Introductions

[Mary]

Vaarin-dwiggie.com is where you'll find it! Enjoy!!

[Candy]

Hello, everyone!

I'm Candy, and I live in Southern California - very close to Disneyland, which I visit often! :) I'm a mother of five mostly grown children.

Since I surpassed my goal for 2017, am going for Anne Elliot, and I hope to read at least 15 books this year. I'm terrible at updating my progress here - sorry about that!

I started reading JAFF about 9 or 10 years ago. My favorites are P&P variations, but I'm not a fan of sequels. I love the chase! ;)

I also have a blog, So Little Time... (https://candy-m.blogspot.com/), I don't review as much as I use to, but I often have JAFF guest posts. I'm not strictly Austenesque, though. I love to read a variety of books. I especially love dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, and I'm Harry Potter fan.

Thanks for setting up this challenge again, Sophia! It's always fun and very motivating! :)

[Sophia]

Candy wrote: "Hello, everyone!

I'm Candy, and I live in Southern California - very close to Disneyland, which I visit often! :) I'm a mother of five mostly grown children.

Since I surpassed my goal for 2017, ..."

Woohoo! Candy's back.

And what a lovely intro to share with those who might not know you. Actually, I think I didn't know how long you've been reading JAFF and that you prefer variations over sequels. ;)

So glad to have you in the group again. And no sweat, if you can only duck in now and then to say hi. :)

[J. W.]

Welcome Candy... we'll be happy to see you whenever you want to participate. You have set a good goal and we will cheer you on when you reach it.

[Debbie]

Cool, Candy! Harry Potter series is my second favorite genre, though I've never gotten into the HP Fan Fic the way I have Austenesque. Glad to see you back!

[Mary]

Welcome to our little group,Candy!

[Juliet]

Hi Candy, Harry Potter was the first big fandom I got into and I still read fic for it! I wonder if anyone has written Austen characters in the HP universe? Because I’d definitely be into that! Does anyone have any JAFF+magic recs?

[Sophia]

Juliet wrote: "Hi Candy, Harry Potter was the first big fandom I got into and I still read fic for it! I wonder if anyone has written Austen characters in the HP universe? Because I’d definitely be into that! Doe..."

Sure! Mary Bennet and the Bloomsbury Coven by Beth Deitchman, All Hallow's Eve by Wendi Sotis, Heartstone by Elle Katherine White (More dragon than magic, but still...) and Maria Grace's Dragon series. There are definitely more magic ones, but that's what came to mind.

[Juliet]

Thanks Sophia, I’ll look them up! I might have to browse fanfiction.net later to see if I can find any Austen/HP crossovers.

[Carmen8094]

Hello old and new friends!
I'm very happy to be here again!

Well, I'm Carmen from Naples, Italy; I study Medicine and work as a private teacher for teenagers.

I met Jane Austen for the first time after the 2005 movie, but my favorite Austen work is Persuasion, while my favorite heroine is Emma.
I like above all retellings, especially if modern; I read other genres and (try to) review every book.
Last year I read few austenesque books, so I will start with the Charlotte Heywood level.

Thanks Sophia and all the lovely people that animate this group. Happy readings! :)

[Mary]

Welcome back Carmen!! 😊📕🎉

[Debbie]

Lovely that you're joining us again, Carmen!

[Carmen8094]

Thank you Mary and Debbie :))

[Abigail]

Great to have you back, Carmen! I’m a fellow fan of modern retellings—the greatest scope for adaptation without doing violence to the characters or story.

[Kirk]

Carmen8094 wrote: "Hello old and new friends!
I'm very happy to be here again!

Well, I'm Carmen from Naples, Italy; I study Medicine and work as a private teacher for teenagers.

I met Jane Austen for the first time..."

Back again...yea! :)

[J. W.]

Carmen we are so glad to see you back again with us... welcome.

[Mary]

Carmen,seeing as you love modern retelling and Persuasion being your favourite work by Jane,I wonder have you read 'The Marrying Type' by Laura Chapman? It's a modern take on Persuasion. Debbie read and loved it,as did I.
Just thought I'd mention it! 😊

[Sophia]

Carmen8094 wrote: "Hello old and new friends!
I'm very happy to be here again!

Well, I'm Carmen from Naples, Italy; I study Medicine and work as a private teacher for teenagers.

I met Jane Austen for the first time..."

