Winner of Jane Austen Made Me Do It giveaway!

Laurel Ann Nattress, (editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It novel) and I (Jeane) are very pleased to announced the winner of her JAMMDI book giveaway.

Next, I would like to say a special thank you to (once again) for the wonderful and fun experience of interviewing her (and for being my guest blog) for this blog and for offering the giveaway of her debut novel, Jane Austen Made Me Do It to one random lucky winner (scroll down below or click Continue Reading » to find out who the winner is!!) and reader of this blog.

Also, thanks to all the readers here and all participants/entrants who had read Laurel Ann's guest post: Pride and Prejudice’s Indelible Influence by Laurel Ann Nattress and for reading my Q&A with Laurel Ann as well as those of you who commented on both posts. Thank you all.

Now, without further ado, the the random lucky winner of Jane Austen Made Me Do It is...

Congratulations Sophia Rose!

Please Contact Me asap with your mailing address (include the title and link to this post in your email) to claim your prize. Thanks. :-)







P.S. If you didn't win or missed this giveaway/contest...don't worry, there will be more giveaways/contests and chances for you and everyone to win next time or very soon. So, keep visiting and keep checking this blog 'cause you never know when the next random giveaway/contest will be posted here. ;-)

Q&A with Laurel Ann Nattress

Pride & Prejudice Blog's Q&A with Laurel Ann Nattress

Jeane: How and when did you become a Jane Austen fan?

Laurel Ann: Hi Jeane, I am very happy to be here today at Pride and Prejudice 2005 blog on my Grand Tour of the blogosphere to celebrate therelease of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.I love talking about my favorite author Jane Austen and my new short storyanthology.

I was first introduced to Jane Austen as a pre-teen by mymother Carolyn. We had watched the 1940 MGM Prideand Prejudice together. I liked it, but I was not really hooked until 1980when I saw the Masterpiece Theatre mini-series of Pride and Prejudice on television. It was a seminal moment. I readthe novel and all of Jane’s works shortly after and have been a fan ever since.

J: Did you read all of her novels? If so, which one of her 6 novels isyour favorite and why?

LA: It is difficult to pare it down to just one favorite, but ofher six major works, I am most drawn to MansfieldPark. It is Austen’s dark horse. Many readers are mystified by it being sodifferent than her light and bright and sparkling P&P. I like her more complex characterizations of Mary andHenry Crawford, Mrs. Norris, the dysfunctional Bertram family, and of coursethe quasi-heroine, the prudential Fanny Price. Austen gives us much tocontemplate and I have found over the years that I am intrigued most by one ofher novels that she wrote in a more mature phase of her life.

J: Being an Austen fan, have you seen all the Austen TV and filmadaptations? If so, which one of her 6 adapted to the big and small screen isyour favorite and why?

LA: Yes, I will readily admit that I have seen all the adaptationsof the novels and anything that might be called related to Austen and hercharacters. Of her novels I like the 1995 Persuasionand the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Ialso like Clueless which is a modern Emma, and You’ve Got Mail, which is really a modern P&P. I think each of these succeeds because, of the noveladaptations, they are faithful to Austen’s intent, and of the inspired-by’s,they capture her spirit in a positive and enjoyable way.

J: I love your Austenprose blog. It's very insightful and informativewith all things Jane Austen. How did you get started with your blog?

LA: Austenprose was started totally on a whim. I just wanted acreative outlet for my lifelong obsession with Jane Austen. I had no grandintensions for it, nor did I think that it would eventually culminate into abook deal for me. The phrase “follow your bliss” is droned into us, but in mycase, I am the poster girl for it.

 

J: What's your favorite part on blogging about Jane Austen?

LA: Meeting other Austen obsessives of course! It is also athrill to introduce new readers to Austen and other authors that I enjoy.

J: What is it about Austen that fascinated you, made you admire herwork and have been a lifelong fan of hers?

