New Novel: A Work In Progress

I had a dream last night that gave me an idea for a new novel.  It would be in the young adult genre, but I still love reading young adult books even as an adult, so writing one may be even more fun.  I don't have an official title yet but I'm thinking Irving Prep.  It will be about the ruling circle of girls at Irving Preparatory School and the take down of their queen.  A "Mean Girls" type drama with elements of a thriller.  Here's the Prologue...


      Once upon a time, there lived two princesses in a far away land.  One with golden hair, the other with hair as dark as the night.  They were the greatest of friends.  The battles they fought throughout their land made their bond even stronger.  They felt like nothing could ever break them…
    “You see girls, this is going to be the two of you when you grow up.  Two strong girls who can depend on each other.  It’s getting late, time for bed.  We’ll finish the story another time.  Sleep tight, angels.”  She sat the book down on the night stand and headed for the door.  Switching off the overhead light, Avery’s mother closed the door behind her.
    Looking back, that was Avery’s earliest memory.  Back when everything seemed perfect and the world was still a magical and safe place.  Of course, when you’re four years old that’s how it should be.  Now that Avery was approaching adulthood, though she still had a year left, she had figured it all out.  The world was not safe nor perfect, but your life is how you make it.  Avery was an expert at making things out to be exactly how she wanted them to be.  What was her secret?  Power.
   Avery’s power wasn’t something she just happened upon.  She worked hard for her seat on the imaginary hierarchy of Irving Prep.  It took work and determination to knock down the lower beings and make them learn their place.  And, in order to rule the school, you need your royal court.  Which is exactly where her friends came in to play.  Corrine Matthews, her life long friend, was her second in command.  They had been best friends since before they were born.  They’re mothers were best friends growing up.  It was like they planned their pregnancies so that their children would be friends too.  They’re planning worked out pretty well.  Avery was born just a month and a half before Corrine and they had been inseparable ever since.
   Next in Avery’s chain of command came Ronnie Edwards.  Her real name was Veronica, but she hated it.  Though she hadn’t lived in Hampton her whole life like Avery and Corrine, she figured out at the early age of 12 that getting in with Avery’s group of friends was the way to survive.  She’s what Avery would call shy, but to others she was a chatter box.  Ronnie just knew when to keep things to herself.  The brainiac of the group was Maddie Hendricks.  She’s had a 4.0 all throughout school and won't let you forget it.  A little conceited, as they all were, she had a way of throwing her smarts right in your face.  The last girl in Avery’s circle, was Ashley Martin.  She was always in and out of the circle, though Avery never had a problem with finding a back up to complete her Circle of Five.  Ashley sometimes challenged the ways of Avery’s rule and often found herself on the outside.  It never took her long to make her way back into the circle.  She craved acceptance so her moral compass sometimes had to take a back seat.
         Avery Allenwood and her circle paraded down the halls of Irving Prep every morning, with Avery always in the middle and her cohorts flanked on her sides.  The morning of their senior year was the same as any other, but unbeknownst to Avery, this morning was the beginning of her downfall.

New Fall Shows: Review #1

Photo Credit: The CW 

The Secret Circle
Thursdays @ 9:00 on The CW


Going into watching this new show, I had already decided that I was going to like it.  Given the subject matter and the fact that Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek) was producing it, I knew it would be a show for me.  The opening scene was what really hooked me.  Right off the bat, you knew who the villain was going to be and boy does Gale Harold play bad well.  The group of kids that will be making up the circle of witches don’t have instant chemistry, though I think Brit Robertson, who plays Cassie and Thomas Dekker, who plays Adam, will have some steamy screen time, even if they never touch.    Phoebe Tonkin, who plays Faye, the bad girl, struck me right away.  She’s a great antagonist, the exact opposite of Diana (Shelley Hennig), the good girl who wants everyone to get along.  Cassie is the new girl in town, who makes up the 6th member of the current circle of witches, in a town where witchcraft has been abolished.  It’s hard to tell what Cassie’s personality will be like.  Will she be sassy and stand up for herself or will she sit back and let things happen to her?  So many of the teens on TV these days play the victim and let things happen to them like they have no power over their lives.  I’m sure Cassie will not be one of those girls.  She won’t let the rest of the circle walk all over her.  I’m interested to see what will happen next with her and rest of the circle.  I give it a B+

