New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA® Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than fifty books.Brown's books have been translated into eleven foreign languages and fourteen have been reprinted in large print format. Her books have been reviewed in Library Journal, Booklist, Romantic Times, Romance Reviews Today, Publisher's Weekly, Cataromance, USA Today and Romance Reader At Heart. Two of her romances have been published as Japanese Manga books.
Brown writes cowboy romance for Sourcebooks: The Lucky Trilogy, the Honky Tonk Series and now the Spikes & Spurs Series.
She has also written more than forty sweet romances for Avalon which include several historical series as well as contemporary stand alone romance novels.
Places to find Carolyn:
Happy Anniversary! And may this past year just be the foundation for many, many more wonderful years for your blog, and thank you for inviting me to be a part of your celebration.
Love Drunk Cowboy hit the stands last year on May 3 and by mid-June it was on the NY Times and the USA today bestseller lists. Now it is time for Hollywood to come calling and I’ve been asked to help out with the casting for the characters.
The first two people who came to mind weren’t actors at all but singers and that’s who I called. At first they both just laughed and then I explained the characters.
Rye O’Donnell is flat out love drunk from the moment he lays eyes on Austin Lanier but there is no way that citified girl will ever leave Tulsa, Oklahoma to live in Terral, Oklahoma, population 386. She’ll sell the watermelon farm her granny left her so fast it will blow the whole town right into the Red River. He’s got to have a winning smile, a real cowboy swagger that proves he’s been walking in cowboy boots since he took his first steps, and a deep drawl.
Austin is tall, dark haired and has been groomed for the business world since she took her first steps. She’s just trying to get through the ordeal of settling her grandmother’s affairs. They’ve met and they’re circling each other like a wary old tom cat that has lived in the barn his whole life and a pampered momma cat that has never been outside a penthouse apartment.
“Well, I have done some work on The Voice,” Blake Shelton said.
“And Austin sounds like my kind of girl,” Sara Evans said.
So they dropped by and I explained the scene. Austin is mad as hell at Rye and has started walking from his folks’ ranch back to her watermelon farm which is seven miles away. He’s caught up with her and thrown her over his shoulder like a bag of chicken feed.
“Now read the highlighted part of the script,” I said.
Austin: “Put me down!”
Rye: “Yes, ma’am. I will do that as soon as we get back to the truck.”
Austin:“You are a jackass.”
Rye: “Yes, ma’am, it’s the Irish. You are a smart-mouthed Frenchie. Hell of a combination, ain’t it?”
I held out my hands and they reluctantly gave the script back.
“I’ve got to go interview secondary characters. Y’all think you might be interested in reading more?”
They nodded and I heard laughter as I shut the door.
Of course, this movie is going to be a block buster so I’ve chosen my secondary characters very well. It took a little while but here’s the characters I came up with by the end of the day and a little bit of what they read for me.
Betty White is cast as Molly. “Y’all ain’t built for fat cells. But I am. I got a right good relationship goin’ with my fat cells. They’re happy as sailors in a whorehouse when they hear me orderin’ ice cream and I’m happy to keep them that way.”
Shirley MacLaine as Greta. “He talks about something bein’ hotter than two rats in heat inside an old wool sock. That’s the effect all of those O’Donnell boys have on the women. Personally, I always thought Rye was the prettiest one of the lot.”
Janine Turner is Rye’s momma: “That year he pouted like a bitchy little girl for a week. Then the other kids came down with the pox and he got to go with his dad to the Mesquite rodeo and they all had to stay home. So don’t let him make you feel all sorry for him.”
Gemma, Rye’s youngest sister, is played by Rachel Bilson: “Yep, but the heart wants what it wants and it took a while for it to change its mind and not want it anymore. I just spent four hours on the phone with him and it’s over this time. He’s bringing all my things to Momma’s tomorrow morning. I called her and she’s not so happy either.”
Colleen, Rye’s other sister, is played by Samaire Armstrong: “But he’s never had that look in his eyes. Not even with Serena. Lord, can’t you just see her on the ranch? She wouldn’t last a week. Rye can’t live in a city or work in an office. He’s a rancher and a cowboy.”
Cash, Rye’s father is played by Tim Matheson: “Sassy, smart, and knows how to drink beer. We might keep you.”
Raylen, Rye’s younger brother, has a bit part that is played by Josh Turner (Later, he gets his own book Darn Good Cowboy Christmas in which he plays the male lead next to Gretchen Wilson): “Met your match, did you?”
Dewar, Rye’s other brother, is played by a darker haired Timothy Olyphant (Who gets his own book in October, Mistletoe Cowboy): “You don’t have to wait on him to get married. That’s just a family joke.”There are several more minor characters that will have to be chosen at a later date but that’s the main core characters. It was difficult talking that many big names into staring in a movie based on my book, and it sure wasn’t easy getting Blake Shelton to agree to sign on. I did pull out the card about me having lived my whole life in the town where he and his wife, Miranda, now call home in Oklahoma. A writer has to do what a writer has to do, right?