LA: Looking back on my first viewing of P&P 1980, the strong first impression that it made on me wasdefinitely from the romantic tension and the fine resolution between ElizabethBennet and Mr. Darcy. I was of course a young woman keen for my own romance atthe time, but I also remember laughing at the sharp dialogue and loving theRegency era and its civility and manners. When I read P&P for the first time, it was challenge to get through thelanguage, but I soon got the hang of it, and have read the novel every yearsince. I think my continued attraction to Austen is her witty dialogue, beinglost in the language and the Regency era.

J: Who is your favorite Darcy actor and Elizabeth actress?

LA: They say that one is bonded with the first Pride and Prejudice adaptation that yousee. I must agree, because Elizabeth Garvie will always be the perfectElizabeth Bennet for me, and David Rintoul actually plays Darcy closer toAusten’s intensions than anyone else. I do enjoy Colin Firth & Matthew Macfadyen’s interpretations, but Rintoul is just such an arrogant andmysterious Darcy, that I continue to be engrossed by his performance.

J: Your new novel, Jane Austen Made Me Do It is a great collection of22 short stories from various Austen inspired and best-selling authors. How didyou get this novel started? How did you get all those 24 authors to contributeon your first book?

LA: Over the years I had been working with many authors to helppromote their new books on Austenprose. They were such an agreeable group, sopassionate about Jane and enthusiastic about their work. I thought to myself “Iwant to work with these authors. Why couldn’t I be the editor of anAusten-inspired short story anthology and ask them to contribute?” At that timethere were no Austen anthologies in print. I thought it is a grand idea, I justdidn’t know how to get it published.

After I had my book deal with Random House, I compiled alist of my “dream team” of authors and my editor added a few authors that she thought might be interesting and I emailed them allone momentous day in January 2010. The first response came back in about 5minutes from Lauren Willig with a profound yes. The rest followed shortly afterand in about a month, we had the line-up set. It was surreal.

J: How did the title came about?

LA: I give full credit to the title to my brilliant agentMitchell Waters. He is a Janeite and a gentleman in the true Darcy spirit. Thesubtitle was a combination of some writing that my editor liked from my blogand her own modification. I was very pleased with both.

J: How did you get it published, and what was your first reaction whenyou found out it was being published and you were the editor/author?

LA: I asked some the authors that I had been working with on myblog for advice, and before I could write up a book proposal, I was contactedby a literary agent thanking me for the work I had done with his client. Ithought about it for about 10 seconds, then, I seized the opportunity at once,called him and pitched my idea. He loved it. So did Random House!

It all happened so quickly that it was like a dream. It tooka while for the reality to sink in. It was all a big secret for almost sixmonths. That was the hard part. Not being able to talk about it on my blog. Theday I signed the publication contract and later posted the announcement on myblog were big milestones. Another was the day the editing was complete and thebook was done. It has continued to be an exciting ride.

J: What's next for you after this novel?  Will there be another one and are you editingit again or will you be writing it?

LA: I have two projects in development. One is another anthologyand the second is a new kind of annotated Austen edition. I can’t say muchmore, but I am quite excited about both of them.

Thanks for hosting me here today Jeane. It was a pleasure.

Cheers, Laurel Ann Nattress

============================================

Want to win a copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It novel? If so, check out the previous post...
Pride and Prejudice’s Indelible Influence by Laurel Ann Nattress (with a Book Giveaway!)

Pride and Prejudice’s Indelible Influence by Laurel Ann Nattress (with a Book Giveaway!)

Hi Jeane, thanks again for hosting me during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere incelebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. The bookpremiered last week and I could not be more pleased by the reception itreceived during its launch party at the Sundance Square Barnes & Nobleduring the 2011 Jane Austen Society of North America’s conference in Ft. Worth,TX.

Jane Austen’s second published novel, Pride and Prejudice, is by far her most well-known and popularworks. In fact, it continually pops into the top five “favorite books of alltime” lists, and Mr. Darcy is equally acclaimed as the most romantic man in allfiction. There are hundreds of Mr. Darcy does “this and that” sequels andretellings in print, and many movie adaptations gracing the screen andtelevision of our cherished P&P.Websites and blogs also herald its charms. Here I am at one of them today!

