Lucinda Riley's "The Pearl Sister"

Lucinda Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels, and her books have sold more than thirteen million copies in over thirty languages globally. She was born in Ireland and divides her time between England and West Cork with her husband and four children.

Here Riley dreamcasts an adaptation of The Pearl Sister, the fourth installment in The Seven Sisters series:

I never write my characters with certain film stars in mind – the characters appear in my head fully formed. But dream-casting my books afterwards is something I really enjoy doing, especially because since the Seven Sisters series has been optioned to be turned into a multi-series television show by a Hollywood production company, it doesn’t feel like so much of a ‘dream’ anymore.

The main character in The Pearl Sister is CeCe, a painter who has lost her passion and her way, who is sent on a journey to Australia to discover her past. The Australian Aboriginal actress and singer Jessica Mauboy would be a perfect fit, because not only does she look just like how I imagine CeCe, she represents the wonderful melting pot of Australian culture in her mixed heritage.

The mysterious Ace, who CeCe meets on a beach in Thailand, would be played by the Thai actor Ananda Everingham, who captures Ace’s wolfish charm.

In the historical sections of the book, set in the Adelaide Hills and in the pearling town of Broome in Australia, the young Kitty McBride would be played by Eleanor Tomlinson, who was so stunning in the BBC adaptation of Poldark, whilst Nicole Kidman could play the elder Kitty McBride. The captivating twins Drummond and Andrew Mercer would both be played by Chris Hemsworth (if he’s not too busy being Thor!), and Kitty’s son Charlie, could be played by his younger brother Liam Hemsworth.

At the end of The Pearl Sister, the reader is allowed a glimpse into Tiggy’s story, CeCe’s younger sister. While CeCe has been travelling through Australia, Tiggy has been working on a remote Highland estate in Scotland. And I always pictured Tiggy to be played by Lily Collins. Tiggy’s story, The Moon Sister, will be available in the US in early 2019.

Visit Lucinda Riley's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Storm Sister.

My Book, The Movie: The Shadow Sister.

Writers Read: Lucinda Riley.

The Page 69 Test: The Pearl Sister.

--Marshal Zeringue