Now it’s your turn. Do you ever imagine people that you know as the characters when you are reading a book?
She's a self-made city girl...High-powered career woman Austin Lanier suddenly finds herself saddled with an inherited watermelon farm deep in the countryside. She's determined to sell the farm, until her new, drop-dead sexy neighbor Rye O'Donnell shows up...
He's as intoxicating as can be...
Rancher Rye O'Donnell thinks he's going to get a good deal on his dream property—until he meets the fiery new owner. Rye is knocked sideways when he realizes that not only is Granny Lanier's city-slicker granddaughter a savvy businesswoman, she's also sexy as hell...
Suddenly Rye is a whole lot less interested in real estate and a whole lot more focused on getting Austin to set aside her stiletto heels...
Places to Purchase:
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Up for grabs:
To Enter:
- Leave a comment answering the question: Do you ever imagine people that you know as the characters when you are reading a book?
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**Don't forget to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway**
**Don't forget to stop by Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance and check out who Carolyn chose to cast for her book Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.
A huge thank you to Carolyn for stopping by the blog and sharing her casting picks as well as providing the book giveaways and including a book for the grand prize box.
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I imagine celebrities as the characters in the books I read, but definitely not people that I actually know:) Too weird for me!
ReplyDeleteyadkny@hotmail.com
would love to win
ReplyDeleteI don't imagine people I know as the characters. When I read, I just get a picture in my head of the characters, but never anyone I know. Congrats on the new release. Sounds amazing, just like the rest of your books. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeletee.balinski(at)att(dot)net
Good morning, y'all! Glad to wake up and see you folks are already here and voicing your opinion. It was so much fun to get to cast characters. My schedule has been shifted so Dewar's story doesn't come out until next spring. Mistletoe cowboy stars Creed Riley and Sage Presley and will be out in October; Just a Cowboy and His Baby (December) is about Gemma O'Donnell and Trace Coleman.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know enough interesting people to fit the characters of the books I read.... Well some times when my sister makes me mad I make her the villain in a book when I'm reading lol or some times when she makes me really mad I make her the local courtesan :)
ReplyDeleteSavannah, sisters are like that, yes they are! Love the idea of making her the villian...now why didn't I ever think of that when my sister made me mad!?
ReplyDeleteThe people in my books are made up in my head. It would be to weird to have someone I know.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn, I just want to say I loved Love Drunk Cowboy. I never picture people I know in the characters I read. None of them stand up to the characters. lol I always create my own images based on the personalities.Would Love to read Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
I don't picture characters when reading romance. However, I love to see pictures of what the authors think their character look like.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes with the new book!
Great choices! And based on both the little skit and the quotes, this sounds like a book that is full of great passages! :) It's on my list, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI am horrible at picturing people as the characters I read, even the ones I absoultely love. I just can't do it. The hero, no matter how sexy he is or how much the author describes him, all I see in my head is a tall, dark and handsome man. *SIGH* I wish I could put a face with every character I read about though!
Enjoy,
TBQ
TBQ's Book Palace
I don't picture actors, but I usually picture people that I know who act like the characters in the book. Blake shelton is an awesome choice though. He would makes a great cowboy
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever picture people I know. My mind kinda just fills in the picture from the description in the book.
ReplyDeleteI will often picture an actor or actress as either the hero or heroine - especially if the actor has been in a movie or show similar to the book. I will sometimes imagine singers as well - especially someone like Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Tim McGraw, etc... But not always, usually.
ReplyDeleteI never think of real people when I read and I think it's kinda funny when people do that.
ReplyDeleteNot really! I have a great imagination when I read and I just let the author's description let me know what the character looks like.
ReplyDeleteGreat cast! I don't imagine anyone I know when I read.
ReplyDeleteNo, I usually try to follow the author's description on what the characters look like.
ReplyDeleteGreat Cast love your picks. butterfli262002@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI think Carolyn made some great choices, especially Timothy Olyphant, he's excellent no matter what. :D
ReplyDeleteI never picture people I know as the characters in a book, not even famous people. I just get a vague idea of what they look like and go along for the ride.
That was great, and how I would love to see Blake bring your character to life! Quite the cast you picked out, fun to think about right!?
ReplyDeleteI don't even think of people I know (or actors/models). Can't fight my imagination, so I have given up and just enjoy the show. =)
Hey, y'all! I've been out on a research trip all day checking out places for my next cowboy books. I was amazed when I got to the hotel tonight and found all these fun and wonderful comments. Love that so many of you like the idea of Blake Shelton for my hero! Happy Reading everyone!
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