Jane Austen Addict Blog

An epic tale of mice and matrimony

 

What will they think of next? 

Looking for more Austen-inspired books?

Musings of a Book Lover posted their Top Ten Books For Those Who Love Jane Austen. And Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is on the list! Check it out for ten great book recommendations and more in the comments!

It's a list for people who have stuff like this:

And don't forget to enter my giveaway of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. Plus The Journeys of John and Julia by Aurelia. Enter on The Bookworm blog.

HOLIDAY READATHON CHALLENGE & PRIZE PACK!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED, BUT THESE HIGHLY IMAGINATIVE ENTRIES ARE WELL WORTH READING! ENJOY, AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED HERE, ON FACEBOOK, AND ON TWITTER!

It’s that time of year again, the Holiday Readathon hosted by Whorublog, from Dec. 7-9th and featuring lots of cool prizes!

WHAT IF…

…you could be Lizzie Bennet’s BFF? Explore the spring flowers of Avonlea with Anne Shirley? Or invite Jo March and her family to Christmas dinner?

But that would mean that your favorite characters are real. (And who said they aren’t? You did read the Velveteen Rabbit, didn’t you?)

Imagine how cool it would be to merge your world with theirs and have some serious friend time together…

So, tell me:

Which of your favorite characters would you love to have as a friend, and how would you spend your time together?

Answer in the form of a comment below, or on Twitter or Facebook, for a chance to win!

THE PRIZE PACK:

Two winners will receive this prize pack: a signed two-book set of my Austen Addict novels, CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT and RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, PLUS a signed copy of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, which includes my short story INTOLERABLE STUPIDITY, in which fictional characters are not only real, they will see you in court! :)

OFFICIAL DATES ARE DEC. 7-9, BUT FEEL FREE TO ENTER EARLY.
Open to US, Canada, and UK. Ends Sunday, Dec. 9 at midnight PST.

FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN :

Tweet this post @austen_addict.

Share this post on Facebook and let me know.

Reblog this post.

AND DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE HOLIDAY READATHON FOR A CHANCE AT MORE PRIZES:

EVERYONE who signs up for the Holiday Readathon on Mr. Linky at Whorublog,  no matter how much or how little they read, will be automatically entered to choose two signed books from BOOKS OF WONDER or a $40 gift certificate from THE BOOK DEPOSITORY, if out of the US.

Twitter Party!!!

#Readathon. Sunday night, Dec. 9th, from 9-10 PM EST.

It's a "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" Scavenger Hunt!

via austenprose.com

Make haste to Austenprose, answer some fun questions, and you could win one of three books by authors who contributed to the Austen-inspired anthology "Jane Austen Made Me Do It":

"The Darcy Connection" by Elizabeth Aston
"Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler
"The Matters at Mansfield" by Carrie Bebris

Books will be shipped internationally. Contest ends 11:59 Pacific, Sept. 30, 2012. Enter at Austenprose!

living read girl: Some merry modern romps with Jane Austen

"The love for Jane Austen related entertainment may not always appear to be in vogue but as they say,it never dies,it only multiples. To that end,let us look at a few of the latest displays of Austenmania that possess a decidedly modern twist..."

via livingreadgirl.blogspot.com

The whole post is a must-read if you'd like to sample the latest treats in the Janeiverse, including The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, The Jane Austen Academy, The Jane Austen Guide to Life, the LOL Jane Austen is My Homegirl Rap, and a fab shout-out for our very own Sex and the Austen Girl.

Definitely satisfied this Austen addict. Thanks, Living Read Girl!!!

 

Lesley-Anne McLeod: The Ever-Expanding Regency

"The world of Regency romantic historical fiction has undergone quite a change in the last few years. While the traditional regency, which I consider that I write, continues to occupy (mainly in e-book form) a corner of the market, the large, sexy, duke-ridden romances have taken over the print market."--Lesley-Anne McCloud

via lesleyannemcleod.blogspot.com

Click the link above to read the whole post in The Regency World of Author Lesley-Anne McCloud, including a shout-out for CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT and RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT (thank you, Lesley-Anne!), and an intriguing list of reading recommendations.

By they way, Lesley-Anne's site is a great place to find a pictorial overview of the Regency world. There's even a Regency Colouring Book. And here's a fun excerpt from Lesley-Anne's newest novel. 

 

[The Assembly Rooms in Bath, taken in 2002 (not 1802; I wish!)]

The Edible Pride and Prejudice?

The author of THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE MOVIE COOKBOOK sent me a copy, and though I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, it looks like so much fun that I just had to share.

 

Playfully riffing off text from the novel and scenes from the movie versions of Austen's most beloved novel --and adding teensy dashes of culinary history just for fun--author Anne Derry has concocted a host of P&P-inspired recipes that evoke the Regency but are nevertheless fashioned for a 21st-century palate.

Just to give you a taste:

There's The White Menu (in honor of the white soup need for the Netherfield ball).

There's an entire series of recipes with the key ingredient being Guinness stout, inspired by the banter between Lizzy and Darcy on whether poetry is indeed the food of love and Lizzie's declaring that it is only so if the love is "fine, stout, [and] healthy."

There's even a zombie cocktail. And of course as Charlotte was wanted about the mince pies, there's a recipe for that as well.

Bon appetit, and please don't invite Mr. Collins to dinner. You may just get stuck sitting next to him. 

 

Out Today: JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT

Make haste to the nearest bookstore and pick up your copy of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, a collection of never-before-published short stories inspired by Jane Austen and written by:

Lauren Willig • Adriana Trigiani • Jo Beverley • Alexandra Potter • Laurie Viera Rigler • Frank Delaney & Diane Meier • Syrie James • Stephanie Barron • Amanda Grange • Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Carrie Bebris • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley.

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT is edited by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose, one of the finest sites in the Janeiverse.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It, Excerpt

 

A sneak preview of this exciting collection of short stories inspired by Austen, including a bit of my story, Intolerable Stupidity, in which Mr. Darcy sues people like me and my fellow anthology authors!

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT (Ballantine) is coming to a bookstore near you on October 11.

JAMMDI-licious News

The official online home of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, the new Ballantine anthology of Austen-inspired fiction, is live at janeaustenmademedoit.com.

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT is a collection of stories by 24 authors and is edited by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.

 
Some details from the publisher:

In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger,” a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting” captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane” imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat,” our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales” based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity” finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,” a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise; and one story from a debut voice, the yet-to-be-revealed winner of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest.

Which Austenesque Heroine Are You?

Take the quiz and see which of the heroines of these Austen-inspired novels is most like you:

• According to Jane
• Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
• Definitely Not Mr Darcy
• My Jane Austen Summer
• Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

It's all fun and games over at Austenesque Reviews!

 

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Classic Homage to Austen

Check out my guest post on chicklitclub.com, where I explore the comic parallels between Helen Fielding's BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY and Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. And Fielding's amusing deviations therefrom.

(In which we go from this:
  to this:

Except that in the book it was a diamond-patterned jumper and bumblebee socks.)

Read the entire post here.

Confessing my Austen Addiction at Sierra Madre Public Library, May 21

Please join me on May 21 at 2 PM at the Sierra Madre Public Library for a fun-filled afternoon. I'll be talking about Austen's timeless appeal and the genesis of my two Austen-inspired novels. Which could be considered semi-autobiographical, if they did not involve time travel and body-switching.

Hope to see you there! That's 2 PM, May 21. In whichever century you like.

Sierra Madre Public Library, 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA

626.355.7186

 


 

 

Jane Austen Made Me Do It

As anyone who reads the fabulous Austenprose already knows, the cover of the upcoming anthology, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, is official. And gorgeous.

What a privilege to be in the company of all these wonderful authors. I am very grateful to Austenprose's Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, for inviting me to contribute. And most of all, I cannot wait to read all of these stories!

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT will be available at your favorite bookstore on October 11, 2011 (Ballantine) and may be pre-ordered now from many online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

The Jane Austen Handbook launches in the UK

Margaret C. Sullivan, the brilliant editor of the excellent Austenblog, has also written a must-read book called THE JANE AUSTEN HANDBOOK, which launches in the UK on March 8. Make haste to your nearest bookshop!

