Friday, April 29, 2011

Another speaking engagement and mini-vans are cool!

My daughter, Kelly, is driving Lisa and me in her silver mini-van to Los Angeles to the LA TIMES Festival of Books where Lisa is speaking on a panel.  Kelly gets a lot of grief for that vehicle by those who do not understand the mini-van's cosmic power.  I decided to incorporate a scene into one of my books that depicted the mini-van in a positive light. 
It was one of those planned southern California residential areas that blew in during the late 70's as if by the Santa Ana winds, rife with cul-de-sacs, stucco-siding, community pools and 2.5 children.  He told himself he didn't want any of it.  He was looking for something more.  Even when he first saw her standing beside the silver mini-van with its vanity plate that read: LVNTHEDRM he still didn't get it.  She pulled out the remote and touched the button with a lacquered nail and with a soft whirrr the side door slid back seamlessly.  He could smell stale apple juice and the remnants of a Happy Meal and saw two carseats with cup holders and a safety rating that was off the charts.  He looked at her through dazed eyes as she stood with her arms crossed, leaned against the van and dashed his burgeoning vision in one fell swoop by stating coolly, "It's the Lexus we put on Craig's List.  The mini-van's not for sale."



Okay, it needs some work, but you get the drift.  Anyway, we're on our way as soon as Kelly undrapes herself from her car and gets behind the wheel.  Lisa's panel is at one p.m. tomorrow and its title is: Mystery, A Question of Character.  Come by and see her if you're in the area.

No comments:

Post a Comment