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It’s another one of those “Why didn’t I think of this?” moments, and this one goes out to all of our “Masterpiece Classic” fans here at WETA/PBS. Every woman I know loves Jane Austen. Every man I know loves zombies. Seth Grahame-Smith evidently understands this at a deep level, since he has become Jane Austen’s co-author on the stunning new novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Have you ever seen a cover that makes you want to run out and buy the book like this one does? How could you resists the Regency maiden’s visage scraped down to the bone at jawline? This is intrigue that goes way beyond the lucite platform heels and Sharpie eyebrows of celebrity sites; this is the kind of narrative that cannot be created by a single author. 

In other words, it takes a mashup to create the silliest literary juxtaposition ever — and I can’t wait to read it! The author credits? “JANE AUSTEN is the author of Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and other masterpieces of English literature. SETH GRAHAME-SMITH is the author of How to Survive a Horror Movie and The Big Book of Porn. He lives in Los Angeles.” (With Seth’s credits, he might want to take a look at my husband’s latest brainstorm…)

Tell me, would you read a novel that is billed as “The Classic Regency Romance, Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem?” All I can think of is what will come next: War and Peace and Fava Beans with Chianti? The Canterbury Tales Serial-Killer Pilgrims? Wuthering Heights of Psychotic Madness?

Oh, wait; that last one is a tautology. 

Although I’m recommending this as the most romantic book possible for both sexes, it is sadly not available for purchase until May 13, from Quirk Books. Three months to wait! 

But not for everyone: I’m going to wheedle a copy for myself from Quirk today, and I’ll award that copy (lightly pre-owned!) to the commenter who leaves me the most creative literary mashup in these comments. Heck, if I get a lot of creative entries, I’ll find a way to get more copies of this soon-to-be-masterpiece. Because I love you all on this Valentine’s Day weekend.

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NB: Last week it was photo insertion that was giving me fits; today, it’s link insertion. I beg your indulgence as I figure out what WordPress wants from me! Meanwhile, I’m publishing this so there’s something new to read…

When last I wrote, it was to tell you about a new favorite bookstore…it just so happens that I had another fun bookish encounter while I was in NYC. While arriving at the NY1 studios to tape segments on children’s books for the holidays (BTW, our own Reading Rockets has a very cool list here), I literally ran into dynamic mother-daughter author duo Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, who had just finished an interview. I’d talked with them ages ago when I was AOL Books editrix, but had never met either one of them in person. Why am I telling you this, besides the fact that it was awfully cool to have a drive-by author sighting? Because Mary Higgins Clark told me that they will be here in DC in the spring for book promotion and said she would be happy to consider coming to “Author, Author!” for an interview. That’s not a done deal, but I’m hopeful that with a little planning, our team will be able to bring you interviews with one or both of these extremely popular novelists.

Another snapshot: Yesterday I emailed M.J. Rose to congratulate her on a great review from Patrick Anderson in The Washington Post for her new book The Memorist. She had literally just read the review and said she was “floored.” Since a visitor named Carole yesterday asked if we could interview M.J., the answer is a resounding “Yes!” I’ll be in touch with her publicist this week and will let you know as soon as possible when you’ll be able to read that interview. If you haven’t already read Rose’s previous novel in this series, The Reincarnationist, I highly recommend it — these books are really different, and a great way for historical novel fans to get a dose of romantic fantasy (or is it fantastic romance?).

And now for something completely different…a bit of news that makes me very happy. My colleague John Freeman (until last year president of the National Book Critics Circle, and an extremely talented critic) has been named American editor of Granta magazine. The last time John emailed me, earlier in 2008, he was so exhausted from his tenure as head of the NBCC that he said he was heading into seclusion with a case of Fanta and a complete set of “Knight Rider” DVDs. Either he’s completely recovered, or he’s traded those in for a case of Lilt and a complete set of “AbFab” DVDs. Heck, I’ll raise a can of Lilt in congrats for a job well-won by Freeman. I’m looking forward to some really interesting new Yankee content in my beloved Granta, which is the one litmag I almost always make time to read.

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