Category: Shannon Winslow

Austen at the Seaside: Jane Visits Sidmouth

Summer is here! Time for days at the beach with lots of sun, sand, and romance. That’s our theme in June, so grab your sunblock and join your favourite Austen characters in their adventures at the sea. The Austen family, during their years in Bath, spent summer holidays at seaside locations. This exclusive excerpt from …

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Movies in May: Becoming a Fan of “Becoming Jane”

Do you love films based on Jane Austen’s work or life? Well, then you’ll love our theme this month. Grab your popcorn and a soda! It’s time for Movies in May! Today: how Shannon Winslow, almost against her will, learned to love the loosely biographical film Becoming Jane.        I love movies and …

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All Things Austen — Dear Aunt Jane

Welcome again to All Things Austen in April! Today Shannon Winslow shares a few thoughts about Austen, the doting aunt, as illustrated by her famous “Backwards Letter.” Jane may not have had any offspring of her own, but that didn’t mean she suffered from a lack of children in her life. Not at all! Thanks …

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March Madness – Supreme Council of Baddies

We trust you’re enjoying March Madness, where we’ve been combining characters from Jane Austen’s books in ways you may not have expected or even imagined. What fun it has been! Today, Shannon Winslow brings you the final episode (for now, at least), collecting all JA’s villains in one place at the same time. What could …

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Confronting the Blank Page

Jane Austen is now so acclaimed an author that it’s difficult to imagine she might have suffered, as many in the writing profession do, blank page paralysis. Did she charge into a new book without a single qualm, confident of her story and her ability to tell it effectively? Or did she suffer a fresh …

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Anniversary February — Admiral and Mrs. Croft

To commemorate our second anniversary here at Austen Variations, this month we will be visiting some of Jane Austen’s beloved characters as they celebrate their own anniversaries. Today, Shannon Winslow begins by eavesdropping on the Crofts from Persuasion.     I have a warm spot in my heart for Admiral and Mrs. Croft, especially since …

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Jane Confides How She Fell in Love with Mr. Bingley

  What better way to start the year than to focus on one of Jane Austen’s most beloved characters. Join Austen Variations as we spend January looking into the lovely Jane Bennet.   When the theme for this month was announced, I thought the perfect piece for me to share would be this scene from …

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The 12 Days of a Jane Austen Christmas – Jane’s Birthday Celebration

On the sixth day of our special Christmas celebration, we commemorate the gift of Jane Austen herself, since December 16th is her birthday! I’m sure we all started by falling in love with Jane’s novels and characters. That’s how I began. But somewhere along the way, I became equally intrigued with the lady who created …

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When a Lady is to be a Novelist

I love making connections with other fans of Jane Austen. And even though I’ve been with this lovely group of authors from the beginning, many of you may not yet know me or have heard about how I ended up here. First of all, I must tell you that I was as surprised as anyone …

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Is it Spelled or Spelt?

Last spring, while my then-upcoming novel (The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen) was out to a few trusted beta readers for some feedback, and my graphic designer was working on the cover, I assigned myself a project or two toward readying the book for publication. Probably the most daunting of these was the task of trying …

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