On the Royal Crescent, Bath
It’s a while since I’ve posted here at Austen Variations, and it’s lovely to be back! What’s more, I’m bringing a guest with me: my friend and writing partner, Ada Bright. We’ve just spent a fantastic year co-writing a contemporary mystery-cum-romance set against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Bath during the annual Jane Austen Festival – with one very special attendee (I’m sure you can guess who)!
As authors, readers and huge fans of the characters and stories created by Jane Austen, we spend quite a bit our lives immersed in the world she created and enjoying the wonderful ‘what ifs’, variations and re-imaginings we are so fortunate to have access to.
Here’s a ‘what if’ for you, though!
What if something had prevented Jane Austen from ever publishing? Have you ever thought about the implications of not having one of our favourite authors in our midst, even 200 years after she left us?
No books? Terrible thought! Never to have read the sparkling wit of Elizabeth Bennet or Captain Wentworth’s dreamy letter? No adaptations? Colin Firth would certainly never have dived into that lake, and Alan Rickman’s Colonel Brandon would never have charmed us as he read poetry to Marianne.
Whilst the sheer horror of such a world is beyond our comprehension, this is precisely what Rose, the heroine of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen, has to face up to! But more of that later…
Jane Austen Regency Week 2015
We recently hosted a series of guest posts over on our Blog and asked our visitors the same question: how would your life be affected if Jane Austen had never published her novels? The answers were incredibly varied and fascinating and showed how far reaching Jane Austen’s touch is on people’s lives, including people who would have different jobs or who might not have met their husband! For Ada and myself, we were forcibly struck by the loss of so many friends – friends we would never have made or met.
When we were writing the book, however, we began to notice other things – the minutiae of life – and how those small things might also change.
For example, were you or a family member named for a character in one of Jane’s works – or do you know someone who was? Do you have a pet called Darcy or Lizzy? Filch’s cat in the Harry Potter series, Mrs Norris, would have a different name, as J.K. Rowling has said it came from the character in Mansfield Park! I even named a car Fitz once, simply because there was an F and a Z in the registration number!
How would your bookshelf look? Would there be pictures missing from your walls, keepsakes no longer hanging from your keychain, or would your phone have a different cover or ringtone?
It’s food for thought, isn’t it?!
So – what is the book about?
Although it’s a mystery/romance, the underlying theme is friendship, especially online friendships.
Our lead character, Rose, has long been an avid Jane Austen fan, so much so some decisions in her life have been influenced by her love of the author, including the choice to rent the basement apartment below No 4 Sydney Place as her home.
Rose has a rich social life on the Internet, based mainly around Austen-related forums, something she has been able to hide pretty effectively from her friends and colleagues in her day to day life, but this year, that is due to change. Rose has invited her best friend, Morgan – a Californian, whom she has never met in real life, to the annual Jane Austen Festival. Despite some trepidation over mixing these two worlds, Rose is convinced it’s going to be the best week of her life.
That is, however, until she begins to get distracted by the visitor staying in the flat above hers, the ground floor holiday apartment of No 4 Sydney Place. The young lady is clearly a dedicated Jane Austen fan, from her very authentic Regency clothing to her tendency to speak in a Regency style, but she seems both fascinated and amused by this Festival honouring the famous author.
Rose’s continued interactions with the lady begin to cause her some disquiet, but things soon take a dramatic turn, and Rose and her new friend find themselves in an alternate reality with no clear idea of how to set things right.
With the support of a displaced two hundred year old author and a charmed necklace, can Rose help to bring back some of the most beloved stories of all time and turn her own life around in the process?
There are links on our Blog here to online outlets stocking the paperback and eBook, should you decide to follow Rose’s adventures in Bath, or you can follow us on social media via the following links:
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Thank you for letting us visit at Austen Variations! We hope you enjoyed this post!
