Jennifer Crusie
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Crusie is a pseudonym for Jennifer Smith, a bestselling and award winning author of contemporary romance novels. She has written over 15 novels, which have been published in 20 countries.
to Jack and JoAnn Smith. "Jenny," as she is called, chose to honor her maternal grandmother by writing under her grandmother's maiden name, Crusie. Crusie has spent much of her life and currently resides in Ohio
.
, and then earned a bachelor's degree
in Art Education
from Bowling Green State University
in Bowling Green
, Ohio
. She has two Master's degree
s. For her first, from Wright State University
in Professional Writing and Women's Literature, Crusie wrote a thesis on the role of women in mystery fiction. Her second master's degree is an MFA
in Fiction from Ohio State University
. She has also completed work towards a Ph.D.
in feminist criticism and nineteenth century British and American literature at Ohio State University
.
husband to Wichita Falls, Texas
. He was soon transferred to Dayton, Ohio
and they have since divorced. They have one daughter, Mollie, who now runs all of the Crusie Web sites.
Crusie had long planned to be a teacher. She has taught all age levels, from pre-school through college, including 15 years in the Beavercreek, Ohio
public school system. Her junior and senior high school courses included art, Literature (touching on mythology, the Bible in literature, college composition, and British and American literature), as well as time spent directing the sets and costumes crews for the high school's drama department. She has also taught courses at Antioch University
, Wright State University
, and Ohio State.
dissertation was to focus on the impact of gender
on narrative
strategies. To research the differences in the way men and women tell stories, Crusie vowed to read one hundred romance novels and one hundred men's adventure novels. The romance novels were so compelling that Crusie changed her dissertation to focus on romantic fiction and decided to try her hand at writing some. She quit her job in the summer of 1991 to devote herself full-time to writing. Crusie completed her first manuscript, called Bet Me, in 1992, but was unable to sell it.
Crusie sold her first novella, Sizzle, in August 1992. For the first three years of her career, her books were presented as category romances under the Silhouette, Harlequin
, and Bantam
Loveswept lines. In 1995, Crusie developed a partnership with St. Martin's Press
, and began writing single title novels, beginning with Tell Me Lies. The switch to single-title novels was easy for Crusie, who says that "I was never conscious of writing category or single title or paperback or hardcover. You just have to tell the truest story you know."
Her books are known for their humor, although Crusie says she has never "deliberately written to be funny. ... I think my characters just have a particular kind of sense of humor. They use it the way a lot of people do, to cope with the absurdities of life." Crusie usually envisions her characters before the plots, and she crafts them as real people, complete with flaws. Her heroines are usually off-beat and the heroes are clever and charming. Many of her characters have collections because she believes that a person's possessions tell a lot about that person.
She rewrote her first manuscript in 2002, and it was released as Bet Me in 2004. In 2005 she won a Romance Writers of America
RITA Award for Best Contemporary Single Title for the novel Bet Me. The novel also became her first New York Times bestseller. In a 2004 interview, Crusie said that Bet Me might be her last classic romance, and that her future novels would combine the traditional love story with other genres. This is partly because she considered Bet Me to be "the best romance novel, straight classic romance, that I'll ever write. ... Time to move on to something I don't know how to do."
In September 2004, Crusie met adventure novelist Bob Mayer
at the Maui Writers Conference. By the end of the conference, they had become friends and begun the outline for a novel. Within a year, they had finished the manuscript, collaborating primarily via email. In the novel, title Don't Look Down, Crusie wrote the scenes and dialogue for the female protagonist, while Mayer wrote the scenes and dialogue for the male protagonist. Crusie's longtime editor, Jennifer Enderlin, also edited this book, and had to ask Crusie who had written each section as she couldn't tell them apart. The novel was given an initial printing of 300,000 copies, Crusie's highest initial printing to date. In August 2007, their second collaborative novel, Agnes and the Hitman, was released and made the New York Times best seller list. They again partnered up for March 2010's release of Wild Ride.
In 2007, Crusie collaborated with Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart
on The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, and then in 2009, she collaborated again on Dogs and Goddess this time with Anne Stuart
and Lani Diane Rich. She also continues her interest in the academic side of fiction. She published a book of literary criticism
on Anne Rice
under the name Jennifer Smith.
