Laurie Viera Rigler's Blog: Jane Austen Addict, page 26

Persuasion, Twitter Version: Chapter 9

Oh how I love Persuasion! I'm sure I've read it twenty times and never tire of it. And I'm having so much fun tweeting it in 140-character bits.

Here are my Chapter 9 tweets. You can also follow the story on Twitter.

Persuasion, Ch 9: It is Louisa Musgrove whom Capt W loves. No, it is Henrietta. Such is the horserace that Anne must watch.

Persuasion, Ch9: One morning Anne & Capt W find themselves almost alone—only the little injured boy is there. Capt W as discomposed as Anne.

Persuasion, Ch9: Th

Persuasion: Twitter Version, Chapter 8

Here's a recap of Chapter 8. Enjoy, and follow me on Twitter!

Persuasion, Ch8: Anne often sees Capt W at the Musgroves, but they are "worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted." Sigh.

Persuasion, Ch8: Capt W declares naval ships unfit for the comfort of ladies, while his sister, Mrs. Croft, declares him an idiot. Politely.

Persuasion, Ch 8: Anne's eyes fill with tears as she watches Capt W dance with the other ladies, while to her he is frosty freeze.

Persuasion: Twitter Version, Chapters 1-7

Some days ago I had the silly idea to chart the story of Persuasion, which is my favorite Jane Austen novel, on Twitter.  I must say that I'm finding the challenge of tweeting plot points, 140 characters at a time, and attempting to make them interesting, and even amusing at times, exhilarating.

And the comments they're receiving on Facebook and Twitter are really gratifying. As well as hilarious.

Here's a recap of my tweets so far, Chapters 1-7:

Persuasion, Ch.1: Sir Walter Elliot, baronet, eng

Skype an Author at Your Next Book Club Meeting

Ever thought about chatting with an author at your next book group meeting via Skype? That's what the reading group of JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America), Southern Arizona Region, did with me last Sunday, complete with webcam.

I've done a lot of conference calls with book groups. Very simple. All the group needs is a speakerphone. But this time the group called me with a laptop. Or more precisely, their laptop called my laptop. And because each of our laptops had cameras clipped on or

Is anyone too young to read Jane Austen?

How early should one start?

Opinions vary, but I'd say you can't go wrong reading Pride and Prejudice to a two-week-old baby. That's what I did when I visited my niece, and there were none of those "what is an entail" or "why doesn't Jane just text Bingley when she's in London" sorts of questions. In fact, my reading lulled her into a deep, soothing sleep.

Some believe in starting even earlier. Just ask Cherilynne Perdigon, daughter of the school librarian at my nephew's elementary school. She beg

Persuasion: Twitter Version

Just for fun, I'm going to try and chart the story of Persuasion via Twitter, 140 characters at a time. Shouldn't all platforms be in the service of Austen?

Here's my first entry:

Persuasion, Ch.1:
Sir Walter Elliot, baronet, engages in 19th cent. Wikipedi-ing: Rereads
and edits entry on the Elliots in The Baronetage.

Granted, it's not brilliant. It's not even literature. But you try and describe the first part of Chapter 1 in 140 characters. It's a fun challenge. Go ahead. In the comments.

Next

In Two Places at Once. I Think.

Two reviews in major UK papers in the space of a week. What riches! Lord bless me! I shall go distracted.

Okay, enough channeling of Mrs. Bennet.

But it is thrilling that CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT is receiving such a warm welcome in England, as it's just been published there by Bloomsbury.

Here's an interesting thought: Jane Mansfield, the protagonist of the upcoming parallel story, RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT (and no relation to the 1950s screen siren), will be able to go o

How Do I Love Bath? Let Me Count the Ways.

A couple of days ago, Kerri Spennicchia, Assistant Regional Coordinator of JASNA NY  forwarded to me the Jane Austen Centre's newsletter with a note "You do know that “Confessions” has been nominated for Regency [World:] Award.”

No, Kerri, I didn't! In fact, as a subscriber to the excellent Jane Austen's Regency World magazine, I'd received the newsletter myself earlier in the day. But I hadn't yet looked at the nominees. Nor had it occurred to me that my book might be one of them.

I've been d

Read to Kids--and spread some happiness around

Writers tend to be a tad on the obsessive side. A little too caught up in our own little worlds. After all, we sit at our desks immersed in stories that go on inside our heads. And sometimes it's easy to forget that there is actually a world full of other human beings out there. Which is why I like to unchain myself from my desk now and then and actually try to connect with other human beings. Maybe even spread some happiness around.

Recently I had the privilege of doing just that when I visited

The Dates of My Next Writing Workshop Have Changed

STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES FOR FICTION
WRITERS, which I am teaching at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA, will take place over six Tuesdays, beginning April 14 to May 19th, 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

Ever wondered how to "show, don't tell"? Then this workshop is for you.

For detailed information on what I cover in this class, please visit Vroman's website.

To register, call Vroman's at 626-449-5320.

Hope to see you there!