If you wanted to delve into a classic English romance novel, Jane Austen's your woman. If it was a bit of vivid fantasy you were craving, Terry Pratchett would serve well. Or if you wanted to get lost in a world of magic, then look no further than J K Rowling. But, dear reader, if you wanted pure unadulterated, can't-put-it-down, fabulously over the top escapism, it's obvious that Jackie Collins is the undisputed, heavy-weight novelist you are looking for.
It was the late 60s, 1968 to be exact, that Jackie made her literary debut. The World Is Full Of Married Men caused controversy to say the least. It was banned in Australia and South Africa. It's provocative characters did the trick. They got people talking. Jackie was officially on the map.
And 40 years later we are, the world over, still absolutely hooked on Jackie's sensationalism. In fact, to talk figures, Jackie has now penned 28 novels, has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into 40 languages (source: Wikipedia and www.jackiecollins.com). Quite an achievement, wouldn't you agree, for someone who got expelled from school at 15!?
Novel after novel Jackie successfully mixes sex, power struggles, Mafia-style danger, drugs, illicit affairs and undertones of strong feminism. To read a Collins novel is pure indulgence. And that's what makes them so darn brilliant. You sympathize, hate, love, laugh, wince and cringe all in the space of a few hundred pages. Testament to her craft, wouldn't you say?
Jackie and Joan Collins were, and still are, the original powerhouses of the 80s. Jackie through her addictive perceptions of women worthy of their place in society, and Joan for her strong TV characters - most notably Alexis Colby in the classic, big-shouldered show Dynasty. There's been speculation in the past that the two sisters don't get on, that they had a massive falling out, but really...who cares? What we do know is that essentially they prove that women are put on this earth to be equal to men. Feminism has never looked, or read, so good.
I've read my fair share of books, especially after a three year English degree, and actually I like a broad range of genres, but nothing I've read has been as exciting and acceptably naughty as one of Jackie Collins' books. I have to admit though, and I hate saying this, but for me it's only a recent thing, getting obsessed with her novels. And believe me, I'm in love now.
Lucky Santangelo, Jackie's long standing 'heroine', has just made a very welcome come back in her latest novel, Goddess of Vengeance. The blockbuster is packed full of Jackie's vehement characters we've all grown to love, and as usual, we are faced with the ever wonderful fast-paced, sometimes dangerous, mostly sexy musings of one of the greatest authors in the world - and my literary hero - Jackie Collins.
I had the amazing opportunity to ask Jackie a few questions, a dream come true, so enjoy this little interview. Jackie also gave me a couple of copies of Goddess Of Vengeance to give away to two lucky readers. All you have to do is come up with a new name for Jackie's next book - pop it in a comment at the bottom of this post - and the best two win! I'll even see if Jackie herself will pick the winners. A few past titles for inspiration include: Poor Little Bitch Girl, Drop Dead Beautiful, Deadly Embrace and The Bitch.
Good luck, and enjoy!
The Very: Goddess of Vengeance, your 28th novel, shows yet more power struggles. How relevant is this to your own life, especially living in LA?
Jackie: There is always wild stuff going on in L.A. Power struggles are nothing new. And it's fun!
The Very: You've described your long-standing fabulous character Lucky as the 'James Bond for women', is she a way of channeling your inner feminist?
Jackie: Absolutely! Lucky represents all women. And she's the woman we would all like to be.
The Very: Your books are definitely up there with the best ways to escape everyday life for a minute, an hour, a day, but what do you do to escape?
Jackie: I love taking off to the beach, playing great music in my Jaguar, then snapping random shots of people with my new Nikon.
The Very: Jilly Cooper has been in the press recently saying that she's thinking about abandoning her racy novels for 'good, proper' writing. Tell me you won't do the same any time soon!?
Jackie: What the hell is 'good, proper' writing?!? Sounds boring to me. I love the kind of books I write, wouldn't change a thing!
The Very: You are my literary idol Jackie, what advice have you got for new novelists?
Jackie: Just sit down and DO IT! Talking about it will get you nowhere.
The Very: You and Joan really did help to define the 'power dressing' of the 80s, and you are still doing it now. How important is fashion to you and your characters?
