A Conversation With
Vanessa King About
A
Certain
Appeal
What is A Certain Appeal about? It’s easy enough to say that A Certain Appeal is Pride and Prejudice set in the contemporary NYC burlesque scene. In fact, I used that in a 2019 tweet, concluding, “That’s it. That’s the tweet.” It did not get me any likes, but I stand by the simplicity. In A Certain Appeal, Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet is Liz, a glorified receptionist by day and Kitten Caboodle on nights and weekends, picking up the peelings of the burlesque performers at Manhattan’s premiere club, Meryton. When she finds out Meryton is for sale and expected to remodel, she embraces it as an opportunity to get her interior design career back on track. She’s already envisioning a new concept for the space when Will Darcy enters the club, and for Bennet it’s lust at first sight—until the appealing newcomer opens his mouth. Darcy doesn’t understand the appeal of burlesque. To him, it’s all artifice; he can’t fathom how Bennet can find empowerment in seminudity. For Bennet, that’s a deal breaker. But when her roommate starts dating Darcy’s best friend, she finds herself continually in Darcy’s orbit, and that good chemistry goes a long way to overcoming bad first impressions. For me, A Certain Appeal is more than a retelling. It’s a love letter to the glittery, glamorous world of burlesque I spent my Saturday nights immersed in and the bawdy, brilliant babes with whom I brushed elbows—and, let’s face it, more; the dressing room was tiny and there was a lot of skin on display. It was a way for me to introduce readers to a scene they might not be familiar with, and, hopefully, convey the joy and strength and fun I found there. It’s the story of a found family, perseverance, and second chances. And a place where I was able to write, “My. Darcy, you’ve purpled my nurple,” which entertains me no matter how many times I read it (much to my editor’s chagrin. Sorry, Tricja!). Can you talk a bit about your own experience with burlesque? Why did you choose to set your story in this world? After an evening involving wine, I found myself frittering away some time on the interwebs. Due to the wine, I’m assuming, and morbid curiosity, I clicked on an article titled “10 Things Men Wished Women Would Do with Their Boobs.” This amused me. “Ten things?” I thought. “Ambitious!” Item one was “Press Them Against Glass,” which sounded unflattering at best and dangerous at worst. But the second item was “Twirl Tassels.” The section began with “Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque . . .” I stopped reading. I clicked the provided link to NYSB and signed up
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1
In A Certain Appeal, Bennet and Darcy have an intense first meeting. What did they think of each other? What were your first impressions of these two characters?
2
The novel is set in the glamorous and lively New York City burlesque world. Did you know anything about burlesque before reading the book? How did your perceptions change?
3
What relationship do the various characters have to burlesque? How do they use it to enhance their self-confidence?
4
In A Certain Appeal, the author, Vanessa King, transplants the characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to the modern day. How does that classic help ground the story? In what ways does it feel different from the original?
5
Aside from the two main leads, the book is full of many lovable secondary characters. Who were some of your favorites? How did they bring the burlesque world to life?
6
Discuss the experience that leads Bennet to New York City and her administrative job. How does Bennet grow in her interior design journey throughout the book?
7
How do Bennet’s connections to certain buildings line up with specific life choices and important stages of her life? How do these places impact her creative visions?
8
Before he gets to know Bennet more, Darcy has a skeptical view of burlesque. How do his reservations affect their relationship, and why does that change?
9
What do you think is in store for Bennet, Darcy, and the other characters?
for a workshop scheduled the next day—a confidence class with the indomitable World Famous *BOB*. I woke the next morning with a wine headache and spent the afternoon working on my confidence with a dozen other women, signing up for the school’s Intro to Burlesque Class the moment I got home. Despite the outstanding instruction of Jo Weldon, I didn’t get far in my actual burlesque career. I did have one number, set to “Oogie Boogie’s Song” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and performed it at two student showcases, but never did have a head for choreography. I was already working full-time and had a creative outlet in writing, and between learning dance moves and the time, money, and skill it would take to build costumes, I knew I’d never be able to fully commit to performing. I still wanted to be involved in the scene, however, and Jo recommended me as a stage kitten at Duane Park, one of the premiere burlesque venues in Manhattan. I spent over a year there, picking up the peelings of the best performers in the scene. I knew it would be a great setting for a story, but never could figure out how to get started. After a baby, three moves, and four years of other writing projects, I was commiserating with a friend via text about needing to start a new project while another lingered in querying hell. My friend mentioned she was working on a Wizard of Oz retelling set at a music festival, and the idea of using a preexisting plot clicked with me. I knew I’d use Pride and Prejudice —I didn’t even consider an alternative—and got started that same evening. The Bennet sisters became the performers at the show, their suitors a potential investor and his grumpily appealing best friend, and the writing took off! Are there any burlesque terms readers should know before diving in? Peel: a choreographed striptease. It can refer to removing a specific item of clothing (a glove peel would simply be the removal of a glove) or a full costume. Pastie: nipple covering. They come in all shapes and sizes and are adhered to the body with double-sided tape or body-specific glue (eyelash, etc.). Tasseled versions can be used for twirling. Stage Kitten: Performs costume cleanup. The kitten picks up what the performers take off, and sometimes assists with the show by performing a sample peel or bantering with the emcee. In A Certain Appeal, Bennet is the stage kitten at Meryton, where she also sells burlesque-themed souvenirs, like pasties/tassels, to guests between performances.
