*UPDATE: Send your submissions to me at laurenkatebooks at gmail!

October 28th–the official launch date for Teardrop‘s sequel, Waterfall–is right around the corner. I love this story deeply and want to share it with a couple lucky fans RIGHT NOW. I have TWO advance reader copies of Waterfall I would love to put into your hands and minds and hearts.

Send me your best waterfall or teardrop inspired picture to laurenkatebooks@gmail.com by August 22nd. Any picture of you in any setting or situation that you feel best reflects the book, the title, or the characters will do. After all submissions are in, I’ll pick two standouts to receive a signed advance copy.

So grab your cameras and have waves of fun!

I loved your dream casts so much I wanted your opinion on another favorite topic of mine–the Fallen soundtrack. So many of you have already sent in songs that remind you of Luce and Daniel. From Taylor Swift to Ron Pope, you each have different visions of what constitutes the perfect Fallen playlist. I’d love to hear from more of you!

The Details:

Send your playlist to laurenkatebooks at gmail.com with the subject line “Fallen Soundtrack Contest” by May 14th. Please include a description of why you chose your songs. I’ll pick one of your submissions and post it on the blog (and keep it in mind for when we score the movie!).

Happy playlist-ing!

Yes, in case you didn’t know the good news, Fallen is being made into a movie. The rights were purchased by Mayhem Productions and the wonderful Scott Hicks has been chosen to direct. I am an executive producer for the film and I promise to let everyone know the moment any open casting calls are announced. Lately, I’ve been receiving lots of wonderful casting suggestions from readers. What better way to thank your for your interest in the series than with a casting contest? So here’s the deal: Send in your dream cast and explain why you chose each actor for each character’s role by March 25^th to my email Laurenkatebooks at gmail.com. I’ll pick one of your submissions and post it here on the site (and keep it in mind for the real casting, which will be happening soon!).

And if you missed my recent blog post on USA Today, here is my time-bending fantasy cast, if I could have my pick of any actors from any era:

Luce: Olivia Hussey from Zefferelli’s Romeo and Juliet makes the intense vulnerability of true love look magnificent. She’s innocent, hopeful, and willing to give all of herself to Romeo, just as Luce gives herself to Daniel.

Daniel: Steve McQueen from the Getaway is tough and independent. He can be diffident, but is unabashed when it comes to love. And he’s undeniably sexy.

Cam: Sean Penn in Bad Boys would be perfect for the villain we love to love. The rougher and tougher he is, the more we fall for him.

Arriane: Stockard Channing in Grease is sassy, sexy, and surprising enough to make a superb Arriane. We yearn to trust her even as she keeps us guessing what’s behind that knowing ever-present smile.

Roland: Harold Perrineau from another version of Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann’s) is mysterious and unique. He manages to be loyal without ever seeming too “moral” and his imagination is a wonder to behold.

Gabbe: Alicia Silverstone from Clueless plays the role of the quintessential buttoned-up beauty who still knows how to throw down. She’s intimidating from a distance but happy to befriend the new girl and show her the lay of the land.

Penn: Diane Keaton from Annie Hall is just as charmingly neurotic as Luce’s best pal at Sword and Cross. She’s the kind of girl you can be completely yourself with and never feel self-conscious.

Miles: John Cusack in the Sure Thing is just shy of being too sweet for his own good. Like Miles, he falls in love easily and is irresistible to everyone–except the girl he wants.

I look forward to reading your suggestions!

Hi Fallenatics,

First I’d like to thank you for the effort you put into creating your soundtracks. Your submissions gave me fresh insight into how you experience Luce and Daniel’s love story. They exposed me to new music I’ve loved listening to–including original songs created by many of you. I got over 300 incredible submissions! It was a blast to read through all of them and very hard to choose just one. I want to give a shout-out to the four runners up: Tai Lynn, Lorraine R., Caitlin Smith, and Haley Marie. Thank you for your inspried ideas and creativity.

….drumroll….

Now, I’d like to announce Anna Griffiths as the winner of the Fallen Soundtrack Contest. I’ve known that Anna was a big Fallen fan since we met in Bath two years ago, and she gave me the most lovingly crafted fan book. What impressed me most about her soundtrack was the way she matched songs to individual scenes and characters based on the moods she felt they evoked. The songs are beautiful and sad and smartly chosen. (And I love that she included a song called Teardrop on her soundtrack. Before you know it, I’ll be asking for your help with songs for the Teardrop soundtrack!)

