It’s time to meet the characters! As well as explaining who they are, I’m giving pictures of actors who could play them.
A caveat: this is a little different from my other book fancastings for The Next Together and The Last Beginning, because I tried really hard not describe Romy’s appearance in any real detail in the book. I thought that looks would be almost entirely irrelevant to a girl living alone, away from society – and I wanted to allow the reader to feel as much like they were Romy themselves without excluding anyone by describing her in a specific way.
Please imagine the characters in any way you wish while reading the book – in this case, it really is up to you.
Commander Romy Silvers – Alia Shawkat
Romy has a lot of pressure placed on her to complete her mission, and even though she sometimes struggles with the responsibility, ultimately, she always does what is right. She has to be played by someone who can express a lot of subtle nuance in their expressions, and look very vulnerable.
Commander J Shoreditch – Chris Pine
Romy and J communicate via email, so she doesn’t know what he looks like, and neither does the reader – but this is how I visualise J the first time Romy sees him.
Dr Molly Simmons – Hattie Morahan
Molly is Romy’s therapist, and sends her voice messages guiding her through calming exercises from Earth. I loved Hattie in Sense & Sensibility and I think she would portray a very reassuring Molly.
Dr Talia Silvers – Lesley Sharp
Romy’s mum is a complicated, intelligent character, and I think Lesley could really pull her off. I love the episode of Doctor Who she was in, Midnight.
Romy’s Dad – Ricky Whittle
I recently watched (and adored) American Gods, and as soon as I saw Shadow I was like “that’s him! that’s Romy’s dad!”. He’s a soft, gentle giant, who makes Romy feel safe and protected. He has a sweet tooth and loves arts and crafts.
Jayden Ness – Alfie Enoch
Jayden Ness is a selkie in Romy’s favourite TV show, and he’s such a big part of the book that I had to cast him! He’s also how Romy pictures J for a lot of the time while they’re talking.
Lyra Loch – Georgia King
Jayden’s love interest is a feisty feminist banshee called Lyra.
Note: Lyra and Jayden also appear as characters in my murder mystery novel An Unauthorised Fan Treatise, where I imagine them as Antonia Thomas and Ezra Miller.
The Loneliest Girl In The Universe
Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?
Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.
Their only communication is via email and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.
But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?
Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone…
“Gripping psychological thriller with a very relatable heroine” ~ The Bookseller
“Black Mirror-esque. A fantastic slow-build drama.” ~ SFX
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones | Wordery | Book Depository | Foyles | Barnes & Noble
The Loneliest Girl In The Universe is the third novel by Lauren James. It is a psychological thriller set in space and will be published by Walker Books in the UK and Australia on 7th September 2017, and Harperteen in July 2018. You can add it on Goodreads or subscribe to my mailing list for updates.
You can read Chapter 1 here or listen to me read it here. This is the first video of me reading my writing aloud I’ve put online – so I’ve been a little nervous about it! I hope you like it.
Sign up to be notified when the US edition of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is published and ARC copies are available for request.
If you leave a review of the book on a retail site like Amazon, Waterstones or Barnes & Noble, I will send you a signed, personalised bookplate. Fill out this form to claim your bookplate.
My tumblr posts about The Loneliest Girl In The Universe are all collected here. Here are some links to get you started:
Reblogged this on U S A.
LikeLike
Omg if Chris Pine is who I think he is in the cast, he’s perfect 😀
LikeLike
RIGHT
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can totally see Chris Pine playing the person I think you meant him to play in the cast. He fits completely. This book needs to be made into a movie! It’s my favourite book!
LikeLike
Thank you! xx
LikeLike