My name is Sarah Courtney, and I’m so thrilled that I was invited to join this wonderful community of Austen Variations! I love reading all of the amazing blog posts and seeing how enthusiastic JAFF readers are to discuss stories and support authors and hear about new releases. I can’t wait to join in all the fun!
I’ve loved Jane Austen since I first saw the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice when I was fifteen. It made me want to read the book, which I loved so much that when I reached the last page, I flipped back to the first and started it again. Almost immediately I bought a copy of the complete works of Jane Austen and read it cover to cover. I remember marking all of my favorite scenes with pressed four-leaf clovers from our backyard. Getting to write Jane Austen variations is like a dream come true!
I’d love to know more about you and what catches your attention when a new JAFF book is released. Do you have favorite tropes you look for? Favorite sub-genres like fantasy or mystery? Do you look for low or high angst? Or do you just automatically grab the latest book by your favorite author and don’t even need the blurb? As for me, I do a little of all of these, depending on my reading mood.
I look forward to getting to know this community better and joining in on the fun new projects that we have in store!
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Welcome to this blog, Sarah!
I like a lot of things, although I will go through periods where I seem to be more interested in certain tropes than others. Lately, I love the “Elizabeth is not a Bennet” trope. I love fantasy, since I had been getting a little tired of the same tired storylines. Fantasy opened up a lot of possibilities. I would have found the idea of soul marks ridiculous when I first started reading JAFF, but now, I read all the ones I can find.
The angst level depends on my mood and what I have planned in my life. There are times when a long, angsty story is just what I want, and other times when a light hearted little angst romp is best. As for my very favorite authors, I do read the blurbs because I wish to see what is coming, but I would buy their books even if the blurb was unavailable.
I could have written this myself! When I first started reading JAFF and it was all new, I liked storylines that stayed closer to the original. But now that I’ve read so much, I really love stories that diverge in new and creative ways, including fantasy, etc. I think that might be a path a lot of us follow as our JAFF “read” pile reaches into the hundreds! I love that there is such a variety of books to read.
Glad to see that another of my favorite authors has joined the Variations group!
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I’m excited to see what I might be able to contribute.
Welcome! Also I’m usually into fantasy works but I can also do historical-fiction and mystery and sometimes alternate universes. I’m not so sure about Sci-fi yet though.
Yay for fantasy! It’s my favorite, too. But I’ve enjoyed the others as well. I haven’t read a whole lot of sci-fi since my teen years, but I did love Summer and Renata’s newest, so I enjoyed at least one sci-fi JAFF!
I read one sci-fi that was boring but it wasn’t by anyone from here. It is like it’s own book, maybe I will give it a try again and see if it interests me for fanfics/variations.
Welcome Sarah! I love your books and have read six of them. I love stories about soul marks and those where Darcy and Elizabeth are attracted early on and preferably married early. I’m definitely not a lover of angst but can more or less cope as long as it’s not between ODC.
I too loved the 1995 series and have watched that and the 2005 film a few zillion times🥰🥰🥰🥰. It was 2014 when I first discovered JAFF and now that is mostly all I read. I look forward to your posts.
Thank you so much, Glynis! I love soul mark stories too! I don’t actually believe in soul mates but I think the concept is so fun in stories.
JAFF is so addicting, isn’t it?! I usually go back and forth between JAFF and fantasy. And I love to reread favorites!
Welcome, Sarah! I love that image of you as a teen, turning back to page 1 of P&P for your first (of many) rereads! So glad you’re here at Austen Variations. I love how you’ve written in so many different sub-genres — so creative!
I was a very P&P-obsessed teen. 🙂 My dad used to love to tease me about it, said that watching P&P was the cure for insomnia because you could put it on and immediately fall asleep. He still says that, yet he loves Hallmark movies now! I love writing in different sub-genres to keep things different and fun! Thanks for the welcome.
Hi Sarah! Welcome to Austen Variations! Your books are always myst-reads for me and I read them over and over again.
I do automatically grab the new books by my favorite authors but I also love forced marriage tropes, fantasy. I look for clean, low-moderate angst blurbs.
I look forward to reading your posts! Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Rebecca! I’m so glad you think they’re worth the rereading!
Forced marriage tropes and fantasy are some of my favorites, too. Angst always depends on my mood. Usually I like books with banter and humor, but sometimes heavy angst just hits the spot.
Merry Christmas!
So wonderful to have you here, Sarah! Welcome! Best wishes and lots of inspiration!
Thank you for the warm welcome! I’m looking forward to jumping in!
