BOOK REVIEW - JANE AUSTEN'S FIRST LOVE BY SYRIE JAMES

OUT ON AUGUST 5th!  

INSPIRED BY ACTUAL EVENTS

Book blurb

Fifteen-year-old Jane Austen dreams of three things: doing something useful, writing something worthy, and falling madly in love. When she visits her brother in Kent to celebrate his engagement, she meets wealthy, devilishly handsome Edward Taylor—a fascinating young man who is truly worthy of her affections. Jane knows a match between her and Edward is unlikely, but every moment she spends with him makes her heart race—and he seems to return her interest. Much to her displeasure, however, there is another seeking his attention

Unsure of her budding relationship, Jane seeks distraction by attempting to correct the pairings of three other prospective couples. But when her matchmaking aspirations do not all turn out as anticipated, Jane discovers the danger of relying on first impressions. The human heart cannot be easily deciphered, nor can it be directed or managed. And if others must be left to their own devices in matters of love and matrimony, can Jane even hope to satisfy her own heart?

My review

Syrie James confirms her skills as brilliant story-teller and creator of lively pictures of Regency life.  Well-researched historical novel as well as delightful summer read,  her  new Jane Austen’s First Love is based on an imaginative interpretation of Jane Austen’s  enigmatic  reference to a “Him, on whom I once fondly doated”    (from  one of Jane Austen’s  letters to her sister Cassandra).  Intriguing matter for a talented researcher and passionate Janeite like Syrie James. (1)

THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT OF JANE AUSTEN BY SYRIE JAMES - MY REVIEW

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen is an awesome new book by Syrie James, author of bestselling novels like  The Lost Memoirs Of Jane Austen, Dracula My Love, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, Nocturne  and Forbidden. Due to release on 31st December, The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen is a  novel within a novel :  a brilliant Austen-style Regency tale inside a lovely modern romance.

I must admit that with this new novel Syrie James has surpassed herself and moved forward even respect to a successful achievement like The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. She did a brilliant job both at delivering a well-designed plot echoing Jane Austen’s voice - but modernizing it for a present-day audience -  and at enclosing it in an intriguing frame of quest and romance.

Samantha is an American librarian who had to give up her Ph D in English Literature while preparing a dissertation on Jane Austen’s work. She was forced to interrupt her studies in Oxford and go back to home   in order to take care of her seriously ill mother.

Now she is on a trip in England with her cardiologist boyfriend, Stephen. Since he is  engaged in a  medical conference in London,  she spends her time alone visiting the places of her happy years at Oxford university and while perusing old little bookshops in search for something interesting, she happens to find an ancient book of poetry containing a letter. The book reveals itself as belonging to Jane Austen  and inside it there is one of her missing letters.  Even more extraordinary is the fact that in that letter Jane refers to a manuscript she lost in 1802 visiting Greenbriar, the Whitakers’ mansion in the countryside, in Dorset.

SYRIE JAMES DISCUSSES WHY JANE AUSTEN CAPTURES HER WRITING IMAGINATION - WIN "THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT OF JANE AUSTEN"

Syrie James, author of The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, a brilliant Austen-inspired novel (my review) ,  is my guest today to discuss  why Jane Austen captures her writing imagination. Take your chances to win a copy of the book using the rafflecopter form below. The contest is for US readers only and ends on January 10th. Good luck!

I love Jane Austen because her books transport us to another world, another time and place—that doesn't seem that far away. Jane Austen doesn't need elaborate plot lines, exotic locales, or a lot of action to create the most engaging, entertaining, funny, and insightful stories I have ever read.

It doesn’t hurt that Austen wrote about the English gentry class at a time when men had impeccable manners and wore tight breeches, tailcoats, and cravats (which are eminently sexy), ladies wore bewitching, gossamer gowns, and the primary social entertainment was to dance at a ball. But it’s the stories themselves that make Austen great, and more importantly, the characters she created.

Austen is an acute observer of people. Although her novels take place two hundred years ago, her characters are people we recognize; they all wrestle with social and emotional problems that we still confront on a daily basis. She sees straight through people’s pretensions, hypocrisies, politeness, and correctness to reveal their true opinions and motivations. Her characters’ inconsistencies and absurdities become fodder for her wit and humor—sometimes, they are so subtly drawn that it can take a while to truly appreciate what makes them so memorable and marvelous—but memorable and marvelous they are.

