Kiss & Cry? No! Cast & Cry (But Only Happy Tears!)
Hi everyone,
Some of you may have seen an exciting announcement yesterday. The world finally met the incredible cast and some of the crew behind the TV adaptation of FINDING HER EDGE.
The group is led by the incomparable Madelyn Keys. Maddy was the first person cast on the show and we had to keep her involvement and all the news about casting and filming quiet for SO LONG. She’s incredible and I already feel like I have another little sister in her! She truly is Adriana on so many levels and I can’t wait for her to share more about how. Just know, the casting is 100% correct.
As the posts started rolling in once the announcement went live I reached out to Meredith Forlenza, who plays Camille, their coach (who I’ve bonded with as we’re both Italian and Irish Americans from the metro NY area and also about a billion years older than the kids in the cast!). I was getting SO emotional seeing the cast supporting each other during the announcement that I couldn’t quite believe it was real.
But she assured me it was very real (we were both overwhelmed and a little incoherent, but you get the idea!) and I’ll be up on set soon for yet another secret thing to see for myself.
Some other exciting bits and bobs from the announcement for you all:
Olly Atkins, who plays Freddie, Adriana’s first love, will also be starring in Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. My good friend Daphne Olive writes on that show and they rave about him over there!
Cale Ambrozic, who plays Brayden, Adriana’s new ice dance partner, was an elite hockey player, so he has a lot of street cred (ice cred?) with all the skating they have to do!
Millie Davis, who plays Riley, was in season four of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy and has been a working actor since she was very young!
Alexandra Beaton, with us as Adriana’s older sister Elise, played Emily on the well-loved and extremely long running Canadian dance show, The Next Step.
Alice Malakhov, our incredible littlest Russo sister, Maria, is a trained opera singer! I’m pretty sure there’s nothing she can’t do!
Niko Ceci, playing Charlie, Maria’s partner and Riley’s brother, was in Netflix’s I Woke Up a Vampire and is an incredible singer and dancer as well!
And some love to the writers as well, Shelley Scarrow who is our head writer (and a fellow Diet Coke addict) wrote for one of my all time favorite shows Wynonna Earp, but you might know her best from Degrassi, including the famous episode Accidents Will Happen, which was initially banned in the US because it took on the heavy topic of teen pregnancy and abortion. We have no choice but to Stan.
They are such a talented group and I’m already so proud of the job they’re doing.
Of course, this is a publishing newsletter and it wouldn’t be publishing if I didn’t let you know that I have new and exciting publishing news (that doesn’t even have anything to do with the show!) and it happened yesterday in the midst of all that casting excitement, but as is the way in publishing, I can’t tell you about it yet.
But, I suppose I can hint a bit:
Yep, that’s all you get. Some of you might be able to guess, but my lips are, mostly, sealed…for now.
And finally, while I have your attention, on a much more serious note, a very dear friend in publishing is in the process of removing herself from an extremely dangerous domestic violence situation. We’re raising funds to help keep her and her family safe while they navigate the most uncertain time in their lives. If you can give, even just $5, please know your money is going to support someone who has supported all of us through the years. Click here for more information on how to help.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be back…soon…promise.
My best and be well,
Jen
Current Read: The Favorites by Layne Fargo
So excited to finally dive into this one. Layne’s darker and more adult take on the ice dance world than mine.
Current Watch: High Potential on Hulu
This show is so much fun and I know we’re in for a very good slow burn romance with the two leads!
Current Listen: This playlist
I made this writing playlist on Spotify for a secret project that I’m maybe finally writing after it marinating for over thirty (yes 3-0, thirty) years in my head. The playlist is kind of unhinged, I think in the best way, but then, so is the book idea.