Today was incredibly uninspiring! Very little happened in my 1,500 words. Abigail tells Isla about her date with Fernando Torres, and when the role of (hot) British teacher on Dawson's Creek: Legacy is suddenly unfilled (because the actor was cast in their dream role in Space Jam: Futbolista), Isla suggests that Theo fill in. Nothing really came of that.
I know I was treading water today. I still haven't really settled on a way forward for any of the characters. Until then, I'm going to write a ridiculous Celebrity Feud Support Group chapter. This is what I wrote at the end of the day, and I think it's a great way to kick things off:
Isla was putting in the final preparations for the Celebrity Feud Support Group retreat. To help James, she had been working on an itinerary of fun Niagara-on-the-Lake activities to be interspersed with intense facilitated talking sessions where the feuding celebrities could work out their issues. She had organized a half day winery tour and an afternoon at the Romance Inn. Isla knew that the celebrities would be particularly excited by the Romance Inn, named after Canadian-American painter Trisha "Trish" Romance. Romance's work commonly features domestic settings, family events, and holiday scenes. Often depicted are “ideal[s] in family life,” reminiscent of artists in the American Scene Painting tradition. In 2010, Romance proposed to create ‘The Romance Inn’ on the grounds of the former Randwood estate in Niagara-On-The-Lake, proposing a 100-room lodging facility and restaurant, as well as a cultural center with studio space available where “guests may explore their creative talents and be inspired by their own creations.” How could the feuding celebrities focus on their feuds, when faced with so many beautiful examples of the ideals of family life? For reasons that had never made sense to Isla, the proposal met with some opposition from local residents, and evenly divided the town council — the proposal only received approval when the hero mayor smartly cast the deciding vote in favour.
This is truly bizarre in the best way. The idea of the feuding celebrities ending up at the Romance Inn is a joy.
ReplyDeleteI hope that, like his character in the fast and the furious franchise, Vin Diesel takes the opportunity to talk about the significance of family, inspired by Trish's gorgeous art, of course.
I am aghast that the town did not embrace the Romance Inn with open arms. What kind of troglodytes do not want guests to explore their creative talents, nor be inspired by their own creations? It’s a travesty.
ReplyDeleteI was laughing out loud throughout the entire post. I am so excited to see what the celebrities make of the Romance Inn... I am also really tickled by the 'intense facilitated talking sessions, where the feuding celebrities can work out their issues.' If only this were real life. I would love to have a job like Isla's!!
ReplyDeleteI recognized Trish Romance's stylings immediately from the picture accompanying your post. I can't even imagine what Vin Diesel would do in such surroundings. One thing I was a little surprised at was that Isla didn't use the opportunity to address the rather problematic aspects of Trish's "ideal" family life, in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality and so on. Lots to unpack there - or perhaps The Rock will allow Isla to see the Romance oeuvre in a new light? Your book is such a treasure, I love it so much.
ReplyDeleteLove this interweaving of Isla and Abigail’s plots, with Theo maybe getting cast in Dawson’s Creek: Legacy! Also the name sounded vaguely familiar, but I didn’t know anything about Trish Romance so thanks for the education! Very interested in seeing some of these feuding celebrities painting out their frustrations and hurts. Keep up the great work KT!
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