Jan Sutter
You have spent several years running the Crystal Rose Lending Library, guaranteeing that fans who would like to read zines have the opportunity to do just that. We offer you our heartfelt appreciation for all the hours and effort you contribute to others.
Who are you?
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your interests in general.
I’m 55 years old, born in
I got married in 2004 to a wonderful guy that
anyone who has been to a convention in the past five years has met. I think he
has as much fun at a convention as I do. He loves Jay! They talk “boy” talk when they get together.
What drew you to the Beauty and the Beast TV series and when did
that happen? Why did you/do you feel the
need to work so hard to provide such a wonderful service for other fans?
1987 was a memorable year for me. In 1986 a very dear friend of mine died and on January 1st of 1987 my younger brother died. My sister got married on Valentines Day and we moved the business out here to the house. From the first promo of the show, I knew it was something I had to watch. I think I even bought a VCR just to tape the show from the beginning. I was hooked from the first second. I think I wanted a love that deep and lived vicariously through the show.
As far as working hard to provide
a service, I guess it started out as a way to keep a service that I had enjoyed
alive. And now, I get a special feeling inside knowing that I can give
something back. The ladies and their appreciation say it all.
The Crystal Rose Lending Library:
For those of us who are not
familiar with the Crystal Rose Lending
Library (CRLL),
could you tell us briefly what it is and how it works?
The Library is pretty simple. Most of the ladies
send a check to cover actual postage plus $1.00 for the shipping supplies along
with a list of zines they would like to read and I send them as many of their
picks as can fit in a box. After they are finished reading the zines, they just
mail them back along with a new list and a check for the next batch. Because of
the weight of the zines, we try to stick with media mail, which saves the
ladies a bit. In the old days, priority worked well and was faster but with the
changing postal rates, priority is a bit much. As far as getting started, the
easiest way would be to drop me a note, either email or snail mail and request
a zine list and order form.
Tell
us about the Crystal
Rose. When was it established? What was its purpose? How did you become a
part of it, and how were you involved?
I had to get some help with this one. I
wasn’t around at the beginning so I dropped JoAnn Grant a note and here is most
of the story:
Around 1990, she and Vicki Thomas were on
their way home from a B & B meeting and decided to start a fan club there
in NC. I would imagine the name came pretty easily, such a lovely name. She
said the main purpose of the Crystal Rose was to be in contact with other fans.
It was fun and hard work. They went to several of the early conventions, first
one being in
The Library was started after the first
convention they attended, with zines from their own collections plus donations
from other fans, due to the fact that they were getting requests from members
to read some of the zines. Sandy P. Shelton got in touch with Jo Ann with a
zine she had written and they started putting her stories in the
newsletter. Then more fans started
sending in material for the newsletter, which included Judy Lloyd as you can
see from the website. There are still a lot of the stories out there for your
enjoyment. Sandy C. Shelton sent them some of her artwork for zines, and that
really kicked off the zine sales.
The fan club and web site were active for about 10 years and
then life started getting in the way as it so often does.
When did The Crystal Rose
open the first lending library? Why did the group decide to take on such a
responsibility, and how did they stock the library at the beginning? Did any of
the zines come from the members’ personal collections?
About 1991, to fill request by members of the
fan club. All of the zines came from their own collections at first and then
grew through donations.
How many other
librarians were there before you, or have you been the only one?
How did you end up as fandom's librarian?
As far as I know, Vicki
Thomas was in charge of the library for years. When life got a bit hectic, I
jumped in. You have to remember, I had joined both CABB and CR for the
libraries. I think I had about three zines that I had gotten at a small private
convention in Houston in the early years and had no way of getting more. So
when I found out about Fan Clubs and Libraries, I signed up. I guess I was one
of the more pesky borrowers and when it looked like they were going to shut it
down, I volunteered. That must have been about 1998. I remember trying to
figure out how I was going to get 300 zines from
How did/do you acquire new
zines for the library? eBay? Donations? Private sales? Word of mouth? Have you
personally invested in providing for the library?
