Inside the Mind of a Creator: March 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Are You Ready For "12 (A Novel)"?

ATTENTION READERS: I just created a blog just for my novel "12". Check it out at the link below:

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Rose Red

Rose Red is the tenth and final fairy tale of the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. it is the same as Rose Red from my original series The New Fairy Tales. It is loosely based on Snow-White and Rose-Red by Brothers Grimm in 1832.

Rose Red is a young woman that lives in a cottage in the woods with her mother. Rose Red is a huge dreamer and has always dreamed of being a princess and marrying a handsome prince. Rose Red's mother has been her spiritual guide all her life and tells her to never give up on her dreams. But one day, Rose Red's mother gets very sick and dies, leaving Rose Red. She then feels helpless and alone, no longer knowing what to do. Until one day, a bear stumbles upon her cottage and reveals himself to be a prince named Joseph. Prince Joseph has been cursed by a group of seven evil dwarfs known as Envy, Lusty, Greedy, Vanity, Gluttony, Slothy, and Wrathy. Prince Joseph was cursed to be a bear by day and a handsome prince by night. The Prince begs Rose Red to help him break the curse and in return he will marry her. Join Rose Red as she goes on a new journey to help the prince and battle the magical evil dwarfs.

This idea was very fun to come up with and I hope that others will like it. Stay tuned for more about Rose Red.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Sorcerer's Apprentice

Sorcerer's Apprentice is the ninth fairy tale in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is replacing Peter Pan from my original series The New Fairy Tales. It is loosely based on the poem titled The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and Der Zauberlehrling, written in 1797 and Arthurian Legend. It will be about Merlin the Wizard traveling to the present time and recruiting a young man in high school to help him destroy his evil cousin Morgan Le Fay and stop darkness from taking over.

Merlin the Wizard receives a vision of the future and sees his evil cousin, Moran Le Fay, leading the world into darkness using the power of Excalibur. Confused and worried Merlin travels to present time and recruits a young college school student named Arthur King (Whom he mistakes as King Arthur). Arthur becomes Merlin's Apprentice and Merlin teaches him everything he knows. Soon, Merlin figures out the whereabouts of Excalibur and He and Arthur set out to retrieve it. But as darkness rises, will they get to it on time and stop Morgan Le Fay from taking over?

This idea has me very excited, I've always loved The Sorcerer's Apprentice and I will enjoy writing this. Stay posted for more info about Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Aladdin and the Lamp

Aladdin and the Lamp is the eighth story in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. This is the same as Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from the original series The New Fairy Tales, except the title isn't the same. It is based on the fairy tale Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from 1001 Arabian Nights (author unknown).

Aladdin is a young Arab man who lives in a Chinese city. Aladdin has always gotten into trouble and is known best for his devious acts. But Aladdin is tired of his ways and wants to make a change. That change comes when he meets a "wise man" (Kadar, an evil Sorcerer) who leads him to the Mystical Cave of Magic. Once there, Aladdin retrieves a magic ring and the magical lamp. The "wise man" (Kadar) tries to kill Aladdin but instead ends up trapping him under ground. But with the power of the ring and the magical lamp, Aladdin releases two powerful Djinni that help him escape and begin with the wish making. Kadar becomes furious and will stop at nothing to kill Aladdin and retrieve the Djinni. It is up to Aladdin to stop Kadar before it's too late.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp has always been a childhood favorite of mine and I am excited to work on this fairy tale. Stay posted for info and short stories about Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel is the seventh fairy tale in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is replacing Rumpelstiltskin from the original series The New Fairy Tales. It is based on Hansel and Gretel by Brothers Grimm in 1812. It is about two siblings how live in a village were the villagers are being drawn away into the lair of a Witch who is a cannibal.

Hansel is nineteen and his little sister Gretel is seventeen. They both live in a village where the villagers have been going missing, but their bones turn up days later with their flesh eaten off. News gets around that there is an evil Witch named Talinka who is a cannibal and has been drawing the youth out of the village and into her lair. With this information, Hansel and Gretel are determined to put a stop to the evil Talinka's killing spree. Will Hansel and Gretel be able to defeat Talinka, or will they find themselves deep inside her evil grasp?