TALKING JANE AUSTEN WITH ... SYRIE JAMES + GIVEAWAY

 

 After a successful career in Hollywood, in which she sold nineteen screenplays and teleplays in a variety of genres to Tri-Star Pictures, Fox Family Films, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX TV and the Lifetime Network, Syrie James decided to follow her passion and write a novel. Syrie was thrilled when her first work of historical fiction (about one of her favorite authors), The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, sold at auction after a two-day bidding war between three major publishing houses, received critical acclaim, and became a bestseller. The Lost Memoirs was then followed by other successful novels: The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte and Dracula My Love. Syrie James latest release is Nocturne, a modern romance. Read through the interview and leave your comment + e-mail address to win a copy of Nocturne! (Giveaway open to US & Canada readers only)

Join me and welcome Syrie James 

on My Jane Austen Book Club!

When was your first encounter with Jane Austen and her world ? What fascinated you at first?

I first became introduced to Jane Austen in a British literature class in college. We read "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice." I was an instant fan. There are few writers who can match Austen for pure brilliance of plot, characterization, and dialog. 

 Like many of my blogmates and readers, I’ve read and loved your biofic “The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen.”  I was incredibly impressed at how true that story seemed to me, how it told about the Jane I had in my mind.  How long and detailed was the preparation for that book?

I read dozens of Austen biographies and scholarly works as well as books about the Regency era. I re-read Jane Austen's six novels, her unfinished works, her juvenilia, and all of her surviving correspondence. I went to England and walked in Jane's footsteps, with a visit to her house at Chawton Cottage, the ruins of Netley Abbey near Southampton, the Cobb at Lyme Regis, the city of Bath, and a pilgrimage to her grave at Winchester Cathedral. I was also granted a rare opportunity to visit Godmersham Park, one of the grand manor homes belonging to Jane's older brother Edward, where Jane often stayed. It was a glorious experience! I also watched all the movies of her works many times to familiarize myself with the customs, fashions, and lifestyle of Jane's England.

Then the real work began: to outline and create the story. It was a challenge to interweave my imagined love story with the known dates, times, places, and facts of Jane Austen's life. I am so glad the story rang true to you, because I felt a great responsibility to remain true to Jane Austen's known history, and to accurately represent not only her, but her real-life friends and family members.

  

While researching,  what did you discover about Jane that you didn’t suspect before, that surprised you the most?

I was astonished that there was no known record of a love story for Jane. I couldn't believe it! She wrote so beautifully and with such insight about love and courtship, I feel certain she had a romance of her own—one that she was obliged to keep hidden from the world. That's the story I decided to tell.  And my novel is inspired by a true incident—another thing I learned that both surprised and intrigued me. Jane's sister Cassandra confided to a niece that if Jane ever truly loved anyone, it was a man she once met at an unspecified seaside resort. That unnamed, mysterious gentleman has tantalized biographers for two hundred years. I decided to invent him.

What is there in Jane the woman that you most appreciate?

I admire her wit, observation of detail, and appreciation of the small joys in life, as evidenced in both her novels and her letters. She was a devoted sister, friend, and daughter, very close to father and all her siblings, and her feelings for them and for Anne Sharpe, the governess to her nieces and nephews, is truly touching.

  

What about Jane the writer,  instead?

I greatly admire her incredible skill when it comes to characterization, plot, and dialog.  Sir Walter Scott once wrote, " That young lady had a talent for describing the involvement and feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. The big Bow-wow strain I can do myself like any now going, but the exquisite touch which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment is denied to me. What a pity such a gifted creature died so early!" I couldn't have said it more perfectly.

As I wrote in my review, the hero in "The Lost Memoirs," Mr. Ashford,  owns features which are typical of some of Jane’s heroes. Your suggestion is then, Jane didn’t  totally create them in her mind but was inspired by and tried to describe the reality. Is it the same for you as a writer? Where do your heroes come from?

I believe Jane did draw on the men she knew when inventing her heroes, while at the same time fantasizing about the type of man she (and her heroine) would fall in love with. And yes, so do I.  Isn't that what all writers do? In "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen," I also incorporated unique characteristics not found in Austen's heroes to create Mr. Ashford—the kind of man I believe Jane Austen would have fallen in love with. 

Going back to Jane, what is it in her little close country world that becomes so appealing to our contemporary audience?