I am always
looking for more zines. eBay is my favorite haunt, and donations are always
welcome. Private sales are wonderful, but so hard to find out about. I remember
one such sale, although I don’t remember the name, I bought tons of zines and
other memorabilia from this sale. And then when CABB decided to close their
library, they were kind enough to let me know in advance and pick out zines
that the CR didn’t have at the time and purchase them. That added probably 50
or so zines at least, possibly more. When I got the library, there were 300
zines listed but 50 were missing, not having been returned by the borrowers,
and there didn’t seem to be any record of who had what. Those 50 were my first
priority, to fill those empty spots. Happy to say they did get filled.
Needless to say, I have invested a lot in
the library, as the count now is over 800, with about 3 file drawers of
duplicates that haven’t been added into the count. Several of the ladies have
donated zines… and I would like to mention one name in particular, a special
thank you to Joan Stephens for helping to replace several zines that have not
been returned here of late. There are several more that have donated
substantially to the library. One in particular, for some reason known only to
her, likes to remove the covers! I have
no idea why and would absolutely love it, if she didn’t. But then, the covers
aren’t the most important part of the zine (although I can think of a couple
that the covers are the BEST part. lol)
Does anyone ever offer cash
donations to use for additional zine purchases? A number of Winterfest guests
are likely to read this interview, and some of them may be deciding what to do
with an overabundance of zines, or may have somehow ended up with two copies of
the same one. If a fan would like to donate something to CRLL, how would you recommend going
about it? Do you have specific guidelines for donations?
A few of the
borrowing ladies do send in a little extra and tell me to keep it for
additional zine purchases, which is a very nice thing to do. I am in the
process of setting up the library in the new building. Right now, I am out of room for more filing
cabinets. At the office (thanks to Sis) there are five four drawer file
cabinets with an over flow of four boxes and roll around tubs for the 800+ with
one stuffed drawer of duplicates, so I am figuring two more filing cabinets
will at least take care of the present collection and allow me to go ahead and
number the duplicates. I would like to pick out the duplicates that we have
more than three copies of and take them to next years convention in
Are your zines a part of
the library, or do you keep your own "private stash" separate?
I actually
have a pretty extensive collection here at the house, three four-drawer file
cabinets. Some of these tend to be the one of a kind, xxx rated ones that I
just haven’t been about to find a copy for the library. I do have a separate
listing for the zines in my collection that I have been known to lend out,
especially to those ladies that have been with me a long time.
What was the first zine in
the library? The latest acquisition?
The first zines in the library were “The Book
of Secrets” set from Vickie Thomas’s own collection and one of the latest
acquisitions is “Passages of Time” which I think I got at this years
convention. I’ve got a bid out at ebay right now for another zine, but I think,
if I get it, it might be one of those that go into my collection. It’s a little
different, I like different.
What is the most popular
zine? The most rare? The most overlooked?
The one readers are most surprised that they enjoyed?
Ok, I
popped up to the office and looked at my check out sheet. It is a little
deceptive since some zines have more than one copy and I would have to compare
the names and number in those cases, but…Dreams
of Thee has been checked out at least 19 times followed by One Day, A Rapture that has been checked
out 15 times. With Coming Out of the Dark, Bondstories
VIII, All That Lights Upon Us II
and Love Bade Me Welcome coming in
with 13 each.
As to rare – there are a lot of zines that
I have never seen so I would have to say those were rare, but a special mention
needs to be made about “Sleepless in
As to overlooked…tastes in reading material
vary so much, as do feelings about “classic” as opposed to “3rd
Season”, 4th Season, or alternate reality zines, that it would be
impossible to say one was overlooked. Personally, I enjoy all of them, and
anyone that doesn’t read them all is “overlooking” possible reading enjoyment.
What zine(s) do you not have that you would
like to get your hands on for the library?
That’s easy; any zine the library does not
have… especially if there isn’t one in my collection either. I print a list
from the QFER of the known zines that are not in the library to take with me to
all conventions…. The list continues to get smaller and smaller.
