Several years ago, Jennifer Crusie wrote a collection of interconnected short stories for her MFA. The characters in the collection eventually formed the basis for Crusie's full-length novel Crazy For You, and while one of the short stories used to be available on her website (and was awesome), it was eventually taken down. Happily, the entire collection is now going to be released as an ebook, due out before the end of the year.
The fine people at St. Martin's Griffin continue to trot out reprints of Jennifer Crusie's earlier work. Their latest offerings are freshly re-covered editions of 2001's Fast Women and 2002's Faking It—both of which make for awesome summer reading, although I have some concerns about their updated packaging.
Fast Women is one of my all-time favorite romance novels, not least because it boasts two of the most entertaining "wronged woman seeks vengeance" scenes ever. (One involves an implied lesbian fling; the other involves the wanton destruction of fourteen "Best Ohio Insurance Agent" awards. Both are delightful.) It's the story of Nell Dystart, a 42-year-old woman who has recently lost her job, her marriage, and her self-confidence. Nell has spent the past year sleep-walking through life, but when she's hired as the receptionist for a straight-out-of-film-noir private investigator's office, things take a turn for the better... or at least the more exciting.
Faking It features several of the characters from Crusie's Welcome to Temptation. There's Davy Dempsey, a former con man, and Clea Lewis, a professional trophy wife whose husbands tend to die young. Davy is trying to go legit, but that's before he meets Tilda Goodnight, a painter with a long list of buried (well, stored in the basement, actually) secrets. Tilda and Davy have no reason to trust each other, but they join forces regardless, determined to right a very long, very strange, and very funny list of wrongs.
These titles will probably be labeled as romances, although the strong mystery storyline in Fast Women expands its potential audience beyond romance readers. Faking It is more overtly romantic, but it has plenty of crossover appeal as well—in addition to the numerous criminals featured in the story, there's forged artwork, a family history of fraud, and at least one potential hit man. Both books are perfect escapist reading: as wickedly amusing as they are smart and sexy.
However, while I am totally in favor of keeping Crusie's books on store shelves, I am less enthusiastic about the cover art featured on these particular editions. As standalone images, the covers are eye-catching and fun, but they don't really fit the books. The vintage car featured in Fast Women is a 1977 Porsche Carrera, not a... whatever that car is, and the furniture in Faking It is hand-painted wood, not a purple armchair that looks suspiciously like the one from Blue's Clues. If the cover artist* wanted to include plot elements from the books, she might have been better to go for something generic (like a typewriter for Fast Women, or an empty frame for Faking It), rather than aiming for details and getting 'em wrong.
*Mollie Smith, whom I believe is Cruise's daughter. Although I'd like to note that Crusie was clearly involved in the cover art decisions, and I have to give Ms. Smith full props for her "Nuts" Crazy For You cover, which I so wish the publisher had used.
So I decided to swing by and check out the "Upcoming Books" page for Jennifer Crusie (author of our current Featured Book, the excellent Maybe This Time). And while it's possible some of the books on her list won't appear for years, there are several Crusie titles worth getting excited about in the near future, including Trust Me On This, a re-issue of one of her early series romances, and four(!) books in an upcoming mystery series about a ghost writer with the improbable name of Liz Danger. I'm unclear on how the Liz Danger books will work, but seeing as two of them are being released next summer, I don't think we should expect full-length, standalone novels. However, as long as they don't charge me full-length, standalone novel prices, I totally don't care.
At long last, the cover art is out for Jennifer Crusie's first solo novel in years, a Turn of the Screw-inspired book called Maybe This Time. Behold:
I'm not a huge fan of that font, but I like overall look--I think it does a good job of saying both "ghost story" and "romantic comedy", which isn't the most obvious combo.
Tell Me Lies and Crazy For You, by Jennifer Crusie
Even on her warmest, fuzziest day, Jennifer Crusie doesn't go for the hearts-and-flowers approach to romance writing. Her books are funny and sharp-tongued and sexy, and even her sweetest titles—which the recently re-released Tell Me Lies and Crazy For You are not—generally focus as much on self-respect as they do on falling in love.
Tell Me Lies was originally released in 1998, and gave readers their first glimpse of Crusie's now-signature blend of romance, mystery, and screwball humor. Her heroine is Maddie Faraday, a teacher, mother, wife, and lifelong resident of Frog Point, Ohio, a tiny town where everybody knows everybody else... or thinks they do. Maddie can't imagine living anywhere else, but when she finds a stranger's underwear in her husband's car and the guy she lost her virginity to twenty years ago turns up on her doorstep, kicking her old life to the curb starts sounding pretty good.
