Shannon Winslow's "Jane Austen Says..."

Time Flies

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

Where has the time gone? That’s what I ask myself when I’ve been writing. I kind of get lost in the work, and the next thing I know, three hours have passed, often with less to show for it than I had hoped. The same thing happens on a larger scale, of course, as weeks and months go flying by at an ever-increasing rate.

I have my own personal theory about why time goes faster the older we get.

It all has to do with your frame of reference. Remember when you were six and it took FOREVER for Christmas or some other much-anticipated event to arrive? A year seemed like a really long time then because it was 1/6 of your total life experience! By contrast, as an adult, a year is constantly being reduced in your frame of reference to a smaller and smaller fraction – 1/40, 1/50, 1/60 of your total life experience – a mere blink of an eye. Now, though I love Christmas, it seems to roll around again all too soon!

Although Jane Austen was only 41 when she died, she was aware of this phenomenon, and I found a couple of fun quotes from Emma to illustrate my point.

Between useful occupation and the pleasures of society, the next eighteen or twenty years of his life passed cheerfully away. (of Mr. Weston, Emma, chapter 2)

Poof! 18 or 20 years gone, just like that. I had to laugh when I read this.

So why this topic? Two reasons, the first being that I’m about to have another birthday (I’ll be 39 again, in case you’re wondering). The second is by way of an apology of sorts, or at least an explanation, for allowing so much time to pass without a new post. When I checked, I already knew it had been too long, but I could hardly believe an entire month had gone by!

“Three-and-twenty! Is he indeed? Well, I could not have thought it, and he was but two years old when he lost his poor mother! Well, time does fly indeed!” (Mr. Woodhouse of Frank Churchill, Emma, chapter 11)

So what do I have to show for all that time? As usual, less than I would have hoped! Life and family must take precedence over work. But I have managed to get some serious writing done too.

I’m now about 3/4 finished with my current work-in-progress, entitled The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. If you aren’t yet a Persuasion fan, you should be! And the good news is that you’ve got time to read (or re-read) this, my second-favorite JA, before my tie-in novel comes out later this year (August?). To whet your appetite for the new book, sample chapter 1 here at Austen Variations. I’d like to know what you think of it.

BTW, Austen Variations is a newly launched site designed as a place for readers and authors of Jane-Austen-related fiction to connect. That’s a change in the last month. Austen Authors sort of went up in flames and Austen Variations has risen out of the ashes, with most of the same authors coming on board. I hope you’ll take some time to look around when you get there.

So what, besides writing, do I have on my plate next? Income tax preparation! That yearly ritual rolls around all too quickly too, and it’s a lot less pleasant than Christmas! Wouldn’t you agree?

Posted in Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, life, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, Persuasion, Shannon Winslow, The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen, why time flies, work-in-progress, writing | 2 Comments

My P&P Trilogy at Last!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

Jan. 16, 2014

“Oh, For a Pride and Prejudice Trilogy!”

There is a certain mystique about the trilogy, and I think most novelists dream of writing at least one – one that’s important, acclaimed… and preferably available in a beautifully boxed set! That was my dream.

Actually when I wrote my first Pride and Prejudice sequel, I didn’t know there would be more. The goal was just to carry Darcy and Elizabeth into their married life and tell the story of Georgiana Darcy’s courtship. That’s what I did in The Darcys of Pemberley. But then my muse kept asking me, “Yeah, but what happens after that? What about Mary and Kitty? What happens if Mr. Bennet dies? Who inherits Longbourn, since you killed off Mr. Collins?” Importunate questions, indeed! And when the answers started popping into my head, I knew I had to write another book… or maybe TWO more books. Aha! That was it: a trilogy! How cool would that be?

So I set about plotting what would happen in the two books to follow – or my version of plotting, which means developing a vague idea of where I’m headed and then finding the most interesting route to get there. But that’s where my plans took a detour. More on that later.

Jane Austen never authored a trilogy, as you know, But, when I thought about writing this post, I started wondering about the three-volume novel. Was it roughly the equivalent? Was it common in her day? Was it the forerunner to the trilogies that are so popular now? A little research and I had my answers. The three-volume novel was a peculiarly Victorian phenomenon (thus, Jane did not live to see its day), and it’s not really related to the trilogy except by the number three.