Jane Austen's stories and characters are a microcosm of the world we live in today. Everyone knows someone like Mrs. Bennet, Marianne Dashwood, or Mr. Woodhouse. We all want to be Elizabeth Bennet and marry Mr. Darcy. The issues she explores—relationships between men and women, family obligations, money or the lack of it, lack of opportunities for women, morality, overcoming pride and prejudice, learning from past mistakes, gathering the courage to follow our destiny and do what is right—we can identify with all of them today. And it's fun to read about a world before television, automobiles, cell phones, and the internet; a quieter world where conversation and music had to be experienced in person, men wore tailcoats and tight breeches, and people walked everywhere or rode in carriages.  We've glamorized it to be sure, but it's still fun!

Have you got a favourite Austen hero and a heroine?

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.  My second favorites, and also dear to my heart, are Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth.

 I’d love to see a film based on your  Lost Memoirs.  It would be a new, very credible biopic Janeites would love, I’m certain.  Would you accept? And in the game of dreaming and  keeping hope  high, who would you cast as  Jane and  Mr. Ashford?

I'd be thrilled to see  "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen," come to the screen. I have already written the screenplay! I'd cast Richard Armitage or Colin Firth as Mr. Ashford, and Rachel Weisz, Emily Watson, or Emily Blunt as Jane.

Really? Ok, Syrie. I'll start campaigning for your screenplay, then!  (Richard Armitage as Mr Ashford ? Yes, please!) 

Back to books, now. After writing about Jane Austen, you wrote Charlotte Brontë’s biofic “The Secret Diaries of …” and "Dracula My Love." It seems classic literature is a great source of inspiration to you.

It is indeed! It was a thrill and an honor to research and write from the point of view of two such remarkable women. I loved exploring Charlotte's true life love story and the inspiration behind her novel "Jane Eyre" (another one of my all-time favorite novels) in "The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë." There is a lot to admire in Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula," and it was exciting to re-imagine it from the point of view of the heroine, Mina Harker, as a passionate, dangerous, and secret romance in  "Dracula, My Love." 

 Your latest book is instead a modern  thrilling romance, "Nocturne."  How much did Jane Austen and her romances influence you in this case? 

When I wrote "Nocturne," I was very heavily influenced by my love for all things Austen. "Nocturne" is the story of a woman whose car runs off an icy Colorado road during a blizzard, and she's snowbound for days with a brilliant, gorgeous, charismatic, reclusive man with a dark secret. They fall deeply in love, a profoundly meaningful experience that is destined to change their lives forever. Having written three historical fiction novels in a row that took place in England, I have fallen in love with dashing, cultured, accomplished men with luscious accents, and I knew at once that Michael Tyler, the hero in "Nocturne," had to be British. You might say that Michael is a blend of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley and … (but to give away any more would be telling!)

Michael and Nicole also share a love of classic literature represented by works including Austen's, and one of Michael's secrets directly relates to something quite Austenian.  I can't say more without giving away plot points.

 So, do you think Janeites may love your "Nocturne"? And what especially in it?

I fell in love with Michael and Nicole while writing "Nocturne," and I hope Austen fans will, too! It's both a love story and an exploration of redemption and of the sacrifices needed to arrive at one's destiny—a theme that is very Austenian. I am humbled and honored by the response from critics, who I think explain the novel better than I can. Here's a sampling of just a few reviews:

- "Lyrical, lush, and intensely romantic ... this infinitely touching, bittersweet story from James ("Dracula, My Love") will weave its way into readers' hearts, with its complex characters and compelling emotions sure to linger long after the last page has been turned." (Library Journal) 

-  "Nocturne is the kind of book that makes you want to turn off the phone and the television so you can do nothing but read (and maybe sip some tea or hot cocoa.)" (Barnes and Noble's Heart to Heart Blog) 

- "Tauntingly compelling … the perfect escape book for romance readers." (Austenprose.com) 

- "Brilliant, couldn't put it down … a beautiful romance that pulls at the heart strings." (Book Chick City)

- "A once-in-a-lifetime kind of love ...
 each incredible revelation kept me turning pages long into the night." (A Simple Love of Reading)

"If you read any book for Valentine's Day, read 'Nocturne' by Syrie James."  (Miss Remmer's Review)

- "If you've never read a Syrie James novel you're missing out. Whether you begin with her odes to Austen, Brontë, Dracula, or Nicole and Michael – you will most assuredly  read every word she's written and become a true fan for all time." (Feathered Quill)

You can read more reviews here. Click here to read an excerpt from Nocturne.

Thank you so much for hosting this Q & A today. I love to hear from readers, and hope you'll visit me at www.syriejames.com, where I invite you to leave me a message and sign up for my newsletter.  Happy reading!

Thank you very much, Syrie! I wish you and your Nocturne great success! And to my readers in the  US and Canada,  I suggest not to miss the chance to win a copy of this great novel  leaving their comments and e-mail addresses here,  below this post.The giveaway ends February 2nd .

TO ENGLAND ON THE FOOTPRINTS OF JANE AUSTEN - Q & A POST WITH LAUREL ANN NATTRESS AND SYRIE JAMES

Laurel Ann Nattress (a life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, the editor of the short story anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, and Austenprose.com,)  and Syrie James (bestselling author of eight critically acclaimed novels) are going to travel back in time on a very special quest in search of Jane Austen.  They will  in fact travel to England and visit the homes and estates of Jane Austen as well as famous film locations used for Austen adaptations. Do you wish to join them?  Read about their exciting  plans...

Thanks a lot to both of you, Laurel Ann and Syrie, for being my guests again here at My Jane Austen Book Club. Useless to say I envy you!  How excited are you to go on your September trip to England?

Laurel Ann  : I am thrilled beyond belief! A Jane Austen Tour: Seascapes and Landscapes is indeed a dream come true for me, and sharing the experince with my good friend and author Syrie James makes it even more special. When Maria Stefanopoulos invited us to craft the itinerary to our liking, it was akin to the moment in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennet writes to her Aunt Gardiner,“give a loose to your fancy, indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford.” Amazingly, this Anglophile has never been to England before, so this excursion through Ingenious Travel is the perfect opportunity.

 Syrie: It has been five years since I last visited England, when I researched my novel The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen--and I had such a fabulous time, I can’t wait to return! We hope we have designed the ultimate Janeite fantasy trip! Wespecially requested all the locations on this tour, because they were such important places in Jane Austen’s own life. We will literally be walking in Jane’s footsteps—and for a Janeite,it is an awe-inspiring and unforgettable experience!

THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN BY SYRIE JAMES - MY REVIEW

 My latest Austenesque reading is IL DIARIO PERDUTO DI JANE AUSTEN, the Italian translation of Syrie James's THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN. It's a book I got as a gift last June from my mates of the Jane Austen Book Club (see journal of the last meeting and the funny picture of me with  an awkward expression at receiving my gifts!) It has been a very pleasant reading, an intriguing story , which actually I had already "lived " in my mind and which I was so happy someone wrote down for me. Well, not only for me of course! Jane Austen's life as I wished it to be.  
This is my last task for the Everything Austen Challenge II and one of my reads for Jane Austen is My Homegirl Reading Challenge .

It is officially presented like this ...

What if, hidden in an old attic chest, Jane Austen's memoirs were discovered after hundreds of years? What if those pages revealed the untold story of a life-changing love affair? That's the premise behind this spellbinding novel, which delves into the secrets of Jane Austen's life, giving us untold insights into her mind and heart.

Jane Austen has given up her writing when, on a fateful trip to Lyme, she meets the well-read and charming Mr. Ashford, a man who is her equal in intellect and temperament. Inspired by the people and places around her, and encouraged by his faith in her, Jane begins revising Sense and Sensibility, a book she began years earlier, hoping to be published at last.

Deft and witty, written in a style that echoes Austen's own, this unforgettable novel offers a delightfully possible scenario for the inspiration behind this beloved author's romantic tales. It's a remarkable book, irresistible to anyone who loves Jane Austen—and to anyone who loves a great story. 

My review 

In Becoming Jane young Jane Austen is hooked by dashing Tom Lefroy and even agrees to  an elopment.  In Miss Austen Regrets ,  mature Jane regrets missing the chance of marrying and looks melancholicly at her niece’s love life . In the beautiful book I ‘ve just finished reading , THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN,  Syrie James imagines quite mature Jane in love with and loved  by a rich, handsome and fascinating Mr Ashworth. Their love story has got traits of the stories we all well know and love: Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.

The novel , of course,  ends as anyone can expect since we all know that Jane never married ( and Ms James researched every detail so accurately).  The blend of biographical elements -  based on documents and letters -  with the events and characters from the novels results into an amiable page turner,  highly recommendable and, especially, believable! Never was fiction so near to the truth and  this is exactly how I’ve always interpreted Jane's decision not to marry: 

1. She must have loved to be so good at writing her very special love stories 
2. She must have loved someone she couldn’t marry to be so skillfull at describing that situation and the consequent  suffering.