Now in 2010, after 20 crowd pleasers and award winners including five collaborations, Crusie is back with her first solo in six years, Maybe This Time.
Maybe This Time is Crusie's version of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, a classic she loves and has taught many times. In Crusie's version the governess is not young and inexperienced, the children are not perfectly behaved, they are not isolated because house guests keep turning up and moving in, and the faraway guardian turns up and becomes part of the story.
As for future ventures, she's working on a four book mystery series called the Liz Danger mysteries. Each book will be a standalone mystery but the four books taken together will make one long romance novel. After that, she plans books about a grown-up Alice from Maybe This Time and Nadine from Faking It. She's also working on a non-fiction guide to writing women's fiction that will expand on the topics covered in many of her earlier essays on writing craft, life and publishing - some of which are available for free on her web site.
Biography
Crusie was born as Jennifer Smith in Wapakoneta, OhioWapakoneta, Ohio
Wapakoneta is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States with a population of 9,474 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan S A, which is included in the Lima-Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio CSA...
to Jack and JoAnn Smith. "Jenny," as she is called, chose to honor her maternal grandmother by writing under her grandmother's maiden name, Crusie. Crusie has spent much of her life and currently resides in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Education
Crusie was graduated from Wapakoneta High SchoolWapakoneta High School
Wapakoneta High School is a public high school in Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Wapakoneta City School District.In the 1950s, the city's growing population produced overcrowding in the old Blume High School...
, and then earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Art Education
Art education
Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...
from Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
in Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green is the county seat of Wood County in the U.S. state of Ohio. At the time of the 2010 census, the population of Bowling Green was 30,028. It is part of the Toledo, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. She has two Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s. For her first, from Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
in Professional Writing and Women's Literature, Crusie wrote a thesis on the role of women in mystery fiction. Her second master's degree is an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Fiction from Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. She has also completed work towards a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in feminist criticism and nineteenth century British and American literature at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.
Family and career
Crusie married in 1971, and followed her Air ForceAir force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
husband to Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
. He was soon transferred to Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
and they have since divorced. They have one daughter, Mollie, who now runs all of the Crusie Web sites.
Crusie had long planned to be a teacher. She has taught all age levels, from pre-school through college, including 15 years in the Beavercreek, Ohio
Beavercreek, Ohio
Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second largest suburb of Dayton behind Kettering. The population was 45,193 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
public school system. Her junior and senior high school courses included art, Literature (touching on mythology, the Bible in literature, college composition, and British and American literature), as well as time spent directing the sets and costumes crews for the high school's drama department. She has also taught courses at Antioch University
Antioch University
Antioch University is an American university with five campuses located in four states. Campuses are located in Los Angeles, California; Santa Barbara, California; Keene, New Hampshire; Yellow Springs, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington. Additionally, Antioch University houses two institution-wide...
, Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
, and Ohio State.
Writing career
Writing was an accidental career. Crusie's Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
dissertation was to focus on the impact of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
on narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
strategies. To research the differences in the way men and women tell stories, Crusie vowed to read one hundred romance novels and one hundred men's adventure novels. The romance novels were so compelling that Crusie changed her dissertation to focus on romantic fiction and decided to try her hand at writing some. She quit her job in the summer of 1991 to devote herself full-time to writing. Crusie completed her first manuscript, called Bet Me, in 1992, but was unable to sell it.
Crusie sold her first novella, Sizzle, in August 1992. For the first three years of her career, her books were presented as category romances under the Silhouette, Harlequin
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a Toronto, Ontario-based company that is a publisher of series romance and women's fiction. Owned by the Torstar Corporation, the largest newspaper publisher in Canada, the company publishes approximately 120 new titles each month in 29 different languages in 107...
, and Bantam
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
Loveswept lines. In 1995, Crusie developed a partnership with St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
, and began writing single title novels, beginning with Tell Me Lies. The switch to single-title novels was easy for Crusie, who says that "I was never conscious of writing category or single title or paperback or hardcover. You just have to tell the truest story you know."
Her books are known for their humor, although Crusie says she has never "deliberately written to be funny. ... I think my characters just have a particular kind of sense of humor. They use it the way a lot of people do, to cope with the absurdities of life." Crusie usually envisions her characters before the plots, and she crafts them as real people, complete with flaws. Her heroines are usually off-beat and the heroes are clever and charming. Many of her characters have collections because she believes that a person's possessions tell a lot about that person.
She rewrote her first manuscript in 2002, and it was released as Bet Me in 2004. In 2005 she won a Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America is a national non-profit genre writers association. It provides networking and support to individuals seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction and supports top authors such as Nora Roberts and Judith McNaught.-History:...
RITA Award for Best Contemporary Single Title for the novel Bet Me. The novel also became her first New York Times bestseller. In a 2004 interview, Crusie said that Bet Me might be her last classic romance, and that her future novels would combine the traditional love story with other genres. This is partly because she considered Bet Me to be "the best romance novel, straight classic romance, that I'll ever write. ... Time to move on to something I don't know how to do."
In September 2004, Crusie met adventure novelist Bob Mayer
Bob Mayer
Robert "Bob" Mayer is an author, writing instructor, and former Green Beret. He has written over 30 titles under his name and his four pen names . Mayer has applied the principles from his training in the special forces to his career as a writer and as a writing instructor...
at the Maui Writers Conference. By the end of the conference, they had become friends and begun the outline for a novel. Within a year, they had finished the manuscript, collaborating primarily via email. In the novel, title Don't Look Down, Crusie wrote the scenes and dialogue for the female protagonist, while Mayer wrote the scenes and dialogue for the male protagonist. Crusie's longtime editor, Jennifer Enderlin, also edited this book, and had to ask Crusie who had written each section as she couldn't tell them apart. The novel was given an initial printing of 300,000 copies, Crusie's highest initial printing to date. In August 2007, their second collaborative novel, Agnes and the Hitman, was released and made the New York Times best seller list. They again partnered up for March 2010's release of Wild Ride.
In 2007, Crusie collaborated with Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart
Anne Stuart
Anne Stuart, born Anne Kristine Stuart , is a prolific and best-selling American romance novelist. She has written over 60 novels and was the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.Her first book was published in 1974 by Ballantine Press when she was 25 years old...
on The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, and then in 2009, she collaborated again on Dogs and Goddess this time with Anne Stuart
Anne Stuart
Anne Stuart, born Anne Kristine Stuart , is a prolific and best-selling American romance novelist. She has written over 60 novels and was the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.Her first book was published in 1974 by Ballantine Press when she was 25 years old...
and Lani Diane Rich. She also continues her interest in the academic side of fiction. She published a book of literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
on Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
under the name Jennifer Smith.
Now in 2010, after 20 crowd pleasers and award winners including five collaborations, Crusie is back with her first solo in six years, Maybe This Time.
Maybe This Time is Crusie's version of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, a classic she loves and has taught many times. In Crusie's version the governess is not young and inexperienced, the children are not perfectly behaved, they are not isolated because house guests keep turning up and moving in, and the faraway guardian turns up and becomes part of the story.
As for future ventures, she's working on a four book mystery series called the Liz Danger mysteries. Each book will be a standalone mystery but the four books taken together will make one long romance novel. After that, she plans books about a grown-up Alice from Maybe This Time and Nadine from Faking It. She's also working on a non-fiction guide to writing women's fiction that will expand on the topics covered in many of her earlier essays on writing craft, life and publishing - some of which are available for free on her web site.
