According to Jane – 2nd Edition Celebration!

I don’t think I can remember any particular Valentines day but I do feel passionate about cuddling my 4 little grandsons and reading JAFF. Congratulations on the new release and I hope it is just as successful this time.

Marilyn–I have loved genealogy since I was 9 years old. We were given a Family history of one of my family names, and my name was on the chart within the book. I’ve been working on my genealogy on and off since then…including researching in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

My favorite Valentine’s Day memories are of my, and subsequently my daughter’s and granddaughters’ school preparations and celebrations of the day. I also enjoy remembering the first year we had to have an artificial Christmas tree because of my daughter’s allergies when she was 3. She didn’t want to take the tree down for weeks afterwards, so we didn’t. Finally I convinced her we should remove the Christmas decorations, put on Valentine’s Day ones, and put the tree away after a week. She was so excited!

My husband is a real romantic. We met on June 27, 1984 and were married Dec 27,1984. Valentines Day isn’t a big day for me but I have 32 years of cards recieved on the 27th of each month. That’s my dear husband. Thank you for the giveaway.

Congrats on the re-release!

Although I have plenty of fond memories from Valentine’s Day with my husband, my favorite memories are from when I was a little girl and my father would always buy me and my sister a little something so we didn’t feel left out when he gifted my mom with flowers.

That’s fantastic news on your re-release! So happy for you!

While there have been many good memories concerning Valentine’s day, my most cherished ones are when my Mom would buy me the big sweet tart candies in the shape of a heart (two to a package). She would let me have one after dinner while watching TV. My Dad would enjoy it also because it kept me quiet!

My DH is originally from Eastern Europe; he grew up under communism so had no idea about V-Day. The first year we were married, his work colleagues explained to him that if he didn’t bring me flowers or chocolate or some other sweet gift that he would be in the doghouse well past the *next* V-day. LOL! So he brought me a huge floral arrangement *and* a big box of chocolates *and* a huge V-day card *and* a book I had been wanting. 🙂 Now he brings me flowers every year on V-day altho’ I keep telling him that we don’t need a special day to show that we love each other. So he brings me flowers several times a year on un-special days too!

Brava and wishing you every success with the re-release of your book — I’m looking forward to enjoying it!

The second date I had with the man who is now my husband was a few days before Valentine’s Day. We lived quite a distance from one another so we met at a halfway point and went out to dinner. Everything was going smoothly until at the end of the date, he gave me a rose. Unfortunately for me I have no poker face and my dislike of the gift must have been evident because his face immediately fell and he asked if I was alright. I did my best to cover and eventually explained that I am allergic to flowers and perhaps because of this have always hated them. He has never given me a flower since and thankfully despite that shaky beginning everything worked out in the end. Congrats for the re-release and thank you for the giveaway!

My husband is not romantic at all, so any Valentine’s Day present I get from him is nice. 🙂

Congrats on the book, and thanks for the fantastic giveaway!

My hobby is and always has been reading. Reading gives me my entertainment and lasts forever. Reading is my passion and is meaningful and I have introduced my love of reading to my grandsons and granddaughters who love books and reading.

I have read this and a number of other books by Marilyn. I have enjoyed all of them – even those not under the JAFF sub-genre! I read all of them in e-books so if any are given away as paperbacks…count me in.

I can’t pull out of my memory any one scene…I read so many books and sometimes they blur together. According to Jane was a 5 star review from me, also.

Valentine’s Day – my husband is one who wants to avoid the long lines so if we do anything it is NOT on that particular day.

Congratulations on your re-release, Marilyn; I love the new cover!! 🙂

We’ve had a Saint Valentine’s Day tradition for the past twenty years in which we drop our kids (and my brother and sister did the same) at my parents’ home on Saint Valentine’s Day, and my parents and all their grandkids have a Valentine’s Day party of their own with pizza, ice cream, and the making of handmade Valentine’s cards. And then the couples get an evening out! When we come back to pick up the kids, we get to enjoy their crafty cards made for us and have an ice cream sundae with everyone.

We started this tradition because my mom’s dad died on February 14 1996, so in 1997, my mom had this idea so that she could have her family around her on the anniversary of his death, and we’ve done it ever since, including last year when my kids were 23, 20, 18, and 16! 🙂

This year my parents are leaving for Hawaii (they live there over half the year now) Feb 8th, so this will be the first year without this tradition in twenty years. I don’t know if the kids have figured that out yet, but I have. So we’ll have to do something fun to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day at home. 😉

Thanks for this wonderful giveaway, Marilyn, and congratulations again on the re-release!!

Warmly,
Susanne 🙂

Congrats on the new edition release! I haven’t had a chance to read this novel, but looking forward to reading the new edition! Thanks for the giveaways!

Congratulations! In the crowded field of Austen sequels and reworkings it’s not often that one of them gets a 2nd edition.