With all this adoration and praise thrown at its feet, it isno surprise that there are seven Prideand Prejudice-inspired stories in my new anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. I am very happy to offer this preview ofthem with you today:

“The Riding Habit,”by Pamela Aidan

It is April 1814, almost sixteen months since the wedding ofElizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the happily married couple is inLondon for the Season. The months have been full for Elizabeth, but since removingto Town, she has discovered that the blunt words of Lady Catherine held moretruth than she knew. Negotiating Society is complicated, and it promises tobecome more so as she prepares for Georgiana’s coming out ball. Why, then, musther beloved Fitzwilliam insist she learn to ride a horse now before the eyes ofthem all?

“Mr. Bennet Meets His Match,” by Amanda GrangeOn his daughters’ wedding day, Mr. John Bennet’s mind drifts back to theevents of twenty-three years before, and the events leading to his own marriage. . .  Encouraged by his parents to marry sooner rather than later andthereby provide a new generation of Bennet heirs for the estate, John laughedat their hurry. However, a meeting with his Cousin Collins, who was next inline for the entail, and an unfortunate accident, made him reconsider hisposition, and the proximity of the lively, pretty Miss Jane Gardiner sealed hisfate.

“Faux Jane,” by F. J. Meier (Frank Delaney & Diane Meier)
A rich young American actress anxious to marry an English Lord buys a“signed first edition” of Pride and Prejudice as a gift to impress hisrare book collecting mother – which, of course, is a fake. The actress’sfriends are the story’s two protagonists – a fashionable New York photographerand her chic-restaurant owner husband – they’re Nicola and Charles Scott. Thestory mirrors many of the snob and society nuances excelled in by Jane Austen –on whom the restaurateur, Charlie (as his wife calls him: he’s “Charles” toeveryone else) is encyclopedic. With the help of their butler-manservant, aformer hood named Uncle Julius, Charles and Nicola crack the fraud.

“When Only A Darcy Will Do,” by Beth Pattillo
Elizabeth Brown hopes her bootleg tour of Jane Austen’s London will bring insome quick extra cash, but when a real-live Mr. Darcy shows up for the tour,her day takes an unexpected turn.  Elizabeth has very real problems. Her father’s lost everything in the economic downturn, her parents have splitup, and she has no idea where she’ll get the money she needs for grad schooltuition.  Her afternoon with Mr. Darcy, though, shows her that even in themidst of turmoil, happiness can arrive in the most unexpected ways.

“Me and Mr. Darcy, Again…,” by Alexandra Potter
Mr. Darcy is every woman’s fantasy. But what happens when he becomes onewoman’s reality? In 2007 Emily traveled from New York to England to go on aJane Austen-inspired literary tour. There she met and fell in love with Spike,an English journalist.

She also met Mr. Darcy… Or did she? She can never be sure if it reallyhappened, or it was her over-active imagination. Now, four years later, she’shad a huge row with Spike and is back in London nursing a broken heart. Andthere’s only one person who can mend it. Mr. Darcy….

“Letters to Lydia,” by Maya Slater
While visiting her newly married sister Charlotte Collins, Maria Lucaswrites to her best friend Lydia Bennet of her experiences in Kent. Top on herlist of tittle-tattle is the budding romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.Present throughout the Hunsford episode, which culminates in Darcy’s firstdisastrous proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, we are privileged to Maria’s ownaccount of their romance from the point of view of her naïve sixteen-year-oldimaginings. Although she misinterprets everything she observes, it turns outthat she is partly responsible for bringing about the marriage of Elizabeth andDarcy.

 “Intolerable Stupidity,” byLaurie Viera Rigler
Well hidden from the ordinary world, in a little-known corner ofjurisprudential hell known as the Court of Intolerable Stupidity, a legal dramaof literary proportions unfolds. The plaintiff is none other than the mostfamous romantic hero of all time, Mr. Darcy. The defendants are the authors whodared write sequels, adaptations, and inspired-by’s of his Creator’s mostbeloved work, Pride and Prejudice. One of those works, whose authorwas tried and convicted in absentia, is so popular that its salaciousswimming-in-the-lake scene has resulted in Darcy’s being forced to endure aperpetual state of shivering wetness in a transparent white shirt. For whenDarcy’s adoring public isn’t throwing water on him, his umbrella breaks in themidst of a downpour. And now, between the zombies and the vampires, Darcy andhis wife Elizabeth are at their wit’s end. So is defense attorney FritzWilliams, who not only fights a losing battle in a kangaroo court ruled byDarcy’s tyrannical aunt, the Honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but also hissecret infatuation with prosecuting attorney Tawny Wolfson. Who has her ownsecret: a hopeless addiction to the illegal miniseries that she is supposed toabhor.

