The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen – Part 1

Weekly installments of The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen begin today, so you’re just in time! Have you ever wished Jane Austen had herself experienced the romance and happy ending she so carefully crafted for all of her wonderful heroines? She SO deserved it! That’s really why I wrote this novel. It’s dedicated to all …

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Jane in January – Past Experiences as Writing Inspiration

Trust me on this: Fiction is not the same thing as Memoir… And, yet, if you ask the people who know me personally to tell you about my novels, they’ll say things like, “Well, when Marilyn wrote Friday Mornings at Nine, it was about our get-togethers over coffee” (my local friends) or “She incorporated a …

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Jane in January – Shannon Winslow, Inspired!

This month we’re looking at inspiration for our novels. But it’s hard to separate inspiration from motivation. It’s kind of a chicken-or-egg question as to which comes first. When I’m excited about an idea, that motivates me to write. And when the creative juices start flowing, the ideas come. I would never have made it …

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Jane In January: Inspiration pt 4

Perhaps, just perhaps Darcy has been mistaken Thanks to all of your wonderful support and comments, my muse decided to run with this idea and it blossomed into a novella. Official release date is 2/26. I’ll have the preorder up soon! Part 4 Bingley had business in London just after the ball, so he left …

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Jane in January: Finding Inspiration in Random Places

Like most authors, inspiration comes to me anywhere, anytime, and from anything. Sometimes I’ll randomly think of a line and quickly jot it down, with the plans on using it someday. Sometimes a What If? kind of scenario enters my mind and the beginnings of what could be a book are formed. With my retellings, …

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The Cajun Cheesehead Ranks Jane Austen’s Villains

The Cajun Cheesehead Chronicles by Jack Caldwell Jane Austen’s Villains – A Ranking Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. Jane Austen created some wonderful heroes and heroines—Elizabeth & Darcy, Marianne & Brandon, Anne & Wentworth, among others—but to truly appreciate these characters, she also gifted the reader many memorable villains. Unfortunately, IMHO, the otherwise excellent teleplays …

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The Darcys and Lord Byron in Venice, Part 8

“I am beyond apologizing for my family,” Elizabeth sighed, as she and her husband entered their salon at the Palazzo Mocenigo and settled themselves on a richly tapestried sofa. The servants had been ordered to bring them a light meal, before they sought their beds, quite exhausted, for it was past midnight when they returned …

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Jane In January: Inspiration pt 3

He meets his muse in the ballroom, but is he satisfied with the result? Congratulations to Megan and Linda A, winners of my giveaway. The giveaway is now closed. Part 3 The ensuing fortnight sent Darcy—or rather his muse, into a frenzy. In the midst of it all, he frequently told himself he was in …

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Jane in January: Another New Beginning

Greetings! Are you enjoying our current Jane in January series, as we talk about story inspirations? Earlier this month, I shared how most stories sneak up on me as a single scene. Something I did not mention is that most of them take a long time to marinate (at least for me). Today I bring …

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Jane in January – Setting as Inspiration

We’re all talking about inspiration this month at Austen Variations.  Or anti-inspiration, as the case may be. The inspiration for my books is usually a vivid idea for an emotionally intense scene. My next book is the exception. It started with a setting, or rather an anti-setting. You’ve heard of invasive species. Well, I’ve been …

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