Wild Ride, the Collage (in Progress)
Mar22009
So I figure I’m just going to have to give up on setting up the whole this-is-not-a-romance thing and hope readers adjust. (There will never be prologue. Ever.) I did take out the “she’d have dated him” line and the part where Ethan touches her head, but I don’t think it’s going to matter that much. People will just have to learn to adjust. Argh. It’s no help that in AKMG the first scene is between the heroine and the hero who do have a romantic relationship. The thing is, I like this book this way. This is a very cool book in part because Mab and Ethan never get together. So I’m resigned to my fate. Whatever that is.
In the meantime, here’s the Wild Ride collage, in progress. Most of the stuff that’s sitting in front isn’t glued down yet. But it does have the feel of the book. Except probably too much orange and not enough blue green. So I’ll be fixing that. Also, more spiders:
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51 Comments to 'Wild Ride, the Collage (in Progress)'
On March 2, 2009 at 7:51 pm Jackie said...
It looks like it should be 3 dimensional. How do you store these things? Must be why you have your own full size house for just one single writed with a few regular guests and a herd of pets.
On March 2, 2009 at 7:55 pm Jenny said...
They’re all jumbled on shelves downstairs in a storeroom except for Bet Me and Hot Toy which were shadow boxes and hang on the wall and UMF/Mare, which is sitting on brackets in my office. I really only keep them close while I’m writing the book. Once the book is done, it’s like “Who are you again?” So I’ll keep this one going through the copy edit and then it’ll end up downstairs with Dogs and Goddesses and Agnes and all the others.
On March 2, 2009 at 8:12 pm Sheryl said...
Can’t you donate them to the Jennifer Crusie museum? What do you mean there isn’t one? There should be. In the meantime, if you’re tired of the clutter, you could always auction them off for charity.
On March 2, 2009 at 8:30 pm Deb said...
This looks to be a very festive book! As long as you don’t compromise the Crusie/Mayer(TM) writing style, it’s a win all around. And I’m not referring to subject matter.
I don’t think writers are in a position to win. Neil Gaiman (read his journal regularly too) is taking some heat due to the fact that 2 children’s books are soon to be released. Books he had written a long time ago. They have been waiting for their art to be finished. Some reader wrote him to indicate he was just cashing in on his Newbery award with them. His response was a gentle “I just wish people would think.
But Jenny, A Whole Year?! I’m reminding myself, books aren’t written in a day.
On March 2, 2009 at 9:41 pm Micki said...
Are those elephants in the upper left? As in “elephants never forget?” (-:
And the chess pieces in the foreground are very intriguing.
I wonder, are there any great romances that are about strategy? I imagine some of the movies from the 30s through the 50s would fit that bill. “Emma” is kind of chess-like, but she gets her board knocked over before the end.
(I know this isn’t a romance, I’m just asking because I know there are a lot of well-read romance fans here.)
On March 2, 2009 at 9:45 pm McB said...
Coolness.
On March 2, 2009 at 10:07 pm JulieB said...
I love it! Who is the woman with the heart? I see the same image in the fortune telling booth.
I hate the clown comment off to the right. Creepy picture. I never knew I didn’t like clowns
I think the book will sort itself out in the end. Your readers who read across genres will think “Wow, another style.” The readers that don’t will be surprised, and some of those will be dissappointed. But that’s OK because this book features a dog prominently, right?
*Ducking and running*
On March 2, 2009 at 10:18 pm Louis said...
Never too much orange!
In my much younger life, one of my jobs was to post and paint billboards….”BILLBOARD ORANGE” was the color of the paint for the frame.my favorite color.
On March 2, 2009 at 10:27 pm Melissa Blue said...
Question: Is that “Evil Clowns Need Love too.” ‘Cause I love that.
On March 2, 2009 at 10:40 pm Jenny said...
Yep, that is “Evil Clowns.” I love it, too. It’s on there twice. The woman with the heart is Mab, or do you mean the real woman? Robin Tunney. With her hair chopped off and colored with an orange marker. And not elephants, Airstream trailers. That’s where Glenda and Delpha and Gus live.
Also, just to really annoy people: no dog in this book. No gator, either. Just ravens and dragons.