It is quite amazing how Pride andPrejudice’s indelible influence has become such a part of culture and howit inspired all of these great stories. I hope that you enjoy them, and theother fifteen stories in Jane Austen MadeMe Do It.

===================================================================

Editor bio:

A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress isthe author/editor of Austenprose.com, a blog devoted to the oeuvre of herfavorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. She is alife member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributorto the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine.An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottagenear Snohomish, Washington. Visit Laurel Ann at her blogs Austenprose.comand JaneAustenMadeMeDoIt.com, onTwitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

JaneAusten Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most AstuteObserver of the Human Heart, edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Ballantine Books • ISBN: 978-0345524966

===================================================================

Giveaway of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Enter a chance to WIN one copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It by leaving a comment here by midnight on Friday ET, October 28, 2011, stating what intrigues youabout reading an Austen-inspired short story anthology. One lucky Winner will be drawn atrandom and announced on Monday, October 31, 2011.Shipment to US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck to all!
The contest is now closed and a winner has been selected.

Book Review: Jane Austen Made Me Do It

I got my advance reader's copy (ARC) about almost two weeks ago or so of Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heartedited by Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose. In her first published novel, in which shecompiled and edited a short story anthology of 22 short stories by 24 of themost talented writers in the Austen genre. All twenty-four authors were personally selected by Laurel Ann from a diverse range of writing backgrounds and interests including: popular Austenesque fiction, best-selling literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, contemporary chick-lit, paranormal, and one new debut voice, a grand prize winner.   

While I've mostly done P&P/Austen related and (you can read more of my film reviews in my Movies Blog), this is actually my very first book review as Ashley (my fellow blog contributor here at the P&P Blog) does most of the P&P/Austen related 
 
Before I do my book review, First, here (again) is the lowdown of Jane Austen Made Me Do It...

Edited by Austenprose’s Laurel Ann Nattress and published just in time for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart (Ballantine Books; October 11, 2011) is an engaging collection of 22 never-before-published original short stories inspired by Jane Austen. The treasures in this volume include exclusive short fiction, Q&As and reading group material from beloved bestselling authors Jo Beverley, Adriani Trigiani, and Lauren Willig; topAusten sequel writers Pamela Aidan, Amanda Grange, Laurie Viera Rigler,Stephanie Barron and Alexandra Potter; and a brand new voice inAustenesque fiction - the announced winner Brenna Aubrey of a short storycontest hosted by Ballantine Books, Austenprose, and the highlytrafficked Austen fan site The Republic of Pemberley (Pemberley.com),which receives 80 million hits per year.
Nattress says, “Oneof the joys of editing this anthology was composing a list of my ‘dreamauthors’ who write in the genre, and others whom I greatly admire whohave been influenced by Austen’s style, and asking them to contribute ashort story. My only request was that they stay within the theme ofexploring Austen’s philosophies of life and love by reacquaintingreaders with characters from her novels or introducing original storiesinspired by her ideals. From historical to contemporary to young-adultfiction to paranormal, five of Austen’s major novels and her life arefeatured in this anthology, covering ‘every possible flight which thesubject will afford.’ I hope you will be as pleased and delighted as Iam by the variety of amusing and poignant stories created for thiscollection.”
Each of these marvelous works ofshort fiction reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’smost cherished authors. As Nattress writes in her introduction,“we all have our favorites.” Mine may be the first in the volume, “JaneAusten’s Nightmare,” by Syrie James—if you’ve ever wondered what wouldhappen if Jane Austen encountered her own characters in real life, thisone is a must-read.

Now, read My Book Review of Jane Austen Made Me Do It...