This was very fun coming up with this idea and I can't wait to write it. Stay tuned for more info about Hansel and Gretel.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - The Land of Oz

The Land of Oz is the sixth story in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is the same as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the original series The New Fairy Tales except the name is different and it is more original. It is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in 1900.

Dorothy Gale is a Nineteen year old Kansas City girl who lives with her Aunt Emma and Uncle Henry on their farm. Dorothy has an American Eskimo dog named Toto that quite often accidentally ruins a local gardener's garden, Ms. Gulch. She then takes it to the county and they give her the authority to take Toto to City Hall to be put to sleep. Toto escapes Ms. Gulch's Car and Dorothy runs away with him. Dorothy soon finds out about a storm coming, she thinks her Aunt Emma will worry about her and get herself hurt looking for her in the storm. Dorothy returns to the farm only to be whisked away by a cyclone the rips the farm right out of the ground. Dorothy then finds herself in the Land of Oz and surrounded by little people. She then meets Glinda the Good Witch and Lamallia the Wicked Witch (whose sister Dorothy unintentionally kills). Lamallia's sister's sapphire slippers are then given to Dorothy to help her along her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz; whom will grant her wish and send her back home to Kansas. On her journey, she meets a brainless scarecrow named Exavior, Cleo (a humanoid robot), a cowardly lion named Theodore, and a handsome young man named Larkin (Lamallia's son, who has a hidden agenda). They're all off to see the Wizard in this modern retelling of the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum.

The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. I have enjoyed coming up with ideas for it and love to work on it. Stay tuned for more info about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Sleeping Beauty

Copyright © 2011 of James Pettis, III

Sleeping Beauty is the fifth fairy tale in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is the same as Sleeping Beauty from the original series The New Fairy Tales, except Rose's name is now Lily. It is taken from and based on the original fairy tale Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault in 1697.

In a kingdom far away, a Queen wants nothing more than to have a child to call her own. She prays everyday to have a child to call her own. Then she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl who she calls Lily. The kingdom has a celebration in honor of the child and have fairies come and bless the child. But one fairy wasn't invited and she crashes the celebration and curses the princess. The curse is that when the princess turns sixteen she will prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning and die. The King then creates a new law where all spindles are banished from the kingdom and if anyone is caught using one, the will be sentenced to death. Once Lily is sixteen, her mother and father depart from the kingdom to find new materials and find ways to make clothes, leaving the young princess alone in the kingdom. This gives the evil fairy a chance to make her move, but a Prince visiting the kingdom will stop at nothing to protect the princess from evil. But will he save her before it's too late?

This has been fun coming up with the plot and storyline. I love it and I will really enjoy writing it. Stay posted for more info about Sleeping Beauty.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Swan Lake

Swan Lake is the fourth story in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is replacing Beauty & Beast from the original series The New Fairy Tales. It is loosely based on the ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky in 1876. It is about Odette, a princess that is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. I have always loved this story and the plot (even though it's not actually considered a fairy tale), which is why I wanted to put it in my fairy tale series.

Odette is a princess that has been cursed by an evil sorcerer named Von Rothbart, which turns her into a swan in the day time and at night she returns to her human form. She was kidnapped from her kingdom and taken to an enchanted lake, where Von Rothbart's lair resides. He told her that the only way she can break the curse is if a young man declares his forever lasting love to her. She then meets a prince named Alexandre, who falls in love with her and invites her to a masquerade ball (for his 21st birthday) where he plans on vowing ever lasting love to Odette. But when Von Rothbart finds out, he sends his daughter, Odile (who resembles Odette), in disguise to distract Alexandre and get him to be unfaithful to Odette. Will his evil plan succeed or will eternal love prevail?

I think this will be fun to write and I hope others will like it as well. Stay posted for more info about Swan Lake.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Snow

Copyright © 2011 of James Pettis, III

Snow is the third story in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is the same as Snow from my original series The New Fairy Tales. It is taken from and based on the original fairy tale Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs by Brothers Grimm in 1823.

