Congratulations to Brenna Aubrey, Winner of Austen Short Story Contest

Congratulations to Brenna Aubrey, whose Austen-inspired short story, "The Love Letter,” was announced today as the winner in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest. This winning story will be included in the anthology of stories, Jane Austen Made Me Do It, due out from Ballantine Books on October 11.

"The Love Letter" is a contemporary story about a young doctor who after being inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, gives a lost love a second chance.

Looking forward to reading this and the other Austen-inspired stories when the collection comes out next month.

"Carpe Diem" is Top Ten Finalist in Austen-inspired Short Story Contest!

I would like to thank everyone who voted for my story in the "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" short story contest.

I am happy to say that "Carpe Diem" made it into the Top Ten Finalists, and so may be considered for the grand prize, inclusion in the anthology to be published by Ballantine Books this fall.

I greatly appreciate the support, good wishes, and encouragement of my blog readers who voted for my story. The book blogging community is truly awesome!




Viva Lucy Steele...

Huzzah for Sense and Sensibility...

and thank you for your support.

Lucy Steele - literary precursor to Becky Sharp and Scarlett

I've been thinking a lot about Lucy Steele this days. My story for the "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" contest tells the story of Lucy's circumstances leading up to her arrival at Barton Park and her campaign to keep Elinor Dashwood at bay.

Lucy is pretty much despised for her tactics in keeping her man--she lies and cheats and torments Elinor--but I've always admired her spunk, just as I admire Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair and Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With Wind.

So here's my thought for the day...

Margaret Mitchell declared that she was not influenced by Vanity Fair and Becky Sharp when she created Scarlett. I don't believe her and posted about the similarities between Becky and Scarlett here.

Now, I'm thinking that Lucy Steele is the literary precursor of both Becky and Scarlett. She is the anti-hero, full of energy, guile, and fearless when it comes to going after what she wants and thinks she deserves. In some ways, she is a very modern woman, who would be quite comfortable in any boardroom, making deals and driving hard bargains.

I'm not saying I'd want her for a sister and I wouldn't want to take her for a role model, but you have to admit that she is a force to be reckoned with.

When looking for images, I stumbled upon this post at Jane Austen Today, Lucy Steele Comes Clean about Sense and Sensibility, in which Imogen Stubbs, who plays Lucy in the Ang Lee movie, also sees Lucy as a Becky Sharp type of character. And here I thought I was being original!

If you would like to read my Lucy Steele story, it's #23, "Carpe Diem." If you like it, please consider casting a vote for it!

One Week Left to Vote in Austen-inspired Story Contest!

Just a public service announcement, that there is only one week left for voting for your three favorite stories in the "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" short story competition. Voting closes on February 28, with the top ten finalists announced on March 1.

I am up to story #28, which means I am not even half-way done reading the stories, but as long as my printer lasts and I get more ink, I still have a chance to read them all before I cast my votes.

FYI--my story is #23, "Carpe Diem," which is a Lucy Steele backstory. I have a penchant for trying to find something to like in Austen's nastier characters, although I have had the stomach to spend quality time with Mrs. Norris yet!

Finally...writing again!

I named my blog so that I could post about virtually anything, but it turns out that I blog about my reading at least 90% of the time. So, I am happy to report that I have actually finished the first draft of a new short story. First time I have finished a first draft in a long time, and it feels so good.

I decided to take le plunge and enter a story in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest. Whether I win or not, it's been such a pleasure to experience again the absolute joy of creating a cohesive narrative and exploring the nuances of a character and her backstory, not to mention that the endorphins that are produced when I write fiction are postively addictive.

My reading has taken a back seat whilst I write in the evenings after dinner, but it's for a good cause, right? You'll notice that I've currently got eight books in the "Currently Reading" category in my GoodReads box, although some are bedside books, some are audio books (listening to only in the car when I'm by myself), and some are just sheer good fun--so I'm not giving up reading by a long shot!

Back to the writing....here's the scoop on the contest...and let the polishing begin!



Hosted by the The Republic of Pemberley, the contest began on January 1, 2011. Publication of Jane Austen Made Me Do It is tentatively scheduled for publication by Ballantine in Fall 2011.

