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| Need advice? Ask Jennifer
Worick.
She knows everything! As author of Nancy
Drew’s Guide to Life and co-author
of a whole host of hilarious how-to’s like The
Rebound Journal: Breaking Up and Bouncing Back with Style,
she’s a great friend
to turn to with a question. We did so recently on the eve of the reprint
of her latest title, The
Action Heroine's Handbook. Watch this space
for the back-to-school release of The
Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College which
she researched and wrote in only three weeks. She’s quite the action
heroine herself! You know we LOVE your mini book Nancy Drew's Guide to Life! We have sold thousands of copies here at fredflare.com. Can you tell us a bit about how this book came to be? It was such a dream come true! I was working at a publisher and, seeing as Nancy Drew has been my literary hero since the age of seven, I pitched the concept of her guide to life. I supplied all of my own childhood books to be scanned and used for the art. (You can see on some of the color images how beat up my books were!) I reread all of the original 56 mysteries and pulled all sorts of sage tips and tricks out of the text. As you can imagine, I had to cut the manuscript down, since Nancy possesses WAY too much wisdom to be harnessed in a mere 160-page book. I also had to send the text to Simon & Schuster for approval and got comments back from the brand manager like, “Nancy would never say this!” So I tried very hard to replicate the genteel language of those original stories in my own book. I’m now trying to bring the word “chum” back into vogue... Why do you think Nancy has inspired such devotion over the years? Well, she was 18, beautiful, smart, ladylike, wealthy, connected, and most importantly, didn’t have to shoulder the burden of college or a full-time job. What’s not to like? I think her whole lifestyle harkens back to a more carefree, simpler time when, no matter what, you breaked for lunch, hopefully at a tearoom that served pie. I don’t think I’m alone in reading her books and wishing that I could climb into the pages and help Nancy bag the forger, counterfeiter, impostor or crook, all the while showing grace under pressure and maintaining an adoring posse of friends, family, housekeeper, pet terrier and beau. And gosh, her wardrobe is just plain dreamy! What would you say has been the greatest life lesson you've taken away from Nancy? Do what you love. Men, money and fame will follow. Nancy never was distracted by a new dress or Ned Nickerson, gentleman that he was, and she always managed to make her social responsibilities fit in around her very important work of helping the unfortunate and nabbing the bad guys... That and, of course, that there are always secret messages woven into Turkish rugs! Tell us about your latest book, The Action Heroine's Handbook. This is certainly bringing the Nancy Drew heroine into the modern world! I was meant to write this book, too! It includes all sorts of information on mastering skills we’ve seen women do on TV and in the movies. For example, women can learn How to Navigate a Roomful of Laser Beams or How to Run in High Heels and a Bustier! Of course, I had to slip some Nancy Drew info in there so, in the appendix, there’s a list of handbag essentials that do double or triple duty. For example, perfume can sterilize a wound or snakebite as in The Secret of Red Gate Farm and lipstick can be used to write SOS on a window like in The Mystery of the Fire Dragon. You did some cool research to compile this book. What were some of the highlights? It was so much fun to research! I talked with all sorts of experts, including a stuntwoman, a group of dominatrices, and a stripper. I actually visited a dungeon and now know the difference between an Australian kangaroo whip and a South African riot stick. Ouch! Who are some of your favorite action heroines? Obviously, Nancy, Bess, and George are my old school gals. I’m collaborating with a stuntwoman on a book right now and I must say that just talking with her makes me want to jump out of a plane or rock climb or surf. She’s quite the inspiration! I’d also say my mom, but since she’s afraid to drive over 25mph when there’s snow, I’m not sure she exactly qualifies as an action heroine. Of course we had to ask a writer what good books she's read lately... After spending a week in Paris recently, I plowed through The DaVinci Code and The Sun Also Rises. I’m now moving a bit more slowly through The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I have to take breaks to read the latest issue of US Weekly or a Nancy Drew mystery. They keep pulling me back in! 02/04/04 |
