Thursday, December 14, 2017

The Cast of Haunted by Shari Nichols




Hello, my name is Shari Nichols and I write paranormal romance. Today I’m stopping by to do a casting call. I’m looking for the perfect actors and actresses to star in my novel, HAUNTED, just in case Hollywood should come a calling. Hey, you never know, right?

Cross your fingers, peeps, because anything‘s possible!


The Art of Casting: Before I get started, I think it’s important to first get a glimpse of the plot and the ‘what if’ factor. Take one sexy as sin hotel’s heir by the name of Thayne Harper and imagine what would happen if he decided to go out on his own and open the perfect romantic getaway? But like any good romance, there’s a twist.

What is it you ask, what if (Go with me here!) the inn just happens to come with a ghost? Then he’d be forced to enlist the help of striking medium. Enter, Karly Matthews. Now do you see where this is going?

Lights, Camera, Action: Of course there are other characters to add to the mix, Karly’s, sister and business partner, Sophie.  (Those two are best friends and have great banter when they’re together.)

There’s Thayne’s general manager, Tom, who happens to be a friend of the family. He’s known the millionaire bad boy since he was a kid.

We can’t forget Thayne’s best friend, chef, Dave. He's been hired to create culinary masterpieces for all of their fabulous guests. Don’t you just love a guy who can cook?



Born To Be Bad: Let’s not forget the antagonist, and Thayne’s ex-girlfriend, all around bad girl, Jennifer Daniels.  Lastly, I have to introduce the villain of the story, the ghost; an ethereal beauty, who goes by the name of Emily.



Getting Into It: Typically, the first thing I do even before I start to write, or even outline the book for that matter, is try and visualize what the characters will look like, and sound like. This way I can describe them in detail to the reader throughout the novel.  



Now For The Fun Part : I have some ideas in my head when I troll on-line or flip through magazines in the doctor’s office. Once I see the person that I think matches the image floating around in my head, I create a poster board and keep it next to my computer as I write. This really helps to keep me on track.

Are you ready to meet the cast of Haunted? 

My heroine: Karly Matthews, played by Scarlett Johansson. She’s beautiful, blonde, blue eyed and petite. Plus, there’s this vulnerability about her that women can relate to and men fall in love with. She also seems extremely down to earth and grounded. Love her!

My hero: Thayne Harper, played by Ryan Reynolds. I describe him as tall and lean muscled with a thick mop of golden brown hair and whiskey colored eyes. He’s classically handsome with a healthy dose of charm and wit. He’s also got this off-the-charts sex appeal, and his body … well, I think it speaks for itself.


Karly’s sister: Sophie Matthews, played by Mila Kunis. She’s pretty, funny, sassy, and the girl you’d want to be best friends with. She’d have your back. No doubt about it.


The inn’s general manager: Tom Cavallo, played by Patrick Duffy. He’s tall, handsome and sweet. I’ve always loved him ever since he was on Dallas. He strikes me as the guy that would give you sage advice and be there for you no matter what.



The Chef: Dave, played by Channing Tatum. In my humble opinion, he possesses the three g’s, gorgeous, goofy and gregarious. He’s the type of guy who’d probably be a blast to hang out with. Plus he can dance!

Thayne’s ex-girlfriend: Jennifer Daniels, played by Jessica Biel. She’s very pretty and has this intensity about her, just like the character of Jennifer. Let me ask you this, would you want her as your boyfriends ex? I think not!

The ghost: Emily Thompson, played by Adelaide Kaine of Netflix’s Reign. Although she may not be a household name, the first time I saw her, I thought this is Emily!  





That’s it: Now that you’ve met the cast and know what the characters look like, you might have fun visualizing them and their mannerisms as you read the novel. It’s my greatest hope that these characters will jump off the pages while you immerse yourself in the world of HAUNTED.  


What about you guys? Do you immediately cast the characters in the books you read? Does it bother you when a hero is described as tall, dark and handsome and the film version has him as blonde, blue eyed and short? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you,  Roxanne Rhoads of Bewitching Book Tours for setting up the tour.


Haunted
Shari Nichols

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Liquid Silver Press

Date of Publication: 11/27-2017

ISBN: 978-1-62210-452-9

Number of pages: 234

Word Count:  80.000

Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs

Tagline: No matter how he tried, he couldn’t give her up.

Book Description:

When medium Karly Matthews agrees to move into a haunted inn, she’s not sure what’s more dangerous, the ghost or the sexy innkeeper she tries to resist. She’s can’t deny the intense rush of desire she feels every time he’s near. When she agrees to embark on a no-strings-attached relationship, she finds herself thrust into a world of mind blowing pleasures. Now she must face the aching truths of her past.

Hotel heir Thayne Harper has a laser-like focus on success that doesn’t include the help of his family. He’s always been the black sheep, living in the shadow of his dead brother. His dreams are put to the test when a supernatural entity threatens to ruin everything. The one bright spot is the woman who intrigues his mind and heats his blood.

If only he can convince her that, despite his bad boy ways, he can change for the good. Her love becomes his only salvation. Passion burns white-hot as a dark threat looms. The ghost doesn’t want them to be together and sets her sights on Thayne, luring him to a place that goes beyond death. Will Karly be able to save him before it’s too late?

