Cassandra Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At age 17, she began performing as a showgirl at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, then traveled to Europe where she pursued a career as a singer and actor. Upon returning to the states, Peterson toured America as star of her own musical-comedy show, Mama's Boys. She eventually settled in Hollywood, where she spent four years with L.A.'s foremost improvisational comedy group, The Groundlings. In 1981, she auditioned for the part of "horror hostess" on a local Los Angeles station. That show, Movie Macabre, and her newly created character, Elvira, became an overnight sensation and gained national syndication. Peterson also co-wrote, produced, and starred in two feature length films: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Elvira's Haunted Hills. She has spent four decades solidifying her unique brand and building it into an internationally recognized pop culture icon synonymous with Halloween and the horror genre.
---Winner of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award's Book of the
Year
"The writing in the memoir is deeply personal and heartfelt,
detailing Peterson's relationships with her parents, her siblings
and her partners throughout the years. Seemingly she doesn't hold
back on details, allowing the audience to appreciate a life lived,
with many lessons learned along the way....Ostensibly Yours
Cruelly, Elvira is a book for horror fans and lovers of this
character, and no doubt if a devotee remembers tuning in on
Saturday nights to see Elvira introduce the horror flick of the
week, there's a lot of nostalgia within these pages. However,
Peterson is after something more profound and revelatory than mere
nostalgia. Her stories are meant to teach lessons, bear witness and
show just how wild a life's journey can be from the farms of Kansas
to the top of the media world....This is not Elvira's book, it's
Peterson's, and that's a good thing."--Hollywood Soapbox
"For chilly nights, stay at home and read Yours Cruelly, Elvira,
the dishy new memoir from Elvira (a.k.a. Cassandra Peterson), the
longtime horror movie hostess and entrepreneur."--New York
Times
"If you've ever wondered if there are 1000 fascinating stories
behind the iconic character, the answer is yes....The book is full
of a million ways she became that way."--NPR's "Bullseye"
"Yours Cruelly, Elvira is packed with insider details and a few
shocking surprises which no one saw coming, except folks closest to
her plunging neckline....Peterson's memoir is written in much the
same style as her persona and delivers her mildly sardonic yet
warmly funny lines easily, but it's not all jokes and sarcasm.
There's an honesty that satisfyingly saturates these chapters. Fans
will savor personal stories about her rocky upbringing, her
determination to make it in Hollywood, and, most touchingly, her
deep shock and sadness at losing several close friends to the
burgeoning AIDS epidemic while attempting to remain focused on her
career. There are a few zingers Peterson elaborates on which will
undoubtedly surprise even hardcore fans of this dark
enchantress."--Bay Area Reporter
"Cassandra Peterson reveals how she became the Mistress of the
Dark, and her tale is far more complex than one might
expect....Through it all, Peterson maintains the dry sense of humor
beloved by viewers since her Movie Macabre days, showing off her
affection for corny puns even when she's recalling painful
memories. Her book is a must-read for anyone interested in 1970s
Hollywood, horror movies, or just Elvira herself--a pop culture
icon of the highest order." --BUST Magazine
"A hauntingly beautiful memoir of one of the most iconic figures of
the macabre. Just when I thought I couldn't fall in love with
Elvira any more, this book took my admiration to a whole other
level."--Kat Von D
"Elvira the character is a tantalizing gothic pop icon, a living
Halloween costume, a kitschy, clever, comely chanteuse with brains.
But Cassandra, the multi-talented woman inside that character, has
lived an incredible life full of experiences that make most
people's best days sound like dime-store humdrum."--Jack White
"Elvira/Cassandra is a glamour ghoul after my own black heart--and
a virtuoso tassel-twirler. I value her beauty advice. But most of
all, I treasure her showbiz tales--louche, lusty, and sometimes so
ludicrous they have to be real! Here they are, and more, delivered
with that scintillating wit that makes her a bona fide legend. I
savored every single page."--Dita Von Teese
"I knew Cassandra had a colorful and exciting life, but I didn¹t
realize what a talented writer she'd become. Her book is
beautiful--funny, poignant, outrageous, and full of surprises.
Exactly like her. I'm happy I can genuinely recommend it and hope
I'll get to play myself when it becomes a blockbuster movie."--Paul
Reubens AKA Pee-wee Herman
"Prepare yourself to enter a rocky, rollicking life, loaded with
unexpected twists, turns, and stunning surprises. The Groupie
stories alone will leave you jawdropped. Turn off your phones and
computers, get to know Cassandra, and settle in for a delicious,
un-put-downable read."--Pamela Des Barres
"This is the behind-the-wig story we've all been waiting for! It's
inspiring, at times harrowing, and consistently hilarious. Be
warned though, it's a real 'booby trap' because once you've picked
it up you cannot put it down!"--Peaches Christ
"A wicked page turner filled with hilarity and heartbreak--a life
full of crazy stories and insane revelations, told as only
Cassandra Peterson could tell it."--Rob Zombie
"Friggin' hilarious! Juicy stories and outrageous
revelations!"--RuPaul
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