On March 2, 2009 at 10:43 pm Slave Driver said...
What happened to the Pig? Are you at an impass?
On March 2, 2009 at 11:53 pm Marta said...
Yeah, I couldn’t decide if those were elephants that looked like Airstreams or Airstreams that looked like elephants, even after I fetched my glasses, and blew the page up. I’m starting to think the connector between my eyes and my brain shuts down at 9pm. I can’t find Funfun, either.
We lived in Anchorage when I was little. The street lights had this blue tone that made falling snow sparkle silver-blue. It was beautiful and very eerie. I think that’s where I started preferring only blue and green lights on the Christmas tree. So pretty and serene, and bump-in-the-night.
On March 3, 2009 at 12:36 am Marta said...
Micki,
Georgette Heyer’s The Grand Sophy is very chess-like. And Bujold’s A Civil Campaign, but that game’s not between the leads.
On March 3, 2009 at 12:45 am Moth said...
So, Mab is no longer angry Kristin Chenowith?
On March 3, 2009 at 1:31 am Cat said...
I always love your collages! I already really like Frankie the raven and love the idea of a dragon so there will be no complaints here. I’m just ready for the book
On March 3, 2009 at 4:01 am colognegrrl said...
Micki,
did you ever come across “The Eight” by Katherine Neville? It might be what you are looking for. Strategy in chess and in life.
On March 3, 2009 at 8:58 am Theresa said...
I love the evil looking teddy bears in the tree! I’m not sure why, but they just make me grin (and shudder maybe a wee bit).
On March 3, 2009 at 9:34 am cindy said...
Readers will adjust. It will be fine.
On March 3, 2009 at 9:49 am Danielle said...
Much agreement with Theresa LOVE the bears in the creepy tree. Very sinister with their black eyes.
On March 3, 2009 at 9:57 am Flamingo Cherry/Shawn Reed said...
Thanks for asking us. I was glad to share my thoughts. Even more, though, I’m looking forward to the Wild Ride. I’ve enjoyed everything you’ve written. You’ve never taken me places I don’t want to go, so no matter how you get there, I’m very much along for the ride. ;=)
On March 3, 2009 at 10:08 am eve said...
I’m sorry but I still feel iffy about it being set up the way it is – no prologue and all, and just the writing style to be OK with non-fans as not a romance.
I mean the concept is so great and the fantasy world so well developed but you know if hollywood tried to make it, the two would end up together.
On March 3, 2009 at 10:49 am Lori J. said...
Your collages are always amazing.
And I have faith that Wild Ride is going to be another great Cruise/Mayer book.
On March 3, 2009 at 11:06 am Susanna Hugo said...
All the airstream/elephant talk is making me think of Tom Robbins Skinny Legs & All – what did the artist turn the airstream into in that book? Anyone remember?
On March 3, 2009 at 11:11 am McB said...
We’ll adjust. I mean, you asked us if we got “couple” vibes from that first chapter, and many of us did. We’ll get over it. And possibly we will change our minds completely with chapter two.
Collage is very very cool. I love the “many interesting and colorful things going on here” vibe.
On March 3, 2009 at 11:32 am Electric Landlady said...
I agree, we’ll adjust. I’m actually quite keen to read a cool adventure novel where the leads don’t end up together! It will make a nice change! Not that I don’t love romance, you understand, but I’m all for a wider array of happy endings for women in fiction. So there. I think it’s going to be awesome.
On March 3, 2009 at 11:57 am robena grant said...
Love the collage. I can’t recall where I read this but some author talked about assigning a color to her book. I took one look at my current collage and realized I’m writing a blue book. There is even the word blue in the title. Funny that I never noticed that before, huh? Even the weather is cool, the heroine is cool (as in needs some warming up) and the hero at first is aloof. Definitely a cool feeling blue book.
Your collage on the other hand has such a neat mix of colors (like one should find in an amusement park) but also has the deepness and the darkness that speaks of hidden threats. And of course dead center is Mab with her mystical stare. I’m so looking forward to this book.
On March 3, 2009 at 1:09 pm GatorPerson said...
Good grief! That’s an elephant? I thought it was the Prince Albert exhibition hall with a spiffy blue sun rising above it.