"A guide to life skills in Regency England for young ladies," THE JANE AUSTEN HANDBOOK is not only full of indispensible knowledge for those of us who wish we were a single lady in possession of a time machine, it is also vastly entertaining. In fact, even if the rest of the book weren't as fabulous as it is, there is a laugh-out-loud bit about Regency undergarments (or lack thereof) which is alone worth the price of the book.

Check out this lively interview with Margaret on Jane Austen Today, in which she talks about the story behind the book, her love for all things Austen, and her special devotion to Henry Tilney.

 

Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Blog Tour

October 2011 will be the bicentenary of the publication of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and My Jane Austen Book Club is hosting a blog tour to celebrate.

Each month a different author will post on My Jane Austen Book Club about Sense and Sensibility. Along with the post there will be a monthly giveaway: your comment on the blog will give you the chance to win a book or DVD.

Here's the schedule:

1. January:      Jennifer Becton    Marriage and money in Sense and Sensibility

2. February:     Alexa Adams        Sense and Sensibility on screen

3. March:         C. Allyn Pierson   Inheritance laws and their consequences in Sense & Sensibility

4. April:           Beth Pattillo        Lost in Sense and Sensibility

5. May:            Jane Odiwe        Willoughby: a rogue on trial

6. June            Deb of Jane Austen in Vermont 

                                                Secrets in Sense and Sensibility

7. July:             Laurie Viera Rigler   Interview with Lucy Steele

8. August:         Regina Jeffers     Settling for the Compromise Marriage

9. September:   Lynn Shepherd

                                                  The origins of S&S: Richardson, Jane Austen,                                                     Elinore & Marianne                              

10. October:      Meredith @Austenesque Reviews  

                                                 Sense and Sensibility fanfiction

 11. November:  Vic @Jane Austen's World 

                                                Minor characters in Sense and Sensibility

12. December:   Laurel Ann @Austenprose 

                                                Marianne Dashwood: A passion for dead Leaves and                                                 other Sensibilities                

JANUARY GIVEAWAY:

If you comment on Jennifer Becton's upcoming post at My Jane Austen Book Club, you'll be entered in the giveaway of The Three Weissmans of Westport by Cathleen Shine. This novel,  published by Picador,  is a new modern re-telling of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

Many thanks to Maria Grazia of My Jane Austen Book Club for hosting this blog tour. See you all at Barton Cottage!

Exciting news for Austen-inspired storytellers everywhere!

Here's your chance to be published in the upcoming anthology entitled JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, which will be published in Fall 2011 by Ballantine books and edited by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.

All you have to do is write a story inspired by the life or works of Jane Austen, and enter a short story contest. The winner will be published in JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT.

Read this post on Austenprose for details on how to enter.

Interview Part 2 + ANOTHER Giveaway!

Check out Part 2 of my interview at the lovely Maria Grazia's blog, My Jane Austen Book Club, in which I talk about--you guessed it--Jane Austen, SEX AND THE AUSTEN GIRL, and the Austen Addict novels.

Speaking of which, enter a comment with your email address at My Jane Austen Book Club, and you will have a chance to win either a signed copy of RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, or a signed copy of CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT.

Enjoy, and good luck!

The super fabulous Everything Austen Challenge is back!

Austenmania is here just in time for summer at Stephanie's Written Word, where the Everything Austen Challenge II is just starting up. 

Stephanie's got lots of choices for challenge participants, from Austen's own works to Austen-inspired novels (like those by yours truly) to sequels and continuations, movies, and even crafts.

I wonder if taking English country dance lessons counts? Or playing with my Jane Austen Action Figures??

And did I say there were lots of giveaways? 

Here's what I'm going to do (not necessarily in this order):

• Read A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen (just got this and can't wait to read it)
• Re-read five of Austen's own, because I just can't stop doing it
• SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
• NORTHANGER ABBEY
• PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
• PERSUASION
• MANSFIELD PARK

Oh, and I want to read so many others on this list. I don't think I can keep it down to six!

Tip: If anyone's looking for a really fun, lovely Austen nonfiction, Margaret Sullivan's JANE AUSTEN HANDBOOK (also on Stephanie's list) is excellent. And did I say funny? There's one line on page 92 that will make you howl with laughter.

Make haste to the Everything Austen Challenge II!