Shannon Winslow claims she was minding her own business – raising two sons and pursuing a very sensible career – when an ordinary trip to Costco about fifteen years ago changed her life. That was the day a copy of the ’95 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice fairly leapt off the shelf and into her oversized shopping cart. After watching the mini-series, Shannon was hopelessly hooked on the story, Colin Firth’s Darcy, and all things Jane Austen. One may guess what followed – compulsive reading, late-night trips to the library and video store, secret rendezvous with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley. Finally, only one thing remained. Her dedication (or obsession, as it could more rightly be described) ultimately inspired her to begin writing her own stories a la Austen. Here's what Shannon says about her unique approach to writing JAFF: "Since I’m just sappy enough to believe there’s only one true story for the characters I’ve grown to love (and Jane Austen wrote it), I amuse myself with adding onto rather than varying from canon - expanding on what Jane Austen gave us and filling in the blanks in the record with prequel, sequel, and supplemental views. What was Mr. Darcy doing all the time he’s absent from the page? What happened to Colonel Brandon in India? And how did our favorite couples fare after the wedding? Inquiring minds want to know, and I’m happy to deliver the answers!"

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Author's posts

Jane in January – Shannon Winslow, Inspired!

This month we’re looking at inspiration for our novels. But it’s hard to separate inspiration from motivation. It’s kind of a chicken-or-egg question as to which comes first. When I’m excited about an idea, that motivates me to write. And when the creative juices start flowing, the ideas come. I would never have made it …

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Advent Calendar Day 3: Mr. Collins’s Last Supper (conclusion)

Thank you for opening the third “window” on the Jane Austen Variations advent calendar! Today is the final chapter of my Pride and Prejudice based short story Mr. Collins’s Last Supper – the tongue-in-cheek tale of how that pompous clergyman learned (too late) why gluttony is considered one of the “seven deadly sins.” In case …

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Advent Calendar Day 2: Mr. Collins’s Last Supper (part 2)

Thank you for opening the second “window” on the Jane Austen Variations advent calendar! Today’s prize is part two (of three) of my Pride and Prejudice based short story Mr. Collins’s Last Supper – the tongue-in-cheek tale of how that pompous clergyman learned (too late) why gluttony is considered one of the “seven deadly sins.” …

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December Advent Calendar Begins!

Do you remember the days – before the internet and everything digital – when a simple Advent Calendar added joy and excitement to the weeks leading up to Christmas? Every day you would open up a new window to discover something special inside. Well, we’re doing our own version of that Advent Calendar here at …

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Reading Side-by-Side

No, this is not really a post recommending reading side-by-side with another person, enjoyable as that is. This is about the concept of reading two books side-by-side. Not just any two books, though, but a pair especially made to go together: “companion” novels. Allow me to explain. I wrote my fifth novel, Miss Georgiana Darcy …

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Down the Research Rabbit Hole: Breach of Promise

When you tumble down a rabbit hole, like Alice did, you’re embarking on an unexpected and probably convoluted journey. You’re going to run across some surprising things, and it may take you a while to find your way back to where you began. That sometimes occurs when you’re writing. You come to a point where …

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Pleasure in a Good Novel, with Reader’s Poll

This month, we will be sharing some scattered posts on the theme The Pleasure of a Good Book, which hearkens back to this quote from Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey: “The person … who has not pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid. I have read Mrs. Radcliffe’s works, and most of them with …

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The Best Books You’ve Never Read and the Top 5 Reasons You Should

Do you cheer for the underdog? I do. Are you one who roots for the less-popular-but-totally-worthy girl to get the guy in the end? It makes such a satisfying story when someone succeeds against all odds, when people finally acknowledge the merits of one who was wrongly overlooked before. I long to see the so-called …

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The Ladies of Rosings Park – Time to Wrap It Up

“That’s a wrap!” Isn’t that what the director shouts when the last scene has been shot and it’s time to go home? It has to be a bittersweet moment. Everybody on the set has worked hard for months. They’re exhausted and desperately in need of rest. And yet, if it’s been a great project, it …

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The Ladies of Rosings Park – Chapter 16

The Ladies of Rosings Park has been out for a month now, and it’s doing well!  For those of you who don’t have your own copy yet, I continued posting chapters here every Monday. But now we’ve reached the end of the time period covered in Pride and Prejudice (Part One of the book). So this is your …

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