Summer is definitely over. October is here and time to turn our minds to a new season. It’s Austen in Autumn! Yesterday, when I went out for my morning constitutional, I had multicolored maple leaves crunching underfoot and the occasional spider web hitting me in the face. I also took a plastic bag along …
“But don’t you want to know what happens next?” That’s the question I often ask when I meet someone who tells me how much they love Jane Austen’s books, especially Pride and Prejudice. Their answer is usually the same as my own: yes, yes, YES! We’ve fallen in love with the characters, and we’re not ready …
Have you recovered yet from the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death a week ago? Although it was gratifying to see how many people and groups think enough of her to offer special tributes and commemorations, it was still a dark date on the calendar. Heart-wrenching, really. We were reminded all over again of the …
We’re smack in the middle of summer now, and many of us are feeling the heat! But what did Jane Austen have to say about hot summer weather? Along with our other ongoing features, we’ll be sprinkling in a few posts on that topic this month. When I searched my mind for hot weather …
Our Austen Variations theme for June is weddings! Since I’ve been having so much fun posting “Tuesday Trivia” on our Facebook page lately, I thought I’d kick the month off with some Regency-era English wedding trivia followed by a short P&P wedding scene. Did you know that… Until the late 1880’s, weddings by law had to …
We have a new month and a new theme here at Austen Variations! You’ve heard that April showers bring May flowers. I’m counting on it. We’ve certainly paid our dues here in Seattle with our wettest October through April on record. Now we deserve flowers in equally generous proportions. With that hope in mind, here’s …
The “April Showers” theme immediately brought certain images to my mind – two in particular: the scene in the rain at the end of “Wives and Daughters” and one that I wrote myself in “Return to Longbourn.” In both cases, the romantic overtones and the sense of as-yet-unfulfilled longing seem to be heightened by the …
My big double launch day is finally here! And I do mean FINALLY. One of these two books has been waiting a very long time for publication. It really started about eight years ago. I’d had about the best fun of my life writing my first two JAFF novels, and now I was diligently pursuing their …
What could be more fun and exciting to book lovers (and authors) than a brand new cover revealed? Two brand new covers revealed, of course! That’s what I have for you today: the full covers of the two new books I’m releasing together at the end of the month. Yippee! Leap of Faith and Leap …
As you know, here at Austen Variations we’re doing a month-long scavenger hunt. Today, I’m kicking off the theme with a fun little game. Below are nine Jane Austen quotes, each with one underlined word for you to unscramble. Make a note of those nine words, put them in your pocket, and then hop on …
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