Bobby Pins & Mary Janes / A Novel by Jamie S. Rich

It’s been almost a whole month since this project wrapped....

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:38:02 -0400

It’s been almost a whole month since this project wrapped. I had been meaning to post a round-up of all the chapter links closer to the August 5th anniversary, but last night the above drawing showed up on Megan Levens’ blog, and though she hasn’t said it was a drawing of Parker from the novel, the Garbage quote she uses for a headline makes me suspicious. Regardless, I’ll take it!

And if you’re looking for handy way to download all of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes, look no further:

Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4

Part 5 * Part 6 * Part 7 * Part 8

Part 9 * Part 10 * Part 11

I am currently working on another novel and developing some other things, including a couple of comics projects with Megan, but I still plan to put this book out in some form or other, something complete and separate from this, hopefully with another copyedit.

Can’t wait for that? Then look for It Girl and the Atomics #1 at comic book stores and on Comixology next week, August 8th. My first real foray into superheroes!

Cheers, Jamie

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section XI (Conclusion)

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 03:01:49 -0400

They were starting to get serious about moving in with each other, and the two had even spent a...

I don’t recall how conscious I was of it at the time, but...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:57:28 -0400

I don’t recall how conscious I was of it at the time, but Brandon was definitely influenced by Rock Hudson’s character in Douglas Sirk’s masterful melodrama All That Heaven Allows (1955). Watching this trailer again, I would say Sirk’s sway over the whole of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes would make his ghost a perfect candidate to direct a film version of it.

Christina Aguilera performing “Understand” from the...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:59:47 -0400

Christina Aguilera performing “Understand” from the DVD Back to Basics: Live and Down Under. As noted in the description of Princess Killer in the fourth part of the Valerie Flames script, Christina’s dress was the inspiration for the evening gown costume the Princess wears.

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section X

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:01:59 -0400

VALERIE FLAMES - CHAPTER FOUR PAGE 1 Panel 1 Three dark silhouettes move through the hull of Future...

This drawing by Joëlle Jones was done as a part of a series of...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:59:01 -0400

This drawing by Joëlle Jones was done as a part of a series of 3, a commission for a triptych showing a flapper’s night out, starting with the preparation. When writing, I like to keep the works in progress in three-ring binders with clear front pockets so I can slide in a cover image. This was the image I used for Bobby Pins and Mary Janes. When it came time to describe the card Brandon gave to Parker in section 9, I used this as the foundation, adding the gentlemen to it to make it more romantic sounding. The full set of three was posted on Joëlle’s blog.

Brandon’s report material is real, as well. (a) The cover...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 09:52:21 -0400

Brandon’s report material is real, as well.

(a) The cover to Asaf Hanuka’s comic book adaptation of Etger Keret’s Pizzeria Kamikaze.

(b) Poster for the film version, Wristcutters: A Love Story. I wrote a review of the movie when it came out on DVD. Read it here.

St. Swithin’s Day is a real comic, not just one invented...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:33:00 -0400

St. Swithin’s Day is a real comic, not just one invented for Parker’s report in section 9. The Grant Morrison/Paul Grist one-shot was originally published in England, and the American reprint was one of Oni Press’ earliest releases—so naturally I have some personal connection to it, as well. It’s well worth seeking out.

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section IX

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 03:03:00 -0400

They had met because of a mistake. His. Brandon had not intended to take English 255: “Is There...

For every novel I write, I try to create a couple of rules...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:58:42 -0400

For every novel I write, I try to create a couple of rules before I get started. Usually it’s identifying elements that I fall into a little too easily, things that could maybe get repetitious or start to feel like self-parody. All artists have this. We tend to have certain concerns or interests that sneak into the work even when we don’t mean it. I figure this kind of self-challenging will help me grow as an author.

In the case of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes, one of the things I wanted to do was basically prove I could write a novel without resorting on the shared universe I established in my first four books. From Cut My Hair through to Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, certain threads and characters are woven into all the books, an element that got a surprising amount of focus from readers. I feared that could become a crutch, so I decided to do at least one prose story that stood entirely apart.

For a while, I considered making an exception to the rule by allowing a mention of I Was Someone Dead, my second book, and one that exists within the fictional universe of the other three, to slip into Parker’s fictional universe. Thematically, it fits into an element of this coming Friday’s section. There is a discussion of similarly themed books, and it would have been easy for me to drop I Was Someone Dead into the mix. Again, too easy. Ultimately, I held myself to my original promise.

Anyway, we’re shifting into the final act here. Only three more uploads to go. If you like what you’re reading, check out my other novels, including I Was Someone Dead. My Oni Press author’s page is a good place to start: here.

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section VIII

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:00:45 -0400

VALERIE FLAMES - CHAPTER THREE PAGE 1 Panel 1 Dr. Jagger and Princess Killer sit at one end of a...

The dress Parker wears on her pub crawl with Reggie in section...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:52:01 -0400

The dress Parker wears on her pub crawl with Reggie in section VII was taken from this Scarlett Johansson monologue on SNL.

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section VII

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:55:51 -0400

Only plain Mary Janes would do for a somber morning like that one. One must look as proper as...

Herman’s Hermits - “Dandy”: Yes, this was a...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:57:23 -0400

Herman’s Hermits - “Dandy”: Yes, this was a Kinks song first, but unlike Simon, I do prefer the Peter Noone version.

Like Parker, I am a big fan of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. In...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 09:52:11 -0400

Like Parker, I am a big fan of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. In fact, Joëlle and I already tipped our cap to the film in a way with the cover for our book 12 Reasons Why I Love Her.

FLASHBACK TO MARCH 2008

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 19:50:17 -0400

Looking up something else, I happened to see the blog post I did when I finished Bobby Pins and Mary...

BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES: Section VI

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:03:00 -0400

Parker selected her song and waited for the moans. “Oh, gawd, are you playing the Spice...

A MID-POINT UPDATE FROM THE AUTHOR

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:59:00 -0400

We’re in the home stretch. I think we’re essentially more than halfway through the book....

Fan art from my buddy and collaborator Dan Christensen,...

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:44:48 -0400

Fan art from my buddy and collaborator Dan Christensen, depicting a scene from Integer City that you’ll read all about in this Friday’s installment of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes. Dan and I have a book together at Oni Press that should be out late this year or early 2013. Check out Dan’s website.

This wasn’t actually done for the novel, it comes out of...

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:48:24 -0400

This wasn’t actually done for the novel, it comes out of one of Joëlle Jones’ sketchbooks, I think. My file of it dates back to 2006. Regardless, it was in my head when I was thinking of Ryu and his relationship with Valerie, and it would have been what I would have pointed to as a starting image for Joëlle had she done a design for Varlerie’s crush. [joellejones.com]