Hello My Jane Austen Book Club readers,
I’ve always
enjoyed art, both the appreciation for the artist’s skill and patience
involved, and as a form of creativity that (despite my poor attempts at
painting) I find oddly soothing. Elinor Dashwood is one of Jane Austen’s
heroines who is recognised for her artistic ability. Indeed, for young ladies
of this time, skill with sketching or watercolours was considered an important
accomplishment. For my latest inspirational Regency romance, Miss Serena’s Secret, I wanted to
explore what it might be like for a young woman of artistic sensibilities in a
time when young women were often seen as little more than a baby breeding
machine.