Jackie: Fashion never really changes much, it's the fashion magazines and designers who try to convince you otherwise.
The Very: You were very quick getting on the Twitter bandwagon, and you have Facebook too, what do you think of the way social media plays a part in everything now? Will you factor it into your new books?
Jackie: The social media scene is a great way to connect with my readers. I love hearing from them. Twitter is fantastic.
The Very: I've read you are writing your own memoirs and you will reveal the real inspirations behind some of your characters, are you nervous about this? Jackie: I have nerves of steel!! It'll be a wild trip.
The Very: Give us a glimpse into the life of Jackie Collins... what is a typical morning for you?
Jackie: Writing. Writing. Writing. I write all my books in longhand, so it's extremely time consuming.
The Very: and finally, can I PLEASE feature in one of your new books?? It would make my life!
Jackie: Hmm... hooker, pimp, gay icon, super-stud. Take your pick!!
Lucky Santangelo, Jackie's long standing 'heroine', has just made a very welcome come back in her latest novel, Goddess of Vengeance. The blockbuster is packed full of Jackie's vehement characters we've all grown to love, and as usual, we are faced with the ever wonderful fast-paced, sometimes dangerous, mostly sexy musings of one of the greatest authors in the world - and my literary hero - Jackie Collins.
I had the amazing opportunity to ask Jackie a few questions, a dream come true, so enjoy this little interview. Jackie also gave me a couple of copies of Goddess Of Vengeance to give away to two lucky readers. All you have to do is come up with a new name for Jackie's next book - pop it in a comment at the bottom of this post - and the best two win! I'll even see if Jackie herself will pick the winners. A few past titles for inspiration include: Poor Little Bitch Girl, Drop Dead Beautiful, Deadly Embrace and The Bitch.
Good luck, and enjoy!
The Very: Goddess of Vengeance, your 28th novel, shows yet more power struggles. How relevant is this to your own life, especially living in LA?
Jackie: There is always wild stuff going on in L.A. Power struggles are nothing new. And it's fun!
The Very: You've described your long-standing fabulous character Lucky as the 'James Bond for women', is she a way of channeling your inner feminist?
Jackie: Absolutely! Lucky represents all women. And she's the woman we would all like to be.
The Very: Your books are definitely up there with the best ways to escape everyday life for a minute, an hour, a day, but what do you do to escape?
Jackie: I love taking off to the beach, playing great music in my Jaguar, then snapping random shots of people with my new Nikon.
The Very: Jilly Cooper has been in the press recently saying that she's thinking about abandoning her racy novels for 'good, proper' writing. Tell me you won't do the same any time soon!?
Jackie: What the hell is 'good, proper' writing?!? Sounds boring to me. I love the kind of books I write, wouldn't change a thing!
The Very: You are my literary idol Jackie, what advice have you got for new novelists?
Jackie: Just sit down and DO IT! Talking about it will get you nowhere.
The Very: You and Joan really did help to define the 'power dressing' of the 80s, and you are still doing it now. How important is fashion to you and your characters?
Jackie: Fashion never really changes much, it's the fashion magazines and designers who try to convince you otherwise.
The Very: You were very quick getting on the Twitter bandwagon, and you have Facebook too, what do you think of the way social media plays a part in everything now? Will you factor it into your new books?
Jackie: The social media scene is a great way to connect with my readers. I love hearing from them. Twitter is fantastic.
The Very: I've read you are writing your own memoirs and you will reveal the real inspirations behind some of your characters, are you nervous about this? Jackie: I have nerves of steel!! It'll be a wild trip.
The Very: Give us a glimpse into the life of Jackie Collins... what is a typical morning for you?
Jackie: Writing. Writing. Writing. I write all my books in longhand, so it's extremely time consuming.
The Very: and finally, can I PLEASE feature in one of your new books?? It would make my life!
Jackie: Hmm... hooker, pimp, gay icon, super-stud. Take your pick!!
What should be the name of Jackie's new book?
Comment your ideas below to win a copy of Goddess Of Vengeance...
Last day of entry, Tuesday 31st May
Comment your ideas below to win a copy of Goddess Of Vengeance...
Last day of entry, Tuesday 31st May