Fiction
- Sizzle (1994) -- Silhouette Stolen Moments Novella ISBN 0-373-83271-0
- Manhunting (Harlequin Temptation #463 September 1993, reissued Mira Books November 2000, reissued in hardcover February 2007) ISBN 0-373-77251-3
- Getting Rid of Bradley (Harlequin Temptation #480 February 1994, reissued Mira Books November 2001) ISBN 1-551-66865-3
- Strange Bedpersons (Harlequin Temptation #520 December 1994, reissued Mira Books December 2003) ISBN 1-551-66743-6
- What the Lady Wants (Harlequin Temptation #544 June 1995, reissued Mira Books November 2002) ISBN 1-551-66951-X
- Charlie All Night (Harlequin Temptation #570 January 1996, reissued Mira Books December 2004) ISBN 0-778-32107-X
- Anyone But You (Harlequin Love and Laughter #4 September 1996, reissued Mira Books January 2006, paperback reissue December 2006) ISBN 0-373-77138-X
- The Cinderella Deal (Bantam Loveswept #807 October 1996) ISBN 0-553-44557-X
- Trust Me on This (Bantam Loveswept #843, July 1997) ISBN 0-553-44558-8
- Tell Me Lies (1998) ISBN 0-312-96680-6
- Crazy for You (1999) ISBN 0-312-97112-5
- Welcome to Temptation (2000) ISBN 0-312-97425-6
- Fast Women (2001) ISBN 0-312-98015-9
- Faking It (2002) ISBN 0-312-93278-2
- Bet Me (2004) ISBN 0-312-98785-4
- Don't Look Down (with Bob MayerBob MayerRobert "Bob" Mayer is an author, writing instructor, and former Green Beret. He has written over 30 titles under his name and his four pen names . Mayer has applied the principles from his training in the special forces to his career as a writer and as a writing instructor...
) (2006) ISBN 0-312-34812-6
- “This first collaboration between best-selling romance writer Crusie and adventure-thriller writer Mayer is a rare delight. Mayer's delectably dry sense of humor perfectly complements Crusie's brand of sharp wit, and together the two have cooked up a sexy, sassy, and smart combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible.” --Booklist
- Agnes and the Hitman (with Bob MayerBob MayerRobert "Bob" Mayer is an author, writing instructor, and former Green Beret. He has written over 30 titles under his name and his four pen names . Mayer has applied the principles from his training in the special forces to his career as a writer and as a writing instructor...
) (2007) ISBN 0-312-363-04-4 - "Hot Toy" (2006) -- in the Anthology Santa Baby ISBN 0-312-93976-0
- The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (2007) (with Anne StuartAnne StuartAnne Stuart, born Anne Kristine Stuart , is a prolific and best-selling American romance novelist. She has written over 60 novels and was the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.Her first book was published in 1974 by Ballantine Press when she was 25 years old...
, Eileen Dreyer) ISBN 031294098X - Dogs and Goddesses (2009) with Anne StuartAnne StuartAnne Stuart, born Anne Kristine Stuart , is a prolific and best-selling American romance novelist. She has written over 60 novels and was the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.Her first book was published in 1974 by Ballantine Press when she was 25 years old...
and Lani Diane Rich ISBN 0312944373 - Wild Ride (with Bob MayerBob MayerRobert "Bob" Mayer is an author, writing instructor, and former Green Beret. He has written over 30 titles under his name and his four pen names . Mayer has applied the principles from his training in the special forces to his career as a writer and as a writing instructor...
) (2010) ISBN 0-312-533-77-2 - Maybe This Time (2010) ISBN 0-312-303-78-5
- Agnes and the Hitman (with Bob Mayer
Non-fiction
- Totally Charmed: Demons, Whitelighters and the Power of Three (2005) (Smart Pop series) ISBN 1-932-10060-1 - editor and contributor
- Flirting with Pride & Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece (2005) (Smart Pop series) ISBN 1-932-10072-5 - editor and contributor
- Anne Rice: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) (1996) ISBN 0-313-29612-X
Awards and honors
- Jennifer Crusie won the Romance Writers of AmericaRomance Writers of AmericaRomance Writers of America is a national non-profit genre writers association. It provides networking and support to individuals seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction and supports top authors such as Nora Roberts and Judith McNaught.-History:...
2005 RITA in the Best Contemporary Single Title category for Bet Me - She won the Romance Writers of AmericaRomance Writers of AmericaRomance Writers of America is a national non-profit genre writers association. It provides networking and support to individuals seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction and supports top authors such as Nora Roberts and Judith McNaught.-History:...
1995 RITA in the Best Short Contemporary Series category for Getting Rid of Bradley.