Three Films, Three Stories

For anyone that has been following my blog for a while now, you know that there are films that have inspired my published novels so far. To mention a familiar few classic Gothic horror films: Dragonwyck (1949), House of Usher (1960) and Rebecca (1940). These film tend to fall into the same genre, but there are others that have indirectly inspired my writing because of the characters or the nature of the themes. This is especially true for some upcoming novels that are still in the works, so without further ado, here are three films that have inspired me to write. Enjoy the sneak peak!

1. The Dead Poet Society (1989)

As a lover of education and the teaching profession as a whole, it was only a matter of time until I dipped my pen to write a romance story focused on this theme. My upcoming novel 'At Peace' centers around the protagonist, Edith Keats. It is a coming of age story as Edith passes through her final years of schooling at a boarding school specifically designed for girls. The story is important to me because I wanted a story to focus on the love of literature, more importantly, the impact it can have upon on a person. Edith Keats is someone that genuinely loves literature, and this adoration allows her to come under the protective wing of a mentor and inevitably friend, Mr. Hatton, the headmaster of the English literature department. Their genuine love of all things literature allows them to form a strong bond with one another, but growing rumours involving a potential scandal and the major threat to Mr. Hatton's profession forces their friendship to come to an abrupt ending. Heartbroken by the sudden severing of her friendship with her mentor and teacher, it makes Edith wonder if she will ever find peace in this world. To make matters worse, right before she departs the boarding school forever she comes to dreadful realization that their friendship has kindled to something more, and her heavy heart is unable to cope with the fact that it could never be.

For those of you that watched 'Dead Poet's Society' you might see a resemblance to a name. The main character that stole the show is an English teacher, Mr. John Keating, that inspired his students to learn to think for themselves. He made the arts of English literature boldly come alive for his students and inspired them to create a secret club called "The Dead Poet's Society." I have watched this film countless times, as a matter of fact it inspired me to become a teacher.

When I wrote 'At Peace' it was with a clear intent to not make the relationship between Mr. Hatton and his pupil, Edith, become inappropriate. The aim of this novel is to showcase that sometimes students do need a mentor in their life aside from their parents, and it can come in all forms including a teacher. Rest assure, that their relationship is strictly professional. Edith does develops romantic feelings for her teacher overtime, however, it is a result of a bond so strong that it feels as though they are soul mates- they are so similar and yet different that it puzzles her exceedingly. 'At Peace' is a heart-wrenching romance tale, it is  a story that follows Edith Keats throughout her youth into her early years of her adulthood where she must venture out into the world alone with the many lessons she has learned from her mentor and friend, Mr. Hatton.

2. Eragon (2006)

Very few people know that I have been working on a fantasy novel for several years. It is still unfinished, but I believe I can finish the entire story by the end of the year. The story is so long that I have no choice but to divide it into two books, and the first one should debut on the popular website WebNovel in the near future. This secret fantasy story that I have been working on is called 'Destiny' and it is about a young woman, Evelyn Keyes, that is faced with the dangers of a prophecy surrounding her to end the brutal decimation of magic upon the land. As a child, Evelyn had to run away from her local village once rumours surrounded her family about her mother being a witch. A lie that forced them to flee home in the dead of night, and take refuge in an abandoned forest for most of her life. Now an orphan without a friend in the world she comes across a stranger, a man with magic and a prophetic warning of the great future that awaits her.

I first read the novel series 'Eragon' in my early high school years. I can still remember taking it out of my local library and reading it on the bus ride home. I was never a fan of the genre, but I believe it was the front cover that really drew me in. I frantically read the entire series within a year and I had the good fortune to watch the film shortly after it came out in theatres. Admittedly, it veered far from the book premises (much to my horror) but it still retained the lightheartedness when it came to magic and dragons. This movie and the BBC television show 'Merlin' (2008) inspired me to sit down and write a fantasy novel that was dark, filled with tension, and a plot-line where the main character anxiously fears the hands of destiny that bound her to two men that will play a role in the future of their kingdom.

I am still in the early stages of working with the editors from WebNovel to debut this story, but once the contract is finalized I can provide you with some more news.

3. Dracula Untold (2014)

When working on the final adaption of the dark fantasy novel 'Far from Home: Book Three' I had this film in mind. In the third instalment, Aodhan McVeigh is on a quest to reclaim his lost lover. Time and distance has separated them, but his love for Victoria remains the same. He will go through heaven or hell to reclaim her, and will stop at nothing to get his way.

The love story between Count Dracula and Minera in the film 'Dracula Untold' really spoke to me. It inspired me to write a story that dealt with the theme of "this lifetime and the next." I wanted to show that love can cross all boundaries, even ones that lie beyond the grave. Aodhan is tragically and rather suddenly separated from his lover. Just like in the film 'Dracula Untold' it is up to the main character, Aodhan, to find a way to be rejoined with his wife.

I believe that the final adaption is a very dark love story about love knowing no bounds, and the manner of a soul being desperate to cling to another. Their is an unholy bond between Aodhan and Victoria, brought on through the shared transfer of their blood and their ability to walk the earth as vampires. Their lives are in jeopardy, however, and as the centuries pass away, it is Aodhan that finds himself in awkward predicament where he must blend into society to avoid the detection of the police and the mass media that is determined to uncover the serial killer stalking the London streets at night. While avoiding the detection of others, he is also on a quest to be rejoined with his past lover that has haunted his mind and heart for ages.