K.M. Colley's "The Roaring Ridleys"

K.M. Colley writes thrillers, contemporary mysteries, and cinematic stories that explore legacy and ambition. Her work often centers around powerful families, glamorous settings, and complex characters. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she’s currently based in Tampa and Philadelphia. When not writing or reading, Colley enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and building a creative legacy. She’s also passionate about raising her autistic daughter, who dreams of creating her own comic book one day.

Here Colley deamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Roaring Ridleys:

This is my dream question because, as an actress and author, I love blending these worlds together. I always have in mind who I would like to play my characters. So in The Roaring Ridleys, each sibling comes from a different part of the world, such as India, Egypt, Hong Kong, France, the UK, Argentina, and the USA. So I had to be incredibly visual when writing these characters.

Kavita would have to be Avantika. She was the first character I imagined with only her in mind. I don't know how I would go further if Avantika couldn't do it! She is absolutely perfect for this role.

Adesua was definitely me. So, getting to create my own worlds, I always saw myself playing her!

For Amelia, that was a tricky one for reasons the reader will know, but I eventually thought of Nico Parker. She is an absolutely accurate representation of Amelia’s character, and I feel she would give the same energy.

I have to start off strong with the brothers; Wei gives Simu Liu vibes, for sure.

Diego was one of the first characters I thought of, and Manu Ríos would be a perfect choice. He was phenomenal in Elite, a murder-mystery show.

Omar is still to this day the hardest one to choose, actor-wise, because of his height and frame. Mena Massoud and Adam Bakri would both be excellent in this role.

Henrik has the innocence of a younger brother, but is very quick on his feet and energetic. I can only see Rudy Pankow from Outerbanks playing him. Who knows though? There are so many amazing actors from which to choose!

For the director, I would love Ryan Murphy because of the fantastic job he did with the Netflix series, Hollywood. He was able to blend fiction with historical relevance, making it absolutely beautiful and glamorous for the era I am going for. I am also a huge Ryan Coogler fan since the beginning. I absolutely love his most recent work in Sinners because it was set in the city where I was raised, Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Visit K.M. Colley’s website.

--Marshal Zeringue