HAPPY 240th BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN + GIVEAWAY

To celebrate dear Jane's 240th Birthday, here's a special bargain (US readers only) + giveaway contest (INT.) for our readers!

A beautiful devotional, brimming with the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen and the timeless truths of Scripture. 

The works of Jane Austen can transport a reader to a world that exudes beauty, peace, wisdom, wit, and love. Captivating audiences for 200 years, the works of Jane Austen continue to capture today’s readers in droves.

This daily devotional includes short excerpts from the Austen classics, and a devotional thought and Scripture that meaningfully translates to women’s daily lives. Offering temporary transport to a simple and peaceful place, women will love taking a moment to revel in the beauty and truth of a Scripture paired with excerpts from Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion,Mansfield Park, and Emma.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! MARY JANE HATHAWAY, WRITER

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

I read my first Austen novel at age 12, so 3/4 of my life has been impacted by her humor and sense of proper romance. I've aspired to her sly but gentle wit, looked to her for fashion sense, held strong to the romantic ideal of marriage for love alone, and above all, let Jane Austen guide my writing and reading.

What is a story without richly drawn characters and abiding passion? Nothing.

What kind of book would have action without thought, marriage without love, and society without a healthy dose of humor? Dry and boring.

In the end, even my career has been impacted by Jane. I aspire to writing the sort of witty romance than has one laughing, then sighing with satisfaction at the ending.

Mary Jane / Virginia

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! LAURIE VIERA RIGLER, WRITER

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

 Without Jane Austen, I would not have learned to laugh at myself as I do now. I would not remember Emma’s eponymous heroine when I am being a know-it-all. I would not realize I am Sense and Sensibility’s Marianne when I am being a drama queen. And I would not know that while I might walk into a party wishing to be Elizabeth Bennet, a wishwon’t always prevent me from being Fanny Price.

Without Jane Austen, I would not have gone to Bath to see where Anne Elliot sent subtexts to Captain Wentworth. I would not have learned English country dance to see why being “fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.”And I would never, in a million years, have done so in costume.

Without Jane Austen, I would not understand how children could want the same stories read to them countless times. I would not have believed I would read Persuasiontwenty-five times. And spent nearly as many hours with Austen’s other five novels. For without Jane Austen, I would never have experienced the deeply satisfying and always novel glimpses into her ever-unfolding brilliance.

Laurie Viera Rigler

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! SCOTT D. SOUTHARD, WRITER

The Power of Jane Austen

Sometimes I wish I had a time machine.

If I had one, I would right the wrongs of history and one of those trips would be to a small cottage in Chawton.

After I park my DeLorean (yes, I would build a time machine out of one, gotta travel in style), I would race up to the door on my hover skateboard.

I wouldn’t show Jane books or movies or TV shows or anything like that. I wouldn’t even hand her a copy of my book. No, I would just tell her about how at her little desk she had inspired millions upon millions of readers and writers like myself. And for generations she has defined the idea of love and a perfect marriage.

For me, discovering her books was a delightful surprise and without her, I would not be the writer (and reader) I am today. Because I can see that alternative universe of what my life and writing would be like without her and I know it wouldn’t be pretty. There would be a lot less heart, a lot less love. Finding her stories was my density… I mean my destiny. Yes, I am a better author and better man because of her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! ANTONIA CHRISTOPHERS, ACTRESS

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

Ever since I was very young, one of my favourite things has been to curl up on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon with my Mum to watch a Jane Austen adaptation on the television. As soon as she thought I was old enough, my Mum bought me a beautiful collection of hand-bound novels and these still remain some of the most loved books sitting on our shelf - they were of course the complete works of Jane Austen.

It seemed only fitting, therefore, when my husband Noel and I decided to adapt a novel for the stage, that this should be an Austen. As this was to be our very first production for our brand new theatre company, we needed an author whose stories we could trust, not just for their dramatic content, but also for their brilliantly drawn characters. The wonderful Jane provided us with both of these and adapting Northanger Abbey was a complete joy.

So what would my life have been like without Jane Austen? Well, we certainly wouldn't have such a successful first production, it is an adaptation we will always be immensely proud of, mostly because we hardly had to change a word. The incomparable Jane had done it all for us!