Yay! Glad to welcome you back, Carmen!
You are one busy lady between work and class. Now, that is neat how Persuasion is your fav, but Emma is your favorite heroine. :)
Cheering you on with Charlotte Heywood level. :)

[Marlene]

Nick wrote: "Dare I go so far as to read the absolute doorstopper The Mysteries of Udolpho and finally discover what's behind the black veil? "

Yeah, I know - that's an old post I'm replying to. I decided I wanted to find out what's behind the black veil. I have absolutely no intention of ever reading Udolpho, Googled it, and found a website to answer the question. For anyone who'd like to know - and don't plan to read the book - follow this link:

http://elegance-of-fashion.blogspot.c...

[Sophia]

Marlene wrote: "Nick wrote: "Dare I go so far as to read the absolute doorstopper The Mysteries of Udolpho and finally discover what's behind the black veil? "

Yeah, I know - that's an old post I'm replying to. I..."

Haha! Yes, there are some books its best to just cut to the chase. :)

[Nick]

Marlene wrote: " I decided I wanted to find out what's behind the black veil. I have absolutely no intention of ever reading Udolpho, Googled it,"

Ha, thanks for the link, I'm going to resist it for now!

[Carmen8094]

Abigail, Kirk, J.W., Mary, Sophia, thank you very much for the warm welcome!! :D

Mary, thank you for the advice, I didn't know that book! :)

[Mary]

More than welcome,Carmen! Hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it! ☺️

[Jeannine]

Hello, I'm Jeannine from Southern California. I participated in the challenge last year and will do so again in 2018. I hope to reach the George Knightley level (51-75 books) this year.

I enjoy reading JAFF on the message boards, from books I purchase, and books I borrow via Kindle Unlimited. Lately, my absolute favorite way to consume JAFF is via audiobooks. I am glad more and more JAFF is becoming available in the audiobook format.

I appreciate learning what others are reading. This group has become an important source of book recommendations for me.

Jeannine

[J. W.]

Welcome back Jeannine... we have lots of new names from when you were here last year. So, get comfortable and jump in any time.

[Sophia]

Jeannine wrote: "Hello, I'm Jeannine from Southern California. I participated in the challenge last year and will do so again in 2018. I hope to reach the George Knightley level (51-75 books) this year.

I enjoy re..."

Super to have you back, Jeannine! Oh yes, this group are not the greatest for getting rid of books, but we are naturals at enabling the book pile to remain high. LOL

Cheering you on toward Gentleman George Knightley! :)

[Debbie]

Hey, Jeannine! Glad to have you aboard again! We'll be happy to cheer you on your way to George Knightley's Library!

[Candy]

Debbie wrote: "Cool, Candy! Harry Potter series is my second favorite genre, though I've never gotten into the HP Fan Fic the way I have Austenesque. Glad to see you back!"

Hey, Debbie! No, I've never gotten into the HP Fan Fiction either. It's funny, but I don't think that I could! Interesting because I love JAFF! Ha!

[Mary]

Hi Jeannine! Welcome back! 😊🎈🎉

[Maria]

Hello! I'm very happy to be part of this group again. :) I'm Maria and I'm Italian. This is the fourth year I have joined this group and so far I have always managed to reach my goal. This year I haven't set a goal yet, I'll start with the first level and see where I'll go. I hope to at least say hello to Marianne and complete that level.. I'm such a slow reader! LOL! Have fun with your challenge! ;)

[Mary]

Hi Maria. Welcome back!!😊

[Debbie]

Hi Maria! Welcome back! No rush on setting a goal. I believe that's suggested as a way to encourage us to keep on reading, but I don't think it's required! Are you reading JAFF in Italian or English? If you're reading something other than your native language, no wonder you read slow!!

[Sophia]

Maria wrote: "Hello! I'm very happy to be part of this group again. :) I'm Maria and I'm Italian. This is the fourth year I have joined this group and so far I have always managed to reach my goal. This year I h..."

Fantastic to have you back for your fourth year, Maria!
Good luck finishing Marianne level. :)

[Kirk]

Maria wrote: "Hello! I'm very happy to be part of this group again. :) I'm Maria and I'm Italian. This is the fourth year I have joined this group and so far I have always managed to reach my goal. This year I h..."
Happy reading!!! Team Marianne welcomes you!!

[J. W.]