I must say, I really loved and enjoyed reading all the 22 original never-before published short stories from JAMMDI novel. Laurel Ann did an AMAZING job putting together all these 24very talented authors (a few of which I'm very familiar with and have read at least one or two of their novels), the 22 short stories they wrote and contributed, and of course,  editing andcompiling them in all one book. The result is a great collection of amazing 22 short stories you'll read in one amazing book! Her introduction was quite engaging,insightful, and informative to read. I love all the familiar Austen quotes from all six of Austen's popular novels included in her introduction. All of the best-selling authors (including the grand prize winner, Brenna Aubrey,of the JAMMDI short story contest) did a great job writing their stories. I dowant to say that the following short stories (in random order) were myfavorite and rather the ones that stayed with me even long after I finishedreading this novel (that's not to say I didn't enjoy reading the others, because I did as well), which I must say was a lot of fun and quite a pageturner. I couldn't put this book down while I was reading it!

Here are the highlights or rather my thoughts of some of my favorite short stories from JAMMDI...

Jane Austen's Nightmare by Syrie James
I love how inthis story, Jane Austen encountered and met her characters that shecreated and wrote from her novels in Bath, but it was of something in adream, a nightmare one. Most of them either have some complaints or something they were unhappy about in the way they were written by her. My most favorite part was whenAusten met her most beloved characters Elizabeth and Darcy as well asJane and Bingley.


Waiting by Jane Odiwe
Her very interesting take on Austen'sPersuasion was really fun and entertaining to read. I love how itstarted of with Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot's engagement and how he was getting ready to see Sir Walter Elliot,Anne's father for a private interview...or rather to ask his permission tomarry his daughter once again.


Nothing Less Than Fairy-Land by Monica Fairview
I've reallyenjoyed reading Monica Fairview's debut Austenesque novel, "The OtherMr. Darcy" (which I was very lucky and fortunate to have won at the virtual Pemberley Ball 2010 with book giveaways I've participated last year!) and this short story she wrote for JAMMDI was another one that I enjoyed as well. Thisone though was about newlyweds  Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley (from Austen'sEmma) and how they were adjusting as newlyweds and their livingarrangement back in the Woodhouse residence in Hartfield and of course, Emma unexpectedly gettingback to her matchmaking days even though she promised Mr. Knightley she was not doing it anymore asshe'd learned her lesson.

Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane by Adriana Trigiani
I lovedhow this was written as a Jane Austen letter to her beloved niece Annaabout the news of her engagement. Beautifully written and It was quiteinspiring and touching to read.

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverely
This was aquite engaging and fun to read. It was like Sense & Sensibility,but with different names of characters and in a different (or rather modern) time. Loved how the titleJane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss were incorporated into this lovely and delightfulshort story, which made me want to read more!

When Only Darcy Will Do by Beth Pattillo
An interestingshort story with a mysterious guy who dressed up in Darcy's likeness.When Only Mr. Darcy Will Do, indeed. Basically, any stories with Darcyon it...will always do for me, haha!

Heard of You by Margaret C. Sullivan
This was a really niceand sweet short story to read about Austen's Persuasion, but is toldand written in a different way. Even though the newlyweds, Captain andMrs. Wentworth were not really the focus of the story as it was abouthis elder sister Sophy and how he had something to do with her meetingher husband the Admiral Croft, then Captain Croft. Loved their untoldstory of meeting and falling in love due to the young FredrickWentworth's unknowing matchmaking of his older sister and the captain.

Mr. Bennet Meets His Match by Amanda Grange
I really lovethis story of how Mr. & Mrs. Bennet met when they were younger andMr. Bennet looking back at his marriage proposal to Mrs. Bennet some 23years ago just when at the present his two beloved eldest daughtersJane and Elizabeth had just gotten married to the love of their lives, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy.Amanda Grange, who wrote one of my favorite retelling of Austen's classic P&P novel,but in Darcy's perspective, "Mr. Darcy's Diary" did an amazing jobwriting this short story. I loved reading it from beginning to end and wishedit was longer and there were more to when the Bennets had their 5daughters when they were born and infants/toddlers...like a prequel leading up to the original Pride and Prejudice novel by Jane Austen.

