Laurie Viera Rigler's Blog: Jane Austen Addict, page 15

The Journeys of John and Julia

There is a new book just out that is so brilliant I have to share it with everyone.

From my Goodreads shelf:

The Journeys of John and Julia in Chapter One: Genesis by Aurelia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Get ready for the adventure of your life. This masterful debut novel will have you turning pages long into the night and contemplating them well after the story ends. Or shall I say begins? For "The Journeys of John and Julia: Genesis" is but the first installment of what promises to be a brilliant series. The author weaves a shimmering tapestry with words, populates it with unforgettable characters, and ushers us into a world that is by turns magical, frightening, and ultimately empowering."

What I didn't mention in my review is that the characters in The Journeys of John and Julia also have really good taste. In fact, one of the characters is curled up with Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. And you know what? Jane from Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict stayed up all night with The Journeys of John and Julia. And so did Wes. It's a perfect book for a young lady from 1813. And a guy from 2011. And kids and teens like Wes's teenage niece Emma, who's been telling all her friends to read it.

As Jane Austen put it in Northanger Abbey:

Alas! if the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?

JAMMDI-licious News

The official online home of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, the new Ballantine anthology of Austen-inspired fiction, is live at janeaustenmademedoit.com.

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT is a collection of stories by 24 authors and is edited by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.

 
Some details from the publisher:

In Lauren Willig's "A Night at Northanger," a young woman who doesn't believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe's "Waiting" captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion's Wentworth and Anne as they await her family's approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani's "Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane" imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall's "Jane Austen's Cat," our beloved Jane tells her nieces "cat tales" based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler's "Intolerable Stupidity" finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany's "Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; in Jo Beverley's "Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss," a widow doesn't believe she'll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise; and one story from a debut voice, the yet-to-be-revealed winner of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest.

Which Austenesque Heroine Are You?

Take the quiz and see which of the heroines of these Austen-inspired novels is most like you:

According to Jane
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Definitely Not Mr Darcy
My Jane Austen Summer
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

It's all fun and games over at Austenesque Reviews!

 

Fiction Therapy...and a giveaway

Do you turn to a favorite novel for escape? Check out my guest post on Fiction Therapy at the Chick Lit Central blog, and enter the giveaway:

Two lucky winners will each receive a personally inscribed copy of RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT.

2 Austen Addict books + Pride and Prejudice = 1 ebook bundle

THE COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN ADDICT ebook bundle is now in Kindle in the UK, thanks to the fabulous Bloomsbury.

THE COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN ADDICT Includes CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT,RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. And at a really good price. How cool is that?

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Classic Homage to Austen

Check out my guest post on chicklitclub.com, where I explore the comic parallels between Helen Fielding's BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY and Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. And Fielding's amusing deviations therefrom.

(In which we go from this:
  to this:

Except that in the book it was a diamond-patterned jumper and bumblebee socks.)

Read the entire post here.

Book Group + Skype + Author = Good Company

"My idea of good company, Mr. Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation…"—Anne Eliot, in Jane Austen's PERSUASION

Last week I had the great pleasure of connecting with a group of clever, well-informed people in Delhi, India. A book group. Via Skype video call.

This was the most geographically distant (8,000 miles from my home) and diverse book group I've chatted with so far. Members hailed from Denmark, Scotland, The Netherlands, England, Sweden, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, and the USA. A twelve-and-a-half-hour time difference meant that while these lovely ladies were raising their wineglasses, I was saying "cheers" with my cappuccino.

What was most inspiring about this group is that the members are a beautiful example of how a love of reading can bring people together, no matter where they are coming from, geographically or otherwise.

 

[From left, Ada from Domican Republic, Sarda from New Zealand, Pia from Sweden, Tessa from London, Dieuwke from The Netherlands, Mette from Denmark, and Hazel from Scotland. Linda from New York is missing from the photo but present in spirit. Not present in the photo but giving expert technical assistance were Shona (Scottish) and Pat (South African), Hazel's daughter and husband.]

The group was delightful, and our discussions fascinating. As this was a group of expats living in Delhi, they could all relate on a very personal level to the fish-out-of-water theme of my time-travel/body-switching/Austen-inspired novels.

Thanks, ladies, for inviting me into your living room!

Have you invited an author to your book group? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict in the UK AND Italy.

Today the post brought a lovely surprise: my author copies of the new Italian edition of RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, a/k/a IN VIAGGIO CON JANE AUSTEN, published by Sperling & Kupfer.

Check out the fun cover. Bellissima!

Meanwhile, RUDE AWAKENINGS has also recently debuted in the UK, thanks to the fabulous Bloomsbury. Love the drawing of Jane in full Regency get-up in the middle of Hollywood.

Jane certainly knows how to travel. In more ways than one...

Ciaio, and have a lovely weekend!

   

 

Confessing my Austen Addiction at Sierra Madre Public Library, May 21

Please join me on May 21 at 2 PM at the Sierra Madre Public Library for a fun-filled afternoon. I'll be talking about Austen's timeless appeal and the genesis of my two Austen-inspired novels. Which could be considered semi-autobiographical, if they did not involve time travel and body-switching.

Hope to see you there! That's 2 PM, May 21. In whichever century you like.

Sierra Madre Public Library, 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA

626.355.7186

 


 

 

Jane Austen Made Me Do It

As anyone who reads the fabulous Austenprose already knows, the cover of the upcoming anthology, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, is official. And gorgeous.

What a privilege to be in the company of all these wonderful authors. I am very grateful to Austenprose's Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, for inviting me to contribute. And most of all, I cannot wait to read all of these stories!

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT will be available at your favorite bookstore on October 11, 2011 (Ballantine) and may be pre-ordered now from many online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.