1999's Crazy For You is the story of Quinn McKenzie, an easy-going art teacher stuck in a boring-as-dirt relationship with the local high school's baseball coach. Quinn has spent her whole life trying to make other people happy, but when she decides to adopt a stray dog despite her boyfriend's objections, her formerly quiet existence is hit with a whirlwind of dog-napping, stalking, and some seriously hot vibes coming from a unexpected source.
We're never thrilled when paperback re-releases cost $14.99, but at least readers are getting their money's worth with these titles. Crazy For You and Tell Me Lies are suspenseful, steamy, and laugh-out-loud funny, and their punchy new covers are a great match for Crusie's style. These books are a hair closer to Crusie's earlier, less polished series romances than her recent batch of standalone novels (a run that began with 2000's Welcome to Temptation and includes Fast Women, Faking It, and the jaw-droppingly awesome Bet Me), but her early work was nothing to sneer at*. Crazy For You and Tell Me Lies are beach reads with good hearts and sharp teeth—pick 'em up the next time you're in a mood for romance with some bite to it.
*With the possible exception of her long-out-of-print novel Sizzle, which Crusie has repeatedly assured fans is terrible. I, sadly, have never read it, and I see Crusie has removed it from her webpage, which I suspect means dark things for its reprinting prospects.
Wild Ride is the most successful of the Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer collaborations to date: fast, fun, and deliciously weird. Admittedly, we still prefer Crusie's solo work, but how could anyone hate on a book that features a murderous troop of demon-infested It's A Small World-style mannequins?
As with their previous collaborations, Wild Ride is told from two perspectives—one from each author. Crusie's heroine is Mary Alice ("Mab") Brannigan, an antisocial, workaholic painter who specializes in restoring carnival art. Mayer's contribution is Ethan Wayne, a former Green Beret with a too-dangerous-to-remove bullet inching ever closer to his heart. Mab just wants to do her work in peace, and Ethan just wants to drink himself into a stupor, but when they discover the faded Ohio amusement park they're both working on is actually a holding tank for five powerful demons, their personal problems have to take a back seat to the monsters roaming the park.
Wild Ride is closer to Crusie's style than Mayer's, although it has fewer romantic elements than straight comedy ones. (In an unusual move, Mab and Ethan are not romantic partners, and hardly interact in the first half of the novel.) Mab's storyline—which includes, but is not limited to, possessed clown statues, half-demon babies, several crazy mothers, and considerable personal growth—is so gleefully over-the-top that Ethan's pales in comparison. His early sections dragged, and his love interest was a total snooze (at least until she acquired a possessed stuffed animal), but by the second half of the novel I was almost as invested in his storyline as I was in Mab's... but not quite.
However, both storylines are really just window dressing for the true joy of this novel: its setting. We have no idea why there aren't more novels set in amusement parks, but there definitely should be. Mayer and Crusie invoke all of the color, noise, and inherent creepiness of these classic pieces of Americana, and it makes their already-enjoyable romantic comedy infinitely more memorable.
And when you add in those creepy Small World dolls? That's pure gold, people. Pure gold.
St. Martin's Press is currently running a week-long giveaway of 35 bound-manuscript copies of Jennifer Crusie's upcoming solo novel Maybe This Time. They're looking for reader quotes to tempt booksellers to carry the books in their stores. (Apparently, romance novels inspired by Henry James novellas aren't automatic best sellers. Who knew?)
I'd post the rules, but they seem to be... well, flexible. (Read: stuff keeps crashing.) Anyhow, check out Crusie's site for the latest info, and good luck!
I've always been curious about Jennifer Crusie's long-out-of-print early novel The Cinderella Deal, and it's finally being reprinted (with, sadly, a luridly pink-orange cover). Crusie has said this was her first romance novel that wasn't "cold", so I'm looking forward to seeing what she means—even if she claims there are moments in the book that are "downright weepers", something I usually avoid like the plague. Here's the author's description:
Daisy Flattery is an incorrigible free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story and a bit of adventure. Why else would she agree to the outrageous deal offered by her button-down, workaholic neighbor Linc Blaise? The history professor is desperately in need of a fiancée to capture a dream job at a local college—and Daisy is up for the challenge. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that breaks all the rules and changes the game. Falling in love was never part of the bargain. Their little charade has taken in everyone—including themselves. Now with the proverbial midnight hour approaching will the fairytale finally be over or will opposites not just attract but live happily ever after?
Sounds cute, right? So where do the weepy bits come in, I wonder? Does the dog die? Because I don't care how much I like Crusie's stuff: I am not signing off on the romance novel equivalent of Old Yeller.
...to come up with a new title for her paranormal work-in-progress. The book has been tentatively titled Always Kiss Me Goodnight for some time, which Crusie chose because the phrase has always given her the heebie-jeebies, but now her publisher is concerned that it doesn't do a good job of communicating a creepy vibe.
My first and only exposure to this phrase has been via Jennifer Crusie's book, so I had no idea it was the kind of cutesy statement people sold on wall decals at Target. It's always struck me as cold shiver-inducing, and I really like it as a title. But if you're more creative when it comes to titles than I am (and it's not hard to be, trust me), drop Ms. Crusie a line with your suggestion.
Wordcandy favorite Jennifer Crusie has changed her website, going for a vaguely circus-inspired, vintage-y vibe (rather like a less-scantily-clad Britney Spears, actually), and I think it looks pretty great. Also note that you can read the first chapter of her various standalone titles on this version of the site, including several books that are years out of print.
Cover's out for the upcoming Jennifer Crusie collaboration:
Eh. I'm not feeling the Charlie's Angels vibe of those silhouettes, but I suppose it could be worse. Anyway, Amazon has posted a release date of February 9, 2009. Doesn't that seem like a long time out, particularly seeing as the book is fully written, edited, and has a cover?
Last month Yulianka noted some signs of life from Jennifer Cruise, including the first chapter of her next collaborative novel, Dogs and Goddesses.
"Once upon a time, three writers decided to do a novel about three ordinary women who meet at a dog obedience class and discover they’re descended from ancient Mesopotamian priestesses and are, in fact, the embodiment of Lust, Chaos, and Ecstasy. Oh, and their ancestors served the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of Life, Kammani Gula, whose sacred animal was the dog. And she’s just risen to save the world. In southern Ohio."
The group posted the second chapter on their blog shortly thereafter, and there are rumors of a third "soon". Unfortunately, there is still no mention of a release date for this book... but, based on the preview chapters, it should be an entertaining read!
I am a wee bit late to this, but Jenny Crusie recently posted* the first chapter of Dogs and Goddesses, her upcoming collaboration with Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich, and I am happy to inform you that it is super-cute.
*And by "recently posted" I mean "posted at the beginning of last month". Sorry!
Contrary to what you might be thinking, we actually do have a reason to be posting this They Might Be Giants video--it's the theme song for the upcoming Jennifer Crusie collaboration Dogs and Goddesses.
Like The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Dogs and Goddesses will be co-written by three authors: Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich. (And no, Stuart and Crusie didn't kick previous co-writer Eileen Stuart to the curb; she just had other commitments.) Here's the book's description from their blog:
"Once upon a time, three writers decided to do a novel about three ordinary women who meet at a dog obedience class and discover they’re descended from ancient Mesopotamian priestesses and are, in fact, the embodiment of Lust, Chaos, and Ecstasy. Oh, and their ancestors served the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of Life, Kammani Gula, whose sacred animal was the dog. And she’s just risen to save the world. In southern Ohio."
They're moving right along on this one--the first draft is already written, revised, and in the hands of their betas. I'd heave a sigh over the news that Crusie is writing another collaborative novel, instead of focusing on her infinitely superior solo work, but that just seems to encourage her, so I'm going to resist. You hear me, Crusie? I give up.
I'm normally a little irritated when a paperback author re-releases previously-inexpensive older material in new, pricier editions. (See: Meg Cabot, whose The Boy Next Door was previously available for FREE on her website, and Nora Roberts, who's re-released a zillion of her old standalone titles in new hardcover editions.) Still, I can forgive a lot when the author in question is Jennifer Crusie, and even more when the hardcover in question is as pretty as this one:
I don't like the font they used for the title, but I love everything else. Plus, it's only $16.95 (less online), which isn't TOO bad for a hardback.
Several years ago, Jennifer Crusie wrote a collection of interconnected short stories for her MFA. The characters in the collection eventually formed the basis for Crusie's full-length novel Crazy For You, and while one of the short stories used to be available on her website (and was awesome), it was eventually taken down. Happily, the entire collection is now going to be released as an ebook, due out before the end of the year.
