We’re almost there. All my scenes are done and I think Bob has one to go, so now it’s rewrites and clean-up and then we’ll leave it be as we write the next one. If we manage to get all three books done, we can move back and forth among them, shifting details and foreshadowing things, but this one is really strong already. And the next book is going to be a blast. 
Of course, we hit some problems. Remember the 5ft purple bear? I found one on Amazon but it was red and larger so I changed it to a 6ft red bear ($219), and got an e-mail from Bob that said, “apparently the bear is red now? Well, that just screws everything up.” This from a man who wanted burning zombies. I think we’re just both giddy because it’s done, and we’re starting the next one together from scratch. It couldn’t have been easy coming into a half-done book. I am grateful to Bob Mayer.
The next one is called Rest in Pink, and Liz and Anemone are writing a romance novel, which Liz has to learn to do, so I’ll have a riot with that, paralleling Liz’s romance with Vince since she’s clueless about relationships. I can see some interesting conversations with an appalled Vince. The big scandal in town is that somebody is writing a Peyton-Place-like roman a clef about Burney and posting pieces of it online, revealing secrets and smashing reputations. So that’s two books-within-a-book. (I have no idea if anybody even remembers what Peyton Place was.) So we will have to plot three books, Rest in Pink, Anemone’s romance novel, and the roman a clef and find titles for the last two. I like Rosanne Cash’s “Burn Down This Town,” so that might work for the roman a clef. Anemone has decided to pull from her romance-laden past for her book that Liz is writing and swipe some things from Liz’s relationship with Vince, so that will be fun. And then of course there’s a murder but it’s somebody we can spare. Nothing but good times.
But the big news is that we will have a finished discovery draft very shortly. Like by tonight. Cue the Snoopy dance.
“And then of course there’s a murder but it’s somebody we can spare. ”
Bob may be a bad influence on you.
I am so delighted to hear of the progress. Wayt’go, Jenny! Wayt’go, Bob!
When my older cousin was pregnant with her second daughter (this would be oh, about 1996/7) she wanted to name her Peyton. My mom and aunt threw a fit because “everyone in her class will call her Peyton Place!”
I looked at my mother with astonishment and reminded her that no one in her class would know what Peyton Place is, their parents will not know what Peyton Place is because the show has been off the air and out of the public entertainment consciousness for actual decades.
My cousin is old enough to know the show and their objections changed her mind.
I Googled. It went off the air in 1969.
I have no idea what Peyton Place is, but my partner vetoed Felix as a name for our son – the nine years between us meant he thought of it as a cat, but that was only a vague historical reference for me. I still like the name (we went with Alexander, but we call him Xander). I could have named a football team of boys, girls was harder.
Now I’ve got a Jeannie C. Riley earworm.
My niece has a son named Peyton. I’ve seen the movie as an adult, heard about the series (never watched it because I was too young) and of course remember Harper Valley PTA, but Peyton Place never crossed my mind — and he’s a teenager now.
Someone I work with has a just-graduated from high school son named Payton (who has worked summers with us) and I never even thought of Peyton Place. I never watched it, but I watched television in those days, so it was on my radar.
True confessions of a geriatric millenial: I had to look up both Peyton Place AND roman a clef to understand what you were talking about.
I may have done the same. Don’t feel too bad.
Sad to say…I actually watched Peyton Place once. It’s very silly.
I read it in study hall in high school. Not my copy, we shared it. There was no book store in town so I have no idea how someone even bought it. Good times.
Same way Judy Blume’s Forever made it’s way around my school sneakily
In grade eight I had the job of reading all news books for the library and pointing out any that had ‘too adult’ content, meaning sex of course. I loved the job and it never occurred to me that I was in effect, a censor….
I had my DD and VDGD visit me from Auckland, my GD went into the den and shouted “Mum, Granny hasALL Jenny Crusie books” so Jenny you are on to the third generation. They don’t read the blog, sooo I haven’t told them about Lavender yet. Luckily I have some extras copies, so I let GD take them as they go to visit Uncles and Great Uncles in Vancouver, back in a fdays.
I’m really happy this book is finally getting done. Praise Bob (and the giant bear!) as well!
This is really good news. Looking forward to reading the books.
I’ve been listening to a podcast called We Didn’t Start the Fire, and because Billy Joel mentions Peyton Place in his lyrics, they have an episode all about the book Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. I’d not heard about Peyton Place until then.
