I always enjoy sharing some of the visual and musical inspiration points for my titles, so I thought I’d do just that in follow up to my post about Irresistible last week.
It’s an upbeat, pop music kind of story, and the one song that was in my head a lot while I was going through the first round of editing was “I Feel it Coming” by The Weeknd. I think it fits perfectly for Brendan and Cal’s first night together, and it might get you in the mood for the book.
Then, for something more, erm romantically-appropriate…
Last, this is a bit of a throwback, but I was looking for something pop-y with a good sense of humor to go along with the comedy side of the story.
In terms of the main characters, one of them is complicated in terms of how I pictured him. Callisthenes Panogopoulos (Cal) is a self-described: “half Greek, quarter Polish, quarter German mutt,” and he’s so beautiful, men and women have been desperately and comically pursuing him since he was a teenager. I actually took some inspiration for the story from the Farrely brothers’ “There’s Something About Mary,” so there’s a little Cameron Diaz in Cal.
Everyone’s image of the most gorgeous man in the world is different, so in some ways I’m reluctant to share some of my casting thoughts for Cal. I don’t want to spoil whatever picture comes to mind when you read it! But here are a couple of young hearthrobs that could work for me.
So, how about model Matthew Noszka?
Photo retrieved from Consort PR http://consortpr.com/modal/male-models/whos-boy-matthew-noszka/
Matthew Noszka, from IMDB profile
Or, thinking more working actor with some Greek ancestry, Theo James, if he was ready for a lighter, more comedic role
Or, as Cal says himself, it’s about time Hollywood cast real gay actors to play real gay people so, Colton Haynes, with shaggier blond hair?
Photo retrieved from Gay Star News https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/was-it-a-secret-colton-haynes-responds-to-comment-about-secret-gay-past/
The other lead Brendan Thackeray-Prentiss is a well-bred catch in his own right who would need to be played by an actor who can channel overeducated, twenty-something angst. So here’s one actor who would be great for the part: Logan Lerman.
Logan Lerman, photo from Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/10/logan-lerman-fury-actor
Or, going with a gay actor, Kyle Dean Massey could also fit the bill:
Kyle Dean Massey, retrieved from Broadway.Com https://www.broadway.com/shows/ifthen/photos/photos-idina-menzel-and-her-ifthen-friends-live-it-up-in-nyc-on-opening-night/198293/kyle-dean-massey
You can see all of the book’s inspiration points at my Pinterest board: