Lynn Kiele Bonasia's website and blog.

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The Page 69 Test: Summer Shift.

Writers Read: Lynn Kiele Bonasia.

--Marshal Zeringue