Liz Pierce

I’ve been trolling the web (pun intended) to see if I could find a picture of a troll that came vaguely close to the way I see Masaman. In my mind, he’s not some oogly-boogly ugly creature that goes “growl” in the night, but is incapable of saying anything else. Likewise, he’s not a soft, squishy cartoon character with skin colored in primary colors. Even the fabulous Freemont Troll on the cover of the novel isn’t really how I see Masaman.

The trolls in the world of Just Another Day in Suburbia are reasonably realistic-looking guys. They’re big dudes, who wear heavy boots and durable clothing. Think of the biggest, baddest biker dude you can imagine, and then make him even bigger. He might have an attitude, or he might be a really nice guy – he just happens to live under a bridge. Or, in Masaman’s case, on Oak Tree Lane.

Anyway, as you can see, I finally did find a troll that is as close to my idea of what a troll looks like as I can imagine – if you’ve played the role-playing game Shadowrun, you’re already familiar with the world this big guy comes from (of course, my trolls don’t usually carry heavy weaponry… )

So there you are … that’s my idea of a troll!

Seattle’s “Freemont Troll” sculpture – which appeared on the original cover of Just Another Day in Suburbia, was recently in the news. It seems that vandals decided the enormous sculpture needed a bit of makeup.

Fortunately, the damage was superficial, and easily repaired.

Thanks to my Seattle friends for pointing out both the news item and the quick cleanup! I’m quite sure that Masaman, Rasta, and all the other trolls inspired by the Freemont sculpture are feeling quite relieved!