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This book sounds FANTASTIC!!! Great title and cover, too. This is immediately on my MUST READ list. How would my life change… hmm… less joy… I would have saved a LOT of money…ha… not having built what I call The Collection… HA. I would never have had the thrill of turning others on to P&P – such as the lovely man who just completed it as his intro to Jane, and ‘gave me’ the buffet of wonders and satisfied reactions I had longed for for him. (He had gifted me with an ‘I love Mr. Darcy’ t-shirt for Christmas last year. I would never have meditated on Jane at Chawton, especially near the buggy she used at the end of her life… I would have needed anti-depressants or anxiety drugs, for when I’m riled, I lie down, close my eyes and listen to P&P or S&S on cd…. oh, shudder to think of a world without Jane… THANK you for the giveaway opportunity. I look forward to reading what looks to be a wonderful book. Happy Sales! Karyle
Hi Karylee! OH we hope you enjoy the book!
It’s great to hear from somebody who has had such joy in sharing Jane Austen as we feel the same way and totally understand the beautiful peace of disappearing into Jane Austen’s words. Her world is serious stuff to a lot of us, as much fun as we have while we’re there!
No JA? My house would definitely be cleaner, I would have little reason to have a kindle or a book shelf for that matter. My reading and movie choices…… And blogging? Why bother? Such a different existence. Thankfully we do have our dear Jane! Wonderful post. Thank you for the generous giveaway.
Hi Becky!
LOL re: your house being cleaner. Unfortunately Ada says her house wouldn’t be cleaner either way. Good luck in the draw and thanks for commenting!
This is so different to other JAFF books but I would still love to read it. I can’t imagine a world without Jane Austen – my bookshelves would certainly be a lot emptier and my kindle would be still waiting for it’s first book. I suppose I would spend more time doing unimportant things like cleaning and sleeping!!! But I really am glad I don’t have to live in that world. Thanks for the giveaway 😃
Hi Glynis! We’ve seem to hit a common theme with the cleaner house! Good luck in the draw!
The premise sounds wonderful! This is definitely on my summer reads list. Congratulations, Ada and Cass!!
What would I do without Jane Austen? Well, my life would be very different. I wouldn’t have written any novels, for one thing 😉 More importantly, perhaps, though, I wouldn’t have experienced the wry, sly sense of humour that is specific to Jane Austen, and that would have been such a shame. There is something about the way JA views the world that always cheers me up.
Thank you for commenting and supporting us Monica! Oh yes! Without Jane, so many people may not have been inspired to write! Definitely there would be a loss for many many readers of JA inspired work! Thanks again and good luck on the draw!
Considering how young I was when I was introduced to Austen, there would have been a rather large hole to fill with something else! What a strange concept.
Thanks for commenting June! Good luck in the draw!
I would certainly spend more of my reading time reading crime novels, and I would have more space on my bookshelves
Ha! Hi Vesper! Ada would also be spending way too much time on crime novels (and not sleeping because of it) and Cass thinks she might be stuck reading too much mushy romance! Good Luck!
I would have missed out on the richness of the relationships Jane Austen imagined – between sisters and spouses, in particular. And the English language: she wrote so beautifully and with such great wit.
And I wouldn’t have the lovely bookcase my husband built me – just for Austen. (Of course, I’ve run out of space very quickly and will need another.)
The book sounds wonderful – thank you for this generous giveaway.
Lilyane, YES, those relationships that we’d lose are core to our story, we do hope you get a chance to read it! Thank you for your comment, good luck on the draw and in finding another space for another bookshelf soon ;)!
No Darcy, No Captain Wentworth, No EmmaI cannot imagine my life without Jane Austen. My JASNA meetings Gone! No retreasts no AGM’s??? You got me hooked. Thank you for the great givaway. I am looking forward to reading the book.
We know Nancy!! It’s unimaginable!! Except, well, we did imagine a lot about it, but you understand what we mean ;). We hope you get a chance to read it and good luck on the draw!!
What an amazing giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win these items. If Jane Austen had never published… well, I would hope that her brother would have intervened and published them anyway, after her death… But if that didn’t happen– there are so many JAFF books that would have never been written, for one thing. Dozens I never would have read. Even more dozens that are sitting on my shelves, still waiting to be read… And then the movies of her work. And of course, we would have been robbed of the masterpieces themselves! Who can imagine life without Darcy and Lizzy?!?! I mean, REALLY!?!?
Hi Laura! Thank you for commenting! It’s a tough concept we know! We really wrestled with it and depressed ourselves over it! Good luck on the draw!