 Antonia 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! JULIA MATSON, OWNER & CREATOR OF BINGLEY'S TEAS LTD

This is a strange and almost dark place to go, thinking of life without Austen. For me, she was the first woman author anthropologist who was sodeft at showcasing her findings amusingly that at first you may miss the lessons! I have also found some comfort by reading that people are stillvery much the same as they always were. And if that is true, it is easier to mentally sort out things in today’s world.

Life without Austen would have likely meant my staying in the Victorian section for novels and Elizabethan section for biographies. Oh dear, but it’s true! You can find yourself in a rut.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! A GIFT FOR ALL JANEITES FROM ENDEVOUR PRESS

To celebrate Jane Austen's birthday Endeavour Press are putting Maggie Lane's fascinating ebook, Jane Austen and Food, on a free promotion for five days (16 - 20 Dec). 

Learn about dining customs and the type of food popular in the Regency era

What does food represent in Jane Austen's fiction? And how does she use it to comment on her characters? Why is it so appropriate that the scene of Emma's disgrace should be a picnic, and how do the different styles of housekeeping in Mansfield Park relate to the social issues of the time?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! REGINA JEFFERS, WRITER

What would my life have been without Jane Austen? Regina Jeffers answers: 

If Jane Austen had not quietly crept into my world when I was but twelve, I would have developed a liking for Edith Wharton, and a recent New Yorker article summed it that possibility: “Nobody Likes Edith Wharton.” In 1929, Janet Flanner described Wharton as: “On the whole she finds herself living in a generation in which conversation is lost. She is a dignified little woman set down in the middle of her past. She says that to the greener growths of her day, she must seem like a taffeta sofa under a gas-lit chandelier. Certainly she is old-fashioned in that she reserves her magnanimity for special occasions. In belief she is still nothing of an iconoclast but has become liberal through reflection.”
 Now, I ask you what kind of role model would that have been for an impressionable young girl, who was inflicted at birth with the “Cinderella” gene? A girl who craves her “Happily Ever After”? I prefer my characters to learn to love intelligently, as well as to have the weak and the powerless protected by a formal code of behavior. I also prefer the “sound” of Austen’s slightly biting voice in my head rather than the sound of wealth and disdain found in Wharton’s novels. I was raised on the ideals of duty to society, the want for education and extensive reading, religious seriousness, and the need for manners. I required an author who would speak to those issues and provide them importance. So, without Austen, I would go to sleep with images of Selden discovering Lily’s overdosed body or of Zeena tending to Mattie after Ethan Frome’s death. I am much more inclined toward the delicious Mr. Darcy, the honorable Captain Wentworth, and excessively understanding Mr. Knightley to the “reality” of Wharton’s works. In truth, there is already too much reality in my life; I require my HEA to know hope for a brighter tomorrow. That is Jane Austen’s place in my life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! VICTORIA CONNELLY, WRITER

 “What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?” 

I can't imagine a life without Jane Austen. She is the reason that I am now a full-time author. It was when I was visiting her cottage in Hampshire a few years ago that I came up with the idea of writing a trilogy about Jane Austen addicts - with each book set in a beautiful Austen location. Before I'd even finished writing the first story, I'd been offered my first book deal in the US and, since then, my books have been published in the UK, Russia and Finland. It's so exciting.

As well as the writing, there are the friends I have made through researching my books and attending events like the Jane Austen Festival in Bath and holidaying with 'Pride and Prejudice Tours'. Austen addicts have to be the nicest people in the world!

And, on a personal level, her novels have enriched my life in so many ways - they are beautiful love stories told with warmth and humour and I never tire of rereading them and watching the gorgeous film adaptations. I am truly an Austen addict!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! ALYSSA GOODNIGHT, WRITER

“What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?” 

Life without Jane Austen wouldn't be nearly as cozy, charming, witty, or wry. Technology is wonderful, but it comes at a price. Jane lets us remember a time when precious minutes were set aside to pen a heartfelt letter. A time when afternoon tea was a quiet, daily ritual. A time when a visit from the right gentleman was a thrill and his fleeting smile the stuff of young ladies' daydreams. Jane wrote of romance and love and trust, and all the nuances of getting it right versus getting it wrong. She wrote happily ever afters, full of wit and laughter and hope. In short, Jane wrote of all the best things, and I delight in visiting the world she created as much as possible. The influence of Jane's continued popularity in our modern world can only be a good thing.

