Jennifer Crusie's Blog, page 27

Crusie’s Guide to Art

You know when I was throwing these together years ago, I didn’t research any of the actual art, but I was pretty close to dead on for this one. It’s “The Matchmaker” by Gerrit Van Honthorst, also sometimes called “The Procuress” (1625) and the woman really is pleased that he’s admiring her lute (which it turns out is a symbol of the female genital region) because she’s hoping he’ll open that purse in his hand and pass over some coin in return for access to her instrument. The chiaroscuro in this all but says, “Check out these boobs” and the lute is just the second verse.

Happiness is Sending Really Good Gifts

There’s an entire set of Terry Pratchett hardcovers that have the most beautiful covers, and my grandchildren, who are of course brilliant, love Pratchett, so I hit my savings and sent the entire set to them. Mollie sent a picture of Emmylou unpacking them, and she was so beautiful and so happy and it made me so happy. I have boxes of gifts I have to send to Krissie and Bob, too, and while Bob will not be as enthralled–Bob doesn’t enthrall–I know Krissie will chortle once I finally get everything to her. That’s actually better than getting gifts. Other people chortling when they open boxes from me makes me happy.

What made you chortle this week?

This is a Good Book Thursday, June 20, 2024

Nora Ephron’s Heartburn is on sale for $1.99, so I had to read it again, for the umpteenth time. I love that book.

What did you read that you loved (or didn’t) this week?

Working Wednesday, June 19, 2024

At one point this week, I was making a spa appointment for Pat and me, discussing doppelgängers with Bob, e-mailing with Krissie on turning points, dealing with Veronica who wanted up on the bed, trying to find spa slippers so I could get a pedicure later this week (see above), trying to find the number for the electric company for this place, and thinking about lunch. Needless to say, I screwed up everything. Multi-tasking: Such a stupid idea.

What did you work on this week?

Crusie Guide to Art 12

Giving new meaning to dirty sex, this painting is “Jupiter and Io” by Correggio, 1531-1532. “When Io fled from Jupiter – in Greek and Roman mythology the king of gods and man, the master of Heaven and Earth – he summoned dark clouds in broad daylight in order to keep the object of his desire from escaping and to seduce her in all secrecy, because he feared the revenge of his jealous wife, Juno.” If only Io had had a vacuum cleaner. Or better yet, Juno. https://artsandculture.google.com/ass...

Happiness is Big Plans

I’m trying to finish my last edit of Rocky Start and clear out this house and work on my massive to do list but mostly I’m thinking about the future. About our next books, about the last book in this trilogy we have to write, about some novellas I haven’t finished, about where I’m going to put my furniture now that I know how I want the living room to look, about the spa day that Pat Gaffney and I are taking shortly, about Krissie coming to visit this fall, about having lunch with Cathy Maxwell next month, about . . .

Well, about a lot of stuff. So much to look forward to, so much to plan first (I love planning), so much good future.

How were you future happy (or present happy, any kind of happy) this week?

Reorganizing Behind the Scenes

So Bob and I were having troubles with the chat program we were using, and we’re trying Spark, which I think, once we learn it, will be an improvement. It does mean that if I post snippets of our chats, they’re going to look different. Like this:

Exploiting You: Help with German

Okay, I have a German baker in Rocky Start, and I have her calling her friend, my heroine, “Zucker” because that’s German for “sugar,” as an affection nickname. Except I have a horrible feeling that that might not be right. HELP.

In another place, Coral gives Rose some butterkuchen and Rose says the only German word she knows, which is “Danke” and Coral says, “Bitte.” Is that right?

Then in the last book, somebody tries to kill Coral and she says something in German, but I have no idea what, so maybe she’ll just stay beautifully silent as she breaks his neck.

This is a Good Book Thursday, June 13, 2024

Last week, I read Jennifer Smith’s Field Notes on Love and really enjoyed it, although it was a little weird reading something by Jennifer Smith since that’s my real name. I felt a twinge, wondering what it would be like to see my real name on one of my books, which was dumb. I’ve been Jennifer Crusie for so long, that most people don’t even know my real name, and if they do, still yell, “Crusie!” across the room when they want me. The point is, I would have been very happy to have my name on this book. It’s just a lovely, low key, YA romance between two strangers who are about to start college and end up traveling across the US by train together. No billionaires, no brother’s best friend, no fake dating, just two people on a train talking to each other and falling in love. Pure romance.

What did you read this week?

Working Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Speaking of working, I didn’t last night. I went out with friends to a great restaurant, thank you, and then came home and went to sleep. I’m working now, though, and uh, sorry this is late. Really.

What work did you do this week?