Yay! I finally finished writing Mr. Knightley in His Own Words, my third Austen hero story, and now it’s time to think about the cover. How exciting! Cover design is one of my favorite parts of the process, bringing together my love of art and my love of books. And I thought it would be …
Return to Longbourn is 10 years old, and I want to celebrate with a short story, games, and prizes! I’ll never forget the fun I had writing this book, even though (or actually, especially because) it didn’t go at all the way I had planned. I set out to following up my first very successful …
Is it possible to have too many Williams? I like the name – very much, in fact. Even so, there ought to be a limit as to number. One thing I’ve learned as a novelist is that you shouldn’t confuse your readers with character names that are too similar. If you’ve already got a Terry …
Spring is my favorite season! It’s all about new life – baby animals (I saw a fawn just yesterday) and green growing things. The birds return from their winter latitudes and start to sing. And flowers begin blooming everywhere. It means I’ve made it through another winter, and I feel hopeful and rejuvenated. When I …
Although I don’t think anybody’s used it yet, the optional theme for this month is “When We Were Young.” So today I have an excerpt of a young Eliza and Colonel Brandon, taken from Colonel Brandon in His Own Words. In Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen gives us just a teaser about their relationship, so …
Celebrate with me! I’ve joined Club 1000! Never heard of it? I’m not surprised, since I just made it up. But I hope you’ll agree that it’s a prestigious honor nonetheless. The Club is for books that have been purchased, read, and enjoyed by enough people to collect at least 1000 ratings/reviews on Amazon, and …
It took me a while to get started, but now I’m making steady progress on what will become my 12th novel: Mr. Knightley in His Own Words. So today I want to share a brand new excerpt with you! – a scene from chapter one. This book won’t be simply a retelling of Emma from Mr. Knightley’s …
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! The Holiday season is in full swing. We’ve finished Thanksgiving (in the US) and Chanukkah, and Christmas Day coming fast. We’re decking our halls and wrapping our presents. How about something to tide you over in your quiet hours as you await New Year’s Day 2023? Like a great book! This is …
Here at Austen Variations, WE’RE ALL ABOUT FICTION, as you know. But occasionally one of us will feature a non-fiction book we think will be of interest to our readers. So today, I want to do just that! I want tell you about a fascinating book that I had the privilege of, in my own …
I’ve been to Victoria and back, and so now here is your promised report on the JASNA AGM! – at least the first part. Turns out there was too much good stuff to pack into one post, so Diana will pick up with part 2 tomorrow. But I’m going to start with some pictures and …
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