Yes, I’ve heard of the book; mostly, the phrase “Peyton Place” took on a life of its own as an exemplar of the secrets of sex-filled suburbs.
I’m excited about Anemone.
PEYTON PLACE was the only book my mother ever actively forbade me to read. (And I am someone who first read GWTW when I was 12.) I never did get around to reading the book, although I caught the Lana Turner movie on TV at some point. Later I remember that my in-laws were huge fans of the TV show, but I never watched it. Didn’t it star a very young Mia Farrow?
I’m thinking Mia Farrow also Ryan O’Neil.
I watched Peyton Place but I had to be sneaky. My mom disapproved.
Yay for Lavender.
On to book 2!
Nothing but good times ahead.
I’m with Bob.
That bear is not only painful to look at but also polluting. According to Amazon, it is “stuffed with lots of LOVE and polyester fiberfill, which is never recycled” (The LOVE maybe is).
Peyton Place, I remember the film, it had the best quote, that I remember to this day “Guaranteed poverty isn’t Security” Still important to this day
I don’t think I ever saw the TV show. The novel came out in 1956. I know about it because of the huge uproar it caused, enough that it became a term, a Peyton Place was a town rife with sexual perversion and other good stuff. And then later I researched the author because of the impact it had on her life. Interesting stuff.
I should ask Bob if he knows it. He’s ten years younger than me so he’s a different generation.
I heard the term, but can’t say that I ever understood what it meant. I think I had the vague impression of age and properness? It sounds like a very cute gated community kind of town. Now that I know it’s filled with good stuff, I may have to read it…
Definitely not properness. Fifties sexual scandal. Kind of horrible actually, but she blew the lid off publishing.
I can hear the excitement in your voice, Jenny. So happy for you. There’s a big smile on my face as I celebrate the book, the bear, and your collaboration with Bob.
Wow! Peyton Place came up in conversaton yesterday. And now this!
And I’ve got a ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ (1968) earworm. (“This is just a little Peyton Place and you’re all a bunch of Harper Valley hypocrits.”)
There was also a Harper Valley P.T.A. movie with Barbara Eden in 1978; set in Ohio, no less.
So looking forward to this book.
Woah, this is an author blog post about an upcoming book… It’s practically book promo! Which is making me laugh because I love it, but it also highlights that ArghInk must be the weirdest author blog (aka book promo blog) on the internet.
Also hooray!
Yes, we occasionally lose the point. BUY MY BOOKS. Yeah, I know I haven’t published anything in twelve years. How about those burning zombies?
Anybody remember the fainting goats? That was a good time.
Fainting goats?!? Were they scared by flaming zombies?
As I remember, pretty much any loud noise made the faint.
That’s the spirit.
So happy for you. And for us!
I thought I remembered a more recent iteration of Peyton Place, but I was thinking of Heather Locklear and Melrose Place.
Hurray for new work!
Tell Bob the purple bear has returned. Amazon and Walmart both have 5 foot purple teddy bears for sale. All is not lost.
DeeDee Cuddles Plush Giant Purple Teddy Bear 5 Ft
That one? (There are others.)
I never saw the show or the movie, but read the book when I was about ten. My parents figured that I probably wouldn’t understand it . . . .
I remember someone reading it at the office about fifteen years later, and when I asked what they thought of it, the answer was, “Just another steamy beach novel.” Which, by then, it undoubtedly was.
Times change, Lady Chatterley’s Lover was passed around brown paper bags when it came out, for this generation, it’s probably quite tame
I read Lady Chatterley’s Lover in my twenties. Thought what was the problem. Wasn’t there a book called Tropic of Cancer or something like that stirring up everyone in the 60s? I found it in a bookshelf while I was babysitting. Lots of “ people don’t do that!!” Very naive and sheltered I was. Guess it was equivalent to the Fifty shades books for it’s time. Peyton Place was whispered about. Never read the book.
Woo-hoo first draft triumphs! I am happy for us and happy for you and grateful to Bob.
People around here in midcoast Maine remember Peyton Place because the movie was filmed in Camden and a lot of locals were extras. Some of them still had period-appropriate cars that appeared in the movie too. And they’re old enough to have secretly read the book as teenagers.
You sound so happy-congratulations!
Huzzah! I can’t wait! (But you have to write all three before we get ANY? Argh.) Also, yay Bob.
Since we’re looking at the story as a trilogy, albeit with three standalone books, we’d rather finish all three and then make sure we’ve hit all the bases in all three. New stuff crops up as you write (as you know) and this way we can go back and foreshadow.