A true trilogy is a set of three individual works (each more or less complete in itself), connected by common characters, setting, or theme. Think Star Wars – the original three movies, I mean – except it sort of broke the rule about each story being complete in itself. Didn’t it make you crazy mad when the second episode (The Empire Strikes Back) ended with Han Solo frozen in carbonite or whatever it was? But I digress.

By contrast, the three-volume novel was a single, long, complex novel (900 pages on average) published in three separate volumes. Initially a prestige format, it became standard after the success of Walter Scott’s novels in the 1820s. Mudie’s (the largest circulating library of the time) basically dictated the format to the publishing industry for the commercial benefits. Most people couldn’t afford to buy the expensive three-volume novels, so they had no choice but to purchase a subscription to the library to have access to them – or even three subscriptions, if they wanted to check out all three volumes at once (your one-guinea-per-year membership only entitled you to one book at a time). Barring this extreme measure, that one novel did triple duty, since it could be shared by three readers at once! Pretty ingenious. However, cheaper printing methods and the dawn of the public library eventually spelled the end for the three-volume novel.

Now, back to my situation, my quest for a Pride and Prejudice trilogy of my very own.

In book number two, Return to Longbourn, I picked up the story a few years later when, sadly, Mr. Bennet dies, leaving his wife and two unmarried daughters to deal with the new heir to Longbourn: Mr. Tristan Collins (the much more attractive brother of William Collins, deceased). The book got off to a fine start, and then one of the characters hijacked the story and went galloping off in a different direction than I had expected. (For more about this wild ride, see my RTL launch post). The result was a lot of fun and a much better book than the one I had originally planned.

So what’s the problem? Well, when I was finished Return to Longbourn, all my loose ends were tied up in very neat little bows; there were no threads dangling, nothing left for a third book. I had a pair of lovely novels, yes, but no trilogy! Disappointing. Don’t worry, though; there’s a happy ending. (I always find a happy ending for my stories!)

I must have said it a hundred times – explaining to readers in what order they should read my books: “You should know the Pride and Prejudice story first, since the other two books are sequels to it. Then read The Darcys of Pemberley next and Return to Longborn last.”

It finally occurred to me that I ALREADY HAD MY TRILOGY! Austen had written the first volume, and I had followed with number two and three. Three books united by common characters, settings, and themes: that’s a trilogy. Right? And I certainly don’t mind sharing billing with Jane!

As for the boxed set, that remains a dream for now. But I couldn’t resist having my graphic designer whip up this virtual version in the meantime.

What do you think? Wouldn’t it look splendid sitting on your bookshelf? *sigh*

Emma was pleased with the thought; and producing a box, the table was quickly scattered over with alphabets, which no one seemed so much disposed to employ as their two selves. They were rapidly forming words for each other, or for any body else who would be puzzled. (Emma, chapter 47)

Posted in Austen Authors, History, Jane Austen, my books, Shannon Winslow, writing | Tagged Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, Pride and Prejudice, Pride and Prejudice Trilogy, Return to Longbourn, Shannon Winslow, The Darcys of Pemberley, writing trilogies | 2 Comments

Word Play

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

Contents: 1 holiday greeting, 2 news updates, 2 Jane Austen quotes, 2 Shannon Winslow quotes, 1 new game addiction, and a partridge in pear tree…

First of all, I want to wish all of you a marvelous New Year. I hope the rest of your holidays were special as well, although I’m a little late to pass along those greetings except for sharing the picture above. It’s a little pastel painting I did a while back, which I decided to feature on the front of my Christmas card this year. Notice how small the cows are? That’s because my limited artistic skills aren’t up to portraying people or animals any larger. (Check out my book covers for other examples of miniature creatures. And see related post for more on my homemade Christmas card/letter tradition.)

Secondly, I’m thrilled to report that Return to Longbourn made the Austenprose list of best Jane-Austen-related books published this past year, in fact it TOPPED the list. That’s right; it’s #ONE! Whoohoo! I’m in excellent company too. Take a look here and see if your (other) favorites made the list too.

Next, I want to let you know that I’m making good headway on the new book! (See Work-in-Progress page) Housework is definitely suffering as I steal time away time from other responsibilities to closet myself in my cluttered studio with my books and laptop. But when the words are flowing, I can’t NOT write. It’s over halfway done now, and I’m having SO much fun with it – weaving Jane Austen’s story together with her writing of Persuasion.

