18 Aug. Dream Casting the Glasswater Series

I get asked this constantly, so let’s just do it properly: if Glasswater ever became a show or a movie, here’s exactly who I picture. Fair warning — I have Thoughts, and I will die on several of these hills. And yes, there’s a first look at book three at the bottom of this one.

Savannah Morris and Cole Diver — The Walls We Break

Savannah is warmth that’s been dimmed but never extinguished. She needs someone who can play guarded and luminous at the same time, because underneath the hiding, she’s still the most alive person in most rooms. My pick: Emilia Clarke. That warmth that never fully dims, even when she’s furious or hiding. Nobody does it better. (Lily Collins or Dakota Johnson would be my runners-up if you disagree with me.)

Cole is harder: quiet, controlled, a man who has trained his whole body not to react. The actor playing him needs to say everything with stillness. The performance is in what he doesn’t do. My pick: Austin Butler. Give him a role where he barely speaks and let the eyes do the work.

Their chemistry read has to work as two people trying very hard not to want each other. If I can’t feel the restraint, the casting is wrong.

First look: Avery Donnel and Deacon King — The Home We Make

I haven’t talked about book three anywhere yet, so consider this the very first look: The Home We Make is coming this November, and it’s Avery and Deacon’s story.

Avery is a woman who did everything right and still lost herself. She needs to carry both the brittle politeness of a woman holding it together and the moment that finally cracks. My pick: Elizabeth Olsen. She’s proven she can hold quiet devastation on her face better than almost anyone working right now.

Deacon is grumpy x sunshine’s grumpy half done right: not mean, just closed, a man who decided a long time ago that wanting things gets you hurt. Honestly, if you’ve seen Yellowstone, you already know exactly who I picture: Cole Hauser. Deacon was Rip-coded from the very first draft, and I’m not sorry about it. That same stillness, that same quiet competence, that same unwillingness to say more than he means.

I want their scenes to feel like weather changing — slow, and then all at once. More on this book very soon.

Why this matters more than it seems

Dream casting is a little bit silly and a lot more useful than it looks. It’s one of the fastest ways for new readers to get a feel for a character’s energy before they’ve read a page, and it’s one of the only pieces of content I make that’s purely, unapologetically for the people who already love these books.