Alyssa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! KATHERINE REAY, WRITER

What would our lives have been like without Jane Austen?

  

This is an interesting question because I can’t imagine the answer. Separating Jane Austen from my life would require a “what if” reaching so far back into my childhood that I don’t think I’d recognize my own story.

I first read Pride and Prejudice in the eighth grade and fell in love with Austen’s stories, her style… everything. I raced through her novels and then found myself basing reading choices on their similarity to her works, time period, style etc. I even remember, during my high school English AP exam, eschewing the question our teacher had anticipated and prepped simply because another question asked about Pride and Prejudice and I couldn’t help myself. So off I went… I don’t remember my score on that test.

And then the movies started rolling in and Austen more fully gripped our imaginations. I have definitely seen them all and when I was injured in 2009, I found her again. While most people bring friends flowers in the hospital, mine brought me books. I left my three-day stay with over 30 new titles, but all I wanted was to spend time with Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse and Anne Elliot. I started reading… And as I did, a character formed in my head, but not one who would fit comfortably in Austen’s world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! ALEXA ADAMS, WRITER

What would your life had been without Jane Austen? 

How my life would be different with out Jane Austen ... Without Jane Austen to guide me towards the path of moral rectitude, I'm not sure I would have become a person whom I could respect. She entered my life when I was in a period of ambivalence and despondency. Without the good examples of Anne Elliot and Elinor Dashwood, I would probably have grown into a resentful adult, burdened with an unproductive and self-defeating sense of entitlement. Instead, I learned to accept my burdens with grace and continuously strive to be a better person than I currently am. Thank you, my dear Miss Austen, for setting me on the correct path, and a very happy birthday to you!  

Alexa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! JASMINE KYLE, SINGER & SONGWRITER

   

    As a survivor of domestic violence I was raised in a rough home with rough words and rougher people. I played basketball and lifted weights as some feeble attempt to be strong and not be feel worthless.  As an athlete you learn to walk hard move hard and make yourself large. So you can imagine as a jock and latchkey kid, what a Jane Austen novel would represent to me. 

   

  I inherited the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice and put it in on a day NOTHING looked good in my VCR collection. I put it on and was whisked away to soft spoken women wrapped in floral words and gentle men.  It woke in me the longing for something more. More than just the wrong side of the rainbow.  

Jasmine Kyle

    

I craved tea,  gentle conversations,  gardens and the never ending pursuit of good company.  As a child I would look at my mother and say "There has to be something more than this" and here it was waltzing away on my television. 

    So you ask me what my life would be like with out Jane Austen?  I would still be on the other side of the rainbow locked in a gray box hardening my self for a world that didn't have to be that way. 

Download Jasmine's "Dear Jane" for free 

Download "Forgiveness"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! ABIGAIL REYNOLDS, WRITER

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?  

Since I’ve spent the last eleven years eating, drinking and sleeping Jane Austen, I hardly know how to begin to answer this question. I wouldn’t be writing, at least not for anyone else to see, if it weren’t for Jane Austen’s inspiration and the community of fans who love her. I never would have thought I had any particular talent for writing stories.

For my first forty years, Jane’s influence wasn’t as obvious, but it was there. As a teenager, her books were the first classics I read where I didn’t trudge my way through them out of a sense of obligation. Her characters came alive for me in a way others didn’t. I could see something of myself in them. She influenced the college I chose, a fiercely academic one stuffed with odd traditions like placing flowers at the feet of a statue of Athena for luck before an exam and extravagant May Day celebrations. Something about the place also drew Jane Austen fans, and for the first time in my life, I met other people who loved her books as much as I did.  It was like uncovering buried treasure. Would it have been the same to meet other people who loved Shakespeare or Tolstoy? I don’t think so. There’s something about Jane Austen that draws people together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! SUE POMEROY, FILM MAKER (FUSCHIA FILM)

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

Jane Austen's novels have brought so much joy into my life and helped me enrich the lives of thousands of others! My stage adaptation of Pride & Prejudice has performed to tens of thousands of people across the UK, and the experience of sitting in a packed auditorium listening to the delighted laughter of audiences across the country, and feeling the hearts of all those present being touched by Jane Austen's beautiful observations and moving love stories - that has been so memorable and life enhancing. When I collaborated on the adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, I wondered if it could match the experience, but thanks to some fantastic performances, especially from Jonathan Cecil as Mr Woodhouse, it was also a wonderful production. Seeing the response to her novels on stage in No. 1 theatres makes you realise just what an outstanding writer she is; her brilliant creation of characters, her exploration of relationships and her witty social observations which still speak to us so powerfully today,   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! AMANDA GRANGE, WRITER

“What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?” 

