Sunday, January 19, 2014

Lamar Giles's "Fake ID"

Debut author Lamar Giles takes readers on a wild and dark ride in this contemporary Witness Protection thriller. Fake ID is a compelling story full of twists and turns—sure to appeal to fans of James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and John Grisham.

Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn't really Nick Pearson. He shouldn't tell you his real name, his real hometown, or why his family just moved to Stepton, Virginia. And he definitely shouldn't tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy Eli was uncovering when he died. About how Nick had to choose between solving Eli's murder with his hot sister, Reya, and "staying low-key" like the Program said to do.

But he's going to tell you—unless he gets caught first....

Here Giles dreamcasts an adaptation of the book:
It’s a little difficult for me to think of the perfect Fake ID cast for a couple of reasons. One, because my book is populated by teen leads, I’m not as familiar with age appropriate actors. Two, because my hero and heroine are teens of color, I’m afraid there’s a limited pool of known names. That being said, I’ll play a game of “What If.” What if I could cast the actor that immediately comes to mind and make him/her age appropriate for the role where needed (denoted by an asterisk)? Well, when you think of it that way:

Nick Pearson – Michael B. Jordan*
Reya Cruz – Francia Raisa*
Eli Cruz – Adam Irigoyen
Zach Lynch – Alex Pettyfer*
Dustin Burke – Liam Hemsworth*
Pilar – Victoria Justice
James Pearson/Dad – Jamie Foxx
Mrs. Pearson/Mom – Kerry Washington
Mayor Burke – Bruce Willis
Deputy Marshal Bertram – Jason Patric
Sheriff Hill – Woody Harrelson
Principal Hardwick – Michael Jai White

That’s the list that represents the clearest pictures of these characters in my mind, but I’d love to know who readers see when they meet these characters for the first time. I imagine there would be some pleasant surprises.
Learn more about the book and author at Lamar Giles's website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue