Happy 4th Day of Christmas!! In my newest novel, The Knight Before Christmas, my characters, Emma Westwood & Austin Knightley, make a special dessert — a chocolate-apricot torte, reminiscent of the famous Viennese Sachertorte. My husband and I were in Austria back in the mid-1990s, and we each enjoyed a generous and oh-so-chocolaty piece of …
For those who celebrate, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights is currently under way, running this year from sundown on December 22nd through December 30th. The Hebrew word Hanukkah (or Chanukah) means “dedication,” and the holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt in 164 BCE. Like most holidays, …
So, Nosy November… 😊. Three cheers for Amy D’Orazio for suggesting such a fun theme for this month! ‘Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can,’ Elizabeth said to Mr Darcy, and we have good reason to believe that Jane Austen shared that view, …
The Cajun Cheesehead Critic Takes on Christmas Songs Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. Wait! This isn’t a post about Jane Austen adaptations! You’re right. The next one got moved to December 27. Watch for it. Now, on with the show. Honestly, is there a better season in the United States than the holiday season? Starting …
Several years back, at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Chicago, a group of us decided we’d each research and serve a popular Regency drink as part of a workshop we presented called “Jane Austen Happy Hour.” What fun to get to learn about (and taste test) so many delicious drinks. My beverage of choice was …
I’m not even a drop Irish but, back in 1995, I had the pleasure of visiting about a dozen beautiful cities in Ireland, and I adored the experience. Additionally, I happened to marry a man who has a thread of Irish heritage, a love of Celtic relics, and an addiction to corned beef, so we …
The holidays are fast approaching and it seems like an ideal time to indulge in our two favorite things at Austen Variations, share our variations on Jane Austen’s works. Sunday, October 2, 1814 Matthew enjoyed an after-dinner cigar in the Melançon courtyard with his host while the ladies sipped a bit of wine, carefully …
The holidays are fast approaching and it seems like an ideal time to indulge in our favorite thing at Austen Variations, share our variations on Jane Austen’s works. It’s Christmas Eve, and I hope, like me, you are all enjoying happy times with your families in this holiday season. I’ve really been hoping it would …
The holidays are fast approaching and it seems like an ideal time to indulge in our favorite thing at Austen Variations, share our variations on Jane Austen’s works. I hope you all had some tea & a treat in celebration of Jane Austen’s birthday yesterday!! In my contemporary romance, HOLIDAY MAN, Shannon …
The holidays are fast approaching and it seems like an ideal time to indulge in our favorite thing at Austen Variations. Below is an excerpt from “Pemberley Celebrations – The First Year,” which is a compilation of short stories that follow Mr. and Mrs. Darcy through the different holidays in their first year …
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