This is the second part of Captain Wentworth’s adventures with the Asp and Laconia. Enjoy! January, 1808, in Plymouth, Devonshire “Commander Wentworth,” announced the marine guard formally, “you are called.” Wentworth rose smartly to his feet, refusing to show either nervousness or fear, even though his career was at stake. He refused to meet the …
Persuasion 200: The Taking of the Laconia, by Jack Caldwell
The West Indies Campaign of 1804–10 was a series of military contests mainly in the Caribbean, spanning the Napoleonic Wars, involving the European powers of Napoleonic France, the Batavian Republic, Spain, the Kingdom of Portugal, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. French naval power after Trafalgar in 1805 was weak. The big …
Experience Brings Inspiration
I wrote in a previous blog post about how information brings inspiration, that is, how doing research has led to different elements in my stories. You can find the post here if you would like to refer back to it. Today I am writing about how one experience brought about some inspiration. As most of …
Lizzy Bennet’s Diary: Chapter Six by Cassandra Grafton
Lizzy Bennet’s Diary continues below! I hope you are enjoying these extracts and thank you to everyone who has commented on the story so far. If you’ve missed the other chapters, you can find them in the Readers’ Library here at Austen Variations. Lizzy Bennet’s Diary Extracts from the Journals of Miss Elizabeth Bennet ~o0o~ Chapter Six …
Persuasion 200: Servants Discuss Anne and Frederick’s Break-up by Mary Simonsen
Commander Wentworth is gone, and the secret is out! “And where were you, missy?” Molly asked Nancy as she fiddled with the bed covers in their shared attic bedroom. “Talking to Tom.” Nancy, the fourteen-year-old kitchen maid, explained that while emptying the kitchen slop buckets, the junior footman had shared news about the family. “You …
Guest Post: Papering a wall with Austen By JD Smith
I’m delighted to welcome JD Smith to Austen Variations. While I’m a great admirer of JD Smith’s book covers, I’ve been discovering that her interest in Jane Austen extends far beyond the covers of a book. I’ll leave you to discover what that enigmatic statement means by having Jane explain her unique Jane Austen artistic creation. …
Persuasion 200: An engagement, and two hearts, broken
Anne has been convinced by her family and Lady Russell that it would be foolish to marry Commander Wentworth. No matter how much she loves him, he is not established in his career and has only his naval pay and a little prize money to support her and any children they have. She has broken …
Lizzy Bennet’s Diary: Chapter Five by Cassandra Grafton
Lizzy Bennet’s Diary continues below in its new Sunday slot! I hope you are enjoying these extracts and thank you to everyone who has commented on the story so far. If you’ve missed the other chapters, you can find them here: Chapter One – Chapter Two – Chapter Three – Chapter Four Lizzy Bennet’s …
Persuasion 200: Anne Breaks off the Engagement
You knew it was coming, and yet perhaps you hoped there was a way it could be avoided. It would be tempting to rewrite history in order to spare our hero and heroine the pain that lies ahead. But, since we all promised to abide by the facts of Jane Austen’s story… Anne did not abandon …
Persuasion 200: Anne’s Internal Debate
When Captain Frederick Wentworth proposed, Anne Elliot was over the moon with delight. However, her high spirits were surely crushed to discover that not only did her father think him an unworthy attachment, but so too did Lady Russell! Her inner turmoil must have been considerable in deciding how best to proceed. Here is my attempt to …

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