A Great NEW ESCAPE from Harlequin with Authors' Casting Notes!!

When I first began blogging, I was excited by how far Harlequin had come into quality publishing with authors like Julie Kagawa, and Robin Carr. Remembering the somewhat cookie cutter contemporary romance novels I associated with the Harlequin of my youth (a few years ago) I remain surprised sometimes when I discover a book is published by Harlequin and not one of the more "literary" brands. I am really proud to have been asked to be part of the introduction of Harlequin Escape a new venture from Harlequin Australia, a new digital first imprint similar to the US based Carina pubishing. Here's what they say on the HARLEQUIN ESCAPE WEBSITE about the brand and its mission.

Our mission: To connect readers all around the world with the stories they want to read.

We love romance, all romance, so when we imagined Escape Publishing, we imagined an imprint without restrictions, where romance readers can find the romance they want, in the style they want, at the length they want, whenever they want. In short, you want it – we’ve got it.

If it’s science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, historical, erotic, gay romance, inspirational romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, or YA romance – or any mixture of the above, Escape Publishing’s got it. We offer all levels of sensuality from the sweetest kisses to the hottest encounters. We offer different lengths, from short stories through novellas to full length novels. Our novels are standalone, loosely connected, or part of an ongoing series.

Escape Publishing is dedicated to bringing talented local voices to a global audience. All stories are DRM free, and available world-wide. Harlequin Escape

Kate Cuthbert

Today all the way from Down Under, visiting us through the magic of Cyberspace, I have Kate Cuthbert, Escape's Managing Editor!

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Hi Steph! Thanks for inviting me to Fangs, Wands, and Fairy Dust to talk about Escape Publishing. As I know that you also review movies and television, as well as books, I thought we'd do something fun today. To introduce your readers to our launch books and their authors, I asked each of the authors to offer up their ideal casting for their characters. It's always nice to get a visual, yeah?

Before I start, some business that might be of interest: all of our books are DRM and geographic restriction free, competitively priced, and available at major and smaller e-book retailers.

One very pertinent point is that our launch titles are on sale for a limited time to celebrate the launch: Christmas Wishes , Chaos Born, In Safe Hands, Chains Of Revenge, and Grease Monkey Jive are available for $0.99. So it's easy to give them a try.



 

Shall we move on to fun? Here are the titles!

Warlord Death = Clive Owen

Lissa = Cate Blanchett

CHAINS OF REVENGE – Keziah Hill: a very hot, very dark, very addictive erotic fantasy novella about a slave in sexual bondage who rises to become a Warlord – and take his revenge on the woman who broke his heart.

To play the dark, damaged, ambitious Warlord Death, Keziah looks to the dark, damanged, and oh-so-gorgeous Clive Owen. As Lissa, the spoiled, fallen princess, Keziah chose Cate Blanchett (which in my opinion is a fantastic
choice).

CHAOS BORN – Rebekah Turner: a very smart, very complex, surprisingly

Roman = Tom Hardy

funny, wholly engrossing urban fantasy debut about a mercenary with a secret so dark even she doesn't know about it – but secrets are meant to be revealed. This novel introduces the gaslit world of the Applecross, its many layers, characters, and the militant religious order that seeks to control it all.

Seth = Tim Olyphant

Lora = Jennifer Carpeter

Rebekah's book has a couple of fascinating men both interested in our  damaged, dark, but delightful heroine Lora – brought to life on screen by Jennifer Carpenter. To play the mysterious member of the militant religious order who keeps showing up in unlikely places – Roman – Rebekah chose Tom Hardy. To play the sly, seductive, secretive Seth, Rebekah chose Timothy Olyphant. This puts me in a very difficult position, because I am firmly Team Roman, but who can resist Timothy Olyphant??



CHRISTMAS WISHES – Rhian Cahill: a very sexy, very steamy, surprisingly

Dean = Dwayne Johnson

sweet and light-hearted holiday story about best friends realising that all they really want for Christmas is each other!

Dean, Rhian's hero, is big, bald, and beautiful – just like The Rock, Dwayne Johnson; her choice to play one half of her best-friends-about-to-become-more. To play the cute-but-seriously-commitment-shy Talli, Rhian picks Jennifer Garner,

Talli = Jenniefer Garner

which is an inspired choice, because you can actually believe Jennifer Garner as a photographer who loves photographing a whole childcare full of kids for Christmas.









GREASE MONKEY JIVE – Ainslie Paton: a lovely, slow-building, meaty,

Dan = Chris Hemsworth

get-your-teeth-in, contemporary romance about a ballroom dance teacher, a mechanic, a dance competition, $50,000, friendships, family, and the power of a little sizzle.

Ainslie went above and beyond – her novel features an ensemble cast of family and friends, and being an Australian story set in Sydney, she insisted on an all-Aussie cast. Which includes Ryan Kwanten, so really who's complaining? Ainslie made notes, so you can see the decision making process.

Alex = Jolene Anderson

• Dan - Chris Hemsworth, why the hell not? He has Dan’s surfer boy look.
• Alex - Jolene Anderson, for her lovely slender body and long dark hair and feisty expression.
• Scott - Ryan Kwanten, making sure we get that Scott has muscles
• Trevor - Richard Roxborough, giving Trevor some depth
• Mitch - Liam Hemsworth, Dan’s bestie and shadow look-alike
• Fluke - Stephen Currey, giving Fluke some humour
• Ant - Firass Dirani, giving Ant his edge
• Belinda - Gigi Edgley, cute and feisty
• Carlie - Isla Fisher, acting cute to catch Fluke
• Sylvia - Mandy McElhinney, Rhonda from the TV ads. Unlike Alex, has a kind of wistful quality
• Gran - Robyn Nevin, grand actress would give Gran depth and spark
• Phil - Rodger Courser, can play slick like Phil needs to be

Luke = Jim Caveseal

Allegra = Ashley Greene

IN SAFE HANDS – Lee Christine: a very polished, very smart, very contemporary Sydney-set, sophisticated romantic suspense novel about a highly successful lawyer threatened by a youthful indiscretion and the ex-SAS Commander that she recruits to help her.

Jim Cavesal is Lee's choice for her ex-SAS Commander, Luke, which is a great choice for a man with deep emotions, but no intention of revealing of them. Opposite Jim as the upwardly mobile, brilliant, but troubled Allegra,
will be Ashley Greene, who will have her work cut out for
her playing a tough-as-nails-but-vulnerable-underneath lawyer.

Keziah Hill, Rebekah Turner, Lee Christine, Haylee Kerans (publishing editor),
Kate Cuthbert, Rhian Cahill and Ainslie Paton.

If you want to know more about our publishing model, our books, our authors, or anything else, you can find information on our website, www.escapepublishing.com.au. All of our contact details are there as well, so please stop by and let us know if you agree with the casting choices (and if you enjoyed the books!).

Thanks for having me on Fangs, Wands, and Fairy Dust today – I had a great time chatting with the authors about their ideal choices, and I hope you did too!

Thanks

Kate

All photos of actors and celebrities provided by Harlequin Escape Australia.

Hey, Kate, Thanks for visiting and for the unique opportunity to watch a star being born!

You gave us all a lot to think drool think about!

Buy links for Amazon:

Christmas Wishes (novella) 

Chaos Born

In Safe Hands


Grease Monkey Jive

Chains Of Revenge

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