Thanks to Anna, and thanks to all who submitted. Just a reminder that this is not the ACTUAL Fallen soundtrack, but I promise to share your ideas with the movie folks.

Without further ado, here is Anna’s winning soundtrack:

Hey Fallenatics! Thanks to everyone who entered the Fallen Dream Cast contest. You shared so many terrific ideas that it was tough to choose a winner. (Just a reminder: THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL FALLEN CAST. This is one fan’s brilliant vision!)

And now, a super congratulations to our winner… Valentina Paz Gajardo Rivera! Her witty descriptions charmed me, and I love the YouTube videos she chose. Her passion for Fallen is clear, and her casting decisions are inspired. Take a look at these clips to fully enjoy Valentina’s dream cast.

Do you think any of these actors will make it into the Fallen film? I hope to share the *real* cast with you very soon!

xx

Lauren

1.   Kaya Scodelario as Lucinda ‘Luce’ Price.

I think Kaya would make an amazing Luce. Ever since I saw her on “Skins” as ‘Effy’ I’ve thought she was a very good actress. I think Kaya can angst and act wild and crazy quite well. Those emotions are what I expect Luce to show, because Luce seems to always be about to lose her mind due to all the hard things that have happened to her during “Fallen”, and after we see her pretty rebel and tough in “Torment”, only to discover her true inner strength. Though I know Kaya has blue eyes, I think she could still fit how Luce would look physically: dark and wavy hair, pale skin and her complexion.

2.   Tim Pocock as Daniel Grigori.

I’ve struggled with Daniel’s look since I started reading the books. I just can’t seem to picture him blonde (Thanks to my boyfriend who has brown hair and I often project him while I read). So I’ve never really imagined how he would or could look. That was until I saw a promo for “Dance Academy” recently. Tim Pocock is quite handsome but not in what I’d describe as in a “regular” way. He has amazing bone structure that I envision Daniel having. Being an angel, I picture him as very masculine and I’ve always considered a strong jaw to be a very manly thing. Not to mention he also has that to-die-for sculpted body and nice eyes.

3.   Adam Gregory as Cameron ‘Cam’ Briel.

I’ve been in love with Cam since the very beginning, and it’s not that I’m team Cam for Luce, because I truly believe she belongs with Daniel. It’s just that he’s the bad boy who’s been hurt and who struggles during the whole saga. That said, I still think he was kind of a jerk during “Fallen” and “Torment”. The moment I saw someone else’s dream cast and saw Adam Gregory on it, I was sold. Adam played ‘Ty’ on 90210 and he played the ultimate rich cocky boy that happens to want the new and innocent girl, only to break her heart, along with a couple more. But he still showed some true feelings and it just spelled out Cam for me… well,
that and his amazing physique.

4.   Emma Watson as Arriane Alter.

Arriane is also a character I’ve kind of struggled to picture, but I think Emma Watson could be a good choice to play Arriane. She has been stuck as ‘Hermione Granger’ for too long and she’s been trying to let go of that role by appearing on “The Perks of Being a Wall Flower” and now “The Bling Ring”, portraying two very different roles – from Hermione and from each other. She really surprised me when I saw “Perks”. ‘Hermione’ was always a very strong character and a brainiac, but Emma played Sam, who’s so vulnerable and outgoing, incredibly well. I think Emma is a fantastic actress and I would love to see her as someone who’s at the same time fun and crazy but still very friendly and strong. Emma has showed that she can both rock out short hair and
that she’s a very talented actress.

5.   Dianna Agron as Gabrielle ‘Gabbe’ Givens.

The same thing that happened to me with Adam Gregory happened with Dianna Agron. Someone cast her as their dream Gabbe and I realized that person was totally right. I searched for Dianna Agron images on Google and I thought she was the true definition of a southern beauty with her long and beautiful blonde hair and those big blue eyes. I immediately cast her as my
Gabbe too. I’ve seen Dianna play some cute characters, but none like Gabbe and that makes it very interesting for me. Gabbe is not just a pretty face, she’s also a big hearted person and tough as nails, so it would be quite interesting to see Dianna in a stronger and nobler character.

6.   Cara Delevingne as Mary Margaret ‘Molly’ Zane.

I had another actress in my head as I was reading the books for Molly, but recently I went to the movies and saw “Anna Karenina”
and there I got to see Cara Delevingne. The movie presented her as a fantastic mean girl. Cara has a very rocker chic sense of style in her everyday life and she kind of has the face of someone you don’t want to mess with, because she isn’t just pretty, she’s very intense looking too. So once I thought of it, she made the perfect Molly for me, someone mean yet beautiful and rebelious.

