Category: Author Real Life
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Designs in Practicality
Good morrow, dear readers. I hope all is well with you! I remember, in my pre-Amish days, watching period dramas and marvelling, not in a good way, about all the dark panelling throughout English country houses. Why would they do that? It would absorb all the light! Whereas such panelling is not as reflective as…
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All the World’s A Stage – Sense and Sensibility, the theatre, and a new novel
I am most fortunate to live within an easy drive of one of North America’s best summer theatre festivals, the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. We are great theatre fans in this family, and make a point of going to several performances each summer. Sometimes we spend the night, other times we drive there…
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Add a Little Light to the Situation
Good morrow, dear readers. Are you having a lovely July? I am trying – and mildly succeeding – to get back to writing this month. As I mentioned last time, it was reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women in the light of our kerosene lamps which first opened my eyes to the parallels betwixt my…
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The Soldier and the Author
Last month, I mentioned that I’ve started into serious edits for a novel I began a while ago. The working title is The Soldier’s Tale, and this is Colonel Fitzwilliam’s story. As do so many Austen-inspired authors, I love the colonel. Jane Austen gives us such a small glimpse of him; he is little more…
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An Austen Statue in Alton + Crete + an American PX
My husband heard it in the middle of the night. The stealth bombers, en route to Iraq, went right smack over us, here in Crete, biggest of all the Greek islands. In the morning he told me, “Stealth bombers! What a racket! Can’t believe you slept through it!” And nor could I believe it because…
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Like Living in a Book
Good morrow, fair readers. How are you this glorious June morn? I know ‘tis Friday the 13th, but I still wish every good thing upon you all! When introducing some of what I learned through our five years with the Amish community, I thought I would share what first opened my eyes to the practical…
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The Author Travels: The Origins of a Tale
As I write this, I’m sitting in a lounge at the airport, waiting for my flight. My husband has a conference on the other side of the country, one which happens every year. Last year it was in Montreal. I am probably the only person alive who hates Montreal, but there you have it, and…
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The End of the Road … For the Semi-Colon?!?!
#semi-colon #prideandperjury #historicalfiction Eek!!!!! Is this the end of the road for the semi-colon??? And, if it so, do we care? The Guardian newspaper (see below for link) was this week sounding its death-knell. In brief, usage in the UK has plummeted. (“Its usage in English books plummeting by almost half in two decades –…
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Royalties and The Weight of Paper – Jane Austen’s Relationship with her London Publishers
Jane Austen, a renowned novelist, faced financial struggles due to early 19th-century publishing practices and gender biases. Despite limited success, her works like Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice critiqued societal norms and paved the way for future generations of female authors.
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Darcy and Lizzy Going Dutch?
Good morrow, dear readers! A question was asked on one of the JAFF FB groups recently about a modern Amish P&P variation. As I mentioned in my introduction in February 2023, my family and I spent five years in an Amish community, attempting to join the church; thus, such a variation would seem perfect for…