And Moot is just left of the blue sun, with dragon wings disguising her.
No wonder these collages don’t make sense to me.
On March 3, 2009 at 1:17 pm Lou said...
Is that Bob’s picture in there – slightly left of center???
On March 3, 2009 at 3:08 pm Marta said...
I finally found FunFun. Both of him, I think. One with the juvie mermaid below the word ‘Ride’, and the other to the left of the glass test tube thing center front.
On March 3, 2009 at 4:48 pm DownUnderGal said...
Wow! Speechless. Another work of art!
So, just to clarify, when you say never get together does that include hot sweaty sex? Cos, I’m okay with no HEA but I was kind of hoping for a couple of Crusie/Mayer sex scenes that are always a fantastic read. Like the one in Agnes – man that was great!
I was on a panel at a convention a couple of weekends ago and recommended you Jenny as writing the best sex scenes including “bad sex”.
So, I’m just saying, and sorry to be the uncouth Aussie but Mab and Ethan? Do they do it?
On March 3, 2009 at 6:15 pm Jenny said...
No. Sorry. No sex scenes in the book.
No, I’m not kidding. I wrote one and it was lousy and a couple of the betas said, “Why is this here?” and they were right so I cut it.
Bob’s picture is not in there.
I know, just one disappointment after another.
On March 3, 2009 at 6:23 pm Sheri said...
All I can say is “Disneyland this ain’t”! I never used to read romance–definitely more into mysteries and such. (Think Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.) Then I read a mystery that was also a romance and discovered that there was an entire world of books out there I had never even considered reading before.
So maybe Wild Ride will pull in those readers who prefer mystery and mayhem to romance because what romance there is in the book won’t be the main focus. This is a good thing–it will broaden everyone’s horizons!! See, you are actually doing your readers a favor! And I agree with everyone else–a year seems like such a long time to wait… (sigh)
On March 3, 2009 at 8:14 pm Bob said...
Huh?
On March 3, 2009 at 9:05 pm Micki said...
Marta, I’ll have to re-read The Grand Sophy — I remember that one being really good, but I didn’t pick up on the chess bits.
(-: But ACC being chess-like? Hmmm. More like a rollercoaster, I thought. Mathematically calculated so you didn’t fall out of the car when you hit one of the multiple loop-de-loops, but the rider isn’t going to notice that. I will admit, Miles *tried* to use strategy, but it blew up in his face, and only when he let go of the strategy was he able to “win.”
I’ll look up The Eight, Colognegrrl.
Oh, I think I thought of a strategy based one — Maybe Dangerous Liasons? I only saw the movie, ages ago. And, somehow, anything set in that era of France also brings to mind Mel Brook’s giant chess set scene in the History of the World. (-: So I may be way off on this one.
(-: Sorry for hi-jacking this. I do think it’s really interesting that amusement parks are the setting for so many “weird” (or should that be “wyrd”) stories. *My* memories of amusement parks are usually quite sunny and happy. But as a child, I guess I didn’t really look past the surface to the noir lurking underneath.
(-: And even though I don’t have any RL noir amusement park memories, I am always very accepting of There’s A Dark Side To This Ride stories . . . Big, for example. And I’m pretty sure Ray Bradbury had a travelling carnival in one of his famous stories. (Something Wicked This Way Comes?)
Urgh. My memory cells are not working the right way today.
On March 4, 2009 at 1:33 am DownUnderGal said...
No sex….hmmm.
Nah – it’ll still be great.
On March 4, 2009 at 3:47 am Kira said...
No sex? Then you’d better make sure it doesn’t get filed under Romance! Dark cover, nothing cute.
So, they’re like, a team? Destined to fight evil together? There has to be partnership chemistry between them at least, no?
I’ve been wondering – how does one get to be a beta reader?
BTW, in D&G an Ohio-ism slipped through the editors, something like “needs painted”.
On March 4, 2009 at 9:51 am JulieB said...
Actually, I was just teasing you about the woman with the heart. I figured it was MAB.
I think maybe your subconscience is telling you something about the not-a-romance storyline. I don’t know what though…
And I’m only picking on that because I with I’d come up with the prologue comment.
On March 4, 2009 at 10:13 am Jenny said...
