LEVINE, Laura (Sue) 1943-

PERSONAL: Born July 23, 1943 in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Jacob and Ann (Goldberg) Levine. Education: Barnard College, L.B., 1965. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, calligraphy.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—c/o Kensington Books, 850 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Television film script and novel writer. Creator of the characters Count Chocula and Frankenberry for General Mills Cereal Co.

MEMBER: Writers Guild of America West, Society for Calligraphers.

WRITINGS:

(With Dick Chodkowski) Mr. Wrong, A Guide to the Least-Eligible Bachelors in America, Pinnacle (New York, NY), 1984.

This Pen for Hire: A Jaine Austen Mystery, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Last Writes: A Jaine Austen Mystery, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Author of television scripts for various series, including The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Three's Company, Laverne and Shirley, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and others.

SIDELIGHTS: Laura Levine knows what makes people laugh. For years she made audiences laugh with her television comedies, which include episodes and pilots for sitcoms, such as Three's Company, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Jeffersons. But because she worked behind the scenes, her name was not well known. Even with the publication of Mr. Wrong: A Guide to the Least-Eligible Bachelors in America, Levine did not achieve the recognition for which she had the potential. That all changed with the appearance of her debut novel, This Pen for Hire.

Levine's foray into the mystery genre—with a comedic twist—has created a solid fan base for the author. The fictional premise lends itself to humor: freelancer Jaine Austen (her mother loved English, but was not so good at spelling) makes her living writing personal ads and commercial brochures as well as love letters. When she gets a request to write a letter from client Howard Murdoch, she accepts, never imagining it will lead to involvement in murder. Geeky Howard longs for a date with the woman of his dreams—a gorgeous fitness instructor named Stacy Lawrence. Much to everyone's surprise, Stacy agrees to a Valentine's Day date. But when Harold arrives for the date, he finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a ThighMaster.

Jaine feels some responsibility for Harold, who is the primary suspect, so she begins to do some digging. She discovers that, beauty aside, Stacy was not well liked. She appeared to be bisexual. She had affairs with married men. Levine imbues her heroine with a sense of humor that keeps her forging ahead, even when her life is in danger. A Publishers Weekly critic praised the novel, noting that "Levine delivers the goods, and readers who appreciate a heroine with wry, self-deprecating humor will hope Jaine soon gets caught up in another murder."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2002, review of This Pen for Hire: A Jaine Austen Mystery, p. 293.

Library Journal, April 1, 2002, Rex E. Klett, review of This Pen for Hire, p.146.

Publishers Weekly, March 25, 2002, review of This Pen for Hire, p. 44.*