One of the most fun things for a writer to do is “fan cast” characters from their story or novel with actors. Fan-casting is fun because you can pick anybody, living, aged or deceased, who you pictured in your head during the writing. (Readers do this too!)

I’m lucky my friend and very talented artist Sara McKinley was able to capture my four lead characters after reading my novel THAT OCTOBER and seeing some photographs I sent her.

Here’s four of the main characters and the actors who I pictured when i was writing.

From left to right:

Brittany Murphy as Toni, kind-hearted and stalwart friend who arranges for a psychic reading by her mom to help solve the murder mystery at the heart of the book.

Anjelika Washington as Jackie, brave and smart, she finds out that there are secrets that can shatter her family.

Younger Jared Padalecki as Michael, Jackie’s brother who’s prone to charging at a problem – or an enemy.

Brec Bassinger as Sammi, resourceful and popular, the girl everyone falls in love with – except the one person she loves.

My novel THAT OCTOBER is a 1984-set YA crime book about high school friends who band together to investigate when a friend is killed and another is taken. They find that the adults in their Indiana town seem strangely slow to act to solve the mystery and bring their friend home.

THAT OCTOBER is publishing soon. More fan-casting to come!