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Excerpt:

Karly made sure to keep her head down, wanting to avoid another run-in. Her gaze skittered over fallen leaves and flagstone tiles. Through the corner of her eye, she spotted a man in a suit and a few servers. Her fingers tightened around her key chain with every step, wanting to be far from the chaos of the evening.
She was almost to the main street, when she bumped into a solid wall of muscle that threatened to knock her on her ass. Her keys flew from her hands as she began to fall backward. Before she hit the ground, two strong hands reached out and caught her around the waist. She glanced up and into the gorgeous face of the god she’d seen earlier.
Up close, he was even more stunning and taller than she’d calculated. He exuded strength and masculinity, and when he focused that intense magnetism on her, all the air left her lungs, along with her ability to speak.
Genuine concern flashed in his whiskey colored eyes. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” His voice was like warm chocolate, melting her insides. When he dropped his hands, Karly could still feel the imprints on her skin.
“Y-yes, I’m fine. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. The man smelled incredible, like sandalwood and clean laundry.
“No need for apologies. Maybe you should sit down for a minute and have a drink with me.” There was elegance in the way he spoke that made her think of old money and private school.
For a moment Karly thought about taking him up on his offer, but she wasn’t in the frame of mind to pull off light conversation or flirty banter at this point. “Thanks, but I have to pass. This night, well, it didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped so I think it’s my cue to go.” She did her best to school her features, but inside she was feeling raw and vulnerable. The only thing she wanted to do was go home, soak in a hot bath, and lick her wounds.
His searing gaze swept over her and made butterflies flutter in her stomach “Perhaps I can make it better. Stay and have a drink with me.”
Karly glanced at his jacket for his nametag, but like her, he wasn’t wearing one. “I’m guessing you’re in either sales or politics, and if this is all for a campaign donation, I’m sorry, I already gave at the office.” Immediately she got a vibe telling her he was his own boss, which wasn’t hard to figure out. The man exuded confidence and power.
The throaty sound of his laughter raised goose bumps on her flesh. “So you’re funny and beautiful that’s quite a rare combo, Miss….?”
His words slid over her like a warm caress. A flush spread across her cheeks. She shook her head, a little dazed by the compliment. It would be hard not to succumb to his charms. If she was honest, his scent alone was driving her crazy. No, the man spelled danger. “I’m sorry. I should go. Good night and uh, nice running into you.” She sucked in a breath, turned and took a step toward the street.   
“I don’t think you’ll get far without these,” he said in a bone-melting voice that forced her to turn around. He held up her keys in his hand.   
“Right. Thanks.” She’d become so dazzled by his looks, she’d completely forgotten about them flying out of her hands
“My pleasure.” The way he said the word pleasure conjured images of their bodies tangled together, rolling around in satin sheets. The air sizzled with sexual tension. Slowly, he closed the distance between them and placed the keys in her hands. She purposely avoided touching him, but his fingers grazed hers, sending a spark of awareness up and down her arm.
“Don’t go,” he whispered.
“Why?” Karly was curious to hear what he’d say next.
“I can’t let you disappear into the night without telling me your name.” The words were spoken in a commanding tone that normally would've irritated her, but for some reason when he said them they hit every one of her buttons. “You can give me that much can’t you? It’s not every day I meet someone that captivates me and you have, quite thoroughly I might add.”
The scorching heat in his gaze made her shiver. She swallowed and tried to regain her equilibrium. It’d been a long time since a man had looked at her with such blatant desire. “I’m impressed— that’s quite a pick-up line. I’m curious, does it usually work?”
His smile was pure sin. “I’m not using a line on you. I just want the chance to talk to you. Give me five minutes, that’s all I ask.”
What happens after that?” His charisma began to melt her resolve. Karly stole a glance at his clothing. His sweater looked like cashmere and his suit jacket was perfectly tailored and cut to fit his body, only adding to his commanding presence. 
“You decide. If you want to continue the conversation, I get your number, if not, then we part ways. No harm done.”
How could she say no when his approach was so refreshing “Nothing like cutting to the chase.” A guy that looked like him probably had women falling all over themselves to get his attention. It didn’t take a psychic to glean the man was a player. He was too smooth to be anything else. “Five minutes is all you get.”
“Five minutes is all I need.” He was persuasive, not to mention cocky as hell and yet for some reason she couldn’t seem to say no where he was concerned. Besides, his vibe was positive and cool with no warning signs. 

“You’re pretty sure of yourself. Do you always get what you want?”

About the Author:

Shari Nichols grew up in a small town in Connecticut where haunted houses, ghosts and Ouija boards were common place, spurring her fascination with all things paranormal. Ever since she read her first Barbara Cartland novel, her life-long dream has been to write sexy, romantic stories. Shari has been married to her own alpha hero for twenty-five years. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, going to the gym, or hanging out with family and friends.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two teenagers, and her adoring golden retriever. She’s thrilled to spend her days in sweats, eating chocolate while pounding on her keyboard to create her next novel. Shari’s a member of Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, Liberty States Fiction Writers and Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance Writers.







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2 comments:

shari nichols said...

Thank you to The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom for having me today!

shari nichols said...

Thank you so much for having me!