If there was no JA my life certainly would be bleaker although I would have more free space on my bookshelf and kindle device. Thanks for offering this giveaway and congrats on publishing your book.
Hi Michele! Ha! Yes, Kindle it seems owes a lot of business to Jane Austen. They should really donate to The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation!! Thanks for commenting!
This sounds like a great read and what a generous giveaway! At least one thing from each category you mentioned would disappear from my life if Jane Austen had never written… especially Pride and Prejudice ❤ Lots of pets with different names (Darcy, an orange Tabby cat named Caroline, and even my current Jane), definitely fewer book shelves and many unfilled hours, my favorite movie (s)… the list would go on forever if I started listing the small accessories and decorative items inspired by Austen! Thank goodness we still have the genius of Jane!
OOoo! We love that you named an orange tabby cat after Caroline! Being a cat, no matter how lovely she was, we am sure she had some perfectly perfect Caroline expressions! Thank you for commenting, we hope you get a chance to read the book as the idea of all those missing small accessories and decorative items definitely make an appearance in the story!
Were Jane’s works never published, I would not spend so much of my days and nights reading and editing Pride and Prejudice variations and would probably be quiltmaking and know how to really use my longarm quilting machine. In addition, I would not have over a thousand such books on my Kindle and Nook, as well as on my book shelves. I would say that she has had a major impact on the course of my life.
Hi Betty! She’s definitely made a huge impact on our lives as well. We’re a little sad the world is missing out on more of your quilts – what about if you took up audio books – maybe you’d be able to fill a store with them! Oh, but that wouldn’t help with the editing… oh well. Thank you for commenting! Good luck on the draw!
Love the premise–the book sounds fantastic. If Jane Austen’s novels had never been printed, I certainly never would have majored in English Literature in college. Or discovered my love of British period drama. 😉 Thanks for the giveaway!
Hi Lynda! Thanks for commenting! What would you have majored in instead do you think?? Good luck in the draw!
My house would be cleaner….I’d watch more tv….but something would certainly be missing.
Hi Lynn, welcome to the cleaner house club! Good luck on the draw!
One of my first loves in reading was Regency romances and Jane Austen. If I hadn’t found them I am not sure I would enjoy reading as much as a do. That love of reading led to discovering JAFF. My total absorption in JAFF caused a story to ferment in my mind. That story and encouragement from author’s whose works I had read allowed me to become a published author (something I dreamed about and attempted as a teenager). I now have four books that I have written and am able to pay for great family vacations and help with my children’s college educations. The loss of Miss Austen’s books would have a negative impact not only on me but on my family.
Wow Linda, that is incredible! We agree completely! Good luck on the draw!
This sounds fantastic! If there were no Jane Austen, I would be missing my cell phone ringtone, a couple of mugs, a Christmas ornament or two, a picture hanging over my piano, and LOTS of books. Horrible!
That is exactly the sort of thing we were thinking about! Thank you for commenting! Good luck on the draw!
How exciting this all is with an amazing give away – thank you for being so generous. Well what would life be like without Jane Austen having written her books – One of my day dreams as a teenager would be radically altered and I may not even have met my husband. I could not fall in love with Frank Churchill until of course Mr George Knightley comes along. Strangely I never fell in love with John Thorpe or Mr Elton maybe that says something about Jane Austen and her writing that gives such a vivid portrait of men I would rather not meet. Of course my husband to be when I did meet him could country dance just as well if not better than Mr George Knightley could as we met at a country dance club.
I would not be writing a reply to Austen variations either. Oh the horror!
Hi Ann! LOL re: not writing a reply to an AV post! It’s lovely about meeting your husband and yes, so many of us have had our perceptions of men affected by Jane Austen’s books! Good luck on the draw, thank you for commenting!
Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. Without Jane Austen my reading would be empty and forlorn.
Hi Pearl! Thank you for commenting! Good luck on the draw!
I wouldn’t hold on for “Mr Darcy”, I wouldn’t read JAFF and I wouldn’t have all these wonderful people as friends from the JA world.
When I read the book I was wondering how the authors were able to cope with the scenes where they “executed” Jane’s work. As wonderful the book was, it was painful to read those scenes.