A little secret. If you come across one of
the B & B yahoo groups with the library database on it, there is a column
that says CR at the top, if there is a number there, it’s in the library, then
next to it, is a column that says Jan, you’ll find Y’s for yes which means I
have it, and W’s for wants. Those are some special ones that have been on my
list for a long time, probably very hard to find zines, or I would already have
it by now.
How many people do you
estimate have borrowed from the CRLL?
About 40 since
I took over. I don’t have any records before that. And before I took it over,
you had to be a member of the Crystal Rose fan club to borrow zines.
Do you have regular
customers? Repeat customers for the same zine?
Oh, very
definitely yes on regulars. Joan has read just about all of them. She always
checks out the bottom of the list for the new ones now-a-days. Marilyn Howard
has also read just about every zine (unless the “D” person appears)
And if Eve is reading this, how many times
did you check out “A Time For Us”? LOL, I started looking for an extra copy to
just give her!
What are your time limits
for borrowing? Do people generally return zines on time? How do you handle it
when zines are lost or damaged or simply not returned?
I’m not
terribly strict on the time limit, and over the past couple of years, I have
developed a pattern. The stated time limit is two months. What I try to do is
do the mail out about every two 
months, so if you don’t have them back,
well, you could be looking at another two months wait. Right now I have about
five people who have not returned zines. I have a list in the database section
of several of the yahoo groups with a list of those names and what zines were
not returned. I’ve tried email, snail mail and phone calls for all of those.
When this happens, it is very depressing. Sometimes I think about just not
sending any out, but my ladies are so appreciative and thankful to get zines,
it would not be the least bit fair to them or to all the newbies just now finding
B & B to do that, so I just do my best to replace them. Unfortunately,
there are six, one of a kind zines that have not been replaced.
As far as
lost, I don’t think there have been any lost. I did have one person tell me
they were lost and then sold one on ebay, but it actually found its way home.
And don’t tell anyone, but I actually cried when I opened that box. I guess it
was like a long lost child coming home. They are kind of like all my children.
Do you spend a lot of time at
the post office, or do you have packages picked up at your door?
I have a
super hubby who takes my boxes to the post office, but he uses it as an excuse
to flirt with the ladies down there. They pretty much know him by sight. The
post office right now is about a 14 mile round trip, but they are working on
one about a mile away (but I have a feeling he’ll still go to Manvel, unless
they have nice ladies to flirt with at the new one!).
What's the greatest
distance you have sent zines? Do you ship overseas?
Overseas postage is just cost prohibitive,
unfortunately. I do ship up to
Who most influenced and/or encouraged you in this direction? Did you
have previous library experience that made CRLL a natural fit for
you? We understand that you're
an accountant. Does that mind set help with record-keeping for the library?
No one
really influenced me in this direction except the previous libraries and the
ladies that were kind enough to take the time to do this in the past. No
previous library experience, but the bookkeeping background, not to mention the
Libra organizing obsession that certainly makes a difference.
How do you cope with having
a job and running the CRLL?
Since I have it down to once every two
months for shipping, it isn’t too bad. It averages about an hour to check in,
file, check out, type up packing slips, box up and record each box of zines. I
usually pick a quiet weekend and just spend the day up at the office getting
about 9 boxes ready, that’s my regular constant subscribers right now. And I
have a forgiving boss when I’ve been to a convention or found a hidden treasure
of zines and spend a day getting them all logged into the system.
A lot of us imagine CRLL as a room bursting
at the seams with zines. Describe the CRLL Library space in
your house. How does your
husband cope with all the time you spend working with the library? With the
space it must take in your home?
Only my personal zines are here at the house
and right now, and there is so much “stuff” in front of the file cabinets that
I couldn’t get to them if I had to. If someone asks for one of them, I send HIM
into the “cavern”. lol I’ll get a
picture of the office with the filing cabinets for you to see. When the new
building is finished, it will be so nice with everything together and more
room.
And hubby has plenty of space for his hobbies. Army stuff all over the place. Although I have to admit, we just fixed up the old trailer that my mom was living in before she passed away earlier this year and his stuff is making its way down there. Maybe I can get into my B & B room soon.