Isabelle is a Queen that wants nothing more than a king to call her own. Isabelle is also an evil witch and has a looking-glass mirror that tells her what she wants. When Isabelle spots Theodore in the looking-glass, she uses her powers and kills his wife after she gives birth to their daughter, Snow. Theodore wonders in wilderness with the baby to find shelter and collapses, but is rescued by Isabelle whom he then marries and becomes her king. As the years go on, Isabelle kills any woman that may pose a threat to her title of being "Fairest of Them All." But as Snow grows older, she begins to blossom and get the attention of a Prince named Tyler that visits their kingdom. Isabelle becomes envious of Snow and wants the handsome young Prince Tyler to herself. Isabelle tries with all her power to kill Snow and get the Prince to fall for her all leading up to her final plan of evil... the poison apple. Enjoy a classical fairy tale told in this new updated version of Snow White.

I love this idea a lot and I hope that others will too. Stay posted for more info and short stories about Snow.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Cinderella

Cinderella is the second fairy tale in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. It is the same as Cinderella from my original series The New Fairy Tales. It is taken from and based on the original fairy tale Cinderella by Charles Perrault in 1697. The plot for Cinderella has not really changed how I had originally planned it, but the violence has been removed.

Ella is a girl who lived with her mother and father in their lovely mansion. Ella's mother gets sick and passes away leaving her daughter and husband lonely. But Ella's father remarries to a woman named Percilla who has to beautiful daughters named Eldria and Carmen. Soon Ella's father dies leaving her to live with her now evil step-mother and step-sisters. As Ella grows older, she is called Cinderella (because she sits be the fire place and is always covered in ashes), and has grown into a beautiful young woman. Then, a Masquerade Ball is announced to the town that is being thrown by the Prince to find himself a wife. Cinderella is not allowed to go to the ball and is left alone at the house; but Cinderella's Fairy God Mother comes to help her so she too can go to the ball. Cinderella meets the prince and falls in love with him but can't reveal herself to him. After the Ball, the Prince searches for the "Mysterious Woman" in the town with her diamond slipper she left behind. Will the Prince find her or will the step-mother do the unthinkable to prevent their union?

Cinderella has always been one of my favorite fairy tales and I will love writing it. Stay posted for more info about Cinderella.

The New Fairy Tales (Revised) - Lil' Red Ridin' Hoodie

Lil' Red Ridin' Hoodie is the first fairy tale in the revised series, The New Fairy Tales. This is the same as the story Lil' Red Ridin Hoodie from my original series The New Fairy Tales. It is based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault in 1695. Lil' Red is based off of two characters in the original story, he is "Little Red Riding Hood" and "the Hunter" combined and the story is also more spiritual and supernatural than the original story.

Dr. Red is a scientist that lives in Glory Village with her son Christopher "Lil' Red" Red. Dr. Red is famous in the village because she creates medicines and vaccines to heal the villagers so no one will die from any sicknesses. Lil' Red delivers the medicines to the villagers making the Red family loved deeply by the villagers because of their good deeds. Five evil wolves Tnaas, Natas, Evild, Crulfie, and Veild (the leader of the wolves) try to stop Lil' Red from reaching his destination. But with his supernatural powers he fights them off and prevails. Then, Lil' Red's own grandmother gets really sick, giving the wolves the perfect opportunity to create distractions and prevent Lil' Red from saving her. Lil' Red must get prepared and stop the wolves once and for all.

This is one of my favorite fairy tales and I will enjoy writing it. Stay tuned for more info about Lil' Red Ridin' Hoodie.

The New Fairy Tales (2011)

The New Fairy Tales is a Series that consists of ten fairy tales; it is also a revised version of my original The New Fairy Tales Series. I have not only changed the logo, but I have also change the ten fairy tales I had chosen a little. The following list is the new ten fairy tales I will be retelling:

Lil' Red Ridin' Hoodie

Cinderella

Snow

Swan Lake

Sleeping Beauty

The Land of Oz

Hansel and Gretel

Aladdin and the Lamp

Sorcerer's Apprentice

Rose Red

These fairy tales will all soon have their own archives (and a link to the fairy tale it is replacing or a link to what the fairy tale was originally about). Stay posted for more info on the revised The New Fairy Tales.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Trey & Taye (TV Series)

Trey & Taye is a TV Series I have come up with recently about two guys going to college in Los Angeles, California and how they try to make it in the acting world known as Hollywood. This series is a sitcom and will deal with multiple issues and will most likely be four seasons in total.

