Renee Swindle's "Shake Down The Stars"

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Renee Swindle is the author of the novels Shake Down The Stars and Please Please Please.

She earned her BA from UC Irvine and MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University, and now lives in Oakland, California with her two dogs and three cats.

Here Swindle dreamcasts an adaptation of Shake Down The Stars:

Shake Down The Stars involves a woman who is stuck in life. She can’t stay away from her ex-husband. She isn’t attentive to the high school students she teaches. And she’s been drinking too much and seeking out unsuitable men. Piper’s mother, married to a celebrity evangelist, and her sister, immersed in plans to wed a professional football player and star in a reality TV show, are both too self-absorbed to sympathize with Piper’s angst. They tell her to get a grip. But Piper has suffered from an unimaginable blow: five years ago, a car accident took the life of her young daughter.

When Piper’s ex-husband announces his new girlfriend is pregnant, Piper is forced to take stock. And despite what she thinks, Piper can’t do it alone. Lucky for her, a couple of crazy, funny new friends are ready to step in when she needs them most…and show her how to live and laugh again. There’s actually a lot of laughter in the book, by the way.

I realized as I dreamt up the cast for Shake Down the Stars that I didn’t know young Hollywood all that much. I had to call on friends to help me find the best actors and actresses to audition. We ultimately came up with a sexy cast, and now all I want is for everyone to visualize someone in Hollywood buying the rights to my novel. Let’s make this happen, people! It would be great to see a cast like this come to life!

Piper: Gabrielle Union.

Spencer: Omari Hardwick (The A-Team, Kick Ass, Middle of Nowhere).

Selwyn: Kevin Hart.

Margot: Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries).

Curtis (Margot’s fiancé): Brian J. White (The Cabin in the Woods, Good Deeds).

Piper's mother: Angela Basset.

Piper’s stepfather, The Reverend: Courtney B. Vance (who’s coincidentally married to Angela Bassett).

Danielle (Margot’s best friend): Megan Fox.

Sharayray (student): Kyla Pratt (My friend pointed Kyla Pratt out to me. I think she’d be great.)

Tisa (Spencer’s girlfriend): Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Friday Night Lights, Temptation).

Mr. Hoffman: Dustin Hoffman (I imagined Dustin Hoffman while writing the character, hence naming him “Hoffman”).

Coco: Octavia Spencer.

Clem: Susan Sarandon or if played younger Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights/Nashville).

Gladys (school principal): Loretta Devine.

Learn more about the book and author at Renee Swindle's website and blog.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Renee Swindle & Mocha and Nikki.

--Marshal Zeringue