Me and Mr. Darcy, Again... by Alexandra Potter
I've read(and enjoyed reading it too) Alexandra Potter's "Me and Mr. Darcy" and thought this shortstory made a very nice sequel to it especially with the mysterious and handsome Mr. Darcy on it.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey
(grand prize winner of JAMMDI short story contest)
This was a great read! Iloved how the present characters' relationship mirrored the JaneAusten's Persuasion characters' Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot.Definitely a deserving grand prize winner as I really loved and enjoyedreading it and the title of this novel was mentioned too!

Intolerable Stupidity by Laurie Viera Rigler
I loved and enjoyedreading Laurie Viera Rigler's first two Austenesque novels: Confessions and Rude Awakening of a Jane Austen Addictnovels. This one was another one that I also enjoyed reading albeitwritten differently but with "Intolerable Stupidity" bringing Mr. Dacycharges to all the writers of Pride and Prejudice (my obvious favoriteof Austen's six novels) sequels and spin-offs in a courtroom with Lady Catherine as the judge. The male protagonist's name Fritz Williams was interesting too.

All the other short stories were great too, but too many (andtoo long) to list here. The random ones I've listed here were the ones I really loved and enjoyed reading the most and as aforementioned, really stayed with me long after I finished reading them. Overall, I thought Jane Austen Made Me Do It was a great collection of short stories in different genres and compiled all in one amazing book. A must-read for all Jane Austen fansespecially to those of you who either had read all of her six novels or seen allsix Austen adaptations. Or even if you were just a Pride & Prejudice fan (in general), you'll lovethis too as P&P, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet were prominently featured and mentioned in most of the short stories written here especially in AmandaGrange's "Mr. Bennet Meets His Match," Beth Pattillo's "When Only Mr. Darcy Will Do," and Alexandra Potter's "Me andMr. Darcy, Again..." to name a few.

I highly recommend you check it out and read this book! You'll love it! I did! All great 22 original short stories with 24 of the best Austen authors in the Austenesque genre compiled into this wonderful and beautifully edited novel.

Book Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)!

==========================================================

JAMMDI Editor bio:
A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress is the author/editor of Austenprose.com a blog devoted to the oeuvre of her favorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributor to the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine. Classically trained as a landscape designer at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, she has also worked in marketing for a Grand Opera company and at present she delights in introducing neophytes to the charms of Miss Austen’s prose as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottage near Snohomish, Washington. Visit Laurel Ann at her blogs Austenprose.com and JaneAustenMadeMeDoIt.com, on Twitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

In Bookstores Today: Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Today is the big released day for the new Jane Austen inspired and tribute novel, Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart edited by Laurel Ann Nattress (of Austenprose). It's a fantastic book! I had the pleasure and honor of getting an ARC (Thank you Laurel Ann and Random House Publishing Group) of it! I will be posting my book review of JAMMDI in a bit. Jane Austen Made Me Do It (by Ballantine Books) is now available in all bookstores and online retailers around the country. Go get your copy! 

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is a short story anthology of 22 short stories by 24 of the most talented writers including Laurie Viera Rigler (author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, & Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict), which I had the pleasure of interviewing her here last December 2010), Monica Fairview, Amanda Grange, Alexandra Potter, Pamela Aidan, and Jane Odiwe to name some.

Come help the lovely Laurel Ann party like it’s 1811 on her Grand Tour of the blogosphere, October 10 – November 10, 2011, in celebration of the book’s release. P&P Blog is taking part of her book tour! Laurel Ann will make a special guest blog appearance here next (with a book giveaway!) Friday October 21st and I'll be doing a Q&A/interview with her on the following day October 22nd!

Mark your calendars:

• Friday - Oct 21st – P&P 2005 Blog Part 1
• Saturday - Oct 22nd – P&P 2005 Blog Part 2

See more of Jane Austen Made Me Do It Blog Tour Schedule!