Hi Mira!!!! Thank you so much for commenting and supporting our book!!
As authors we can cope because we know how it’s going to turn out – but in all seriousness, it was a bit depressing while we were writing those parts!
We absolutely loved your review! Good luck on the draw.
I wouldn’t have visited Bath and it would be a pity. The town is lovely with so many places to discover!
As we write we are in Bath together and we couldn’t agree more! Good luck on the draw!
Congratulations on your book! It sounds so
fun & I really can’t wait to read it.
A life without Jane Austen in unimaginable.
I likely would not have been an English
major, possibly not gotten into the college I
did (application essay on my love of Jane),
surely would never have developed my love
off all things Regency, would have a much
shorter favorite movie list…and would there
be Georgette Heyer romances without Jane?
That is an excellent question about Georgette Heyer! Oo, have you published that application essay? That would be a great read! Thank you for your comment! Good luck on the draw!
Congratulations on publishing this book; it looks amazing!! 🙂 Adding it to my wish-list!
I can’t even begin to think about life without Jane Austen. I might not write in my journals with a quill (I cheat and use a brass nib and pen knives would be dangerous in my clumsy hands!) and inkwell. I might not have a bit of an obsession with Colin Firth. I might not have named our mini-dachshund Dashwood.
And I definitely wouldn’t be reading variations on Austen’s works for the past two years! Since I have chronic pain syndrome, I find that reading variations of Austen’s books particularly soothing and,as I already know the characters, it doesn’t sap much of my thought-energy to invest time into reading these books, thought-energy which I need to save for teaching online writing and literature classes, including my present class on Fan Fiction. 😉
I’d love to win this drawing–I’ve had my eye on that necklace for quite a while now. 😉
Thank you, ladies, for hosting this give-away, and I wish you great success in your writing and publishing endeavors! (And is this book the first in a mystery series, or is it a stand-alone book?)
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Oh we LOVE your daschund is Dashwood!! That is amazing.
We always love hearing how Jane Austen’s books can have a soothing affect in very difficult situations. You teach a class on Fan Fiction?? That’s fascinating!
Series or stand-alone? Watch this space! 😉
I would miss reading my favorite Pride and Prejudice variations, and I would miss watching the 2005 version of the Pride and Prejudice film that caused me to read the book for the first time.
Hi Barbara! It’s great when an adaptation leads to someone finding the books! Thank you for commenting!
I would have missed being a part (although a very small part) of such a wonderful group of ladies and gentlemen. And Colin Firth might not have been my make believe English boyfriend. Oh, I can’t bear thinking about it! 😉
Thanks for the giveaway!
LOL Pam, Colin is only your English make believe boyfriend? He would surely travel to be with you! Thank you for commenting!
Congratulations ladies! So looking forward to reading this book. Jane has enriched my life with greater understanding of human nature. I would have missed out on ‘meeting’ some wonderful people through my online connections, the fantastic JAFF books that line my bookshelves and Kindle and the movies that have brought countless hours of enjoyment. My passion for miniatures of the period would not exist. No, that special gift Jane had would definitely leave a void that no other author could completely fill.
Hi Carole!! Thank you for commenting and supporting our blog posts! Oooo, your miniature passion sounds amazing… do you have a little town or figures? Good luck on the draw!!
P&P was my first love. As an introvert who seldom went out, I dreamed of finding my Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen (P&P specifically) taught me first impressions rarely show you everything! If I hadn’t learned that, who knows if I’d have given my Mr. Darcy a chance!! Not to mention all the Wickhams that have crossed my path…
Ha, yes Leah, we know exactly what you mean about discerning real life Darcys from Wickhams! Thank you for commenting!
I never would have got into early 19th centtury if it was not for Jane austen.
Hi Patricia! Thanks for commenting and good luck in the draw!
Really intriguing question! On the surface, my kindle reads would be far more boring, I wouldn’t have the I <3 Mr. Darcy key ring my daughter bought me in Bath, nor would I have my Persuasion quote teacup (and I don't think I necessarily would have chosen to go to Bath when we went to the U.K.)
Beyond that, I think the whole world of fiction would be quite different. Miss Austen was the originator of so many themes that have been continually imitated since she was published.