Welcome to the site. I love JA crossover fics. I’m reading Outmatched right now. I also love books about secondary character surprises–such as the Golden Daffodil League books and what it does to add depth to Lady Catherine and Anne. I love missing moments, prequels, and sequels. While I love Pride and Prejudice, I am frustrated with the lack of variations on the other books. What I don’t love is sweaty sex scenes and anything that seems out of sync with the society of the time. But when a writer takes the real history, such as boycotting sugar to end the slave trade, and adds it to the story, I love that. Go ahead and throw in politics and war and the slave trade and let William Wilberforce peek through the pages now and then,
Author
I loved the Golden Daffodil, too! I do think it’s fun when some of the characters are still “in character” but have things going on underneath that the others don’t know about. That can make for a really fun book. And yes, I love books that bring in William Wilberforce! I loved when Melanie Rachel incorporated that into Drawing Mr. Darcy, having the characters use local honey instead of sugar, etc. Did you enjoy Conceit and Concealment? Abigail did a beautiful job with using real history–with a twist!–in that one.
I haven’t read that one. I will look it up. Thanks for the recommendation!
I just finished Conceit and Concealment last night. My heart was in my throat the whole time. She did a marvelous job of tackling a historical alternate universe. Thank you for recommending it.
Welcome to the gang!
Author
Thank you!
YEAH! Another wonderful author to join!
Author
Thank you!
It’s wonderful to see that you’ve been embraced by Austen Variations. I’ve enjoyed several of your books, especially “Vexed a little In Love”. Moderate angst is what I prefer, but if it’s a favorite author, then I’ll cover my eyes and read a high-angst novel through my fingers. Low-angst is a good palate cleanser, especially with Christmas tales. My favorite trope is when Darcy and Elizabeth are trapped together and forced to discover each other’s thoughts and feelings. This can be about taking shelter from bad weather, from chasing someone in a carriage, or from being kidnapped; the consequences of forced proximity. I’m a proud member of the Grammar Police, so books without errors earn an extra star from me just for that. Historical accuracy is super important.
Author
Thank you for the warm welcome! I love your description of reading a high-angst novel through your fingers. 🙂 I enjoy them from time to time, but I have to be in the right mood. Sometimes I’m craving high angst! But I do tend to lean towards moderate angst as well I think. Forced proximity is such a popular trope! It can be a real challenge to write since there is *so* much conversation and such intense focus without a “break” in a sense, but it can be really rewarding as well.
And I’m glad that you liked “Vexed a Little in Love!” Since it’s short stories it doesn’t get as many readers, but it was a lot of fun to write nonetheless.
Hello Sarah,
I did have some of your books and I like them very much but I don’t like fantasy very much. I love long stories with heartbreak, humor and twists. I don’t like to read the same text of Jane Austen all over again. I have my favorite authors and I buy the books directly because I know they are wonderful and with a lot of imagination. I had not a good family to grow up and in reading and hearing the P & P stories it feels a little like family to me. I know it’s crazy. I startet reading Jaff a very long time ago. You are very welcome.
Author
I love stories with new twists as well! And my next story won’t have any fantasy, so maybe it will be up your alley. 🙂 I love that P&P stories have given you a feeling of family–and I hope that the JAFF community as a whole has, as well!
Welcome!
I’m a P&P addict, though I’ve also read some Emma or Persuasion variations.
My favorite tropes are forced proximity e.g. a cave in a snowstorm and/or Darcy saving Lizzy (preferably without a forced marriage later).
My favorite sub-genres are fantasy/time travel/magic/action/sci-fi. That’s probably why I loved “A season of Magic” so much.
Low or high angst depends on my reading mood. I often alternate between angsty and funny stories or between regency and modern P&P. Usually I don’t like it, if the love story is too smooth, imho every P&P story should have at least a little “enemies to lovers” element.
I have many favorite authors, whose latest books I definitely check out, but if I’m not interested in the trope I may read it later or not at all.
Currently there are so many intriguing new books by so many amazing authors that unfortunately I don’t have enough time for reading to keep up with them.
Author
Ooh, yes, I think some conflict makes for a rich, delightful story! Can’t make it TOO easy for our hero and heroine. I’m so thrilled you liked A Season of Magic! I love adding fantasy, or just hints of it, into stories. Forced proximity is a lot of fun! So many great possibilities when they have to spend a lot of time together, especially as it naturally leads to more intimate conversation.
There really are so many new releases, aren’t there??? My TBR list is tottering. And I do like to switch genres and read some fantasy from time to time, and then I inevitably get behind. It’s a good problem to have, though! I’m a mood reader, so it’s nice to be able to pick and choose based on mood.
Thanks for reading!
Welcome Sarah. I just looked up your books to remind me that I have read nearly all of them. So good to see you join my favorite group.
Author
Oh, that’s so cool that you’ve read nearly all of them! Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
It’s great to have you as an addition to Austen Variations. This is one my favorite JAFF author sites, and I look forward to your contributions. I tend to enjoy forced proximity or marriage tropes and I don’t mind some angst as long as there is a “happily ever after”. Mystery stories are fine, but fantasy tropes are not what I’m usually drawn to, but I will read any Pride and Prejudice JAFF. –Leslie
Thank you so much, Leslie! I’ve been enjoying this site so much and am really excited to join in the fun. I liked forced marriage tropes, too, especially with a bit of angst but a *solid* happily ever after.
I love your books and I look forward to reading more of them. Thank you for writing!