Jayne Ann Krentz gains new respect right along with her genre of 'women's' fiction

02/29/2000

Betsy Model;

In some respects, author Jayne Ann Krentz bears a striking resemblance to many of her books' heroines. She's a Seattle resident who favors herbal tea and vegetarian entrees, she's well-educated and entrepreneurial and, most important of all, she has a keen wit and dry sense of humor.

Which may help explain why she's one of Seattle's - if not the state's - most prolific and successful authors.

With the January release of her latest title, "Soft Focus," (Penguin Putnam, $23.95) Krentz has earned her 26th consecutive title on The New York Times Best-seller List. She's also carved out a rare respect in a writing genre that, until recently, earned little from critics, reviewers and academia.

Krentz writes romantic suspense fiction and, if the sheer number of her books in print - more than 23 million - are any indication, she does it darn well.

Having returned from her first book tour, Krentz, 51, took some time recently to curl up on the couch in her Seattle condominium and talk about how things are changing in the public's perception of popular fiction.

"I think popular fiction - all popular fiction, including women's fiction, mysteries, science fiction, etc. - has finally come into its own. It's come out of the literary closet," she said. "Certainly, women's fiction was, for decades, kind of seen as these Fabio and low bodices kind of books, but women's fiction wasn't the only kind of genre laughed at or ignored by the critics.

"In the 1950s, mystery fiction was treated as 'dime novels,' and science fiction really didn't come into its own until the 1960s and 1970s. We've seen some huge changes in recent years with popular fiction earning its name. It's popular because it's read by the people going out and buying books."

If Krentz's take on the state of literature sounds a bit formal, consider the fact that she earned her master's in library sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz before relocating to the Pacific Northwest 15 years ago.

Using three different pen names for the three different periods of time that she places her stories and characters in (Jayne Ann Krentz for her contemporary novels, Amanda Quick for her Regency-period fiction and Jayne Castle for her science-fictionish titles), Krentz has managed to carve out one of the most successful niches possible in both the hardcover and paperback market. One of the reasons, she mused, might be her approach to the dynamics between men and women.

"What's important to readers is that they identify with the characters in a story, no matter what century the story is based in," she said. "People want to see courage, honor and determination in their heroes and heroines. After all, isn't that what most of us aspire to in our lives?

"I think most of us want to see respect given to the importance of family and to the amazing dynamic between men and women. Not that there shouldn't be challenge or controversy in those dynamics but that that's understood as part of what makes us different and makes us so unique. The edge, the spark that exists between men and women and that comes out in dialogue, is what makes for good reading."

Kim Ricketts, director of events and promotions for the Seattle-based University Book Store, cited Krentz as one of the few women's fiction authors that readers ask for specifically by name.

"I think that's a huge tribute to any author, regardless of what segment or genre of fiction they write in," Ricketts said. "And to be honest, we don't carry as much women's fiction, or romance/suspense fiction, as many of the larger chains do - maybe 25 percent of what's out there in the way of titles. Jayne's work we'll always carry as part of our regular fiction mix, regardless of which name she's writing under."

"I think," Ricketts added, "that there's also a huge misconception out there that women's fiction is aimed at the 'suburb market,' that it's not the kind of fiction that sells well to a city audience. That's not the case at all. Jayne's work does unusually well in both our Seattle and Bellevue stores. Plus, she's a local."

Krentz claims that growing up on Nancy Drew stories probably started her fascination with suspense as a core ingredient in creating fiction, and with more than 100 titles published in the past 20 years, it continues to be a common thread among all of her titles, including "Soft Focus."

The plot of "Soft Focus" is a typical Krentz concoction. A Seattle-area business consultant specializing in small-company turnarounds is getting ready to bring a high-tech crystal to market. When the crystal is stolen, the venture capitalist who has been funding the turnaround enters the picture and teams up with the consultant to track down the thief. Both wind up immersed in a Colorado film festival that's loaded with suspects, double-dealing and snippets of some of the worst film dialogue to ever hit the (fictional) screen.

There are also, of course, serious sparks (and some serious lust) between the consultant and the venture capitalist.

"I think people kind of miss the movies from the '40s and '50s," Krentz mused. "I think they miss some of the verbal repartee that movies were famous for then. I also think that there's a real desire to see some old-fashioned ethics and style ... the 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on with it' mentality that's been missing from a lot of recent fiction. I like to think of it as people being strong and honorable ... the 'no whining allowed' concept!"

Whatever Krentz calls it, it must be working. Even men are showing up at the book signings to say how much they like the characters in her novels.

"Usually, men take the time to comment on the characters," said Krentz. "They tell me that they didn't think they'd like how the heroes are portrayed in what has classically been called 'women's fiction,' but they do. They like the honor. They like the integrity and honesty. They like the sense of loyalty and determination that the men in the stories bring to the relationship with the female characters."

Leslie Gelbman, president and publisher of G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. (publisher of Krentz's books), isn't surprised by either the male readership or the popularity of Krentz's fiction.

"The whole genre of women's fiction or romantic suspense fiction is exploding," Gelbman said in a telephone interview. "We're seeing a huge crossover ... traditional mystery readers and male readers are becoming fans of stories that mix suspense and mystery with stories about contemporary relationships between men and women. Jayne does a particularly good job of it (because) she knows her readers. She has a strong sense of who she's writing for, regardless of their sex."

Women's fiction is also one of the fastest-growing genres among adult readers, Gelbman added.

Krentz said that as long as people are reading contemporary fiction, she's not sure how much it matters what critics and academics think of it.

"Frankly, it really doesn't matter if (critics) ignore us as if we don't exist," she said. "They can't kill us off, any of us - mysteries, science fiction or women's fiction. ... We're selling too many books and making too much money for the industry."

© The New York Times