Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict: The Book Trailer

Today I stumbled across a "60 Second Book Review" of  Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on YouTube, created by Lissa Staley of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. It's done with a playful sense of humor and is absolutely adorable. What more could I ask for than to find what amounts to an extremely cool book trailer circulating around--and one created by a librarian, no less. If it weren't for all the lovely librarians of my childhood feeding my insatiable need for books via the blessings of bookmobile and library bus, I don't know where I'd be. Thank you, Lissa.

First reading and signing

Just had my first reading on August 8th at Vroman's Bookstore, Southern California's oldest and largest and absolutely coolest independent bookstore. I love Vroman's--the people, the community outreach, the events, the classes (I teach there from time to time, and it's been a peak experience for me), and the BOOKS.

One of the most gratifying moments of that first reading was what my friend Beth said, which was that my book inspired her extremely well-read daughter to read Jane Austen. This is exactly what I had hoped for: to write a book that would be as accessible to readers who had not read Austen as it is to those who are fellow Austen addicts. And even better, to spark the curiosity of non-Austen-readers to read my favorite author.

Another memorable moment: A woman in the audience presented me with this gorgeous drawing she made while I was reading from my book:

Many thanks to everyone who showed up that night--it was lovely to see familiar faces and to meet new people. I'll have more to report when I return from the first leg of my book tour...

There are more pictures from the reading in my site's "Scrapbook" section, under "Many Charming Views."

Sense and Sensibility and second attachments

Just finished reading "Sense and Sensibility" for the umpteenth time and something caught my attention this time. It's a pre-London scene in which Colonel Brandon asks Elinor if Marianne still holds to her belief that one can never have a second attachment. It occurred to me this time that perhaps he's not asking in hopes that maybe someday Marianne will return his affection, as I had assumed in previous readings. Perhaps he's asking it because he is in a state of wonder over the very fact that for the first time since loving, losing, and mourning his Eliza, he actually finds himself forming a second attachment. And maybe he hopes to gain some insight into his own feelings by asking Elinor to talk about Marianne's favorite maxim. I'm going to put out this question on the Janeites list and see if anyone has a theory about this.

I'm also wondering, as I have wondered many times before, how exactly Mrs. Smith found out that Willoughby fathered Eliza Williams's child and abandoned her. It wasn't exactly common knowledge, so how would a reclusive old lady learn of it through some mysterious relative that Willoughby alludes to?

Another question for one of my Austen listservs, while I'm at it...