Chapter Eight Inspirations and Visuals.

Hey Y’all!

Wow, was Chapter Eight something else or what?

Again, in penning this chapter, I had a great deal of fun in working to continue to establish the growing and maturing relationship between Michael and Vylette.

Specifically, I wanted to start the chapter without any words or dialogue being spoken between the two of them. Instead, I had Michael staring at Vylette. And I want throughout the story, for there to be this unspoken component between this particular couple. Marlon and Lorraine are both more mouthy and talk more, but I wanted Vylette and Michael to be more quiet and so in tune to each other after a point that only a glance will speak volumes.

So, they are in the library, and I really wanted to reflect the casual, sort of preppiness that Michael Jackson has. In doing Michael “at-home” I borrow heavily and extensively from the Thriller era, when Michael seemed to really go for the sweaters and bowties and things.


I did a variant on the cover of the “Rock with You” single, where Michael wore a yellow shirt and sequined tie, instead making it pink. (On this one picture alone, I can squeeze about FIFTY variants out of it, with color and pattern) Just something simple he’d wear for lounging around the house.

In general, unless noted in the chapter, in my mind’s eye, his hair looks like this, at all times:


This IS my favorite Thriller era photograph of Michael Jackson. I like the bigger funkier hair on him--and at some point, I do want it to grow out as time progresses into a more Bad-era length, unheard of for the 1930s, but Michael starts trends, not follows them.

I really did want to explore exactly how Michael feels about Vylette and her looks as opposed to how she sees herself. And that idea was really bred out of the idea of how in real life Michael Jackson viewed himself. He wasn’t so satisfied with his appearance, and really, I wanted to write him as happier with his physical looks because all through life, Michael Jackson really WAS a handsome, sexy man. And I wanted that juxtaposition between real life and the character of Michael I have here.

Truly, I do think Michael would compliment someone outside of himself, before applying the same sentiment to himself.

Michael shows he is a poet and the “poem” recited is a real Jacksons song, “Dreamer” from the Jacksons 1976 self-titled album.

There is mention of a trip out to New Orleans--which will be covered in chapter NINE.

The chapter progresses to the graduation of Vylette and Lorraine. In a poignant scene preceding the ceremony, Kathleen buries the hatchet about the Jacksons, and offers them words of wisdom.

I did a bit of research on how graduations were conducted and really, the robes you see on people graduating now, were only for college graduations in the 1930s.

For high school functions, boys simply wore suits and girls wore white dresses.


This is a picture of an early 30s graduating class.

And I chose this dress for both Vylette and Lorraine.

I did want them in white regardless, because it does kind of show that they are indeed shifting from little girls to women and will advance, soon, with the Jacksons.

In particular with the graduation scene, I wanted, very badly, to show how the battle lines were drawn between the Jacksons, and in particular, Steven Wilkes. Steven is the big fish in the small pond and just cannot handle the Jacksons, Michael Jackson in particular and how its very apparent Vylette has her attention on him.

Also, physically, I wanted there to be that contrast. (See, I’m always thinking as I write.)

Steven looks White and is in a Black suit. The Jacksons are Black and in White seersucker suits.


I know this suit is blue and white striped, but I just used the fabric and the look for the Jacksons. Also I wanted the Jacksons in white, to show that they did go/belong with Vylette and Lorraine. As with thier shirts matching the girls' eye colors.

Steven has words with Vylette twice, once to brag on his new Ford:

(Which is a pile of metal beside the refined Caddy that Marlon drives)

And again to air grievances about the Jacksons. Not to mention a bit of a run in with Marlon, whom showed he didn’t give a hoot in hell about how big Steven thought he was. Him bumping heads with Marlon was not intended to even be written, it just happened as I went along. I liked it, for the drama it provided and left it in. He’s winning no popularity contests with the MJ’s.

Poor Ulrich suffered in silence, as he’s still too much of a yellowbelly to open his mouth.

Once the factions split and the graduation proceeded, Vylette gave her Farewell Address.

(This was the easiest part of the chapter for me, as Public Speaking comes easily to me, and I once aced a speech-writing course in high school.)

And there was the party afterwards. I wanted the Jacksons, as badly as they tried to “fit in” stood out regardless.
 

Adelaide served her fancy cake from red Wedgwood Platters. Famous for being blue, a red variant of these rare, artisan china DO exist. (I’m into art glass, Wedgwood, Lalique, Fenton, and Tiffany to name a few.)


Michael was the only person present with a camera, with a flashbulb, drawing more attention. (Early cameras with the flash had to have the bulb replaced after EACH photo, because it was only good for one flash, because the bulb would literally explode.)

Michael's amethyst pin that was on his lapel.


Sticking out further more, the Jacksons presented not only Vylette and Lorraine, but little Vinnie with gifts.


Vinnie’s doll is something I hunted for, for a few days. I looked up vintage dolls and didn’t like anything I found. I looked for Shirley Temple dolls, but Shirley Temple wouldn’t become popular until three or four years after the setting of my story, by the MID-1930s. (And by then Vinnie would have been 13/14 and too old for dolls.) So, went back to dollmakers I knew of as a child, and ran across Fayzah Spanos. I never owned her dolls, but greatly admired them. And the doll for Vinnie is a Fayzah Spanos doll. I wanted something big, but was still a “baby” doll.

Hence, Minerva.

Michael does want to nurture Vylette’s interest in being an authoress--much like me, wink, wink-- and gave her a lilac, personalized typewriter:


Swear to God, I didn’t think a purple typewriter even existed. But after I saw a red and leopard print one, I took a gamble with Google.

And of course, at the end, Lorraine fainted when she received a signed photograph of Jean Harlow.

The photo is real, the inscription, obviously is not.

And here’s the crystallized sulfur that revived that poor child.

(Sulfur really DOES smell like rotten eggs. I learned this going by sulfur refineries in my car as a kid, when we drove through Louisiana, visiting my cousins.!!!)



So, that wraps up for chapter eight. Chapter NINE is in the works, and will highlight the trip into New Orleans, among OTHER things. Another exciting installment is on the way! And thank you so much for reading!!!