James "Trey" Roberts, III is a twenty one year old who just moved to LA to attend Stephen's University. He has a dream of becoming an actor, screenplay writer, and rock star making it big in Hollywood. Taylor "Taye" Harrison, III is twenty and shares the same passion for acting as Trey. Trey and Taye have similar goals and dreams, but their personalities and characters are totally different. Trey is outgoing, assertive, and a perfectionist with more feminine qualities than masculine. Where with Taye, he is outgoing, aggressive, and very masculine (and he has a tendency to be kind of slow). The two become dorm mates and their personalities clash at first, but as they continue on through college together, they learn about each other and themselves. Join Trey and Taye as they try to make it big and finish college.

This idea was interesting to me when I came up with it and I think it will be fun to write. Stay tuned for more info about Trey & Taye.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Salem

Copyright © 2011 of James Pettis, III

Salem is a new story I have come up with and it is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. It is about a middle aged lady coercing a young man into using black magic.

In Salem Village 1692, there is discourse that witches are living among the villagers. This doesn't stop twenty-year-old Isaac Ackworth from living a jubilant life in this abysmal town. Isaac is very close with his next door neighbors Isabel Horthall and Nathanial "Nathan" Horthall, III (her son), but unfortunately Nathanial Horthall, Jr. (Isabel's husband and Nathanial's father) has strong loathing of Isaac and could care less about him. Isabel, on the other hand, is fascinated by Isaac and is always trying to spend time with him. At the time of his twenty-first birthday, Isabel takes Isaac away and reveals a dark secret... she's a witch. She uses threats and blackmail to coerce Isaac to cooperate with her and join her Wicca coven. But when word gets around of the use of black magic in Salem, Isaac is forced to choose a side, or die.

I think this idea will be fun to write. It is a dark fantasy and psychological thriller, which will deal with a lot of different topics and plots. Stay tuned for more ideas about Salem.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

My Movie Reviews: Red Riding Hood (2011)

Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) in Red Riding Hood

It is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault with the film being directed by Catherine Hardwicke, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson, and stars Amanda Seyfried in the title role with a release on March 11, 2011.

THE CAST

Amanda Seyfried as Valerie

Virginia Madsen as Suzette

Billy Burke as Cesaire

Julie Christie as Grandmother

Shiloh Fernandez as Peter

Gary Oldman as Father Solomon

Max Irons as Henry

Michael Shanks as Adrien Lazar

Quentin Bates as Henri Lazar

Christine Willes as Madame Lazar

Yolandi Hattingh Cook as Solomon's Daughter

Michael Hogan as The Reeve

Lukas Haas as Father August

SYNOPSIS

Valerie is a young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry. Seeing that Valerie doesn't want to lose him, Peter plans a run away for them when they learn that Valerie’s older sister has been killed by the werewolf. Hungry for revenge, the people call a werewolf hunter, Father Solomon to help kill the wolf. But Solomon’s arrival brings unintended consequences as he tells that the wolf takes human form by day, and could be any one of them. He also warns that a blood moon is coming, and if anyone is bitten by the wolf, they will become a werewolf themselves. As death rises each night, Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. Valerie will soon discover that she has a unique connection to the beast–one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect…and bait.

