One of my very favorite parts of the writing process is naming characters and picking out what they look like. The process of this varies depending on the character–sometimes I have a clear image of what they should look like, and have to find the perfect name. Other times I know their name and personality, but have to find just the right face to fit them. For The Love of a Princess, it was a good mixture of the two.
Princess Adelaide
I knew long before I even started writing the book who would be playing Adelaide in my mental movie cast. The moment I saw this picture of Liv Tyler shortly after writing The Peasant Queen, I knew she was perfect for Adelaide. She has the dark brown hair of Arabella and the piercingly blue eyes of Rowan.
After actually watching Lord of the Rings while writing TLOAP and seeing Liv in action, it’s even more clear that she’s perfect for Adie! As the character of Arwen, Liv is so elegant and stately, soft-spoken yet fierce. I just love her!!! Now she is cemented in my head as Adelaide and I will never be able to see her as anything else!
Lord Nicholas of Aguilar
I remember struggling to decide who to cast for Rowan when writing TPQ. But for TLOAP, the decision of who should be Nicholas was easy-peasy. I love the show Poldark, and who doesn’t love Aiden Turner’s tall, dark, and handsome good looks? I knew right away that Aiden had to be Nicholas, not only because of how good I think he looks beside Adelaide, but because even his facial expressions and personality (at least in Poldark) are a great fit for the character.
Casting secondary characters works a little differently for me. When writing the book, I usually don’t pick an actor for them right away. They come alive in my mind first and then I try to find someone that fits that mental image that has developed. Perhaps I should start picking them out at the beginning too, though, since sometimes it proves challenging to find the right fit! For TLOAP, after a lot of searching, I finally found the right people for the most significant side characters in the book.
Queen Nerissa of Trilaria
This is Adelaide’s mother-in-law and Nicholas’ aunt. If you’re familiar with the story of Ruth, you know that the mother-in-law character plays a very significant role in the plot! I really love Nerissa the most out of all the side characters in this book. She is a great in-law to Adie and brings out the best in her daughter-in-law. As one of my beta readers put it, she makes Adie’s character stronger.
Lady Clarice, Duchess of Aguilar and Lady Eleanor
Lady Clarice is Nicholas’ stepmother who married his father, Prince William (the younger brother of King Wesley of Trilaria, and the Duke of Aguilar) when Nicholas and his twin, Mericus, were nine. She is the epitome of a medieval lady, all propriety and grace, but she is kind and friendly and the best one could ask for when it comes to a stepmother.
Lady Eleanor is the only surviving child of Lady Clarice and Prince William. Looking at her, you would never guess she shares blood with Nicholas and Mericus, since she takes after her mother with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Eleanor adores her brothers, particularly Nicholas–who in turn loves to dote on her.
Lord Mericus of Aguilar
Lastly, we have Nicholas’ twin brother, Mericus. Since the men are twins, I of course cast Aiden Turned again here–except with a thick beard and more angry expression, as he appears in these pictures. In my head, Mericus looks even more different than Nicholas (I make a point in the book that you wouldn’t expect the pair to be twins) but for the purpose of my Pinterest Board, this was the best option I had.
Mericus and Nicholas are like oil and water. As children, they were as close as you’d expect twins to be, but once their father announced he wouldn’t name his heir until his death, their relationship took a downward turn. The older twin by a couple minutes, Mericus expected to be the heir, and distrust and jealousy began to grow in his heart toward his brother as he assumed their father favored Nicholas over him.
I hope you enjoyed meeting the characters of The Love of a Princess! You’ll be able to get to know them more, plus meet additional characters (like Gretta, Sir Arthur, Lord Raynard, Sir Benedict, Captain Stefan, Ophelia, and Commander Andrew) when TLOAP releases on 9.20.22!
PS: Want a refresher on my cast for The Peasant Queen? Visit my blog post HERE! You just might see some familiar faces from TPQ in TLOAP!
**All images come from Pinterest.com**
