Jennifer Crusie
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Jennifer Crusie (born 1949) is a pseudonym for Jennifer Smith, an author of contemporary romance novels. She has written more than twenty novels, which have been published in 20 countries.


Biography

Crusie was born as Jennifer Smith in Wapakoneta, Ohio to Jack and JoAnn Smith. She chose to honor her maternal grandmother by writing under her grandmother's maiden name, Crusie. Crusie has spent much of her life living and working in Ohio. She now lives in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
.


Education

Crusie graduated from
Wapakoneta High School Wapakoneta High School (WHS), is a public high school located in Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1904, it is one of four schools that make up the Wapakoneta City School District. The high school building is located on the north side of ...
, and then earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in
Art Education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, de ...
from
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
in
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
,
Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
. She has a
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
from
Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...
in Professional Writing and Women's Literature, her master's thesis, "A Spirit More Capable Of Looking Up To Him," was on the role of women in mystery fiction from 1840 to 1920. Her second master's degree is an MFA in Fiction from
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...
. She has also completed all the coursework towards a Ph.D. at
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...
.


Family and career

Crusie married in 1971, and followed her
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch 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 ...
husband to
Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...
. He was soon transferred to
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
and they have since divorced. They have one daughter. Crusie's first career was a teacher, beginning with pre-school, then elementary and junior high art, high school English, and undergraduate college English courses, including 15 years in the
Beavercreek, Ohio Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second-largest suburb of Dayton. The population was 46,549 at the 2020 census. It is part of Metro Dayton. The Beavercreek area was settled in the early 1800s. A ...
public school system. Her teaching subjects included art, literature, mythology, the Bible in literature, college composition, creative writing, 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 at
Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its ...
,
Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...
, Ohio State, and McDaniel College, where she helped design the curriculum for the graduate level Romance Writing Program.


Writing career

Crusie's MFA dissertation focused on the impact of
gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most culture ...
on
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc ...
strategies. To research the differences in the way men and women tell stories, Crusie read one hundred romance novels written by women, planning on following that by reading one hundred adventure novels written by men. The romance novels were so compelling that Crusie changed her dissertation to focus on romantic fiction and decided to try her hand at writing a romance novel. She quit her job in the summer of 1991 to devote herself full-time to writing. Crusie completed her first manuscript, called ''Keeping Kate'', in 1991, but was unable to sell it. She entered a Silhouette-sponsored novella contest in the winter of 1991 and won one of twelve places with a novel called ''Sizzle''. Shortly after that, Harlequin bought ''Keeping Kate'' and changed the name to ''Manhunting'', which was Crusie's first published novel, appearing in February 1993. For the first three years of Crusie's career, her books were published as category romances under the Silhouette,
Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian '' commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditional ...
, and Bantam Loveswept lines. In 1995, Crusie signed with St. Martin's Press, and began writing single title novels, beginning with ''Tell Me Lies''. The switch to longer, non-category 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 long partnership with her editor, Jennifer Enderlin, has made it possible for her to explore many different aspects of storytelling, and Crusie explained the depth of her relationship with her editor in an explanation of why she wasn't self-publishing]: "SMP still excels at the one thing I'd have to work full time to do half as well as they do: Tell people my book is out there. But okay, let's say I could market my own book riding on the coattails of everything my publisher has already established for me. SMP still holds one trump card: Jennifer Enderlin. I don't want to write a book without Jen. She makes me a better writer." 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 collect things because she believes that a person's possessions tell a lot about that person. She has won the Romance Writers of America Rita award twice, once for category fiction with ''Getting Rid of Bradley'' and once for single title romance for ''Bet Me''. In September 2004, Crusie met adventure novelist Bob Mayer (author), 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, ''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.'' Crusie has also collaborated with Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart on ''The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes'' (2007), and on ''Dogs and Goddesses'' (2009) with Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich. In 2010 Crusie published her first solo in six years, ''Maybe This Time''. This is Crusie's version of Henry James' ''
The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...
''. 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. She also continues her interest in the academic side of fiction. Early in her academic career, she published a book of
literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. ...
on
Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature. She was best known for her series of novels '' The Vampire Chronicles'' ...
under the name Jennifer Smith; and she's been active in pop culture criticism, both on her blog Argh Ink and for Benbella Press, editing three essay collections and contributing to others.


Awards and honors

* Jennifer Crusie won the
Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...
2005 RITA in the Best Contemporary Single Title category for ''Bet Me'' * She won the
Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...
1995 RITA in the Best Short Contemporary Series category for ''Getting Rid of Bradley''.


Bibliography


Fiction

* '' Sizzle'' (1994)—Silhouette Stolen Moments Novella * '' Manhunting'' (Harlequin Temptation #463 September 1993, reissued Mira Books November 2000, reissued in hardcover February 2007) * '' Getting Rid of Bradley'' (Harlequin Temptation #480 February 1994, reissued Mira Books November 2001) * '' Strange Bedpersons'' (Harlequin Temptation #520 December 1994, reissued Mira Books December 2003) * '' What the Lady Wants'' (Harlequin Temptation #544 June 1995, reissued Mira Books November 2002) * '' Charlie All Night'' (Harlequin Temptation #570 January 1996, reissued Mira Books December 2004) * '' Anyone But You'' (Harlequin Love and Laughter #September 4, 1996, reissued Mira Books January 2006, paperback reissue December 2006) * '' The Cinderella Deal'' (Bantam Loveswept #807 October 1996) * '' Trust Me on This'' (Bantam Loveswept #843, July 1997) * ''
Tell Me Lies Tell may refer to: *Tell (archaeology), a type of archaeological site *Tell (name), a name used as a given name and a surname *Tell (poker), a subconscious behavior that can betray information to an observant opponent Arts, entertainment, and m ...
'' (1998) * '' Crazy for You'' (1999) * '' Welcome to Temptation'' (2000) * '' Fast Women'' (2001) * '' Faking It'' (2002) * '' Bet Me'' (2004) * '' Don't Look Down'' (with Bob Mayer (author), Bob Mayer) (2006) :"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 Mayer (author), Bob Mayer) (2007) * "Hot Toy" (2006)—in the anthology ''
Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt ...
'' * '' The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes'' (2007) (with Anne Stuart, Eileen Dreyer) * '' Dogs and Goddesses'' (2009) with Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich * ''
Wild Ride ''Wild Ride'' was the second album released by Steve Forde and the Flange it was a follow-up to Livin Right and had three singles. Track listing #The Old Days #Drinking Things Over #Another Man #That's My Life #You & Me #The Letter #Upstream #H ...
'' (with Bob Mayer (author), Bob Mayer) (2010) * '' Maybe This Time'' (2010)


Non-fiction

* ''Totally Charmed: Demons, Whitelighters and the Power of Three'' (2005) (Smart Pop series) —editor and contributor * ''Flirting with Pride & Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece'' (2005) (Smart Pop series) —editor and contributor * ''Anne Rice: A Critical Companion'' (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) (1996) * ''Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest'' (2007) (Smart Pop Series)


References


External links


Jennifer Crusie's Official Web Site

Jennifer Crusie's Blog, Argh Ink
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crusie, Jennifer 1949 births 20th-century American novelists American romantic fiction writers Bowling Green State University alumni American chick lit writers Living people Ohio State University alumni People from Wapakoneta, Ohio RITA Award winners Wright State University alumni Novelists from Ohio People from Beavercreek, Ohio 21st-century American novelists Women romantic fiction writers American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers