Isn't it gorgeous? Courtesy of Marco Polo Press (and Marco Polo thought he got around) in Taipei, Taiwan, this is the Traditional Chinese version of... well, I don't need to tell you, do I? (Thanks so much to my fabulous editor there, Weijen Wu for emailing this to me.)
Yes, I know. How could it not be gorgeous with your Queen placed so prominently on the cover? Obviously, the Taiwanese are a people of exquisite taste.
Tim has not seen it, yet. On the one hand, he'll be thrilled to add "professional photographer" to his resume: He snapped all those pics of me (and me and Miles), and the burro on our trip. On the other... I'm not sure that posing on a book cover pretending to go to the head in the Headwaters of the Mississippi was quite the notoriety he had in mind. Oh, well. The diptych of disposal (this, plus doing the same in New Orleans where the river ends) was his idea.
So, to complete his humiliation, here's that pic:
Finding that one, I can't resist adding this taken at the same place. What's that about pet owners resembling their pets? What can I say. It was windy that day.
Back to the book cover:
From the left, your Queen riding a trusty steed-like jackalope at Wall Drug, in Wall, SD. Then, the best picture ever taken of me (I'm on the left), snapped at the very moment I whined (I know you're shocked I whine) enough on our Death March... er, Harbor Mountain hike in Sitka, AK for Tim to agree to turn around. I assumed I'd have a regular author picture for the back of the book, but when my editor saw this one, she wanted it. I had to agree: I've never looks so relieved... er, happy. Then, the aforementioned picture of Tim in Itasca, MN, and finally a picture of a burro he took on a solo hike (of course) in Beatty, NV (which I describe as "a one-whorehouse town and it shows.")
In Beatty, I also mentioned that our RV park happened to be conveniently situated just down the road from Angel’s Ladies, housed in a none-too-discreet, pink double-wide, complete with a large letter “A” branded on the hill above. I just dug up this picture of it:
According to the Pahrump Valley Times (which called QUEEN OF THE ROAD "a royal treat" so no snickering), Angel's Ladies, which billed itself as "the friendliest brothel in NV" closed its doors nearly two years ago. Not so sure that what the truckers along Highway 95 were lookin' for was friendliness. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Comments (10)
Oh, man. I love the Chinese "Queen of the Road". That's just awesome.
Posted by Robin Altman | June 2, 2009 9:23 PM
Posted on June 2, 2009 21:23
Thanks, Robin! I'm about to show Tim. We'll see what he thinks. I sure wish I knew how to say QUEEN OF THE ROAD in Chinese.
Posted by Doreen | June 2, 2009 10:01 PM
Posted on June 2, 2009 22:01
where is the pooping moose? he should have made the cover too!
Posted by Annette Baesel | June 5, 2009 9:44 PM
Posted on June 5, 2009 21:44
So true.
Posted by Doreen | June 5, 2009 11:33 PM
Posted on June 5, 2009 23:33
Dear Queen,
I just bought your book in Traditional Chinese version.
You are so charming & adorable~~
I will buy the English version shortly for getting more direct sense of humor of you.
By the way, QUEEN OF THE ROAD could be pronounced as "Gong Lu Nyu Wang" in Chinese.
Posted by Terri Chen | June 19, 2009 12:11 PM
Posted on June 19, 2009 12:11
Thank you, Terri! I very much appreciate it! (Tim, not so much: I've been going around the house repeating, "I'm Gong Lu Nya Wang! I'm Gong Lu Nya Want!" Wonder why he finds that annoying?
BTW - My editor told me what he is saying on the cover is "That's my wife." I thought it might be along the lines of "I am not an idiot."
Posted by Doreen | June 19, 2009 3:32 PM
Posted on June 19, 2009 15:32
Hahaha, you are so cute & funny!
So pleased to see your reply~
Is Tim's picture on the cover showed him pissing?
My friends asked me several times about that (per I take it to the office recently and often laugh weird once I read it in the lunch time)& after our studying hard in your book, we supposed that's he pissed on the source of Mississippi River!
But we still cannot figure out why next to a donkey?
Posted by Terri | June 20, 2009 11:15 AM
Posted on June 20, 2009 11:15
Yes, Tim is "going to the head" (it's an expressing meaning pissing) in the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.
The donkey was actually a wild burro we saw in Nevada - nothing to do with Tim's pissing picture, but now that you mention it, it does look like he's peeing on a rather surprised donkey! Let me assure all my readers that both Tim and I love animals and would never pee on them - unless they pee on us first.
Posted by Doreen | June 20, 2009 1:06 PM
Posted on June 20, 2009 13:06
Finally, I got the English version of "QUEEN OF THE ROAD"......it took 3 weeks......
Do you have plan to hold a book club in Taiwan?
It would be awesome!
Posted by Terri | July 10, 2009 10:46 AM
Posted on July 10, 2009 10:46
Terri,
Oh my! You are now officially the only person to have read QUEEN OF THE ROAD in two languages. (And, likely to be the only one ever, I suspect - unless my father decides to read it in German. We'll see how much he loves me.)
If you'd like signed bookplates for the books, I'll be happy to send them out to you. Just email me your address (doreen@doreenorion.com). We'll see if that takes 3 weeks, too. (And if you know anyone else who has a copy - in either language - and would like one, include their names and I'll send them all together to you.)
Perhaps if the book takes off in Taiwan, the fabulous, wonderful Marco Polo Press might consider a book club? (As long as they don't make me travel the way he did.)
Posted by Doreen | July 10, 2009 2:23 PM
Posted on July 10, 2009 14:23