Why did you choose Pride and Prejudice as the blueprint for your story? What parts of the original did you change, and what elements remain the same? I first read Pride and Prejudice the summer going into my freshman year of high school and have been a fan ever since. In college, I took a class titled Jane Austen and Film, spending the university’s four-week winter interterm reading P&P, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion, and watching every film adaptation available at the time. It was heaven. My final paper focused on how Bridget Jones’s Diary, both book and movie, lined up with Pride and Prejudice, which, now that I think of it, was a touch obvious. No wonder I got a B. So when it came to setting a retelling in the burlesque scene, it’s no surprise that Pride and Prejudice was the first story that came to mind. I was writing about a “family” within a subculture that some dismiss as tawdry or, as a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy might put it, “inferior.” That parallel to the source material was a jumping-off point to much of the conflict in A Certain Appeal and the root of the main characters’ romantic tension.
t u o b a e v o l ot to n s ' t a h n's a "W m o w a g n i k a t n a " am ? y l s u o i advice ser There’s also the enduring appeal of Darcy as a romantic hero. In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzy chastises him for being ungentlemanly, and, frankly, a jerk. He takes her words to heart, reflecting on her points, and changes his behavior—seriously, what’s not to love about a man taking a woman’s advice seriously? In A Certain Appeal, Darcy asks Bennet to explain the value she sees in burlesque, and their conversation helps his opinion of the scene evolve. Do some preconceived notions linger and inform poor choices on his part? Absolutely. He’s a work in progress—but he does get it right eventually. The distinctive personalities of Austen’s characters slipped right into their A Certain Appeal roles; at times, it was just a matter of updating the setting and giving them new names. The real challenge was deciding which story beats to keep and which to leave unexplored. Ultimately, I picked the ones that would best progress the relationship between Darcy and
Bennet. Sadly, that means there’s no parallel for Mr. Bennet, neither Darcy nor Bingley have sisters, and, to my dismay, my Mrs. Bennet–inspired character doesn’t get in any reference to her nerves. But Darcy gets to see Bennet care for Jane in a medical emergency, which changes his perception of her, and when Bennet sees how much Pemberley means to Darcy, it contributes to her reconsidering her first impression of him, too. They have to outmaneuver a Wickham as well as endure a blowup over Darcy’s very botched admission of affection, and he explains his motivations behind some poor decisions in a letter. But does he admit she’s bewitched him? You’ll have to read to find out!
one another. Sources of conflict are the same; an overheard slight bruises the ego, misunderstandings arise through poor communication and assumptions. A little flattery here, some confirmation bias there, and suddenly, we’re trusting someone we shouldn’t. The challenge for me was finding contemporary versions of these conflicts and courtship rituals while still maintaining the push-and-pull of Bennet and Darcy’s relationship. Contemporary characters aren’t tempting scandal by enjoying physical moments with their love interests outside of marriage, but there still needs to be tension, and that requires believable reasons why characters that are hot for one another don’t simply knock boots. And I think I pulled it off.
Your version of Pride and Prejudice has as much romantic tension and chemistry as the original, but with characters showing noticeably more skin. In what ways did you use seminudity and body positivity to empower Liz and her fellow burlesquers?
Why did you choose to set the book in New York City?