7.   Samuel Larsen as Roland Sparks.

I never really had in mind how Roland would look like until I saw Samuel Larsen on “Glee”. He just has the Roland style all over him! He’s new in tv and I think portraying Roland could be an amazing challenge for someone like him, specially because he could grow as an actor and embrace the character. In “Glee” he plays a very quiet and religious character, so it would be fun to see him as someone with a sad past, yet still a party boy. Dreadlocks included.

8.   Ellen Page as Pennyweather ‘Penn’ Van Syckle-Wood.

Penn is described as a very lonely and awkward girl and I think Ellen Page’s ‘Juno’ was all Penn: she’s weird, kind of a loner yet a good person. She’s also kind of what I picture when I think of a nerdy actor: she looks very smart and she has played very intelligent and emotional characters, so for me she has everything needed to play Penn.

9.   Gary Oldman as Mr. Cole.

Mr. Cole was that character that I always pictured as very strict, yet at the same time someone with a sort of parental role as he takes care of and helps Luce and Daniel. I love Gary Oldman’s ‘Sirius Black’ in the Harry Potter saga. He was very good at channeling his parental side toward Harry. He was so believable and memorable and it’s one of my personal favorite
characters because he plays a tremendously important role in Harry’s life. Also, I really liked his role in Batman as ‘Commissioner Gordon’; again he played a loving parent and a very loyal character. Those are the kind of feelings I get when I picture Mr. Cole in my head so I think he could be amazing in this role.

10. Anna Paquin as Sophia Bliss.

Miss Sophia is just the character we all love to hate and to make that even more obvious I always thought she would have to look flawless, amazingly beautiful, and young. Anna Paquin plays goodie-two-shoes ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ in “True Blood” and I think she is a surprising actress. She portrays a very naive character who everyone seems to want to help and take care of, while still being disliked by some other characters. I think that quality is very Sophia-like: she projects herself as someone very relatable that you can trust and then BAM! she stabs a knife in your back. So I would really like to see Anna showing a more feisty and fierce side standing in Miss Sophia’s shoes.

11. Lisa Edelstein as Doreen Price.

Well, during “Fallen” we don’t really learn a lot about Luce’s parents, at least until the last part of “Torment”. But somehow I always managed to get an idea of Luce’s mom in my head, which is kind of stereotypical. I picture her as very neurotic and a control freak who kind of loses it after what happens to Luce in the fire and after her troubled childhood,
becoming really pushy as a way to protect Luce. Lisa Edelstein plays a very busy and neurotic woman in “House” and when I thought about Luce’s mom she came to mind as a very good choice.

12. Christopher Meloni as Harry Price.

On the other hand, I have always thought of Luce’s dad to be a much more reachable character, who tries to make things easier on his daughter. I’ve loved Christopher Meloni ever since I started watching “Law & Order SVU”. He plays a tough guy, who struggles a lot with family issues, but you can see he really tries to be a good father and cares about his family. That’s why I would like to see him finally in a more closely paternal role.

13. Dot Jones as Randy.

I absolutely adore the character Dot Jones plays on “Glee”! She’s just super! Such a tender, vulnerable, and fun character and she completely nails it! She’s an amazing comedic actress and that’s exactly why I would really like to see her as a tougher and less “adorable” character like Randy.

14. Callan McAuliffe as Todd Hammond.

I love how Callan McAuliffe always seems to be serious, with his tiny eyes and confident look. Still he was a complete sweetheart as ‘Sam’ in “I am number four” when he played the good guy. Todd is a character, though we don’t really know much about him, shows amazing strength by helping Luce out from the fire in the library. That’s why I pick him for Todd, he kind of has the bad boy look but he’s also very charming.

15. Emma Roberts as Shelby.

I think Shelby’s a really cool character. She’s a total badass and she’s all cocky and sarcastic, but deep down she’s still a very emotional person and a loyal friend and it’s nice to figure her out as the book goes on. Emma Roberts is someone who I believe could absolutely portray that kind of girl. She has done a lot of shoots for Tyler Shields in which she looks completely different from the good girl role I was used to seeing her in, so I thought it be nice to see her cast as Shelby who’s so determined and fun. Plus, I think she totally has the Shelby look.