Mr Ashworth is a unique character because he is a real Austen hero but, furthermore,  he combines three of Jane’s most loved  male characters:   Darcy, Edward Ferrars and Willoughby (though Mr Ashworth shares his first name with Captain Wentworth’s, Frederick). He lives at Pembroke,  an incredibly huge and beautiful residence in Derbyshire which  closely reminds of Pemberley. He is a baronet and , apparently, the heir of a huge patrimony . They meet in Lyme and he saves Jane from falling and hurting herself.  But their relationship is not simple and straightforward. Ashworth , like Edward Ferrars,  becomes awkward in his attempt at wooing Jane and the reason is the same: he also hides  a secret engagement. When Jane discovers Ashworth’s secret, she is terribly disappointed and suffers desperately,  like Marianne when Willoughby turns her  down .

It was such a verosimile scenario that I had to make an effort to convince myself I was reading fiction and not a biographical novel, more than once, while reading. It is historical fiction based on some documented facts, but so well written that, as I said above,  it sounds even truer than the truth!

SYRIE JAMES, WHAT DID JANE AUSTEN WEAR AS A TEENAGER? - JANE AUSTEN'S FIRST LOVE BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY

Fashion was of great interest to Jane Austen. She often, in great detail, discussed aspects of her wardrobe in letters to her sister. The subject is equally important to her in my novel Jane Austen’s First Love, as in this moment in chapter 3 when Jane is contemplating their upcoming trip to Kent:

“Mamma,” said I over breakfast one morning, “what do you imagine the ladies will be wearing at Godmersham and Goodnestone? Will they be splendidly dressed?”

“I suppose they will,” replied my mother, as she thickly spread a piece of toast with butter and jam. “I shall never forget the elegance of Mrs. Knight’s gown when first I saw her all those years ago, nor her hat, which was the very height of fashion. I have no doubt the Bridges ladies will all be similarly attired.”

THE MYSTERIES OF PENDOWAR HALL: INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR SYRIE JAMES

 

At My Jane Austen Book Club, we celebrate not just Jane Austen, but the timeless appeal of classic literature and the authors who bring that spirit to life in fresh, compelling ways. My guest today, Syrie James, is no stranger to our readers — her brilliant The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë have captivated many of us. Now, with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, the first book in her new Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series, Syrie masterfully channels the Gothic essence of the Brontës while delivering a thrilling historical romance and mystery. It’s a pleasure to welcome her back to discuss her latest novel, her love for classic literature, and the connections between Austen, Brontë, and the elements of storytelling that continue to intrigue us today.

DUKE DARCY'S CASTLE BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

Duke Darcy's Castle is the third book in the series Dare to Defy by Syrie James, but it is a story you can read and enjoy independently from the previous instalments.

It's been my happy place for a few days, a pleasant reading reminding me of a splendid tour in Cornwall a few years ago. The action takes place, in fact,  in a remote, enchanting tidal island inspired to real Mount St. Michael, St. Gabriel's Mount.   

The novel is set in the late Victorian Age and it has all the elements an engaging historical romance can offer:  a captivating hero, a brilliant heroine, a steaming love story.

Kathryn Atherton arrives at St Gabriel's Mount unexpected  - well, they weren't expecting a lady - and with one purpose in mind: to be appreciated as an architect by the Tenth Duke of Darcy, Lance Granville, whose ancient castle needs renovation and refurbishment. Her professional success, in a world exclusively inhabited by male architects,  is very difficult to achieve, but that is just what Kathryn wants to pursue and she will not let  any distraction or obstacle to lead her astray.  

Lance Granville has just left his own career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title and become the Tenth Duke of  Darcy, something he has never wished for himself. When a very attractive woman architect appears in his residence, he just can't believe his eyes.

Kathryn and Lance will hit it off immediately  and the attraction between them will not make things easy for either of them. 

This is the premise to a delightful love story that will keep you intrigued and excited till the last page. 

NOCTURNE BY SYRIE JAMES - GIVEAWAY WINNER

Last week Syrie James, author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen among others, was my guest here on  My Jane Austen Book Club. We talked Jane Austen and Syrie  also presented her latest release, an intriguing modern romance, NOCTURNE. One lucky reader who commented the interview  is going to get her brand new  free copy of this novel.
My congratulations go to ...

stilettostorytime

As usual, thanks for taking part in the giveaway to all those who entered and,  if you couldn't last week because not living in the US or Canada, or haven't won this time, or even if you have (why not?)  stay tuned! A giveaway open worldwide will be soon on My Jane Austen Book Club, connected to my next interview for the weekly event "Talking Jane Austen with..." I'll wait for you all here tomorrow. MG

