how much Jonas argued with his parents, he could never change their minds.
As Jonas approached the front of the school he snapped his skateboard's tail, sending the nose of the board into his hand. Hollywood High was altogether different from any school Jonas had ever seen. In fact, the whole city of Hollywood seemed surreal, imaginary, like it was straight out of a dream or movie. The marble streets had glitzy stars imprinted on them and were lined with expensive fashion boutiques and fine specialty stores. Sleek sports cars and luxury automobiles could be seen cruising down every street, their drivers decked out in the finest clothes, looking the millions of dollars they almost certainly had in their bank accounts.
It was no secret that the houses in Hollywood were owned by some of the entertainers in the world. Huge mansions and massive villas with gates, guards, cars, and pools, seemed to be all around. As Jonas skated down the streets, he couldn't help but guess at who owned such magnificent homes. Some of them actually looked like castles. Then, Jonas had a horrifying thought, if the city of Hollywood was surreal, what would the school be like?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
page 11
about all the skate videos that were filmed in Hollywood and about all the skate spots that made California famous. Even with all the latest celebrity gossip that infiltrated the airways, Jonas stayed naive. Instead, he studied skate magazines and videos hoping to learn new tricks.
Growing up in a place where it snows is torture to any skater's soul. The cold forced Jonas and his friends indoors, into parking garages and warehouses, just so they could find some concrete that wasn't covered in a blanket of snow and ice. It didn't matter how many times security guards kicked them out, or how many exhaust fumes they inhaled, so long as they could skate. They had always made jokes about all the wimps in California who could skate all winter and never knew what it was like to endure the cold. Now Jonas was one of the wimps. The idea of not seeing snow in the winter was unimaginable.
Before living in Boston, Jonas had spent most of his life living on the east side of Manhattan. His dad worked as a freelance writer who made his income writing articles for various magazines and publishing companies, in hopes of one day writing screenplays and scripts for television or movies. He had spent the last ten years sending resumes and writing samples to different companies in California and had finally received an offer. His mom was an interior decorator, who had the luxury of taking her business with her wherever she went. She had always been supportive of her husband's dream to write, and willingly moved around the country with him and her son. Each move, from Manhattan to Boston, and now Boston to California, seemed inevitable. And it didn't matter
Growing up in a place where it snows is torture to any skater's soul. The cold forced Jonas and his friends indoors, into parking garages and warehouses, just so they could find some concrete that wasn't covered in a blanket of snow and ice. It didn't matter how many times security guards kicked them out, or how many exhaust fumes they inhaled, so long as they could skate. They had always made jokes about all the wimps in California who could skate all winter and never knew what it was like to endure the cold. Now Jonas was one of the wimps. The idea of not seeing snow in the winter was unimaginable.
Before living in Boston, Jonas had spent most of his life living on the east side of Manhattan. His dad worked as a freelance writer who made his income writing articles for various magazines and publishing companies, in hopes of one day writing screenplays and scripts for television or movies. He had spent the last ten years sending resumes and writing samples to different companies in California and had finally received an offer. His mom was an interior decorator, who had the luxury of taking her business with her wherever she went. She had always been supportive of her husband's dream to write, and willingly moved around the country with him and her son. Each move, from Manhattan to Boston, and now Boston to California, seemed inevitable. And it didn't matter
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Page 10
could easily be turned into obstacles. Simple things like benches, parking barricades, curbs, uneven sidewalks, and sets of stairs, provided skaters around the world with endless hours of freedom and fun. Jonas'eyes were open the entire way to school. They were always open whether he was on or off his board. He was always looking, ready to discover a new skate spot. And the possibilities in a city made of concrete and steel were endless. He popped a 50-50 grind on the bench and rode away clean.
The skate spots in Boston were not even close to as good as those in California. In Boston, skaters created their own skate spots. Jonas' friend Brent often took a bag of cement from his dad's construction company and went out on Friday nights to cement over cracks at possible skate spots. The running joke was that in other cities skateboarders destroyed the ground or curbs, but in Boston, the skateboarders made them better than before.
Jonas' friends back in Boston envied him for moving from the sometimes-snowy streets of Boston to the always-sunny streets of California. Even his teachers sounded envious when he told them he was leaving. In fact, pretty much everyone he talked with sounded envious. He knew most people's envy was caused by the thought of movie stars and warm weather. But amongst his friends, he knew they were jealous of the possibility of skateboarding year round.
For most kids moving to California, and Hollywood in particular, the thought of famous celebrities and the movie industry made the place famous. However, skateboarders like Jonas bypassed all the movie stars and celebrities, and instead only thought
The skate spots in Boston were not even close to as good as those in California. In Boston, skaters created their own skate spots. Jonas' friend Brent often took a bag of cement from his dad's construction company and went out on Friday nights to cement over cracks at possible skate spots. The running joke was that in other cities skateboarders destroyed the ground or curbs, but in Boston, the skateboarders made them better than before.
Jonas' friends back in Boston envied him for moving from the sometimes-snowy streets of Boston to the always-sunny streets of California. Even his teachers sounded envious when he told them he was leaving. In fact, pretty much everyone he talked with sounded envious. He knew most people's envy was caused by the thought of movie stars and warm weather. But amongst his friends, he knew they were jealous of the possibility of skateboarding year round.
For most kids moving to California, and Hollywood in particular, the thought of famous celebrities and the movie industry made the place famous. However, skateboarders like Jonas bypassed all the movie stars and celebrities, and instead only thought
Monday, November 3, 2008
Page 9
The moving trucks had just finished dropping off his family's stuff two days before from Boston and he had been dreading the first day of school for the past month. School was bad enough, but a new school was ten times worse...make that a hundred times worse!
