Janet Housden hates a lot of things. She hates parking. She hates pop culture. She probably hates you. But what she hates most of all are the pretentious, entitled fucks that accompany gentrification. “A Penny for the Parking Fairy” is a modern fairy tale and urban legend that lingers somewhere between the Eastside and The Twilight Zone. Here all of Janet’s hatred converges in one place – a Mini Cooper driven by her two main characters, Kyle Butler and Tuffy Hork. The events that follow will change their shallow, self-absorbed lives forever.
It is a quick read that will leave you thinking. Janet Housden uses expressive language with a lot of action to move the story along. She is able to capture the nuances of conversation that enable the reader to ultimately believe in the characters, as outlandish as they may be. “A Penny for the Parking Fairy” captures the zeitgeist of a little neighborhood in L.A. on the cusp of the 21st century.
Al Guerrero is Ralph Steadman to Janet Housden’s Hunter S. Thompson. His illustrations, which are often drawn against the backdrop of real photographs, are sometimes reminiscent of Dan Clowes. Guerrero’s lines are sharp and uncluttered. He is a master at capturing facial expressions that get directly to the heart of a character.
In true DIY fashion, “A Penny for the Parking Fairy” is self-published with a limited run. Pick up this 24-page novelette at Stories, Skylight, The Brat Store, and Beyond Baroque. Or order online here. Seriously. You don’t want to piss Janet off.
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