Category: Jane Austen

  • February with Darcy

    February with Darcy

    It’s a bit early for Valentine’s Day, but I thought I would share the February scene from my 12 Months of Darcy collection. This grew out of my wondering how suspicious Wickham was about Darcy’s intentions towards Elizabeth. Enjoy! FEBRUARY “Look!” cried Lydia from the drawing room window. Kitty joined her and bounced on her…

  • My Husband, Mr. Darcy, and Me: An Anniversary Trip to England

    My Husband, Mr. Darcy, and Me: An Anniversary Trip to England

    This summer my husband and I are planning a trip to England to celebrate our 35th anniversary. Huzzah!!! Now, to be clear, my sweet husband is not a Jane Austen fan. I doubt he could name all six of her novels, or perhaps even two of them. But he knows the plot of Pride and…

  • What Did Other Authors Say About Jane Austen?

    What Did Other Authors Say About Jane Austen?

    They loved her and hated her! Check out other author’s thoughts on Jane Austen.

  • An Austen for Every Age: A Book for Each Decade of Your Life

    An Austen for Every Age: A Book for Each Decade of Your Life

    Here is my entirely subjective guide to which Jane Austen novel belongs to each decade of life—and why. Have you loved different books as you age? I’ve always loved Persuasion and P&P, but as I get older, Mansfield Park is growing on me.

  • The Unsnarling of EBBD

    The Unsnarling of EBBD

    In one of my recent comments I mentioned how Elizabeth Bennet’s Bad Days was a little harder to write than any of my other books because there were so many different directions I could take the plot. Well, as it turned out, that particular attribute caused some issues for me. As a result, the publishing…

  • The Use of Violence in JAFF

    The Use of Violence in JAFF

    Today, I’d like to talk about tolerance. Specifically, about tolerance in Jane Austen’s works.  Now, I belong to a number of Facebook Austen groups, which can be both funny and fun. (This was where I first encountered this great New Year meme: “I take no leave of you, 2025. I send no compliments to your…

  • Two Women, A World Apart

    Two Women, A World Apart

    Two books give me joy in the New Year. The first, by Sarah Emsley, is The Austens, a novel about Jane Austen’s relationship with her sister-in-law, Fanny Palmer Austen. The second, by Rebecca Romney, is Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, nonfiction about women writers who shaped the English author. Both works are part of the onslaught of…

  • The Christmas Jane Austen Didn’t Write

    The Christmas Jane Austen Didn’t Write

    Christmas is barely mentioned in any of Austen’s novels. (Quick—can you think of two places where it is mentioned? Post your answers below!) At first glance, it seems strange that a clergyman’s daughter—one who wrote memorable prayers and was notably pious—would ignore such a major religious holiday in her fiction. A closer examination, however, sheds…

  • How Did Austen Feel About the Slave Trade?

    How Did Austen Feel About the Slave Trade?

    Emma and Mansfield Park both mention the slave trade. What is Austen saying there?

  • Christmas Celebrations: Short Stories of Jane Austen Fan Fiction

    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…