Here is the lowdown of  Jane Austen Made Me Do It (via Laurel Ann of AUSTENPROSE):

Edited by Austenprose’s Laurel Ann Nattress and published just in time for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart (Ballantine Books; October 11, 2011) is an engaging collection of 22 never-before-published original short stories inspired by Jane Austen. The treasures in this volume include exclusive short fiction, Q&As and reading group material from beloved bestselling authors Jo Beverley, Adriani Trigiani, and Lauren Willig; top Austen sequel writers Pamela Aidan, Amanda Grange, Laurie Viera Rigler, Stephanie Barron and Alexandra Potter; and a brand new voice in Austenesque fiction—the as-yet-unannounced winner of a short story contest hosted by Ballantine Books, Austenprose, and the highly trafficked Austen fan site The Republic of Pemberley (Pemberley.com), which receives 80 million hits per year.

Nattress says, “One of the joys of editing this anthology was composing a list of my ‘dream authors’ who write in the genre, and others whom I greatly admire who have been influenced by Austen’s style, and asking them to contribute a short story. My only request was that they stay within the theme of exploring Austen’s philosophies of life and love by reacquainting readers with characters from her novels or introducing original stories inspired by her ideals. From historical to contemporary to young-adult fiction to paranormal, five of Austen’s major novels and her life are featured in this anthology, covering ‘every possible flight which the subject will afford.’ I hope you will be as pleased and delighted as I am by the variety of amusing and poignant stories created for this collection.”

Each of these marvelous works of short fiction reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors. As Nattress writes in her introduction, “we all have our favorites.” Mine may be the first in the volume, “Jane Austen’s Nightmare,” by Syrie James—if you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Jane Austen encountered her own characters in real life, this one is a must-read. 

For more info on this novel visit its official website or Laurel Ann's own  AUSTENPROSE- A JANE AUSTEN BLOG!  

'Jane Austen Made Me Do It' edited by Austenprose's Laurel Ann Nattress to be released October 11th!

Austenprose's Laurel Ann Nattress is now a published author/editor and her new book, Jane Austen Made Me Do It (click the link to visit its own website!) will be released in trade paperback and eBook format by Ballantine Books on October 11th, 2011!

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is a short story anthology of 22 stories by the most talented writers including Laurie Viera Rigler (author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, & Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict), which I had the pleasure of interviewing her here last December 2010 (and I had asked her about this project to which, at the time, she could only reveal the release date) in the Austen genre and a few surprises.

Here is the lowdown of  Jane Austen Made Me Do It (via Laurel Ann of AUSTENPROSE):

Edited by Austenprose’s Laurel Ann Nattress and published just in time for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart (Ballantine Books; October 11, 2011) is an engaging collection of 22 never-before-published original short stories inspired by Jane Austen. The treasures in this volume include exclusive short fiction, Q&As and reading group material from beloved bestselling authors Jo Beverley, Adriani Trigiani, and Lauren Willig; top Austen sequel writers Pamela Aidan, Amanda Grange, Laurie Viera Rigler, Stephanie Barron and Alexandra Potter; and a brand new voice in Austenesque fiction—the as-yet-unannounced winner of a short story contest hosted by Ballantine Books, Austenprose, and the highly trafficked Austen fan site The Republic of Pemberley (Pemberley.com), which receives 80 million hits per year.

Nattress says, “One of the joys of editing this anthology was composing a list of my ‘dream authors’ who write in the genre, and others whom I greatly admire who have been influenced by Austen’s style, and asking them to contribute a short story. My only request was that they stay within the theme of exploring Austen’s philosophies of life and love by reacquainting readers with characters from her novels or introducing original stories inspired by her ideals. From historical to contemporary to young-adult fiction to paranormal, five of Austen’s major novels and her life are featured in this anthology, covering ‘every possible flight which the subject will afford.’ I hope you will be as pleased and delighted as I am by the variety of amusing and poignant stories created for this collection.”

Each of these marvelous works of short fiction reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors. As Nattress writes in her introduction, “we all have our favorites.” Mine may be the first in the volume, “Jane Austen’s Nightmare,” by Syrie James—if you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Jane Austen encountered her own characters in real life, this one is a must-read. 

For more info on this novel visit its official website or Laurel Ann's own  AUSTENPROSE- A JANE AUSTEN BLOG!