SYRIE JAMES: EIGHT REASONS WHY I LOVE NOVELS SET IN THE GEORGIAN AND REGENCY ERAS - JANE AUSTEN'S FIRST LOVE HOLIDAY BLOG TOUR & FABULOUS GIVEAWAY

I have a soft spot in my heart for historical fiction novels set in England during the Georgian and Regency eras. Why? There are so many reasons, but I’ll condense them down to eight:

1. I love stepping back in time.

Reading a novel set in the past is like discovering your own personal time machine. I love being immersed in all the sights, sounds, and smells of a time gone by, and experiencing, through the characters’ eyes, thoughts, and feelings, what it was like to live in another era. The Georgian and Regency eras are particularly appealing to me because it’s the time in which Jane Austen lived and wrote. Jane grew up during the Georgian era, which began in 1714 and spanned the reigns of the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain who were all named George. The Regency (which we more readily associate with Austen) was a brief sub-period of the Georgian era between 1811 and 1820, when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. 

It’s such fun to read about the way people lived then, and to spend time with them in their country houses, where even the poorest of the gentry class had servants to wait on them. Nobody in Austen’s novels is ever seen doing anything we’d recognize today as work. They ride horses, drive in carriages, play cards, play music, sing, read, sew, embroider, draw, paint, hunt, take long walks in the shrubbery, and dance at balls. Of course, it took servants to make all that leisure time possible—but what fun it is to lose ourselves in what seems like a lovely, fairy tale existence.

GUESTPOST & GIVEAWAY- LAUREL ANN NATTRESS AND JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT: After two hundred years in print, why does Jane Austen appeal to book clubs?

Today I'm incredibly happy and proud to host "Lady Austenprose", friendly and generous Laurel Ann Nattress, on her blog tour for the launch of " Jane Austen Made Me Do It". This collection of Austen- inspired short stories promises to be as exciting as a firework show! Reading the Austen authors who contributed their stories one at a time is pure delight, can you imagine them all together in one book?
Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Stephanie Barron • Carrie Bebris • Jo Beverley • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Amanda Grange • Syrie James • Diane Meier and Frank Delaney • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Alexandra Potter • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Laurie Viera Rigler • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • Adriana Trigiani • Lauren Willig • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley website.


Here's to you the lovely piece Laurel Anne Nattress wrote for My Jane Austen Book Club. Read it carefully, then take your chance to win her book. Giveaway details at the bottom of the post. Good luck!

Many thanks Maria for hosting me at your lovely My Jane Austen Book Club blog during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere in celebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It.

Book clubs are incredibly popular today and I am so happy to hear of Jane Austen novels being selected, read and discussed at your Jane Austen Book Club. In fact, the notion of people getting together for tea, scones and Jane Austen sounds like a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with friends. Probably the most famous Jane Austen book club is the group of six individuals in Karen Joy Fowler’s bestselling novel of the same name, The Jane Austen Book Club. We were fortunate that it was made into a movie in 2007. I loved how they read one of the books every two months and how the plot of the novel parallels one of the characters own life.

I think that Jane Austen’s novels appeal to book clubs because they have plots that are character driven. Her dialogue fuels the narrative, and not external events, which make the stories very personal. It is one of her enduring contributions to literature. We have been reading and discussion her works for two hundred years now. Every time I re-read one her novels I see something new, and reading along in a book group gives you an even wider perspective.

I am happy to say that many of the twenty-two short stories in my new anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It, are character driven too. Inspired by Jane Austen, her novels, and her life, the stories range from Austen as a character such as “Jane Austen’s Nightmare,” by Syrie James and “Jane Austen’s Cat,” by Diana Birchall, to stories about her characters like “Waiting: A story inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion,” by Jane Odiwe and “Nothing Less Than Fairy-land,” by Monica Fairview, to stories inspired by Jane Austen’s actual life events such as “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane,” by Adriana Trigiani and “Jane and the Gentleman Rouge,” by Stephanie Barron. As you can see, there is something for everyone in this anthology.

Knowing how much readers love to learn about and discuss Austen, her novels, and the Regency era in which they were published, we thought a Reader’s Guide to the stories in Jane Austen Made Me Do It would be very helpful and enjoyable for book clubs. The twenty-nine intriguing questions listed in the back of the book make you think about each of the stories and help get the conversation rolling. I hope you and your Jane Austen Book Club will give them a try.

Thank you again Maria, for letting me share my thoughts on why book clubs enjoy reading my favorite author,and a few insights into the stories in my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It, that released was this week by Ballantine Books. It was a delight to work with all of the authors and edit the book. I hope Janeites, fiction, mystery and paranormal readers enjoy it as much as I did helping create it.

