Take two
With her second novel, Forget About It, author Caprice Crane returns with another truly memorable read
By Sara Grace McCandless
Published: October 3rd, 2007 | 1:57pm
If you’ve ever wished you could call “do over” on your life, Caprice Crane’s second novel Forget About It
Todd, Jordan’s best friend and keeper of secrets, is the only one aware of her true condition. As Jordan forgets her past and former self, she embraces a new persona that is confident and makes no apologies. But when the tables unexpectedly turn once again, Jordan discovers that her self-imposed memory lapse may end up costing her what she cares about the most.
One might think that author Caprice Crane’s career had been destined from the get-go. With the backdrop of the Californian entertainment industry playing an integral role in her childhood, Crane was under the impression that, “When you grow up, you go on television.” Of course, this is bound to happen when your parents are actors Tina Louise (the infamous Ginger from “Gilligan’s Island”) and Les Crane (best known for his late night talk shows of the 60s). A typical holiday gathering for Crane was one spent with the Bennetts (as in Tony) and the Wagners (as in Robert). Though despite all the high-profile family friends, Crane says her house was always very welcoming and surprisingly normal.
While Crane has worn a number of hats throughout her life –writer/producer/music supervisor for MTV, filmmaker (check out her newest short, Passing The Time), even jewelry designer – she’s clear on her true calling. “I’m a writer, through and through,” she says without hesitation. The NYU grad admits that while screenwriting is her first love, she has an affection and appreciation for both approaches.
So what’s the most significant difference between writing novels and screenplays? “Economy,” Crane explains. “You’re trying to say what you want to say (in a screenplay) using the least amount of words.” Forget About It actually started as a screenplay — in fact, the film’s rights have been optioned by Disney, and were previously optioned at another film studio, all of which was in motion before Crane had completed the rewrite of the novel. While in the midst of working on the screenplay several years ago, she decided to challenge herself by trying to convert her work into a novel format — never mind the fact that it’s usually done the other way around.
“I’d never written a book before,” she says, and subsequently, Crane found herself frustrated with her first pass. “It was very sparse and not as fleshed out as it needed to be.” Whereas many others would have likely ditched the effort at this point and returned to their comfort zone, Crane instead decided to arm herself with additional tools and training. When she returned to the novel drawing board, she began to explore a different idea that ultimately evolved into what would become her first novel, Stupid and Contagious
Stupid and Contagious alternated the narrative between two characters: neighbors Heaven Albright, a former PR exec-turned-waitress, and Brady Gilbert, an aspiring music producer. “They were hollering at me… and I just let them go. It was more of a character based thing,” she says, as opposed to the high concept approach of Forget About It. Regardless, Crane had proved she could take on the literary world, putting her in a position to approach Forget About It with fresh eyes.
Despite their different storylines, Crane’s novels have several common denominators – both are ripe with savvy pop culture references, and both feature 20something protagonists, a point of view Crane is particularly fond of. “There’s so much humor in the pain and awkwardness that comes with the 20s,” she says. “I wanted to capture that.” It might sound a little bit like another difficult time period – adolescence — but Crane notes, “The difference is, you’re on your own now. You don’t have the safety of your parents’ house.” She adds, “Well, unless you’re still living with your parents when you’re in your 20s.”
While both of her novels have been purely fictional, Crane says she had a close friend who was very much like Forget About It’s Jordan, in that she couldn’t and wouldn’t stand up for herself. “She was dealt a pretty bad hand,” Crane says of her friend. “(Forget About It) is sort of like a fantasy if she could have done it differently.” Sadly, Crane’s friend never got that chance after losing a battle with breast cancer when she was just 31 years old.
In regard to her own life, Crane has no regrets. “I like to own my scars and mistakes,” she shares. Hopefully, she’ll remember to revel in her successes too. “People respond to laughter, and that touches me to no end,” she says. She’s contacted on a regular basis by numerous readers who express how her books have provided a welcomed escape to their sometimes very difficult, every day lives. For Crane, it’s this kind of feedback that matters the most.
“I want to entertain people and make them laugh,” she says. With Stupid and Contagious and now Forget About It under her belt, she can mark that as a mission accomplished.
Issue #35
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