I so pleased to be the next stop on the blog tour for Jeff Giles’ The Edge of Everything. Today I have a dreamcast from the author as well as a giveaway. Make sure you check out the other stops on the tour for more!
Author Dreamcast:
I’m an obsessive fan of movies and TV shows, and I thought about them constantly as I wrote “The Edge of Everything.” The first few chapters of the novel are like the opening sequence of a movie, where the main character gets pulled so deep into a dangerous situation that we’re not sure she’ll ever get out.
It all starts like this: a Montana girl named Zoe, whose family has been going through some tragic stuff, goes into a blizzard to save her adorable/annoying little brother, Jonah, and their dogs, Spock and Uhura. Just when Zoe thinks they’re safe, she sees something shocking on a frozen lake in the middle of woods: A bounty hunter from the underworld has come to take an evil soul by drowning him in a hole in the ice. We all hate spoilers, but I can say that Zoe learns that the bounty hunter is from a version of Hell that I call the Lowlands. He’s not much older than her and actually a victim in a way: he was born in the Lowlands and has been kept prisoner for no reason. He can only leave when he goes to collect souls. He’s not even allowed to have a name, so Zoe names him X.
“The Edge of Everything” is about Zoe trying to help X escape the Lowlands forever without unleashing a wave of retribution that would endanger everyone she loves. It’s also about her, her mom and her brother trying to rebuild as a family after losing Zoe’s dad. There’s a lot of darkness in the book, but a lot of romance, too—and some laughs and goofiness even. I came to love the characters as I wrote, so of course I started thinking about movies and TV shows again. To be more specific, I started fantasizing about who could play who.
Sometimes when I picture my characters in a movie, I picture a famous actor back when he was young. Sometimes I picture someone who’s the right age right now. And sometimes it’s impossible to think of ANYONE. Jonah, for instance, is 8 in the novel, and I don’t know many awesome 7-year-old actors.
If you have suggestions for any of the roles, put them in the comments—I’d love to hear them. Meanwhile, here’s who I’ve been daydreaming about and why.
TO PLAY X:
X is 20 years old. Long hair. Pale. Permanent bruises under his eyes from where the lords who run the Lowlands have manhandled him. X is supernaturally strong when he’s out collecting a soul, but shy, insecure and mortal when he’s back in the Lowlands because he’s lived virtually his whole life in a cell, and been told a thousand times that he’s worthless.
When my publisher, Bloomsbury Kids, was working with designers on the book cover, they asked for photos to give them an idea of what I thought X looked like. I gave them these pictures of Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves from when they were in their 20s. Who’s between 18 and 22 today that jumps off the screen like they did back then? That’s who I want for X.
ZOE:
Zoe’s 17. I didn’t describe what she looked like very much in the book, because I wanted readers to picture whoever they wanted (or themselves). She’s got shoulder-length brown hair, a beauty mark under her left eye. Because she lives in Montana, she’s outdoorsy and adventurous. She wears practical down jackets and beanies—and sometimes snowshoes— because it’s so cold. I’m going to need your help again because the actress I pictured is too far into her 20s now: Brie Larson. If you’ve never seen her in a movie, don’t wait for her to play Captain Marvel. She’s fantastic in “Short Term 12,” if you can handle a slightly upsetting, gritty movie, as well as in “Room,” if you can handle a REALLY upsetting, gritty movie. Here’s a pic of Larson where she isn’t all glammed up, because Zoe is never glammed up
RIPPER:
This character is a badass British woman who lives in the cell next to X’s in the Lowlands. She was taken to the underworld in 1832—and has been wearing the same gold gown ever since. She taught him how to be a bounty hunter, and she may be my favorite character in the novel. Ripper pretends to be insane when it suits her purposes, and she’s a hell of a fighter. This time I can tell you exactly who my dream actress is: Emily Blunt. I especially liked her in a movie that not enough people saw: “Edge of Tomorrow,” with Tom Cruise. Trust me and see it if you love sci-fi and strong women characters who kick ass.
REGENT:
While Ripper is sort of X’s mother figure in the Lowlands, Regent is his surrogate father. He’s one of the centuries-old lords who keep the prisoners in line, but he’s fond of X and knows that X shouldn’t be imprisoned at all. Regent looks out for him, and protects him when he can. When I created the character, I had been watching a lot of the intense BBC show “Luther,” starring the riveting Idris Elba. I had him in mind when I described Regent. I tried not to have him do anything that Elba wouldn’t think was cool.
So there are some dreams and inspirations. Tell me in the comments who YOU can picture in these roles? If a movie does get made of “The Edge of Everything,” you will know because you’ll hear me jumping for joy.
Tour Schedule:
Giveaway:
I have a copy of the book and a keepsake metal bookmark to giveaway thanks to Bloomsbury! US/Canada only.
Cassie H
Looks interesting! That was some fun dream casting!