Contest Highlights

• Eligibility: Previously unpublished U.S. residents over the age of 18
• Entries must be approximately 5,000 words in length
• Manuscript submission January 1 – February 13, 2011
• Voting for the Top Ten finalists February 14 - 28, 2011
• Top Ten finalists announced on March 1, 2011
• One Grand Prize winner receives $500.00 and a contract for publication in the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It•

Grand Prize winner announced Fall 2011 in conjunction with the official release by Ballantine Books (Random House, Inc.) of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It contains more than twenty best-selling and popular authors who have contributed short stories inspired by Jane Austen, her novels and her philosophies of life and love. From historical continuations of her plots and characters to contemporary spinoffs and comedies, the stories encapsulate what we love about our favorite author: romance, social satire and witty humor. Contributing to the line-up are best-selling authors Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club), Adriana Trigiani (Brava, Valentine), Lauren Willig (The Pink Carnation series), Laurie Viera Rigler (The Jane Austen Addict series), Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen), Stephanie Barron (Being A Jane Austen Mystery series), and the husband and wife writing team of Frank Delaney (Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show) and Diane Meier (The Season of Second Chances). Many Austenesque authors and others from related genres have also contributed stories to the project. One spot in the anthology remains open for the lucky Grand Prize winner.

The anthology’s editor, Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.com, is very excited at the prospect of discovering the next star in the burgeoning sub-genre of Jane Austen sequels and inspired books. “Jane Austen has been inspiring writers for close to two hundred years. It seems quite fitting that she should be the witty muse of our anthology and short story contest. Encouraging writing and discovering new talent is in spirit with her true legacy. I am ‘all anticipation’ of what will develop, and am honored to be part of the selection team.”

Visit the official Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest web page for official contest rules and eligibility requirements.

Best of luck to all entrants--I encourage you to enter...the endorphins alone are worth it!

And if you want to read the current entries, you can do so here.

The "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" Short Story Contest Begins January 01, 2011

In conjunction with the publication of the new anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, Ballantine Books, Austenprose.com, and The Republic of Pemberley are pleased to announce an online short story contest.

Enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize: publication of your entry in the anthology – a collection of original short stories inspired by the life and works of Jane Austen.

Hosted by the The Republic of Pemberley, the contest begins on January 1, 2011. Publication of Jane Austen Made Me Do It is tentatively scheduled for publication by Ballantine in Fall 2011.

Contest Highlights

• Eligibility: Previously unpublished U.S. residents over the age of 18
• Entries must be approximately 5,000 words in length
• Manuscript submission January 1 – February 13, 2011
• Voting for the Top Ten finalists February 14 - 28, 2011
• Top Ten finalists announced on March 1, 2011
• One Grand Prize winner receives $500.00 and a contract for publication in the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It•

Grand Prize winner announced Fall 2011 in conjunction with the official release by Ballantine Books (Random House, Inc.) of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It contains more than twenty best-selling and popular authors who have contributed short stories inspired by Jane Austen, her novels and her philosophies of life and love. From historical continuations of her plots and characters to contemporary spinoffs and comedies, the stories encapsulate what we love about our favorite author: romance, social satire and witty humor. Contributing to the line-up are best-selling authors Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club), Adriana Trigiani (Brava, Valentine), Lauren Willig (The Pink Carnation series), Laurie Viera Rigler (The Jane Austen Addict series), Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen), Stephanie Barron (Being A Jane Austen Mystery series), and the husband and wife writing team of Frank Delaney (Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show) and Diane Meier (The Season of Second Chances). Many Austenesque authors and others from related genres have also contributed stories to the project. One spot in the anthology remains open for the lucky Grand Prize winner.

The anthology’s editor, Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.com, is very excited at the prospect of discovering the next star in the burgeoning sub-genre of Jane Austen sequels and inspired books. “Jane Austen has been inspiring writers for close to two hundred years. It seems quite fitting that she should be the witty muse of our anthology and short story contest. Encouraging writing and discovering new talent is in spirit with her true legacy. I am ‘all anticipation’ of what will develop, and am honored to be part of the selection team.”

Visit the official Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest web page for official contest rules and eligibility requirements. Best of luck to all entrants.

“[S]uppose as much as you chuse; give a loose to your fancy, indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford.” Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 60