All over the Interweb, you can find a glorious amount of erroneous information pertaining to books that Judith McNaught has never, and will never, write. Some of these rumors stem from early drafts of novels that were advertised (such as the infamous WATER’S EDGE) that never made it to the final production stage. Others are simply wishful thinking. Below are a few questions we get pertaining to books readers can’t find.
- I can’t find Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You. Why??
- What happened to Water’s Edge?
- What happened to the time travel?
- Wasn’t JM planning to write Nicolas DuVille’s full-length story?
- Did JM ever write a book entitled The Bride?
- Which book features Paris and Palmer Benchley?
WHY CAN’T I FIND CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU? |
Sigh. This book has not been published. Originally, it was announced that Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You was set to feature a modern-day Clayton Westmoreland.
Originally, this is what we knew about the book:
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HOWEVER….. We now know that has changed. I’ve since learned that the name of the book has been changed at least five times. (Two of the discarded titles being “Someone Like You” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”.) The name of the heroine has changed twice. (Theory: Probably not going to be Holly Braxton.) And it’s safe to assume Judith is probably sick of this cover and that it will go away, too. Just a guess.
The latest and greatest news from Judith McNaught on the new book (formerly known as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”) is as follows:
My newest book is about Jonas Westmoreland, a legendary all-American quarterback whose public life is turned upside down by a quirky veterinary student who inadvertently climbs into bed with him in his Las Vegas hotel. When Jonas attempts to eject her into the hallway, his efforts are observed by a hotel guest with a cell phone camera, and his entire career is jeopardized. It’s a drastic problem requiring a drastic solution….
WHAT HAPPENED TO WATER’S EDGE? |
The Book That Never WasDespite various flagrantly incorrect assertions circulating all over the internet, Water’s Edge was never published. Judith was halfway through writing it when, according to her, she realized she had two very good books going. So what is an author as smart as JM to do? Why split them up, of course! The book that emerged from the split was Someone To Watch Over Me, which is in stores now. Below is what Judith had to say about the change on SimonSays.com: |
The time travel was originally called WATER’S EDGE and had a great red cover. When I stopped working on the time travel, I decided to keep and use the title WATER’S EDGE–and the cover–for the contemporary mystery.
Then, about 4 months ago, when the contemporary mystery finally lit up for me and I could see and access it’s potential, I decided I was tired of the title WATER’S EDGE. I thought it deserved a better title and more intriqing cover. Something new and fresh and uniquely its own.
Pocket agreed. My editor agreed, and we started playing with titles on the phone. Within an hour we had STWOM, and I loved it. Pocket sent me two ideas for new covers, and I was crazy about the second one, which is the cover that you’re seeing now for STWOM.
I have no idea if I’ll ever use the title WATER’S EDGE for anything in the future. I kind of doubt it. We’ve all talked about it so long, I’m tired of it.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TIME TRAVEL? |
Again, this was the excerpt that appeared in the back of newly released JM books advertising Water’s Edge, a time travel starring a modern-day Broadway actress and a medieval warlord.
Too late to stop the printing of these excerpts, however, JM decided she had material for two very separate novels on her hands.
Hence, Leigh Kendall, the Broadway actress, got her story in Someone To Watch Over Me. Astute readers will recognize the car crash in the beginning as that which occurred in the infamous excerpt.
No word yet on when, if ever, JM intends to release the time travel.
WILL JM EVER WRITE NICOLAS DUVILLE’S FULL-LENGTH STORY? |
In 1997, in the aftermath of the short story Miracles, JM was deluged with pleas for more of Nicki–a full-fledged novel of his own, to be perfectly precise. Accordingly, she addressed this topic on her online bulletin board at SimonSays.com, saying:
Nicki deserved a full-length book. My editor thought so, too…
But by the time I was nearly finished with Nicki’s novella and realized what wonderful material I had for a full length book, S&S was already literally “holding the presses” for my contribution to the short story collection. It was too late to write something else to contribute to the collection, so I had to let it go.
I have few regrets about anything I’ve ever written, but that is one of them. And the biggest.
I used to seriously consider writing a full-length version someday soon, but after the internet furor over my lengthening WHITNEY,MY LOVE and releasing it in hardcover, I decided that if I do write Nicki’s story full-length, I’ll do it for myself and maybe a few friends, not for publication.
DID JM WRITE A BOOK ENTITLED THE BRIDE? |
No. That was a misprint that occurred in the listings for JM’s books on the rear pages of novels some years back. Julie Garwood wrote a book entitled The Bride, which could be where the mistake
stemmed from.
WHICH BOOK FEATURES PARIS AND PALMER BENCHLEY? |
This question stems from the following teaser promoting a new book from Judith McNaught:
Paris and Palmer Benchley are willowy, chestnut-tressed identical twins: Paris, a charismatic film star; Palmer, a gorgeous Michigan accountant. Complications arise when Palmer, at the request of Paris, masquerades as her twin to meet her sister’s fiance in Rome.
Now, JM could work MAGIC with this plot. Sheer MAGIC, people. Unfortunately, she never wrote this book. I’ve seen this plot linked to Remember When, but it also sounds as if it could have been an early premise for Night Whispers…since that book also featured sisters, one of whom was named Paris.