The sidewalk in front of him began to slope downwards, and soon Jonas was bombing down a hill at a breakneck speed. It felt like he was surfing as he rolled out into the middle of the street, bending his knees deeply, carving up the pavement, weaving back and forth in wide arcs. Every now and then he quickly slid out his back wheels to check his speed. The last thing Jonas wanted was to get speed-wobbles, bail off his board and crack his head open on the unforgiving concrete. The speed was just enough to make him nervous.
Jonas was sick of moving around, especially during high school. He had already moved from New York to Boston, and now he had been forced to leave his friends once again. After all of this moving, he could sum his feelings in two words: it sucked. Saying good-bye to his friends back in Boston sucked. Feeling like a loner at a school because he was new and didn't fit into the social system sucked. Jonas had experienced the same feeling many times, too many times in his opinion. Frequently, he told his mom and dad that changing schools sucked, but they didn't seem to understand what he was trying to say. The only people who understood were those who had gone through the same experiences he had at fitting in at school, especially high school.
As he approached a bus stop along his way to school, Jonas caught a glimpse of a steel bench. He loved how everyday objects
The sidewalk in front of him began to slope downwards, and soon Jonas was bombing down a hill at a breakneck speed. It felt like he was surfing as he rolled out into the middle of the street, bending his knees deeply, carving up the pavement, weaving back and forth in wide arcs. Every now and then he quickly slid out his back wheels to check his speed. The last thing Jonas wanted was to get speed-wobbles, bail off his board and crack his head open on the unforgiving concrete. The speed was just enough to make him nervous.
Jonas was sick of moving around, especially during high school. He had already moved from New York to Boston, and now he had been forced to leave his friends once again. After all of this moving, he could sum his feelings in two words: it sucked. Saying good-bye to his friends back in Boston sucked. Feeling like a loner at a school because he was new and didn't fit into the social system sucked. Jonas had experienced the same feeling many times, too many times in his opinion. Frequently, he told his mom and dad that changing schools sucked, but they didn't seem to understand what he was trying to say. The only people who understood were those who had gone through the same experiences he had at fitting in at school, especially high school.
As he approached a bus stop along his way to school, Jonas caught a glimpse of a steel bench. He loved how everyday objects
Page 8
Click, click, click went the wheels on Jonas Stalk's skateboard as he rode over the lines in the whitewashed sidewalk. It was a balmy 97-degrees outside as the Californian sun beamed down, 87 in the shade. Jonas effortlessly popped an ollie over a puddle in the middle of his path As the tail of his skateboard snapped down and he took to the air, he briefly caught sight of his reflection in the glistening puddle below. His slender 5'7" frame was distorted by the ripples in the water, making him look like a painting. But he could still see the wavy black hair he always tucked behind his ears. Jonas was skinny, and certainly not to be confused with someone who played football. He had never really been into team sports. Jonas' unusually blue eyes and deeply tanned skin gleamed in the sun as his wheels touched down on the concrete with a thud and he continued on his way.
Jonas thought about skateboarding day and night. When he wasn't skateboarding he pretended his fingers were imaginary legs on an invisible skateboard. He grinded his binder, jeans, or anything he could turn into an obstacle. And When he wasn't doing that, he was daydreaming about about new tricks or new spots he could try the next time he skated. In fact, his parents often joked that Jonas had been born with a skateboard in his hand. This morning, however, he wasn't thinking much about his favorite sport. Instead, he focused on the dreaded task at hand: walking through the doors of his new high school.
It was Jonas' first day of school and he wasn't overly thrilled to begin his new life at Hollywood High as a sophomore.
Jonas thought about skateboarding day and night. When he wasn't skateboarding he pretended his fingers were imaginary legs on an invisible skateboard. He grinded his binder, jeans, or anything he could turn into an obstacle. And When he wasn't doing that, he was daydreaming about about new tricks or new spots he could try the next time he skated. In fact, his parents often joked that Jonas had been born with a skateboard in his hand. This morning, however, he wasn't thinking much about his favorite sport. Instead, he focused on the dreaded task at hand: walking through the doors of his new high school.
It was Jonas' first day of school and he wasn't overly thrilled to begin his new life at Hollywood High as a sophomore.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Introduction
I have another blog called Gone Skateboarding. Anyways, I wrote four instructional books and then I was thinking, "man with all the skateboarders in the world which is close to 20 million, there are no skateboard fiction books." No there is one but it's by some 40 year old dude named Nick Hornby who has never skated in his life.
Anyways that got me to think that I should write a fiction book about a character who skateboards. I thought how I would use skateboard terminology and actual real trick names and locations. Publishers rejected me but finally I got that beast printed and now it's available in stores everywhere. This website is dedicated to promoting it, you can read excerpts and I am going to post the first three chapters on it one day at a time for you to read. Tell your friends about it and go buy the book. Just think that when your language arts teacher tells you to take out your book for silent reading, you can take one out that isn't written about some girl from Manhatten and how she wants to date the boy who is chauffeured in a limo to school. Read a skate book.
Anyways that got me to think that I should write a fiction book about a character who skateboards. I thought how I would use skateboard terminology and actual real trick names and locations. Publishers rejected me but finally I got that beast printed and now it's available in stores everywhere. This website is dedicated to promoting it, you can read excerpts and I am going to post the first three chapters on it one day at a time for you to read. Tell your friends about it and go buy the book. Just think that when your language arts teacher tells you to take out your book for silent reading, you can take one out that isn't written about some girl from Manhatten and how she wants to date the boy who is chauffeured in a limo to school. Read a skate book.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
