The Jilted Bride: My Dream Cast

I think it's pretty safe to say that most authors at some point during the writing and publishing process fantasize about who their dream cast would be if their latest literary baby was made into a movie. Well, after some musing, I came up with my dream cast for The Jilted Bride: A Footnote to Cinderella's Happiness and a new book I have in the works, Eirwen's Dream. This is all just wishful thinking, but it's fun to imagine these great actors bringing my characters to life. If you've never heard of these actors, I'd encourage you to check out some of their work. You'll see why I picked them. All photos are courtesy of IMDb.com.

Demetria

Alicia Vikander

Demetria is a woman whose whole life has revolved around becoming the perfect wife for a titled husband. Unfortunately, the man she thought would be the perfect husband (Prince Caspar) leaves her at the altar to marry Cinderella. After seeing Alicia's performances in Anna Karenina and Testament of Youth, I have no doubt that she could pull off this role.

Marianne

Saoirse Ronan

I first noticed Saoirse in Atonement, and she's continued to impress me as an actress in the years since. She would be perfect as the meek maid who becomes Demetria's unexpected confidant. 

Ric

Charlie Cox

This boyish actor stole a lot of hearts in Stardust (mine included) and impressed the masses even more in the TV show Daredevil. I'd love to see this rising star play the foreign servant who forms the other half of Demetria's new social circle.

Cinderella

Sophie Turner

With ethereal beauty and amazing acting chops, Sophie would make a lasting impression as the servant-turned princess whose happy ending turns Demetria's life upside down.  

Prince Caspar

Liam Hemsworth

This Hunger Games star has turned a lot of heads over the years. Even though he doesn't have the right hair color to play Caspar, he'd do an amazing job as the charming but thoughtless prince who leaves Demetria at the altar. All he'd need for his cameo is a little hair dye.

Eirwen's Dream

Now, I can't give away too much of the plot of Eirwen's Dream, but I can say that it's a new twist on Snow White. With that in mind here is my dream team for this reimagined fairytale.

Eirwen (Snow White)

Sarah Bolger

This Once Upon A Time actress has the look and the manner to play my take on Snow White, a princess in mourning who has to contend with her jealous stepmother in the midst of preparing for her wedding to Prince Roderick and her coronation. 

Nerys (The Evil Queen)

Jessica Chastain

Interstellar and Lawless actress Jessica Chasten would chill audiences to the bone as the wicked widow whose jealousy and anxiety awakens her inner darkness.

Roderick 

Domhnall Gleeson

Who didn't fall in love with this affable Irish actor after Anna Karenina and then want to slap the Dark Side out of him in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Nobody. He has the skill and the fiery locks to play Eirwen's doting fiance.

Glyn/Lawen

Peter Dinklage

While my story doesn't have dwarves in the traditional sense, Nerys employed Glyn (in poor taste) as a jester during her time as queen. Eirwen also encounters his doppelgänger, Lawen, during her fantastical dream. This Game of Thrones and Penelope actor would definitely up the ante in the cast with his wit and finesse.

After the Glass Slipper: The Inspiration for The Jilted Bride

I've always loved fairy tales, and I think our culture is equally fascinated by stories of true love's kiss, glass slippers, and strange creatures. One common thread throughout many of these famous stories is magic. All you have to do is look at the box office over the past several years. With movies like Disney's Maleficent and the live action Cinderella and shows such as Once Upon A Time, we get to watch as fairy godmothers, evil queens, and more wield amazing power that can either create or solve issues for the protagonists, but what would happen if there wasn't any magic? What if the characters in the stories we all grew up with were bound by the same rules and restrictions that we deal with? What if their happy endings created more problems than they solved?

This is why inspiration struck after seeing the classic movie The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella on television several times earlier this year. At the end of the movie, Cinderella (Gemma Craven) interrupts Prince Edward's (Richard Chamberlain's) wedding to another woman and they wind up married instead. Thankfully, the fairy godmother ensures that Edward's fiancee and his cousin fall in love, so everyone lives happily ever after. However, I started to wonder what would have happened without the fairy godmother's supernatural intervention.

That's where The Jilted Bride came from.

Demetria (left) and Cinderella.

In my new book, the charming Prince Caspar leaves Demetria at the altar to marry Cinderella. With no magic to make sure everything is wrapped up in a pretty little bow, the duke's daughter has to deal with the aftermath of two legendary lovers' happy ending the old fashioned way. Demetria is understandably mistrustful of men and her parents as well for failing to choose a good husband for her, and she befriends a maid in the castle as she seeks to understand why the heir to the Aspasian throne would choose a servant over her. The jilted bride also has to contend with an unwanted suitor from a foreign land while struggling with her own disenchantment about men.

Cinderella's happily ever becomes Demetria's once upon a time, and the heartbroken heroine grows through her pain one page at a time as she finds new meaning and a new identity in a life that she had solely lived to find and please a husband of noble birth. While a fairy godmother's intervention would have saved the duke's daughter a world of pain, she also would have missed out on a great friendship and life lessons that magic can never teach.

For more information and updates about the upcoming release of The Jilted Bride, like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thejiltedbride/.