Cheers, Laurel Ann

Editor bio:

A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress is the author/editor of Austenprose.com a blog devoted to the oeuvre of her favorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributor to the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine. An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottage near Snohomish, Washington. Visit Laurel Ann at her blogs Austenprose.com and JaneAustenMadeMeDoIt.com, on Twitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart, edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Ballantine Books • ISBN: 978-0345524966

Giveaway of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Enter a chance to win one copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It by leaving a comment by 21^st   October, stating what intrigues you about reading an Austen-inspired short story anthology. Please add  your e-mail address, if you want to be entered in the giveaway contest.  Winner to be drawn at random and announced on October 22^nd . Shipment Internationally. Good luck to all! 

AUSTENESQUE NEWS

1. The Jane Austen Dating Book

New installment of this online teenage comedy.  Dance like Lizzy Bennet is the title this time.  You find it at Sparknotes This brilliant teenage journal of a today's teenage Lizzy Bennet ends with a tough question: Do you think a college guy (Fitwilliam or Fitzy)  can date a high school girl (Lizzy)? Read and guess what the answer can be. 

2. Orlando Shakespeare Theater opens Pride and Prejudice

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Orlando Shakespeare Theater presents a staged version of “Pride and Prejudice,” adapted by Jon Jory. It opens Friday and runs through March 20.

“Like all great works, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is rooted in its historical time and place, but it has a lot to say to contemporary audiences about love, courtship, risk, forgiveness and families,” says director Thomas Ouellette. “It reminds us that we can never, ever fully know anyone else, and that falling in love is always a dizzying — terrifying — and wonderful journey into mystery and faith.” 

Elizabeth Bennet (Michele Vazquez) and handsome Mr. Darcy (Avery Clark) will have to look beyond their pride and prejudice to find true and lasting love. The cast also includes Anne Hering as excitable Mrs. Bennet, Wynn Harmon as her husband, Walter Kmiec as Mr. Bingley and Courtney Moors as Jane.

Click here for further info

3. Jane Austen Twitter Project

This stunningly original project has just started. You can follow it on twitter , of course,  thanks to author Lynn Shepherd @GhostingAusten  and @Adam Spunberg. More info on the project and the first chapters of the resulting story can be found at http://austenproject.com/about/

Lynn has been interviewed at BBC radio about this special project . You can listen to the interview HERE 

4. Giveaways on My Jane Austen Book Club

I just wanted to make sure you haven't missed the occasion of winning a free copy of two Austen - related books. The two giveaways end on 16th February when the winners will be announced here on My Jane Austen Book Club. The first one is linked to my "Talking Jane Austen with ..." Susan Adriani  and is open worldwide. So,  wherever you live on the planet, click HERE, leave your comment and e-mail address if you want to be entered and win a copy of The Annotated Pride and Prejudice.

If , instead,  you live in the US or  Canada you have one more chance: you can also win a copy of Michael Thomas Ford's brand new vampire Jane's adventure, Jane Goes Batty. Just click HERE, read my interview with the author, leave your comment + e-mail address and ... good luck!

5. A Woman can dream, can't she?

 Well, I totally agree with Syrie James. She was my guest a couple of weeks ago (my interview HERE) and we discussed about Jane Austen as well as about her new modern romance, NOCTURNE. Her books are extremely romantic, perfect to celebrate next Valentine's Day. But,  today , I've discovered something more and very curious about how she created the heroes in her 4 amazing novels, that is what /who she had in mind creating them: Frederick Ashworth in LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN, Arthur Bell Nichols in THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE, Dracula in DRACULA MY LOVE and Michael Tyler in NOCTURNE.  Have a look here! 

 

In her newsletter , Syrie says:

"Do you recognize the four hunks above? They're the men I had in mind when I created the heroes in my novels: Mr. Frederick Ashford, Arthur Bell Nicholls, Dracula, and Michael Tyler. Wouldn't you just love to see these actors play the parts in the movie versions? (A woman can dream, can't she?)"

 I would just love it, Syrie! Especially,  your Michael Tyler. Richard Armitage (on the right)  said in one of his latest interviews that he would like to stop being cast as a baddie and in action movies, and for once, to be able to do something all about love. So, it would be perfect , wouldn't it?

6. Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Celebration on My Jane Austen Book Club

We started with Jennifer Becton last month. Do you remember her Men, Marriage and Money in Sense and Sensibility?  It stimulated  interesting discussion in our online Austen club. Next week , our second meeting: Alexa Adams will post about Sense and Sensibility on Film with the giveaway of a free copy of the DVD Sense and Sensibility 1995. Alexa and I will wait for all of you here next Saturday, Februrary 19th.

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT - MY REVIEW

Jane Austen Made Me Do It  is a wonderful collection of Austenesque short stories and an illuminating example of how … union is strength. A group of 22 Austen Authors have been writing for the same goal and have aimed at this extraordinary achievement all together under the guide of  a very special editor, Laurel Ann Natress, who is at the same time a great expert of Jane Austen and of the book market and marketing.

It has been a delightful full immersion in Austen fan fiction. I had already read most of these authors in at least one of their personal achievements and to find them all together in one book was like … watching a firework show.  What I especially appreciated is the range of variety, the originality  and the high quality of the 22 tales. There are stories for all tastes: from gothic to comedy, from classic romance to chick lit, from  what-ifs  to sequels, from spin-offs to modernizations.

I’ve picked up 5 of my favourite stories and I want to share with you my notes, that is, what I scribbled about each of them immediately after  finishing reading.

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Notes from my reading journal

Jane Austen’s Nightmare

Wow! A very promising beginning! I’ve started reading my galley from page.1 and I don’t usually do it with short stories. However,  the opening title  is by  Syrie James  , the best selling author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, Dracula My Love, and Nocturne.  She  sketches Jane Austen taken into a nightmare: her characters claim their own rights. “Too perfect” , complains Fanny Price, “Too flaw”, reprimands Emma. Poor Jane! Will any of her characters show her any gratitude? 

This little tale reminds me of a great theatrical masterpiece, gloomier and more tragic than this delightful story. It was written by Italian dramatist and novelist Luigi Pirandello. What’s the English translation for “Quattro personaggi in cerca d’Autore”?

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Waiting- A Story inspired to Jane Austen’s Persuasion 

“Good things come to those who wait”… well,  at least,  to those who are as constant and loyal as Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth. What happens when Persuasion closes on the last page? I’m sure we all have wondered what the meeting between Lord Elliot and Captain Wentworth might have been like or what  Wentworth’s thoughts might have been when he met Anne after he had  sent her that heartfelt  letter. Jane Odiwe has gifted us with a cute tale of those events and much more.

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Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane

Here I am, literally moved to tears by  Adriana Trigiani ’s letter. It got directly to my heart. This fictional Jane-style letter to her beloved niece Anna, her brother James’s daughter, is simply full of … her. Well, the Jane I have in my mind, of course, the image resulting from her letters and biographies and work.  It is a very ill woman who feels life, the life she was deeply in love with, was fading away from her and tries  to pass her young niece her precious recipe for a life of no regrets.

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Jo Beverley has created an incredibly romantic Regency Christmas tale, Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss. Lively and sparkling, sweet and warming as a Christmas Carol. The protagonists,  widowed Mrs Carsholt and her three young daughters,  live in Chawton in a small cottage on the lands of Mr Danvers. Elinor hates the idea of being poor and subjected to Mr Danvers kind charity, though she must show herself grateful. Well, its not difficult: Mr Danvers is young , handsome, thoughtful, generous and very kind to them.

They also meet Miss Jane Austen and have read her “Pride and Prejudice”, although they didn’t know she had written it, at first. Mr Nicholas Danvers gave them that book as a gift, but Elinor Carsholt now doesn’t think it was a good idea to let her eldest daughter Amy read it … Her mind is full of improbable, dangerous, if not indecent, dreams.  Elinor knows the “Mr Darcys” out there, those like Mr Nicholas Danvers, don’t really marry penniless young ladies like Amy. She must be sensible for all of them and warn her daughter from the risks.

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When Only a Darcy Will Do

Beth Pattillo created a brief romantic interlude in chaotic, crowded London. The protagonist, Elizabeth, invented her job, to be  a guide for an Austen  trail in London. She even moved from the States hoping to earn money guiding tourists through the places Jane Austen visited and lived in while she was in London. But she is a bit disappointed by the results. Dressed up in a Regency costume, waiting for someone interested in Austen in the centre of London, she starts feeling out of place and a bit sad. Until a handsome young man, all dressed up in a gorgeous Regency costume comes out from the tube station and approaches her. Her Mr Darcy?

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It was great fun reading this book and discovering  all these little Austeneque gems one after one: different colours, different shades, different shape and size but all so charming! 

 Austen Authors contributing to  this collection 

Jane Austen Made Me Do It Official Site