On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn't good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price.



Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas as the youngest showgirl in Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with the "King," himself, Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and inspired her to travel to Europe where she worked in film and toured Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, joining the famed improv group, The Groundlings, and honing her comedic skills alongside Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens.



Then in 1981, nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, Cassandra auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for their late-night horror movies. She improvised, made the role her own, and got the job as "Elvira" on the spot, never imagining it would lead to fame and a forty-year career. YOURS CRUELLY, ELVIRA (9/21/21, Hachette Books, Hardcover, $29, 9780306874352) is Cassandra's unforgettably wild memoir that does not shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. Always original and often outrageous, YOURS CRUELLY, ELVIRA is the candid, often hilarious, downright shocking, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl's long strange trip to become the world's sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon.



Cassandra Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After years as a dancer/singer/actress/comedian, she created the character Elvira, which became an overnight success. In addition to hosting her long-running TV series Movie Macabre, Peterson went on to co-write and star in two self-titled feature 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.