How do you work? Do you have set schedule for library work? Any
self-imposed rules or limits? How much time each week do you usually spend on CRLL?
As mentioned before, a weekend every other
month…now if you folks go crazy and I get a bunch of new borrowers, I might
have to adjust that.
What was the most interesting response you've had to your work? What do you consider the greatest compliment you've received? Is there anything that really touched you or gave you a good laugh? What is your favorite thing to hear from someone borrowing from CRLL?
The most interesting responses seem to come
from clients that come into the office and ask about the pictures on the wall
or on top of the filing cabinets, and I show them the library. Some remember
the series, some don’t. A few were fans and had no idea there is still a fandom
out there.
I just like the thank you’s…someone to say they never thought they would be able to read all these zines…that type of thing.
Is there any advice you would offer to someone who might consider
starting a lending library?
Not really, other than keep good records. And
if you are young and serious, drop me a note. You all do realize that if,
heaven forbid, anything happens to me, we are going to need a new librarian. (I
try to make that statement with a smile, but it is a concern of mine. If you
average $20 per zine, the library has over $20,000 worth of zines and another
$1,000+ in file cabinets, and I wouldn’t even want to think about the shipping,
considering the sheer volume.) But my plans are to be around for a long time.
Being a BATB fan:
In RL are you a closet
"beastie" or do all your friends and family members know you're a
fan? How do they feel about your Beauty and the Beast involvement? Do they
worry about your sanity?
Definitely
not in the closet. I have the first picture I bought at a convention, of
Vincent, with Ron’s signature, over my desk and that lovely one of C & V
signed by Ron and Linda right beside it. My sister thinks I am a bit crazy, but
she has never discouraged any of my B & B activities. In fact, she helped
me set up the library when we first got all those boxes in. Spent hours calling
out titles and numbers so I could get started organizing.
May we assume that you might call yourself a BATB fan fic
addict?
I most
assuredly was. It seemed that I just couldn’t get enough. I would read from the
time I got home until the wee hours of the morning for years. And when the
library got here, I probably read everything in there. It was wonderful,
now-a-days, there doesn’t seem to be as much free time as before. But I have
been known to get a new zine in and read it before it goes into the library,
usually when I am supposed to be doing something else. lol.
Do you have a favorite zine
or series?
I think my
favorite zine would have to be “Love Bade Me Welcome”, but there are so many
more “favorites”…anything by Patricia Kehoe or Sandy Shelton. And something
everyone should read…even though, as far as I know, it was never done in a zine
but it is out on the net to download…is Teri’s “Your Pain Is My Pain”. I
remember printing that out and taking it with me to my first convention back in
1997 in
But there are so many, that’s why I have the
three file cabinets here at the house!
How did B&B affect your life?
One thing for sure…I look forward to the
conventions every year. There are so many wonderful people out there. I had
never gone any place or done anything like that. I hope they continue, even if
in the form of “Excellent Adventures”.
What a vacation.
Are you or have you been involved with any other fandoms in the same
way?
Not in any way like B & B. I went to some
of the old Star Trek conventions and collect things…Highlander, Forever Knight,
StarGate. I watch the Creation Con website, but they never seem to get down
this direction, and summers are pretty full with the B & B convention and
then my husband has his Special Forces Assn. Convention in June… and Special
Operations in Las Vegas in September (I figure my one for his two, not bad.
lol). But nothing to the same degree as
B & B.
Do you want to say something else to the readers of this interview,
about yourself, BATB, CRLL, The Crystal Rose,
the fandom?
I’m here, I’m available, but the real heroes
of the fandom are the writers and artists who REALLY keep the dream alive with
new things. I’m kind of the keeper of the old ways. But new is what is going to
make it continue. The ladies and gentlemen that give of their time to host the
conventions, those are the folks that need a “hats off”. Thank you to all who
do so much for Beauty and the Beast. Keep me on your mailing list…I don’t want
to miss a thing.