SIGNATURE'S ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO JANE AUSTEN

July 18, 2017, marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. In honor of such an important date Signature — the Penguin Random House site dedicated to books and culture— has just released The Essential Guide to Jane Austen.

The guide features 12 incredible essays from a variety of well-known authors—plus a clever illustration detailing the theory of Austen’s secret radicalism from the talented illustrator Nathan Gelgud. These essays explore a range of topics: from book-to-film adaptations, to repackaging the work of a classic literary master for the modern age, to lessons the modern woman can learn from her Victorian countryside counterparts, and so much more in between—all connected with the thread of Jane Austen’s incomparable canon. 

FREEBIE! GRAB YOUR EBOOK COPY OF JANE AUSTEN & THE ARCHANGEL BY PAMELA AARES

About the book 

What's to be done with an angel who breaks the rules? Until then passion had lived only on the page- Jane Austen hasn't written a creative word in months. She secretly fears she may not have it in her to write a single word more about love. Yet when the mysterious Michael Grace appears on her doorstep, she's cast into a world of emotion beyond even her wildest imaginings. Though she fears he might be a spy, she enlists his help to find her friend's fiancee, missing in the Peninsular War. But Michael isn't what he seems, and the passion and doubts he ignites turn everything Jane trusts upside down. What Jane doesn't know is that her mystery man is an angel. One who's never failed to get what he goes after. Some rules just beg to be broken- It's not easy being a bad-boy angel and Michael is paying the penalty. Demoted to working undercover in a sleepy English village, he's chafing to launch the dangerous mission he's been sent to command. But when he meets Jane, he's irresistibly drawn to her, even though involvement with her could jeopardize her life and his status as an angel. When Lucifer tries to use Jane as a pawn in his vile schemes, Michael discovers that fighting the forces of darkness is nothing compared to the challenge of telling Jane the truth. Can the angel who's never lost a battle win the heart of a woman who's afraid of love?

Grab your copy at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk in the next 48 hours!

Read my interview with Pamela Aares

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE PREQUEL FREE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!

200 years after the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Melanie Kerr is giving away the eBook of her new novel, whichtreats readers to the complete and dramatic history of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham. Follies Past:a Prequel to Pride and Prejudice, will be available to download for free HERE  from February 10 – 14, 2014. 

To read this book is to step back into the charming world of Jane Austen’s England, to pass a few more hours with some of her beloved characters, sympathetically portrayed as they might have been before ever they came to Netherfield.

In Pride and Prejudice, everything hinges on a letter which Mr. Darcy gives Elizabeth - a letter setting forth all his dealings with Mr. Wickham. These facts, supplied by Austen herself, are at the heart ofFollies Past. The drama begins almost a year before the opening of Pride and Prejudice itself, at Pemberley, at Christmas. We follow young Georgiana Darcy to London, to Ramsgate and to the brink of a perilous elopement. Along the way, readers will discover a host of new characters, with compelling histories of their own.Authentic in its use of language andmeticulously researched, Follies Past is a truly diverting entertainment.

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! 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?