16. Thomas Mann as Miles Fisher.

Miles is the sweet guy who’s always in the friend zone waiting and waiting for the girl he loves to finally notice him, suffering silently and always being there for her… and then, suddenly he notices a girl that does like him back and both fall in love. That’s the cutest of the cutest. Recently I saw Thomas Mann in two movies: “Hansel & Gretel: Witch hunters.” and “Beautiful Creatures”, and in both movies he landed secondary roles. He seems so naïve and willing to help in “Hansel & Gretel” that I couldn’t keep from
thinking he’d make a stunning and adorable Miles.

17. January Jones as Francesca.

When I think of Francesca I picture a very accessible, caring person who at the same time is very smart and suspicious. Therefore, I’ve always pictured her in my mind as someone very beautiful but with a sort of stiff look, and that’s where January Jones came up to me. She has a very cold and intense look and she’s a very beautiful actress that happens to have a great smile. She just speaks ‘Francesca’ to me.

18. Matt Bomer as Steven.

I am crazy in love with Matt Bomer: he’s so handsome and has the most stunning physique, and I absolutely love his eyes. Steven seems so mysterious and sexy, that it just makes perfect sense for me to choose Matt Bomer, because I would love to see him portraying a more serious character.

19. Zoey Deutch as Callie.

Callie is Luce’s best friend from Dover and she’s always sounded like the very bubbly, cute girl who’s very attractive and it’s into boys and partying. I’ve pictured her as a very pretty and fresh looking girl. When I saw Zoey Deutch in “Beautiful Creatures” I thought she embodied that southern beauty and kind of sassy attitude, while still being very refreshing. So, for me she would be an amazing choice for Callie, where she would have the chance to play a little bit more of a good and soft character.

20. Alex Pettyfer as Trevor Beckman.

Trevor seems to me a very stereotypical character: the football player with everything he could ask for, including a hot girlfriend, but who somehow realizes he might want different things than what others want. Unfortunately, he dies kissing Luce. So what a better way to suffer along with Luce than by killing a really hot guy? Alex Pettyfer is very handsome and I’d like to see him even if it is for two minutes at the beginning, because I think he portrays the handsome jerk pretty well, like his role as ‘Kyle’ in “Beastly”.

Dear all,

I’ve received a handful of wonderful stories and photo submissions from fans across the world, and now the time has come for me to share them with YOU! First off I’d like to thank you all once more for coming out to support the release of “Passion.” You are the greastest.

Now here’s our very first installment of fan tales from my worldly wanderings. More to come soon, so if you haven’t sent me your story yet, there’s still time – email away!

– Lauren Kate

• Wilson – Melbourne:

  “Well, I first went on plane. Ever. To go to Melbourne. To meet Lauren Kate. On Collins street, Boarders.

  The plane flew, then deceneded in Melbourne. When, there we and my family, then went to the apartment. Went around Melbourne, and explored the place. Then it hit, “six’o clock” and me and my mum rushed into Boarders. Quickly.

  Then we where there. And lauren kate walks in. Yay! Then the angels start to fall. And so on.”

  

  
  Anastasia – Melbourne:
  

  “On August 3rd my life long dream was fulfilled. I was able to finally meet you, give you a hug, have a conversation with you (one I will NEVER forget) and get my books signed. My friend Denise, and I were so ecstatic about meeting you. For months we were planning what we were going to wear, as well as what gift to get you, we even arrived at the signing before anybody else. Days before the signing, I noticed that you posted your love for Tim Tams and Carmello koalas on your Twitter. That was the ultimate decider. Along with a basket full of goodies, came a note (hoping that you read it :p) expressing our absolute love and admiration for you. Lauren, you have inspired me in numerous ways. Before I read Fallen, I was in no way, shape or form to interested in reading, period.”

  

  
  Christine and Tom – London:
  

  “I got to meet you in London during a High Tea, because I won the contest from WPG from Belgium, I was there with my boyfriend Tom.

  You signed the first two books from the Fallen collection and the third one which we received in London. We also talked about the things I am writing and you gave me a lot of tips. Which off course I am using! Thank you for the wonderful day we had in London. I still remember it as yesterday and think about it when I am reading Passion. Keep on writing, because we love your work.”

  
  
  Lucimar – Rio:
  

  “Yes! I was with you on tour of the book Passion, with my sons Jeremiah and Gerard, Matthew and a friend. The conference was great, you’re very sweet, and helpful, answered all questions, and at the hour of autographs …. was great, congratulations on you meet your fans with all affection. I love your books!”