Hey readers, I have a special treat for you today. One of Laura’s clients has agreed to chat a bit with y’all. Jess Granger writes sexy futuristics. Give her a warm welcome!
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Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for inviting me to blog today, Ann. I’m thrilled to be here.
I love Disneyland. I don’t know what it is about that place that gets to me so much, but I love it. As a writer, I think a lot about the power of imagination, and Disney had it in spades. Tomorrowland was my favorite place as a child. I remember stepping off the monorail. The sunlight would beat down on the crisp white lines of the buildings and glint of the metal sculptures and railings. I would ride down the escalator without any stairs, fascinated by the strangeness of it, and feeling like I really was in the future. Then I’d run straight for Space Mountain with Dad while Mom took my little brother on the People Mover. I remember feeling like I was on a real spaceship as I inched along the futuristic halls of Space Mountain. The endless pattern of blue rubber circles under my feet always felt spongy and strange. And when I reached that spot in line where you could peek into the dark shadows of the ride and hear the rush of the coaster, my heart would pound out of my ears.
But then I grew up. I remember going to Disneyland as a teenager and young adult. Suddenly I could see Tomorrowland with new eyes, and it made me sad. The white buildings always looked faded somehow, bleak and hot. The rounded curves of the buildings didn’t seem like a vision of the future, so much as a trip back to a 50’s cartoon. I still ran for Space Mountain, but the circles under my feet seemed tired somehow, and silly. Would spaceships really have rubber floors? Disney’s vision of the future turned into a time capsule. It became a letter written about dreams of the future opened decades later to find those dreams vastly different from reality.
I was thrilled when Tomorrowland received a makeover. Ironically what saved Tomorrowland was not a look to the future, but a vision of the past.
When I go to Tomorrowland now, the buildings have been decorated with fun Martian looking rock formations. The clean lines of the buildings are broken up with retro aesthetic features taken straight from the covers of classic science-fiction novels. Tiny children spin an enormous rock sphere in a water fountain near the entrance to my beloved Space Mountain. I feel like a kid in the middle of a fantastic space adventure novel . Instead of taking the future seriously, Disneyland did what Disney did best, they immersed Tomorrowland in the fantasy of classic Science Fiction.
Science Fiction takes the great hopes, fears and dreams of the human spirit, but instead of using magic or legend to express them, it uses our own potential. Science Fiction asks us, what is possible? What are the limits of our own innovation? What is out there? And what will it teach us?
Tomorrowland makes me dream again, just like I did when I was a girl. I think Disney would be proud.
Jess Granger is a debut author for Berkley Sensation. Her novel, Beyond the Rain will be in bookstores August ’09. Visit www.jessgranger.com for news about her upcoming release, and check out The Butterfly Blog at http://jessgranger.blogspot.com.
Editor’s note: They’re making a movie out of this, starring Johnny Depp. Can lightning strike twice like it did with Pirates?
:)
I love Disney as well. In fact, my wife and I were married in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. You’ve totally captured what I love about the place here.
by Joe Iriarte October 1st, 2008 at 2:31 amHey, thanks Joe.
I bet your wedding was gorgeous, and fun! I just recently went to Disney World. It was a blast. And the people mover is still the people mover at Disney World. I got a little nostalgic riding on it with my little boy.
Jess
by Jess Granger October 1st, 2008 at 7:44 amMan Ann, you have to go back! Go in October, the weather is perfect, there are less people around, and there are only a couple of hurricanes around.
You’ll still need the sun screen though. :)
Jess
by Jess Granger October 1st, 2008 at 11:05 am“Go in October, . . . “
The Epcot Food and Wine Festival, where they have about forty booths offering (i.e., selling) samples of foods and wines from different countries (not just the ones around the lake), is in October.
And you have friends in Central Florida who owe you a favor.
Just sayin’ . . .
by Joe Iriarte October 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pmJess,
You’ve captured and shared the magic of Disney so beautifully in your post. I, too, visited Disney as a child and then again as an adult. And then AGAIN with my own child. It’s amazing how it never fails to stir the imagination no matter how often one goes and no matter how ‘mature’ one grows.
~Debbie
by Debora Dale October 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 amI have never been to Disneyland
but, living in central Florida, I’ve been to WDW many many times. EPCOT is an amazing amazing place.
Walt Disney surely had many flaws, but boy, could he dream–and make his dreams a reality to be shared by millions of other dreamers!
by azteclady October 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 amAh Jess - you’re bringing me back. I love Disneyland, and Space Mountain in particular.
And people, I’ve also gotten a sneak peek at Jess’s new book, Beyond the Rain. Talk about an amazing sci fi romance. This book is going to do very, very well.
by Angie Fox October 2nd, 2008 at 2:03 pmThanks so much, Angie.
You know the coolest thing I noticed when they did the makeover of Tomorrowland? All of the decorative plants in the planters and gardens in Tomorrowland were food crops.
It blew my mind. I thought that was awesome, and I never knew chili peppers were so pretty.
Jess
by Jess Granger October 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pmI loved Epcot, but it broke my feet!
Seriously, I have iffy arches, and by my last day at Disneyworld, I couldn’t walk. I had both feet wrapped up in ace bandages, and I was hobbling along Epcot like an old woman. Actually, I think several of the older women around put me to shame.
So I plopped my poor broken self down in “Germany” and enjoyed a beverage while I waited for the fireworks.
Epcot’s technology displays are really fun. I wish I’d had more time to explore them last time I was there.
Jess
by Jess Granger October 2nd, 2008 at 3:08 pmHi Jess! Congratulations with your book deal with Berkely! I love sci fi romance, so I’ll definitely be looking for Beyond the Rain in 2009!
I’m more of a National Park kind of girl than an Amusement Park kind of girl, but it sounds like there’s a lot more to do in Orlando, FL than just rides, so maybe we’ll get there someday. But only if I’m promised a trip to the Everglades, too! Anyway, I love how Tomorrowland is a source of inspiration or reflection for you and your interest in sci fi fiction. Pretty neat!
by Christine October 3rd, 2008 at 10:26 amVery evocative post, Jess! I’ve never physically been to either Disneyland, but I think you just took me there in spirit.
Congratulations on your book, and many happy sales!
by Heather October 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 pmI love National parks too! I should blog about Zion national park in Southern Utah sometime. Ever been there?
I have yet to get down to the Everglades, but that is on my list of things to do in this lifetime. I like swamps. They’re pretty.
And thanks Heather for your cheers and support.
by Jess Granger October 3rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm*blink*
Christine, did you just call Disney an amusement park?! Oh no you di-n’t!
;)
by Joe Iriarte October 3rd, 2008 at 10:48 pm