Hi Kristine, we put a lot of thought into how many surface things we’d lose without Jane! Cheers from Bath! Thank you for commenting!
I simply wouldn’t be me if there were no Jane! And my daughter would have a different middle name.
Hi Katie! Ah, what would her middle name have been do you think? She may owe Jane quite a debt as well! Thanks for commenting!
Awesome storyline – thanks much for sharing your gift of storytelling!!! Jane Austen’s novels and all the JAFF keep me “sane” LOL well, a wonderful way to “escape” RL daunting issues. Look forward to reading more… Hugs, mamatree aka tJean (real name Theresa Jean)
Hi and thank you so much for your comment. We’re not sure we’ve been kept sane by Jane Austen or by anyone else, but we definitely escape with her!! Thank you!!
I would have a different favorite story… Probably never would have thought to translate a book.
Hi tgruy! Ooo, really? That’s very interesting and not at all surprising that those two things are connected! Thank you for commenting!
Without Miss Jane’s delightful novels I probably would not have become and English teacher. I was a journalist for 10 years before becoming a teacher, but it was my desire to expose young readers to her works that fueled my desire to teach. In addition, my beloved pomeranian (rest his tiny soul) would not have hat the delightful moniker of Mr. Darcy.
Bonnie, really!? That’s amazing! Awh 🙁 Bless your pomeranian Mr. Darcy. Thank you for commenting and good luck on the draw!
This book sounds very interesting. I would live to read a mystery/romance set in modern times!
Hi Karen, thank you for commenting! We hope you get a chance to read our book! Good luck on the draw!
Thanks for the chance to win. Yes, my life would be different…I’d probably read a lot more other books, that’s for sure! One of my best friends is a JA fanatic, as well, and I would have missed this connection between us.
Hi Wendy! We happen to have similar best friends 😉 Thanks for commenting!
Congratulations on the book and thank you for the international giveaway!
Oh, this question deserves an answer as big as a book…
A lot of things in my life would be different – in a bad way – without Jane Austen. But just to choose one: I would never read some of my favorite books and this sounds so horrible that I can’t stand.
Greetings from Brazil!
Hi Rebeca! Ha! We agree, the question does deserve an answer as big as a book 😉 ! Greetings to Brazil from Bath! Thank you for commenting!
I love the idea of this book! I will certainly look for it and read it as soon as possible! My concept of no Jane Austen? Well I would not be such a historical romance or romantic genre fan. I read Jane Austen when I was first starting to choose what type of novel was my favorite genre and it put me on this road for life! I love a good romance historical or contempary. Jane is a great author!
Yes Cindy, wouldn’t it be interesting how different we might be considering how much books can affect us?? Thank you for commenting!
Congratulations on the release of this wonderful book. I am so looking forward to reading it. I have always loved historical romance, but to not have Jane Austen’s books would cause something to be missing. The biggest one would be wonderful friends, whom I have never met, but have made my life richer. Then to be missing Jane’s wonderful stories and all the variations that have developed from them. Thank you for this wonderful give away.
Hi Deborah! Thank you for your comment and for supporting our blog posts!! We wish you luck on the draw!
Life without Jane Austen? Well, without her own novels and the imitators who have followed her, I’d have spent a lot less money on books. I also would have fewer nights where I don’t sleeping because I’m too engrossed in a story to be able to consider putting it down to go to bed. And I have the feeling that The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen is going to be another one to drain my pocketbook (if I don’t win the giveaway, that is) and keep me up at night. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy, and best of luck with the release of this intriguing-sounding book!
It seems a lot of people would be richer in their pocket, but perhaps not so much in their hearts!
Thanks for commenting, Debbie!
Just trying to catch up a bit on blog emails and came across the notification for this post Cass.
Obviously I wouldn’t be here if Jane Austen had never published. I probably would never have been drawn to historical fiction or drama (tried to like Dickens, honestly, but not got there yet!). So, no Elizabeth Gaskell (no John Thornton!), Anthony Trollope or John Galsworthy. What a huge literary hole in my life.
Good luck with the launch ladies and thanks for such a generous giveaway.
Anji! You’re such a wonderful support to us!
Thank you for posting and thank you for being there!