Jones St., Chapter 7: Pages 7-8
Page 7, 6 Panels- MadHouse Coffee, W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas NV
Panel 1-2: A two-part set of panels that centers on the same setting and layout as the last panel of the previous page. In Panel 1, he takes a little sip of the latte to clear his throat and settle the nerves (visible in the disappearance of the static in his energy bar). In the next panel, as Tara places the cup back on the table, he places the cup back on the table and starts to speak.
TARA [with great reverence, to Claudia; Panel 2]: Well...I'm a writer to start with. I've been reading books...pretty much since I was able to read as a kid. They remind me of the complexities of...of being human, and of the different emotions humans have (which also help nicely being an Aspie). I especially love books with highly complex and intricate worlds built within them, like a good Arthur C. Clarke or Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronciles or even...even anything from the Marvel milieu. In short, I...I just want to repay all that goodness and love that books have given me over my life, whether it's through something I've written or with giving a really great, thoughtful, amazing book the greatest amount of light that we'd give a Marvel movie.
Panel 3: Back to Claudia in the same setting and layout as Panel 4 of the previous page. As she writes down what Mr. Myers had said earlier, the editor glances up toward Tara's direction for a little more clarification on top of it.
CLAUDIA [pleasant surprise, to Tara]: I've never heard anyone talk about books like that.
Panel 4: Back to Tara in the same setting and layout as the top of the page. He nods slightly at what he thinks is a compliment, placing his hands on the edge of the table as he speaks. You can see the rush of people coming in and out in the background, along with the cars crossing the street outside from the windows.
TARA [appreciative]: Thanks...I think. There's also the basic stuff of extra money and getting a foothold in a profession, even while I write my own stuff.
Panel 5: Back to Claudia in the same setting and layout as Panel 3. She has stopped writing momentarily, looking back up in Tara's direction for the next question; her right hand holding the pen which rests on top of the piece of paper gently without leaving much of a mark.
CLAUDIA: I can understand that. Who's your favorite author?
Panel 6: Back to Tara in the same setting and layout as Panel 4. He chuckles at the question, flashing a slight smile that creaks over the left side of his face as he speaks; his right hand moves back toward the latte cup in prearation for taking another swig.
TARA: That is a wide...and really tough question to answer.
Page 8, 6 Panels- Various Settings/MadHouse Coffee, W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas NV
Panel 1: Cut to a lovely profile shot of H.G. Wells at the height of his powers, behind a light background. You can see various snapshots of scenes and characters emanating from different characters from Wells stories such as The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth, and a Modern Utopia.
TARA [Cont., caption]: There's the steady brilliance of H.G. Wells with his fantastic worlds and still pretty prescient plots and relatable characters that gives my optimism a good jolt when the world tries to slash it in half.
Panel 2-3: We move to a similar looking profile shot in Panel 2 of Stephen King seated at his chair in a menacing manner in front of a red background with shots of different characters from The Stand, Carrie, It, The Shining, and Misery. In Panel 3, the red background goes a little bit darker toward a crimson color once we see a profile shot of Margaret Atwood behind shots of characters from Handmaid's Tale, The MaddAdam Trilogy, and The Robber Bride behind her.
TARA [caption; Panel 2]: There's Stephen King who works whenever you need a shot of the dark or the macabre, even if it's a little too Northeast heavy at times (like with Cell)...
TARA [Cont. caption, Panel 3]: Or Margaret Atwood if I need a reminder that this swirling madness of a dystopia can actually have some type of happy ending, or just a really fascinating mystery. And then of course...
Panel 4: Cut to a shot of Neil Gaiman with the same type of ethereal glow that comes from the god Dream of Sandman fame. Each stream of multi-colored energy stretches out to all points of the panel showcasing the rest of the Endless in their own eerie poses as well as Azrael, Mr. Wednesday and Mad Sweeney.
TARA [Cont. caption]: There's Neil Gaiman, who I am certain can do no wrong. Also, even though he may be daunting to some, to me he is an immensely inspiring read regardless of story and every bit as energizing to my creativity as Mr. Wells is.
Panel 5: Cut to a profile shot of Charlaine Harris on a purple background with streams of blood moving throughout the setting. Above her to the left of the panel view, you can see different characters like Bill and Sookie Stackhouse and Lafayette as well as Arlene, Eric Northman, and Queen Sophie-Anne among others from the series.
TARA [Cont. caption]: Oh, and I really like Charlaine Harris. It's easy to dismiss her stuff as pulpy and bizarre and schmaltzy, but I really loved the sneaky real-life intracacies she weaves into what is basically a love triangle with a psychic, a mayonnaise vampire, a suave vampire, and a dull vampire. There's also something comforting about a story where the weirdo is the object of attraction.
Panel 6: We move back to the real world with Tara seated in the same position that we left him in at the end of the previous page. At this point, you can see the young man just beginning to reach the very peak of his energy and excitement toward the excitement. Even his energy has ticked up a handful of points compared to what happened in Page 7.