If Sweet Valley High was your gateway drug to romance the way it was mine (I even reviewed one here a long long time ago), I have some news for you. According to EW.com, and some chatty editorial assistant gossip, the Wakefield twins are baaaaaack, this time as part of Sweet Valley Confidential: “a book chronicling their lives as twenty-somethings. Rumors have swirled for years that SVH creator Francine Pascal was working on a book focusing on the twins and their friends several years out of high school.”
Say it with me now: Oh, Dear Sister!
I usually don’t hop up and down about book news, but this has me wondering how early I can get a review copy. Maybe if I camp out outside the St. Martin’s offices? It’s cold right now but surely someone has a memo or something I can read, right? RIGHT?
I’m not the only one excited, either. Which makes me feel marginally less like a complete and total dork. Shannon’s Sweet Valley Blog was all over the press release, and the surprise news from Ed. Asst. Sarah Jae Jones:
I gotta say, I’m kind of excited about this. For better or worse, I grew up with the damned Wakefield twins and I’ve always wondered how they turned out. Is Jessica a porn star? Is Elizabeth a nun? JJ has promised to keep me updated on what’s happening with the book, and I will in turn keep you all updated.
If Jessica is a porn star, I am going to plotz like plotzing has never been plotzed before.
And for other folks who dig the original books with their illustrationally awesomeness, this week the New Yorker took a look at artist James L. Mathewuse, creator of the original cover illustrations. I wish there were more about him – heck, I wish I owned one of the illustrations. I’d frame that bad boy and hang it next to my giant art piece of DeSalvo wearing a hot pink gladiator uniform. But I do love this line from the article:
Sometimes you can say all you need to with a bikini (promiscuity and California), a plaintive look (gambling addiction), or a perfectly placed, bushy mustache (creep).
Yes. It’s true. With cover art, particularly for SVH, it was all in the bikini, the look, and the mustache. And with romance, it’s the mullet, the shirt, and the potential wardrobe malfunction.
To be followed by:
Kristy’s Corporate Embezzlement
Jessi and the Casting Couch
Stacey’s Mugshot Disaster
Shannon and the Collegiate Shame
Dawn Schafer, Pothead
Abby at Rehab
and of course,
Bend Over, Logan!
Oh my! I’m so unbelievably excited by this – I grew up with these too and kept my collection. But then lost them in a hurricane. I wish I had them back and now I get the next best thing – Jessica and Elizabeth in their 20s (but wait – shouldn’t they be in their 30s now?) I read them as a teenager and I’m in my 30s. Oh well – it will be fun to read these and laugh. I always wanted to re-read so I could see how cheesy they were, but never get around to it – too much new stuff out there.
Thanks, Very interesting read, I’ve been really enjoying checking up your posts from time to time. Looking forward to see your future posts smile.
I had but either sold or donated to a thrift store a series about ELizabeth going to England … ha found it.. i read the first two books and gave up http://www.librarything.com/work/1494854
wonder how that fits in the SV universe?