I have always been a fan of the many incarnations of the "Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. As a child, I remember my mother, brothers, and I would set down and watch the 1932 musical film that would always show on the television around the holiday. Around the age of 14 I discovered "Return to Oz" and instantly became a fan of this slightly darker version of the great land of Oz. I do know the movie didn't initially do well but it did gain a cult following through the years. When I reached my twenties I discovered Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" and fell in love with the musical starring the talents of Kristen Chenoweth and Idena Menzel as Glinda and Elphaba respectively. Then along came the SyFi movie "Tin Man" which again brought another interpretation and an crush on Zoey Deschanel for her role as D.G.
Through all of this, I have never read the original work by L. Frank Baum. A self admitted tragedy on my part... I also didn't realize that those Ruby Red Slippers never appeared in his original work. I didn't realize this until I was in my thirties when I decided that I wanted to do my own interpretation of the Oz story. I have half the mind to make the shoes a pair of six inch high heels with sparkling glitter in my version of the story. To do so, I'm afraid, would make Dorothy a classic Bitch! But who knows, maybe that is the type of Dorothy that I want. If I want Dorothy to appear at all in my version. If I made Dorothy a man, I would perhaps better relate to him/her. The word "Dorothy", is in fact, a slang word for a gay guy so I could always play off of that. I will think about this some more before I start writing this book because I really want a character that I can relate too... I also like stating my social stances with every opportunity that is presented. The great thing about this is, I won't know how she/him will turn out until the exact moment I put my pen to paper or should I say fingers to my iPad screen. So this is my version based on the original work by L. Frank Baum that I will be reading chapter by chapter as I write my own chapter to chapter. I hope you, the reader, enjoy it. It will be the strangest of Oz stories with a darker tone in mind. I will leave behind the childhood intentions of the original work and focus more on a very adult story. Finally, my dear fans of Oz, you might think you know how the story turns out, but I have a bit of a twisted mind, and I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to make this retelling a bit more original. Have fun with this little adventure and I will see you at the end of this these pages.
