Category: Author Real Life
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Just What Does That Mean?
Wonder about some British slang and what it means? Try to figure out what these ones are.
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Plans for 2026
It has been a few years since I’ve done this and it’s probably long overdue. There have been several changes happening in my life over the last few years, but the last time I “mapped them out” in a January post was before Always Austen started in 2023. Since that time, my husband retired; I…
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“First Footing” It into the New Year with Hogmanay Traditions
I come very proud Scots. I am from a direct line of Clan MacThomas from the seventh chief of the clan, John Mccomie (Iain Mòr), who has passed into the folklore of Perthshire. Therefore, in my family, New Year’s (or Hogmanay as it was once called) played a popular part of my childhood. Although I admit to overspending…
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Christmas Celebrations: Short Stories of Jane Austen Fan Fiction
At Christmas time, we return to Jane Austen’s world where warmth, wit, and hope remind us of what truly endures. This sixth Christmas Anthology gathers new stories inspired by Jane Austen’s beloved characters, imagined by authors who offer fresh insight into their emotions, their choices, and the moments left untold. These tales remind us why her creations…
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Marianne
#SenseAndSensibility #MrDarcy Hi friends, It’s been a toughish year, what with my husband’s – ultimately successful – operation for thymic mass cancer. (And no, you’ve prob. never heard of it. It accounts for fewer than 1% of cancers diagnosed in the UK, as a rule… but his surgeon has banished it.) Also on the bright…
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Cleanliness is Next to Modern-ness
Good morrow, dear readers. Many of my American readers are likely awakening from their turkey comas; my family is struggling with our lasagne coma. (Yes, we have lasagne for Thanksgiving dinner.) However, I hope every one of my dear readers enjoyed Netherfield Ball Day (otherwise known as November 26th to the non-Austen-enlightened world)! Balls in Georgian England must have been very different from…
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“Dear Author …”
“Dear author” – the latest scams mostly start– “your new novel, Mary-Ann: A Sense and Sensitivity Sequel, made me weep, cry, mourn and scream with laughter in equal measure. The sublimity of your gift is a blessing to the universe. Please send me the deeds to your second home by return of post and something…
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Another P&P Play
I apologize for this brief post, but life has turned a bit crazy recently and my blog completely slipped my mind until the alarm went off on my phone shortly after I received a text from my daughter. Since they happened so close together and both had to do with Jane Austen, I figured it…
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Austen’s 250th Celebration Marked with Energy, Study
Baltimore’s recent annual general meeting (AGM) of the Jane Austen Society of North American (JASNA) celebrated Austen’s 250th birthday coming up December 16. The AGM was full of sound and fury, signifying a great deal. Well, maybe not fury, but energy. Lots of it. And great scholarship. All on the topic of the genius of…
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Research: The Bane of Historical Fiction Writers
One of the best parts of being an historical writer is learning new things. However, one of the worst parts of being an historical writer is researching those new things. As I am sure everyone on this site may attest, I have spent hours and hours and hours searching for a fact that turns out…