It’s not just the story that excites me, though; it’s putting together the words themselves. It’s true of my own writing, but also Jane Austen’s. Language and story: it’s the excellence of both that makes her books stand out in my mind, and what I try to emulate in my own. Today, however, it’s the use of language I’m focused on.

She could be playful, as in this excerpt from a letter to her sister Cassandra:

I shall be able to send this to the post to-day which exalts me to the utmost pinnacle of human felicity, and gives me any other sensation of pleasure in studied language which you may prefer. Do not be angry with me for not filling my sheet, and believe me yours affectionately, J.A. (January, 1799)

The other excerpt I chose on the subject of language is a small portion of her most stunning example of “author intrusion” (see related post), as set down in chapter 5 of Northanger Abbey. Here, Austen comes out from behind her characters to take center stage, talking to her readers directly and giving them an earful in defense of her at-the-time-much-maligned art form:

“Oh! It is only a novel!”… or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.

This line may sound familiar to you, if not from the book itself than from the movie Becoming Jane, where Jane spouts a version of this at Tom Lefroy during one of their verbal sparring matches.

Clearly, Jane Austen had a way with words. She knew it; she was proud of it; and I believe she enjoyed it immensely. I have on occasion, when a turn of phrase comes out just right, had a delicious taste of the same. Here’s one of my all-time favorites from For Myself Alone:

According to her, his character has no rival for loyalty and integrity; his temper is mild as a lambs; his nimble mind navigates the mechanics of the law and the subtleties of poetic verse with equal dexterity; and in the countenance and person of no other man does the ideal of understated male beauty more comfortably reside.

And now, something I wrote the other day in the new book (Jane Austen is telling her own story, as it relates to the one she’s writing, which becomes Persuasion):

But there was no Captain Benwick for Bernadette to fall in love with at the critical moment, only possibly a Captain Bothwell, who had been less interested in cultivating a new literary garden in her fallow mind than in reaping the already well-grown harvest in mine.

There a trill of accomplishment when the words fall perfectly into place and create a music of their own. Every line can’t be a perfect gem (oops, I’m mixing my metaphors), but they do come along now and again.

It’s fun to see which lines readers especially like too, as evidenced by how many have highlighted a particular phrase on their Kindles (Spooky! How does Amazon know that? Big brother is watching.). And I remember one reviewer saying that she began The Darcys of Pemberley with skepticism, doubting that she could be drawn into a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. But then she got caught up in the beauty of the language, to the point where she ceased to worry about the story. The language itself made the book worth reading. I took great satisfaction in that praise, because I enjoy that aspect of writing (and reading) so much myself.

I will end with this little bit on nonsense – an example of an entirely different way I enjoy playing with words.

Since I got my smart phone, I’ve become slightly obsessed with playing Scrabble online using the Wordfeud ap – mostly with random opponents, but also my husband and sons. I only allow myself one game addiction at a time, by the way, so Spider Solitaire and Sudoku have had to take a back seat for now. Anyway, as you may know, there are hundreds “words” in a Scrabble dictionary that most of us have never heard of. When my husband, by trial and error, comes up with one of these that actually plays, I’m fond of challenging him by saying something like, “Yea, right. If that’s a real word, then use it in a sentence.”

This happened again the other day, when he played enoki (e-no-kee) on a triple word score for big points. (You may just be able to make it out in the upper left corner of the screen). When I asked him to use it in a sentence, he thought for a moment and then came up with this:

“I need to open the door, but I got-e-no-ki.”

I thought it was brilliant, and I still chuckle when I think of it. His witticism earned him his second quote on my blog. (For the first, see the classic Summer: it’s all washed away except the mouse fur.)

In case you’re wondering, enoki is a legitimate word. I looked it up. It’s a white edible mushroom with a small cap and a long stem, native to Eastern Asia and North America. Latin name: Flammulina velutipes. Did I tell you that I love Latin too? I don’t speak it (except for the science-based terms I picked up in college); I just love the sound of the words tripping off my tongue. By now, I guess that shouldn’t surprise you.

Posted in art, fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, my books, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged beauty of language, For Myself Alone, Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, Northanger Abbey, Scrabble, Shannon Winslow, writing | 4 Comments

Jane and Wonder Woman

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

What does Wonder Woman have to do with Jane Austen? Nothing, as far as I am aware, but that was kind of the point when I wrote the following short story for Bad Austen a couple of years ago. Published by Adams Media, the book is an eclectic anthology of stories (some tasteful, some not so much) written in parody of Jane Austen’s style, themes, language, and characters. (My other contribution is Miss Dashwood Gets Down and Dirty here.)