TRAILER

MY THOUGHTS

First off I have to say... WOW. I apologize to Catherine Hardwicke for doubting her directorial skills. I was not expecting to be impressed by this film at all. I knew that Leonardo DiCaprio was producing the film (which he did an awesome job at doing!), but I was more worried about the fact that this film would be dull and poorly acted like Twilight (2008). But I guess it's not the directors fault if the actors can't act... right? Anyway, I love Amanda Seyfried and felt that she was the best pick for the title role. She is and always has been a great actress to me. This film had me thinking thoughts like, Oh God... a Twilight wannabe, or is this gonna be like a 'What if Bella got with Jacob???' kind of thing? - which had me skeptical of the film (by the way, I think the Twilight Saga is great, but let's face it, Twilight (2008) sucked). And I'm not gonna lie, there were times when I thought some scenes were similar to Twilight, but come... don't most movies remind us of each other? So I decided I was going to see the film and not be a bias jerk like most. I was pleasantly surprised with the story and how it keeps you going. SPOILERS: The film first makes you think that the wolf is Peter, then Henry, then Grandmother, then Peter again, then other villagers, then Peter again, then your like "OK, it's definitely the Grandmother!" But no... it's Cesaire (Valerie's Father)! It was an amazing twist. Then Peter is unfortunately bitten by Cesaire before he and Valerie kill him and Peter leaves until he can control his werewolf abilities. The film closes with Valerie leaving her Grandmother's house and Peter (in werewolf form) coming around a tree. Valerie smiles at her love and the screen cuts to black (That scene was kind of Twilighty, but I didn't think about it until after the film was over). SPOILERS END. This film has been a major inspiration for me (since I'm writing my on version of Little Red Riding Hood, Lil' Red Ridin' Hoodie). I was so impressed to the point were if anyone wants to see it who hasn't, hit me up!

So, I give Red Riding Hood: ★★★★★ 5 out of 5 Stars

"you're the devil!" "you're the devil's daughter!"

Sunday, March 6, 2011

My Movie Reviews: Beastly (2011)

Lindy Taylor (Vanessa Hudgens) and Kyle Kingson/Hunter (Alex Pettyfer) in Beastly

It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. This film is based on the fantasy romance novel Beastly by Alex Flinn. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and was produced by Susan Cartsonis, Roz Weisberg, and Michael Flynn with the film releasing on March 4, 2011.

THE CAST

Vanessa Hudgens as Lindy Taylor

Alex Pettyfer as Kyle Kingson/Hunter

Mary-Kate Olsen as Kendra Hilferty

Neil Patrick Harris as Will Fratalli

Lisa Gay Hamilton as Zola

Peter Krause as Rob Kingsbury

Dakota Johnson as Sloane Hagen

Erik Knudsen as Trey Madison

Regina King as Letisha

Roc LaFortune as Lindy's father

David Francis as Dr. Davis

Brian Eastman as Dan Granburg

Gio Perez as Victor

SYNOPSIS

Kyle Kingson is a handsome man with an evil streak disrespects a classmate, who is a witch in disguise, during an environmental event. The witch then casts a spell on Kyle and physically transforms him into a grotesque monster. In order to break the curse, he must get some to say "I love you" before the following spring, or he will be a monster forever.

TRAILER

MY THOUGHTS

I have to say I expected a lot less of this movie, but it was actually not bad at all. Alex Pettyfer plays the haughty and cold-hearted Kyle Kingsbury very well (I have actually never really doubted his acting skills, It's just I Am Number Four was TERRIBLE... OK I'll stop, I'm sorry) and Vanessa Hudgens plays Linda Taylor (which also was done very well... Vanessa has really matured as an actress since High School Musical, thank GOD). Mary-Kate Olsen did well as Kendra Hilferty as well (I've always been a fan of the Olsen sisters, so I wasn't surprised by her performance). Anyway, I love classic fairy tales and I am writing modern retellings myself. When I first heard of this I wasn't very receptive, but I decided I would give it a shot and see how it was. I was pleasantly surprised at how the film was put together and how the original plot of Beauty and the Beast was so nicely incorporated. And of course, Neil Patrick Harris had me laughing in almost every scene he was in (I love that guy, he cracks me up), and most critics have stated that he stole the entire film with his wits; which he really did, since I anticipated every scene he was in. SPOILERS: Somethings that occurred in the film weren't answered, like what happen to the guy who was going to try and kill Lindy since her dad killed his brother. I was waiting for an epic battle between him and Kyle towards the end of the film (similar to the Beast and Gaston's battle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast), but I was greatly disappointed. SPOILERS END. But over all, this was a very decent film.

I give Beastly: 4 out of 5 Stars ★★★★★

"must embrace the suck!"