Welcome back Maria... good to see you and hope you reach this tentative goal. You can jump in any time. Looking forward to talking with you among the comments sections.

[Maria]

Thank you, everybody! :) Though a quiz I took once told me I was like Elinor, I had a great time with sweet Marianne last year, so I can't wait to meet her again!
Debbie, I usually read in English.. I love that language so much!

[Tracey]

Hi i'm Tracey from a small seaside town in England
I love jane austen and have lost count how many times i've read pride and prejudice. I only started reading jaff recently but have quickly become addicted.
Going to start with Anne Elliot level and see what happens.

[Debbie]

Tracey!! Greetings, hello, and welcome! My last name is Brown, too, so we already have that in common along with loving to read Austenesque fiction. The rest of this crazy crew and I will be delighted to cheer you on as you read your way into Anne Elliot's library.

[Kirk]

Tracey wrote: "Hi i'm Tracey from a small seaside town in England
I love jane austen and have lost count how many times i've read pride and prejudice. I only started reading jaff recently but have quickly become ..."
Welcome!! Enjoy the reading climb!

[Teresa]

Your very welcome Tracey. I'm not on this group as much as some of the others but it IS a great group. You'll often find yourself off topic with all the chat here. Enjoy.

[Sophia]

Tracey wrote: "Hi i'm Tracey from a small seaside town in England
I love jane austen and have lost count how many times i've read pride and prejudice. I only started reading jaff recently but have quickly become ..."

Greetings and salutations, Tracey!

We're so glad that your love of P&P has led you to JAFF and now to our group of Austen lovers. Get comfy with Anne at her level and feel free to join in the festivities or quietly observe. :) Cheering you on toward your reading goal!

[Mary]

Hi Tracey-you're very welcome to this group! 😊

[J. W.]

Welcome Tracey... there is plenty of room at the various levels and you will see some of the variations, sequels, what-ifs, prequels, and re-imaginings that we all love so well. Be prepared for your TBR [to-be-read] pile to expand exponentially. You will see wonderful offerings that are free, reduced in price... or even unpublished. We'll try to not tempt you... but it is a losing battle. We can't help ourselves. Enjoy and again... welcome.

[Madenna]

Tracey wrote: "Hi i'm Tracey from a small seaside town in England
I love jane austen and have lost count how many times i've read pride and prejudice. I only started reading jaff recently but have quickly become ..."

Good luck! This group is so much fun. Wonderful comments and always a source of even more to read.

[Angela]

Hi, I'm Angela. I'm from Indiana and I joined this challenge because I discovered that I have 34 Jane Austen-esque books in my to-read stacks (and knowing me, I will have bought about 50 more by the end of the year) and I just love "meeting" new people on the Internet who have similar reading interests.
I've read Jane Austen for the first tie when I was about 11 and I've loved her books ever since!

[J. W.]

Welcome Angela to our little playhouse. We all love Austen and the JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] genre. You will see many stars thrown around and some books will be winners and some losers. We try to wave the red flag in warning for those authors with poor sportsmanship, bad writing or horrid behavior. On the flip side to that coin... we will praise to the clouds... those worthy authors that we love and adore. Prepare for you TBR [to-be-read] pile to grow as we can't help but recommend our favorite books. Again... Welcome.

[Debbie]

Hi, Angela! Happy to have you join the party. You'll find many unapologetic JAFFaholics here, though we do occasionally stray into other genres. Some members read only a handful of Austenesque books all year, while others read one or more books per day. Set your own goals, read at your own pace, and be as active (or inactive) with chatting here as you wish. We're simply here to encourage each other and discuss the books we've read that we enjoyed or hated!

[Sophia]

Angela wrote: "Hi, I'm Angela. I'm from Indiana and I joined this challenge because I discovered that I have 34 Jane Austen-esque books in my to-read stacks (and knowing me, I will have bought about 50 more by th..."

Yay! Glad you could find our group, Angela. Welcome and hopefully we help you get through your 34 Austenesque books. Though... probably we won't be helpful in that as we tend to pile on books to each other's stacks. :)

[Carmen8094]

Welcome, Angela!

[Kirk]

Angela wrote: "Hi, I'm Angela. I'm from Indiana and I joined this challenge because I discovered that I have 34 Jane Austen-esque books in my to-read stacks (and knowing me, I will have bought about 50 more by th..."
Welcome!!!!