Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Robin Constantine's "The Promise of Amazing"

Robin Constantine is a born and bred Jersey girl who moved down South so she could wear flip-flops year round. She spends her days dreaming up stories where love conquers all, well, eventually but not without a lot of peril, angst and the occasional kissing scene.

Her YA debut, The Promise of Amazing, was released on December 31, 2013. Her new novel, set in the same world as The Promise of Amazing, is The Secrets of Attraction.

Here Constantine dreamcasts an adaptation of The Promise of Amazing:
Casting questions always make me a little squirmy because the vision I have in my head might not match that of the reader and I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone else’s idea of what my characters look like! On the other hand, it’s great fun looking at pictures of actors – even though there’s never one person I think is the Grayson or Wren in my head, here are a few that come close…

Wren Caswell is someone you might not notice at first, but once you get to know her, you can’t help but be enchanted by her. She doesn’t like to draw attention to herself, but isn’t afraid of speaking out when the mood strikes. She’s more comfortable in jeans than a prom dress but she can pull off both looks and be a total knockout. Either Saorsie Ronan or Anna Sophia Robb would bring a great complexity to Wren.

Grayson Barrett is hot but quirky, someone who can totally charm a room but underneath it all he’s genuine. He’s a little misguided, has a bit of a shady past and is a total bull in a china shop with his feelings. He’s drawn to Wren’s kindness and calm inner strength. Nick Robinson or Kendall Schmidt would bring the right mix of vulnerability and brashness to Grayson.

As for directing, I think Amy Heckerling would be perfect. I love her work in both Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless and her more current television work on Gossip Girl and The Carrie Diaries as well. I think she can find both the light and darkness in a story– she can make the funny moments hilarious and finesse the darker moments so they are genuine, not melodramatic. The Promise of Amazing is romantic but edgy – and I think she could really bring out the best in it.
Visit Robin Constantine's website.

--Marshal Zeringue