Wish list Casting (Crimah)
- Jennifer Rae
- Mar 5, 2016
- 5 min read
Extol of Agnatic Dreams was hard to write for so many reasons. Firstly, it is in a genre I was unfamiliar with, and with that came expectations that I was not prepared for when I started planning the plot. On top of the unfamiliar style, I was creating the landscape from the ground up. With complete freedom, it is sometimes hard to know when to edit yourself. Extol of Agnatic Dreams has a 14th century England kind of feel, however, is not historically accurate most of the time.I personally liken it to Game of Thrones in feel.
The basic plot grew quickly, and what was supposed to be just a story of a young girl forced into marrying a monster within 50,000 developed into three pages of plot points, a deeper understanding of what it means to be a monster and part one is over 110,000 words. I started playing with the idea for Extol two years, and so I have had the time to get to know who these people are.
Below is my best choices for the people in my head and how they might look in real life.
CHARACTER: Lady Thea of Crimah
Lady Thea does not feature much in part one. However, she is still a vital character. We only meet Thea during the prologue where she attempts to fight against her husband's wishes to send their daughter to the mysterious kingdom of Braykith.
However, her influence of Evangeline is evident. Consistently we meet Evangeline drawing on her mother's strength to get her through moments where she is uncertain about how best to behave. It is through Evangeline that we learn who Thea is as a person and mother.
Thea is strong, nurturing and playful. She would tiptoe around the castle to try and trick servants so they couldn't bow to her. She went against the religious teachings of her faith in her desperation for a child. Thea speaks back to her husband (which is unheard of her the era), but she supports him.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION:Tentacles of hair the colour of burnt sienna were caught and brushed away from her face and straying from the braid that ran down her back.
PLAYED BY: Aviva Baumann
CHARACTER: Earl Barret of Crimah
Earl Barret is inspired by Lord Capulet (of Romeo and Juliet fame obviously), and I even had him speak lines reminiscent of the fight between Lord Capulet and Juliet when Barret and Evangeline have an argument. This scene appears in the book at about the same place as the Shakespeare play. However, that was pure coincidence. .
Barret is a complicated man, and seems to be someone who takes his time before acting, but once the idea is formed, he will be relentless in his actions until his will is done. He dreams big and isn't afraid.
He loves his wife and son. However, his relationship with Evangeline is strained at best. He could never quite embrace her in a way that came naturally with Thea and Darius.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION: He was a large man, heavy built but no fat on him... Barret could be actually dangerous. While he rarely used those strengths against their people, the threat seemed always to be there in his stance.
PLAYED BY: Jason Reso
CHARACTER: Lady Evangeline of Crimah
Evangeline is our hero, but at heart is an unreliable narrator and leaves the audience feeling cold towards her. Her emotions are unpredictable and mostly this is due to her upbringing. Never knowing the caring touch of her father, and forced into classes to handle her role as future Queen of Braykith, Evangeline lacks social skills.
She is unknowingly selfish, demanding of those closest to her while giving little in return. As the daughter of a Lord and Lady of a powerful province, Eva never needed to learn to care for herself. She suffers from anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome (undiagnosed of course because this world is based in 14 century England vibes) - which marks her in Braykith as strange. Eva is not good at making new friends, and it shows as she attempts to survive Braykith alone.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION: Evangeline had the longest hair, the brown tresses falling in light waves down her back... Naturally thin... her body missing womanly curves
PLAYED BY: Grace Hartzel
CHARACTER: Viviana
Viviana was lucky to be born around the same time as Evangeline, and so she became one of Eva's Ladies in Waiting and best friend. We all have a friend like Viv. She doesn't mince words, prefers not to be hugged, and is the last to smile at the joke. Viviana is serious and loves the details in everyday life.
Her whole world was centered around Evangeline until she left fo Braykith. After her departure, Viviana took on the role of educator assistant and was prepared to find her place in the world. Like Lord Barret, she is ambitious. However, she did not have the luxury of pursuing her interests.
Viviana has no interest in clothes, fashion, or men. She has little in common with Eva and Teagan. She acts more like their mother than a friend. People often assume that Viviana is the eldest of the three, even though Eva is older.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION: Viviana’s hair was the colour of dark straw and her body slightly plump... A handsome woman
PLAYED BY: Ashley Benson
CHARACTER: Teagan
Teagan is sweet, mischievous, and occasionally right up rude. She is also completely oblivious to just how she might rub people the wrong way. She isn't very deep and never thinks before she speaks. Because of her innocence, people tell her things and are likely to feel like they need to protect her from the worst of the world.
Teagan was never going to be an amazing character who changed the world. Her whole job is to obsess over shiny things and love the fashion she got to dress Evangeline up in every day. Although she means well, Teagan is often messing up and losing things
.
She was one of the first characters I found a real life face for because no one has eyes quite like Allison Harvard.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION: Large childlike eyes the colour of well-polished jade and small in stature, she weighed next to nothing
PLAYED BY: Allison Harvard
CHARACTER: Lord Darius Dilston
Lord Darius is never seen in the book. he is referred to twice, once by Teagan and then later by Evangeline. Thea is pregnant with him during the prologue, so we know he is four years younger than Evangeline. That is the only in text proof we have about Darius.
Darius takes after his father, inheriting his hair colour and eyes. However, his hair is fine and naturally curls like his mothers. He does not take his role as seriously as the other children we see in the novel., instead using his title to seduce women.
Spoilt by his father, the province is doomed to failure in the future unless a strong marriage alliance can be performed. It would be a rare, but much-needed shove, for Darius to grow up and stop relying on the promise of wealth and status.
IN TEXT DESCRIPTION: (there isn't one - Darius is never seen in Part One but he takes after his father)
PLAYED BY: Toby Regbo
Coming soon will be the wish list for Braykith (in two parts because there are a lot of characters in Braykith. In the meantime, check out my Kindle Scout campaign and reqd the first chapters of Extol of Agnatic Dreams. If the campaign is successful, and if you nominated the book, you will recive the full ebook version.
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