I used the opening pages of Northanger Abbey as my inspiration for Woman of Wonder, specifically Austen’s explanation of how the unlikely Catherine Morland had no choice but to become the heroine destiny had decreed. Then I let the silly side of my imagination go from there.

Upon further reflection, however, I’m inclined to believe this is exactly the sort of silliness Jane would have enjoyed. It makes me think of her adroit use of humor in her juvenile works, or the kind of thing she might have written to entertain her nieces and nephews in later years. So, all seriousness aside, here is…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOMAN OF WONDER

No one who had ever seen Wonder Woman in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her character, situation, and temper were all equally against such an eventuality. And fate seemed at first wholly disinclined to lend a hand.

A glimpse of little Diana – for so she was then called – surely conjured up no image of future greatness in the beholder’s eye. Indeed, as amazons go, her looks did not exceed the average by a single jot. A graceless figure, an awkward fashion sense, and a total want of complexion combined to ill effect. The resulting picture all but shouted that this was a child destined for mediocrity.

Equally unpropitious for heroism seemed the turn of little Diana’s mind. She greatly preferred reading to the more standard juvenile pursuits – swordplay, mastering the lasso, fending off lightning bolts – and rarely attended to the insinuations of her well-intentioned relations that she would be wise to cultivate whatsoever latent super powers she might possess.

Such were Diana’s youthful propensities. But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of every disobliging circumstance imaginable cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a call to heroism in her way.

By and by, her looks improved tolerably, and her other abilities developed apace, to the point that her martial arts master went so far as to call her efforts “satisfactory.” Then on the day of her eighteen birthday, she cast a most auspicious gaze across the mystical veil that hung betwixt her home on the island of Themiscyra to the sphere of Man. Diana happened to spy there a handsome mortal of a more than usually interesting aspect, whom she thereafter made the subject of her constant study.

During a mandatory warrior training class one day, she confided her observations to her best friend Anita, who is also know as Power Girl. “He is just what a young man ought to be,” Diana said, deftly evading the saber thrust of her male sparing partner. “Tall – a singular virtue to which every young man must by all means aspire – and I never saw such an happy union of noble character and physical perfection. Certainly, I’ve not encountered his equal in this place,” she said with a disdainful glare at the feeble specimen cowering at the point of her sword.

“Then I give you leave to like him… from afar, that is,” replied Anita, registering a hit against her opponent as well. “No doubt this man of yours is possessed of a little more wit than the rest, but mortals are by nature stupid and helpless creatures.”

“What care I for such trifles? I simply must be near him; nothing else will do.”

“Consider carefully, Diana! As you well know, the only way for one of us to cross over to the human world is in the guise of a super hero.”

“Then my course is clear. A super hero I must become. I will do it for him.”

And thus, Wonder Woman came into being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think? Would Jane have approved? Do you?

BTW, the featured image at the top of the post is a shot I took on Maui a few years back. We had driven up Haleakala, hoping to view the sunset from the top, only to find the mountain was wreathed in clouds. On the way back down, however, we came to a place where, right on cue, the clouds parted into layers – some above us and some below. So we watched the setting sun from there, suspended in the clouds. Magical! I thought of this view when I wrote that Diana “cast her gaze across the mystical veil” between her world and man’s.

Posted in Austen Authors, fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Shannon Winslow's writing | Tagged Bad Austen, Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, Maui sunset, Northanger Abbey, parody, Shannon Winslow, short story | Leave a comment

A Star is Born?

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

“It is a great while since we have had any star-gazing.” (Fanny Price, Mansfield Park)

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first appearance on the front page of a newspaper (see What’s New? post), and now I’ve already moved on to national television! But before you go gettin’ too excited, let me explain.

ABC’s Nightline recently did a segment on “Jane Austen Super Fans.” In it, they compared Janeites to Trekkies, in that we likewise dress up in strange costumes, attend conventions, and practice rituals related to a world inhabited only by fictional beings. Some people took offense at this characterization; I did not. I think it just proves we know how to manufacture our own, harmless fun!