An interesting question! It would have been very different, that much is certain! I first discovered Jane Austen when I was about 13. I used to go to my local library every week and one day I found a book called Pride and Prejudice. I knew nothing about the book, but from page one I was hooked. I loved the witty banter and the characters. As the book progressed, I loved the romance  When it was finished, I couldn’t let Jane Austen go and I read all her other books.

Life moved on. I went to university then I became a teacher, and I often re-read Jane Austen’s novels. I fulfilled my ambition of becoming a published novelist, writing many Regency romances and then, one day, I decided to treat myself to a re-read of Pride and Prejudice. As I read it, I found myself wondering about Mr Darcy. What was he doing when he was off the page? What happened when he his sister was about to elope? How did he persuade Wickham to marry Lydia? And what was he thinking when he made that disastrous first proposal to Elizabeth?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! CARMEN, BLOGGER AT "EL SITIO DE JANE"

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

When I was asked this question by Maria Grazia, who’s from Italy, I instantly thought that if I hadn’t met Austen, my world would probably be smaller. I used  to dislike romantic period novels, because I was full of prejudices, even though  my sister Almudena was totally in love with that Austen novel she was reading, called Pride and Prejudice. But time went by, and we watched a TV series with Colin Firth who I loved, and then, at school, I had to watch that film by Emma Thompson too. And I was really got and then, fell in love with the writer and her works.

My sister and I, along with other family members and friends, had fallen in love with Mr Darcy, Elizabeth and even Mr Collins. But Internet was happening around those years, and we started to meet “janeites” online through forums. Almudena and I thought that we had to share in a more active way, and we even designed a website, a bit rough in that moment. After this, we started to receive emails and signings in our guestbook every now and then...and you know, we were so happy, because we were making people happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! CASSANDRA GRAFTON, WRITER

What would my life have been without Jane Austen?

I sat down to answer this question, thinking it would take just a few minutes. That was before I started to really think about what it means, what it is really asking of me. I found that I had no easy answer.

The thought of not having read Jane Austen’s wonderful novels, of not knowing and loving Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliott, the Dashwood sisters and their beaus and more is beyond my comprehension, they are so much a part of me and who I am, not just as a writer but as a person.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! DEB BARNUM, BLOGGER AT "JANE AUSTEN IN VERMONT"

What would my life have been like without Jane Austen?

Hard to imagine, really, but here goes with a list of what would been missing in my life if Jane Austen had not written her 6 novels:

I wouldn’t have…

1. … befriended an amazing group of women from our first weekend sharing Jane Austen 20 years ago… we continue to have at least once a year “Wild Women Weekends” to discuss our latest reads and to just connect – and it all started with Jane Austen…

2. … had the repeat enjoyment of reading her novels over and over, always discovering something new;

3. … encountered the likes of Mr. Collins, Mrs. Elton, Mary Crawford, Mrs. Bennet, the Wicked Villians, and the Dashing Heroes [well, except for Edmund…];

4. … appreciated the English language in quite the same way… the Wit, the Irony, that Free Indirect Discourse! – Who else does it quite like this! [well, after giving Shakespeare his just due…];

5. … read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and therefore would not have discovered Richard Armitage as John Thornton;

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! J. MARIE CROFT, WRITER

Life Without Austen

by J. Marie Croft

Imagine a time-traveler went back and changed a family tree

And prevented George Austen’s marriage to Cassandra Leigh.

They say we cannot possibly pine for something we never had.

If, in 1775, Jane Austen wasn’t born, we’d probably not be sad.

Her novels would be unwritten, and you know ignorance is bliss.

Generations would be utterly clueless and Emma just a miss.