Four Questions with Author Vanessa King
And a giveaway!
Last December, my book club had a Pride and Prejudice party. We all read different interpretations of the Jane Austen classic. In the run-up to the meeting, I compiled a list of more than 40 retellings — ranging from options with dragons and zombies to modern day takes set around the world — that barely scratched the surface of all the P&P adaptations out there.
Now, there’s one more: A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King, which reimagines the timeless love story in the world of New York City burlesque. I’ve easily read dozens of Pride and Prejudice retellings over the years (and recommended at least three in this newsletter), so I’m always surprised when an author is able to bring something new with the story. Vanessa did just that with her new book, which comes out Tuesday.
As a special treat, Vanessa is raffling off an A Certain Appeal prize pack, which includes a signed copy of the book, a sticker, pencils and a gorgeous handmade (!) burlesque headdress. You can enter here.
We had a fun chat about burlesque, what drew her to Austen and why she thinks there are so many Pride and Prejudice retellings. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
A Certain Appeal draws on your own experience in the New York burlesque scene. How did you become a part of it?
Like so many stories, that begins with wine and the internet — always a good intersection. I was just lounging and interneting and I clicked on a link in an article for the New York School of Burlesque. I was living in Brooklyn at the time and I thought, ‘Of course we have a school of burlesque.’
On their site, I saw there was a confidence course being offered the next day. I got the last spot. The next day, slightly fuzzy headed, took the confidence course and it was fantastic, super fun. So, I signed up for the intro course and loved it.
But, burlesque can be a time-consuming and very expensive hobby. You’re buying everything to make these costumes and memorizing choreography, which I’m not very good at. I wanted to put the performance aspect aside, but still be involved. A friend helped me get a job as a “stage kitten,” the person who picks up what the performers take off.
I was a stage kitten at night and taught swim lessons during the day. There was one family that saw me in both settings. I did that for 2012 and 2013.
How did you come to write A Certain Appeal?
I had been writing and trying to get something published for a while and I was texting with a friend one night. She was pushing me to do something about burlesque, which I had left four years earlier, and mentioned she was doing a retelling of The Wizard of Oz set at a music festival. I said, ‘I’m sorry we’re done talking right now.’ I had an idea immediately of a burlesque Pride and Prejudice.
I’ve had so much exposure to Pride and Prejudice. I read it for the first time the summer before my freshman year in high school. In college, I took a course on Jane Austen and film. I spent four weeks reading Jane Austen and watching movies and the various adaptations. And, “Bridget Jones Diary” came out at a formative time for me, when I was a senior in high school.
And, there are just elements of the story that are so wonderful. Who doesn’t love a guy who listens to someone rail off the list of issues a woman has with him, reflects, and changes his behavior?
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There are so many Pride and Prejudice retellings. Why do you think that is?
So many things from the original story still apply today. If you can apply it to a bunch of fancy strippers trying to get their lives sorted, that’s pretty universal.
Like the way we form first impressions so quickly and hold onto them even after they’ve been disproven, especially when we’ve been slighted. There’s the confirmation bias aspect of it. We love it when someone shares a negative opinion of someone we already don’t like.
The family dynamics of it are so relevant, too. How you have some siblings you’re closer to, and others you can’t relate to at all, the way we interact with our parents.
And, like I said, there’s something about giving someone a stern talking to and having them actually listen that’s pretty nice.
Any books you want to recommend?
Looking for something sweet but not saccharine? Beth O’Leary’s The Switch is essentially a hug in book form; think Hallmark movie, but set in England, so there’s some swearing. It leans a bit more Women’s Fiction than Romance, but there’s just enough of the latter to keep you turning the pages.
On the other hand, if you’re in the mood to burn it all down, I recommend Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. Pitched as The Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim…I don’t need to say any more, do I? It’s metal as all get out and absolutely merciless. Granted, I’m only 35% through my listen, but it’s rad.
If you’re between the ages of 36 and 40 -or- edging into your 50s, give Dave Holmes’s Party of One a go. Dave was the runner-up in MTV's 1997 Wanna be a VJ contest, and his account of his time at the network touches on cultural gems from my high school and college years like no other media has. Also, he’s hilarious.
A fan of The Princess Bride? Cary Elwes’s As You Wish is his memoir of filming the classic, and it is the most charming thing ever. I recommend the audio version— all the surviving cast members read their own submissions (Billy Crystal clearly did his over the phone) and you can hear the joy in their voices as they recount their time. It’s great entry into audiobooks.
Thanks again to Vanessa for speaking with me. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram and order A Certain Appeal here. And, don’t forget to enter the raffle!
I’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday with more recommendations.
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