The heart is about Mab’s character arc, Julie. Internal, not external.
And Kira, it didn’t slip through, I put the Ohio-ism back. D&G is set in Southern Ohio, and two of the three women have lived there all their lives. They’d speak in Ohio-isms.
And in other news, lots of romance novels have no sex scenes. If the story doesn’t demand it, then there’s no reason to put one in just because it’s a romance novel. Which this one isn’t.
Hi, Bob.
On March 4, 2009 at 1:56 pm Sara said...
Okay, so if it’s THAT big of a deal (and I still don’t think it ought to be), maybe give her a huge pet peeve, a true one but not something gross, and have him be a regular “insert peeve” commiter. Not something cutely annoying, but something that really would bother one in 100 people in a romantic partner. He bites his fingernails or something.
On March 4, 2009 at 3:20 pm wendy said...
Mmmmmmm. Clive
On March 4, 2009 at 3:27 pm Jenny said...
Nope. Their characters are pretty much set now. He does annoy her, but it’s more because he’s terminally tactless, or as Bob would put it, honest.
I’m just going to have to trust my readers. Fingers crossed.
On March 4, 2009 at 5:49 pm Marta said...
Now, granted, we’re all looking at the reduced-size version, but if that’s not Bob at about 11 o’clock from the ‘s’ in scream, he’d do for a decoy. Jenny, are you sure you weren’t subconsciously thinking dart board when you picked it? In the heat of artistic differences, maybe?
Micki, I meant Miles and Ekaterin are on the same side of the main game in ACC, playing against Richars Vorrutyer.
On March 4, 2009 at 5:58 pm Marta said...
Isn’t Tilda and Davy’s relationship in Faking It very chess like?
On March 4, 2009 at 7:01 pm Jenny said...
I had to go look, Marta. That’s Robin Williams in his Mork years. I had a really good reason for picking Williams, but it’s a spoiler. Yes, I realize you’ll have forgotten whatever I say in a year, but it will still be up here. The internet is forever.
On March 4, 2009 at 8:38 pm JulieB said...
Oh! I see “Bob.”
I just made the connection with the mermaid and remembered the early posts about mermaids, and nuns? Well, maybe I remembered incorrectly, but as you say, it’s all there. I can’t wait to see how everything developed.
Also, I really like the second image in the fortune-telling booth. I can’t wait to see what the cards say!
On March 4, 2009 at 10:10 pm Micki said...
(-: Hmmm. Maybe, Marta, you and I are playing different kinds of chess. Your version sounds a lot more fun! (Esp. if it includes snogging in the closet everytime the white queen makes a move, LOL!) (Ref: Faking It)
Chess has a lot of imagery attached to it (Look at what Lewis Carroll did with it, for example.) So . . . while I’m thinking strategy, surprise moves by the opponent, and a clear-cut victory for whoever wins (unless it’s checkmate, of course, but I HATE checkmate stories), it’s entirely possible that a pawn is just a pawn. Note, one of the pawn is like a king that has been checkmated, and now is fallen . . . .
(-: I’m probably reading too much into the collage. What I *ought* to do is go look at the D&G collages, and then re-read the book, looking for collage references. I’m working in the dark (with my own imagination) with this collage (-:.
Micki
On March 5, 2009 at 8:33 am Kira said...
About the Ohio-ism – I understand what you’re saying, I really do, but until I started reading your blog, I had no idea that people say that, anywhere in the English-speaking world. Unless one knows that, it’s not cute or regional, it’s just not English.
At least this time, I knew enough not think it was a typo.
On March 5, 2009 at 12:16 pm Marta said...
After Jenny identified the Bob-like picture as Robin Williams, I found a more recent pic of RW where his expression is similar to Bob’s website pic and split-framed them side by side. How shall I phrase this . . . Robin, Bob’s your nephew.
On March 7, 2009 at 9:25 am Hoosier Cherry Annie said...
Great collage! The angry bears in a tree… I love and fear them at the same time. (Or are they aliens?)
On March 8, 2009 at 10:52 pm Bridget said...
No, Marta.
Bob’s your uncle.
On March 8, 2009 at 11:06 pm Jenny said...
They’re demon possessed teddy bears.
Of course.