Jennifer Crusie
Contents
Biography
Jennifer Crusie's career as a romance author began when she read over 100 romance novels as part of her research for her Ph.D. dissertation on the impact of gender on narrative strategies. This encouraged her to write romance herself, and eventually she put the Ph.D. on hold in order to earn an MFA in fiction from Ohio State University. Although she remains ABD on her Ph.D. in Feminist Criticism from Ohio State University, she has written a a book of literary criticism on Anne Rice (see below) and contributed to the growing body of academic work studying romance fiction. She is known throughout the industry as a generous mentor, while her readers are attracted to her smart, funny style. Crusie began her career as an author for Harlequin. After leaving Harlequin, she moved to Bantam and then to St. Martin's Press where she has been wildly successful.
Crusie recently teamed with author Bob Mayer to co-author a series of books.
As an author for Bantam's Loveswept line, Jennifer Crusie wrote two romances.
On the Web
Books
Fiction
- "Hot Toy", novella part of the Santa Baby anthology - 2006
- Don't Look Down - 2006; Co-written with Bob Mayer; St. Martin's Press
- Bet Me - 2004; Jennifer Crusie won the 2005 RITA® in the Best Contemporary Single Title category; St. Martin's Press.
- Faking It - 2002; St. Martin's Press
- Fast Women - 2001; St. Martin's Press
- Welcome To Temptation - 2000; St. Martin's Press
- Crazy For You - 1999; Crazy For You marked Crusie's entrance into the world of single title romance. 2000; St. Martin's Press
- Tell Me Lies - 1998 St. Martin's Press
- Trust Me On This - July 1997; Loveswept #843
- Anyone But You - Originally released as part of Harlequin's short-lived "Love and Laughter" line in 1996, Anyone But You was re-released in January 2006 in hardcover by HQN.
- Charlie All Night - 1996; reissued Mira 2004
- Cinderella Deal, The - October 1996; Loveswept #807
- What The Lady Wants 1995; reissued Mira 2002
- Getting Rid of Bradley - 1994; Jennifer Crusie won the 1995 RITA® in the Short Contemporary category. Reissued Mira 2001
- Sizzle - a novella, 1994
- Strange Bedpersons - 1994; reissued Mira 2003
- Manhunting - 1993; reissued Mira 2000
Non-Fiction
- Anne Rice: A Critical Companion - 1996; Greenwood Press; Published under Jennifer Smith
- Flirting with Pride and Prejudice : Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece - 2005; Benbella Books; Jennifer Crusie, Editor
- Totally Charmed : Demons, Whitelighters and the Power of Three - 2005; Benbella Books; Jennifer Crusie, Editor
Honors
- 1996 RRA Awards Winner - Best Series/Category Romance Author
- 1995 RRA Awards Winner - Best Series/Category Author
- 1994 RRA Awards Nominee - Best Series/Category Author
Story Elements
Like many authors, Jennifer Crusie taps certain elements and themes from story-to-story. She recombines these in new and different ways while continuing to explore her signature themes.
Dogs
Jennifer Crusie novels often feature dogs as characters. Her ability to make canines come alive on the page has often lead to readers to refer to Anyone But You as "Fred's book". The depressed half-basset hound, half-beagle steals every scene he's in.
A stray dog also plays a key role in Crusie's breakout classic Welcome To Temptation. Other Crusie books featuring dogs in major roles include Charlie All Night, Crazy For You -- the dog leads to a break-up.
Her depiction of dogs draws on her experiences with her own dogs. Cats also feature in a number of her books, in Strange Bedpersons, The Cinderella Deal and Bet Me, and again she acknowledges that she's been influenced by her pets.
Family
A key aspect of Jennifer Crusie's work is family ties. Her heroines tend to come from slightly eccentric yet strongly bonded families. The concept of family extends to close friendships.
Friends
Crusie's heroines tend to have strong friendships with other women. These friendships are integral to the story.
