New Anja book, so time for a new dream casting post. As you know, I ALWAYS cast these suckers in my head when I’m in the process of writing, so I thought I’d share my picks for how I see the characters in my head. I’ll include Jakob, Rob and Anja as a refresher, but you can see the rest of the cast from my last dreamcasting posts here:

Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down
Find Me When the Sun Goes Down

Anja Evans: Teresa Palmer – So I hadn’t cast a female lead as a blonde before, but since it went with the Viking ancestry link for this series, I decided to try something new. I like Teresa Palmer because she can play innocence well, but you get the feeling like she could seriously kick a little ass once she comes into her own. (see her with a shotgun in Warm Bodies)

Jakob: Alexander Skaarsgard – Okay, so I’m typecasting a little here, but who else can you picture as a Viking with flowing blonde hair? Well, maybe the guy from Thor, but he was the wrong type for this role, knowing what’s coming ahead. I couldn’t find a good picture of him with long hair that didn’t look kinda derpy though.

Rob: Jason Statham – Rob is a character I borrowed from my True Blood fanfic, and I pictured him as Handsome Rob from The Italian Job at the time and the name just stuck. He looks like he could hold his own against a vampire and I just love his voice with the accent.



Leila: Summer Glau – Okay, remember on Firefly in The Shindig when Badger held most of the crew of Serenity in the cargo hold while they waited for Mal to finish his business (duel) on Persephone and River came out and greeted him with a passable version of his own accent? That’s the voice I heard in my head when I wrote Rob’s sister, Leila.

Gunnar (left) and Isak (right) – When I started to think about two bodyguards who were close in height and size and physical characteristics, these two guys from Dude Where’s My Car popped into my head and sorta stuck there.

Terry Byrne: Jeremy Piven – Let me just start out by saying I love me some Jeremy Piven. I think he’s funny and he’s got a great smile. But when I needed a mental image for the slimy politician he just slid in there and embodied the role in my mind.



Jenessa: Rosamund Pike – She’s so classically beautiful, I can see why a vampire would turn her. Love her accent, and it’s easy to see her getting along with both Anja and Bishop, trying to become a peacemaker between them.




Marcus: Chris Pine – I started off with a completely different actor in mind to play the charismatic candidate for Elder of the West, but as soon as he started talking, Chris Pine edged him out.




Frost: Joe Flanigan – I wanted someone who could play the laid back type in tactical gear, a contrast to Bishop’s tightly wound devotion and Mason’s gung ho attitude to the Order





We’ll have a bunch of new characters in the next one (hopefully not so many it becomes confusing) so the dreamcasting for Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down should be fun.

I’m thinking of doing a Q&A for Anja’s world. So start thinking up any behind the scenes type questions you might have for me. I might even give up some spoilers.