Bennet came into burlesque at a low point in her life, and for her, the scene was an immediate source of joy and fun and strength. Being cheered for while onstage makes her feel she’s someone to be celebrated, and that’s an energy she can take with her offstage, too. At the same time, performing has Bennet and her friends—intentionally—putting themselves in a situation where they might be jeered or put down, but this, too, can be a source of strength. To quote Jo Weldon in The Burlesque Handbook, “When a woman deliberately puts herself in a position where she is well aware that some will mock her and then survives it, it can make her less fearful of being mocked in general and less likely to make decisions based on that fear; this is a form of confidence with a value that cannot be underestimated.” It’s also an act of extreme vulnerability—after all, when is a person more vulnerable than when they’re (mostly) naked?—while also being in complete control. The performer is choosing to remove their clothing, deciding what to emphasize or downplay, when and how to heighten the tension as they work up to the final reveal. As Bennet describes the performers in the first burlesque show she attended, they were “98 percent bare and nothing short of invincible.” In an intimate moment with Darcy, Bennet hands the “reveal” over to him. It’s another act of vulnerability and trust . . . though she’s pretty confident he’ll respond how she wants! In some ways, the burlesque world mirrors Regency-era England: both involve etiquette, performance, and costume. Did anything surprise you about the similarities or differences between these two settings? Certain elements of courtship are the same, whether in Regency England or contemporary Manhattan. People meet, experience a degree of attraction, and pursue
I lived in New York for three-plus years and that’s where I was introduced to burlesque. I love that city, and writing about it gave me a chance to revisit it, in a way, and draw on uniquely NYC experiences to flesh out the story. Jane’s accident scene is based on an experience I had in Brooklyn, which, when you read it, could only happen in NYC.
A Certain Appeal is your debut novel. What advice, if any, would you give authors working on their debuts? Don’t quit. Keep at it! Find a writing community/critique partners and meet up in person or online whenever possible. Writing is a lonely business, and sometimes a fresh pair of eyes or a sympathetic ear makes all the difference. Read across genres—you never know what’s going to inform your work. I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs lately and a perspective on another life/time really helps with character work. Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Just . . . don’t. Everyone hates querying. Don’t worry about your social media platform. Sure, having a huge following might give a writer an advantage, but that doesn’t matter if their writing isn’t any good. When I got my agent, I hadn’t hit triple digits in my Twitter followers, and didn’t even have an Instagram account. Focus on your work. Let it do the heavy lifting. Do you have a favorite Jane Austen adaptation/modern retelling? As a geriatric millennial, I am legally required to reply to this with Clueless, however, Bridget Jones’s Diary will always hold a special place in my heart, even though many, many elements are, as the youths would say, cringe. While it may be blasphemy to many, I prefer the 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation/cast to the 1995— it’s the only version where you get any indication that Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet have any affection for one another! Plus, “excellent boiled potatoes,” anyone? That’s comedy gold.
Bride & Prejudice, a Bollywood Pride and Prejudice retelling, is also a lot of fun, though I haven’t seen it since its release in 2004, and a lot of my nostalgia could be attributed to the moviegoing experience itself. I was in London for my semester abroad and went with a friend to the theater down the street from our university in Mile End. We were the only two non–South Asian attendees at the showing, and folks were waving saris and dancing in the aisles during the final musical number. It was fabulous. And for the record, “No Life Without Wife” is a banger. Who are some of your favorite romance authors? I’m more book-to-book than author-driven. I adored Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering, and really enjoyed Mia Sosa’s The Worst Best Man. I laughed out loud throughout The Hating Game, though maintain that Josh Templeman is a monster, and while I’m virulently anti–“surprise pregnancy,” Scarlett Peckham employed it in The Rakess in a way that made sense and didn’t limit the heroine. Also, spoiler alert there, I guess. Sorry! Christina Lauren’s The Honey-Don’t List was super fun and resolved itself in a really satisfying way. Emily Henry’s Beach Read was great. I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown (the audiobook is narrated by Adjoa Andoh, who played Lady Danbury on the Netflix show Bridgerton, and her performance is perfection. Just the right amount of Eartha Kitt purr to every word). And Katee Robert’s Neon Gods is dark and delicious. What’s next for you? A MASSIVE overhaul of my A Certain Appeal follow-up project. Another Austen retelling with new main characters and a lot of familiar faces. Familiar faces and familiar . . . other parts.
l a e p p A
n i a t r e t C s i l A play Little Red Corvette (2019 Remaster) Prince
Light My Fire (1994 Remaster) Shirley Bassey
Harlem Nocturne Quincy Jones
Feeling Good • Nina Simone Benny Hill • TV Theme Harlem Nocturne (Single Version) The Viscounts
It Had to Be You (with Big Band and Vocals) Harry Connick Jr.
Curated by Vanessa King
Cupid • Sam Cooke I Put A Spell On You Nina Simone
Jacked Up • Weezer Baby Elephant Walk Henry Mancini
When You’re Good To Mama Queen Latifah, Taye Diggs
Fever • Peggy Lee You Look So Fine Garbage
Overture/And All That Jazz
Walking On Sunshine
Catherine Zeta-Jones, RenÉe Zellweger, Taye Diggs
Katrina & The Waves
Call Me • Blondie
An American in Paris James Thomson, Orchestre Symphonique de MontrÉal, Charles Dutoit