I cannot believe it took a whole 7.5 years for the second edition! You write so well.
I have many Valentine’s Day memories. One year I made a card for my husband that was all mushy on the front cover, then he opened it up, and on the inside there was a beer opener suspended from a row of pop-up hearts and the words closest to his heart – “Have a beer!”
My daughter has an unusual name, and we always had lots of laughs when she’d bring home valentines from classmates who knew how to pronounce the name Siobhan but clearly had no idea whatsoever how to spell it. Of course that didn’t stop them from laughing out loud at substitute teachers’ mispronunciations of it. Only once in all her years of school did a sub get her name right; the class immediately stood up and gave that teacher a standing ovation. Therefore Valentine’s day and days with a substitute teacher were always special to my little girl, being so full of laughter.
Once when my children were pre-school, we were making valentines cards together and two young female evangelists came to the door. They were so young and friendly that my kids invited them in, and we all made cards together. No religion was discussed but they did quietly leave us a copy of the Book of Mormon.

This was a while back when I was still in high school and my boyfriend (now husband) couldn’t see each other for Valentine’s Day. He was in college in Florida and I was in Illinois. We decided to have a video chat candlelit dinner. I sent him a package with tea candles, matches, and Mac n’ cheese. We set a time to talk and we had a cute little romantic dinner. It was the best we could do, but it’s one of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories.

My favorite Valentine Day memory was having a tea party with all 8 of my children. We made cute little snacks and set up the table and watched Princess Bride… We all had a great time just being together 🌹❤🌹

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on the rerelease! So exciting, I mean I remember when I first read the book and was struck by how massively funny, and sweet the whole story was. Can you imagine? The voice of this particular author in your head, giving advice from her day and age in the here and now… brilliant concept with equally wonderful results. Don’t believe I’d say no to a dose of her wit and wisdom, myself.

As for the comment, I’m going with passion (since Valentine’s Day hasn’t really been kind to me)… and truly, that passion is READING. I know, surprising, right? 😉 Seriously though, it serves so many purposes! From learning to entertainment, a brief moment to smile or an escape from a less than ideal day, an activity to wile away a rainy day or to kick up your feet under a shady spot outside…. it can be enjoyed by all ages, varieties of people, in pretty much any place, and I truly believe there is a book for everyone. So yes, my passion is reading and I’m more than happy to share that with others. 😄💗📚

A lovely memory of Valentine’s Day was when I was working as a volunteer art teacher at my granddaughter elementary school and was presented a wonderful gift. Unbeknownst to me the teacher had each student draw a portrait of me and write a favorite memory and then it was bound together as a book. It was a compete surprise and one of my most cherished mementoes of the appreciation of those sweet children and the great time I had volunteering. Happy Valentines Day!

Hmm. I don’t think I have a favorite Valentine memory unfortunately.
I can’t wait to read According to Jane.

As a kid I would wake up on Valentine’s day and there would be a box of chocolates sitting at the foot of my bed. Every year. Thanks, mom and dad!

Since you gave us options, I am telling you about my passion.
What started out as just doing a few animal transports for those being saved by rescues from animal controls, has become the thing I am most driven to do (no pun intended). Animals, especially cats, are never in an absolutely no kill shelter, and usually it’s first in, first out. Or they are killed. I couldn’t begin to tell you the absolute joy and satisfaction I get when I am tagged to ‘spring’ cats or small dogs (I know my strength at 67). Being retired, this became my job. The meows and purrs and barks as I drive them away from a kill shelter to be vetted or to their next leg or to their rescue is the most beautiful sounds I hear. Sometimes I’ve been at the facility minutes before they closed, taking an animal out, usually cats, that were on their last ‘claw’ and had no time left. A ‘last minute save’ from a rescue made my wheels spin and get them on their way to freedom. A dozen animals I have taken from shelters who were going to be euthanized due to age, sickness, extremes…and I stayed with them at the outside vet that would do it more humanely, so they would pass being held and talked to and knowing love and having a Mom ~ who is me. I foster animals, and I have foster failed several times. I talk to the animals who I am driving and give them my word they are going to be fine, going to a wonderful place; and I have yet to not get a lump in my heart when my turn with them is up because I feel they are ‘mine’ for that short time. I say ‘yes’ as often as possible to get cats and dogs to ‘safety’; and I have also transported a few roosters, bunnies and a turtle as well. The season has slowed because of winter, but shortly that will change when cats(especially)start giving birth; the animal controls will explode with moms and babies or pregnant moms, and networkers will be working 18-20 hrs a day to beg rescues to take them, get them vetted and they need people to transport them. I can’t get there fast enough and my heart fills and my eyes get wet for every animal I am a part of saving. In 2016 I transported, or helped transport, almost 370 animals(mostly cats) putting 6800 miles on my car. As long as I have wheels, they will be for freedom rides!

Congrats on the 2nd edition! What an accomplishment! I love Jane Austen and while I have not read your book (yet) I think it would be cool to have her in my head. Right now I’m obsessing over Persuasion but Pride & Prejudice is my first Austen love. I would love to win the give-away.

Thank you!

Jennifer

Congratulations to the winners. Enjoy.