Lucinda Riley's "The Shadow Sister"

Lucinda Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of The Orchid House, The Girl on the Cliff, The Lavender Garden, The Midnight Rose, and The Seven Sisters. Her books have sold more than five million copies in thirty languages She lives in London and the English countryside with her husband and four children.

Here Riley dreamcasts an adaptation of The Shadow Sister, the third installment in the seven book series, The Seven Sisters:

When I dream-cast The Storm Sister last year for this blog, little did I know that my dreams would turn to reality: the Seven Sisters series has been optioned for a multi-season television adaptation by a Hollywood production company. I had a surreal experience when I went to Hollywood and discussed casting – and realised that I wasn’t ‘dream-casting’ anymore. While the project is still in its very early stages, working with the production team has given me a fascinating glimpse of what happens behind the scenes. I will have a lot of input in the casting process, so I am looking forward to meeting the talented actors and actresses who will bring my characters to life.

For the main character Star in The Shadow Sister, I have imagined the lovely French actress Léa Seydoux, who would be able to portray her vulnerability as well as her strength. Star’s life becomes entangled in that of two brothers: Orlando, the owner of an antique bookshop in London, who would be played by Rupert Grint (of Harry Potter fame) and his older brother, the mysterious Mouse, would be perfectly portrayed by Tom Hiddleston (I loved him in The Night Manager).

In the historical sections of The Shadow Sister set in Edwardian England, Flora McNichol, Star’s great-great grandmother, would be played by Léa Seydoux as well, as the plan is to double-cast each sister and her ancestor. Archie Vaughan would be played by Robert Pattinson (from the Twilight series). King Edward VII could be played by the British actor Brian Blessed, famed for his booming voice, and the king’s mistress, Alice Keppel, could be played by the beautiful Kate Winslet.

CeCe, Star’s dominating younger sister, would be played by the Australian Aboriginal actress Jessica Mauboy. CeCe’s story continues straight on from Star’s, and you can read her book The Pearl Sister in the US next spring 2018.

Visit Lucinda Riley's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Storm Sister.

My Book, The Movie: The Storm Sister.

--Marshal Zeringue