Photo Credit: The CW

Ringer 
Tuesdays @ 9:00 on The CW


When I first heard that Sarah Michelle Gellar was coming back to TV, my Buffy loving heart felt whole again.  It’s been 8 years since Sarah has been on a regular TV program and I couldn’t be happier.  Although, the thing I was afraid of actually came about.  I wasn’t all that thrilled with her new show.  Ringer is about twins, one named Bridget, who’s a recovering addict and is running from the law and the other, Siobhan, who is a socialite in Manhattan and lives in a fancy apartment with a fancy husband.  The two sisters couldn’t be more different.  When a boating accident leaves Siobhan presumably dead, without anyone knowing except Bridget, Bridget takes the opportunity to take over her sister’s life.  Little does she know, someone is after Siobhan.  Not only does she have to try to figure out how to function in her ritzy sister’s life, she has to figure out who is after her, now that she has assumed her sister’s life.  I think the show has potential, but is a little slow for my tastes.  We’re getting a lot of back story about the twins’ relationship, but there’s not much progress on why someone wants Siobhan dead.  I’m also hoping that Bridget will start to be more active in discovering her sister’s secrets.  It’s strange to see Sarah Michelle so meek and helpless.  I have high hopes for this show though.  I’ll keep watching to see if it progresses.  I give it a B.

Photo Credit: Fox

New Girl

Tuesdays @ 9:00 on FOX

I have always been a fan of Zooey Deschanel, so when I first saw the preview of her new show I was super excited!  She has perfect comedic timing.  I was not disappointed in this one, at all.  New Girl is about a girl named Jess, who has just broken up with her boyfriend after catching him cheating on her.  She moves in with 3 guys that she’s never met before.  They attempt to help her get back on the horse and start dating again, yet Jess has horrible social skills and is the definition of awkward.  You can kind of tell from the pilot that one of the roommates will be a love interest for Jess, but we’ll have to wait and see where that leads.  This one is a definite must see.  The only problem?  It’s a sitcom, which means it’s on 30 minutes long.  Not enough!  I give it an A+

Photo Credit: ABC Studios

Revenge 

Wednesdays @ 10:00 on ABC

This show is the one I was most intrigued about.  I have always been a sucker for a good drama.  Hello, I was raised watching soap operas.!  So when I saw the preview for Revenge I was excited to see how the story would unfold.  This show is about a woman named Amanda, though she is masquerading as “Emily Thornton,” who has come to The Hamptons to enact her revenge on a group of over privileged socialites.  The residents of this beach town were responsible for ruing the life of Amanda’s father.  You don’t get all the details about what all went down in the first episode but I’m assuming we’ll slowly learn what everyone’s role was.  Emily VanCamp is perfect for this role.  When she is putting on her charade, I was reminded of her good girl role on Everwood, but she can instantly drop the act and display a conniving, and almost psychotic woman, set on a path of revenge.  I give it an A. 

The next shows that I'll be posting about will be Charlie's Angels, Hart of Dixie, Terra Nova and PanAm.  Stay tuned!

The Need For Original Movies

Photo Credit:
Paramount Pictures

We've seen it happen in the past and quit frequently of late.  Our favorite movies are being remade.  Movies we loved growing up have been given a face lift, or a botched one in some cases.  Sometimes it turns out OK but most times it turns out to be a waste of money, or just a joke.  The idea that sparked this post was when I saw the trailer for the Footloose remake.  That is one of my all time favorite movies and to be honest, I was excited when I heard it was going to be remade since it's a great story.  When I saw the trailer I realized that they didn't revamp it and change some things to make it original.  They took the original and just copied it with updated music and new actors!  All of the characters are the same and even the name of the town is the same!  I'm sorry, but I'm a big fan of the saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."  Footloose is an iconic movie from the 80s that didn't need a copycat.

Photo Credit:
Paramount Pictures

It's not even the fact that Hollywood is remaking one of my favorite movies because they know they can make a few bucks that bugs me.  It's the fact that there are so many great screen writers out there that have really great original ideas and they aren't the ones that are getting their big breaks.  It's the people that rewrite something that was already great.  What makes you so special?  We need more movies that we haven't already seen before.  Step it up Hollywood!  Give me something I want to watch and not know how it will end.

As I was writing this post I was trying to come up with a remake that I actually liked.  There is one movie in particular that is one of my favorites, although I haven't seen the original so it probably doesn't count since I have nothing to compare it to.  The Italian Job, originally released in 1969, starring Michael Caine, was remade in 2003.  The remake is one of my favorite movies.  I can't tell if it's the actor's in the film that make in special for me, or if it was the story in general.  If it's the story, then my love for it stems from the original and has nothing to do with the remake.  Although, the original was made in 1969 and being that I'm in my late 20s, it wouldn't have been likely that I would watch the original.  So, in remaking epic or iconic movies, Hollywood could be creating a new generation of fans of one particular movie.  Children who are still growing up or are in their teens may go to see Footloose and fall in love with the story, just like I did with the original.  This new epiphany I've just had totally defeats the purpose of the beginning of this post, but at least I've come to realize that maybe Hollywood knows what they're doing (most of the time).  I'll still be angry when I see movies I love being remade.  That won't change.  Just stay away from The Sound of Music and Pretty in Pink or there will be hell to pay!