Although much was made of the fact that we have turned Mr. Darcy into our personal sex symbol (and who could blame us?), the commentator did concede that we are more than simply crazed Colin Firth fans. He allowed that most Janeites are “intelligent career women,” even “modern-day Elizabeth Bennets.” This, quite naturally, is where I come in, for it is only fitting that as he says these very words I make my first appearance on screen, dancing at the JASNA AGM ball.

Sadly, this appearance (and another very fleeting one later in the piece) go uncredited, but then many famous TV and movie personalities were also uncredited in their early roles. So I feel certain it is only a matter of time before more prestigious parts come my way. What I most hope for, though, is a role in the film adaptation of one of my own books. I’d love to play Lady Catherine, but a more minor part would do. I’m expecting Hollywood, or better yet the BBC, to call any day now with a movie deal.

In the meantime, be sure to view my screen debut on the Nightline piece here. I’m the one in the soft green dress, as seen in the photo below (third from the left).

PS – I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. For my thoughts on that holiday, please revisit Take Time For Thanksgiving, my post from two years ago.

Posted in fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized | Tagged Jane Austen, Jane Austen fans, Jane Austen quotes, Nightline, screen debut, Shannon Winslow, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments

“Happy NaNoWriMo!”

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

I put this post up at Austen Authors last week. But in case you missed it there, I thought I’d share it here as well, along with a few of my fall color pictures from my yard!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ apple-tree

NaNoWriMo! No, it’s not a national holiday, and you won’t find a Hallmark card for the occasion (at least I don’t think so).

November is “National Novel Writing Month.” What that means is that thousands of intrepid writers and aspiring novelists are taking up the challenge to write a whole book in one month, or at least to complete a 50,000-word rough draft in those thirty days. That’s a pace of at least a chapter a day, 7 days a week, every week. I applaud anybody who’s attempting it, and admire those who actually can accomplish it. Alas, I am NOT one of them. Let me explain why.

From what I’ve heard, a lot of advanced planning and preparation is key to succeeding in the NaNoWriMo challenge. The author may not technically start writing the novel beforehand, but you can bet they have been thinking about the book for months. And they undoubtedly have the whole thing plotted out on paper before the month of frantic writing begins. That’s where I would hit my first roadblock. Plotting: I stink at it.

Most novelists fall into one of two distinct camps. There are plotters, and there are so-called “pants-ers” (i.e. fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants). I fall into the latter group. When I start a novel, I usually have only a vague notion where I’m going, and even less idea how I’m going to get there. I know it sounds like a crazy way to embark on a trip, but strangely enough it all works out in the end (so far, at least), and the journey is a lot of fun! This was especially true of my most recent novel, Return to Longbourn. My characters hijacked the story, kidnapped me, and carried us all off down a very unexpected path. (See the books debut post here on Austen Authors for more on that adventure!)

My other major issue with attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge is the concept of the rough draft – something else I’m no good at. The theory is that you just pour the story out from beginning to end without worrying about correcting flaws or fine tuning your prose. All that comes later, during rewrites. Make sure the story works first, then tidy it up. I don’t dispute the wisdom in this system, and I’ve tried to make it work… believe me.

In practice, however, I do just the opposite. I fret and fuss over every paragraph, every sentence within the paragraph, and every word of each line. I can’t seem to force myself to move on until I’m satisfied with the section I’ve just written. This means that when I sit down to work, I might spend the first hour or more rereading (and rewriting) whatever I wrote the last time, perhaps never getting to the next chapter at all! It makes for very slow going. The upside is that when it’s finally complete, my version of a rough draft is pretty polished.

Of course, the risk is that if I discover later on that the story doesn’t work (because… as you now know, I HAVEN’T PLOTTED IT OUT AHEAD!), it could turn out that I’ve wasted countless hours perfecting pages that have to be tossed out in the end. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened to me yet. Now that I think of it, that’s a minor miracle in itself.

So now you know why I’ve never attempted the NaNoWriMo challenge, and probably never will. If my crazy system of writing continues to work for me, though (fingers crossed!), I’ll have a new novel for you sometime next spring. It’s not going to be a P&P sequel this time, but a Persuasion tie-in with Jane Austen herself as narrator and heroine. (Visit my blog here for more about it and an early excerpt).

Stay tuned, and happy reading!

PS – Hope you enjoyed my seasonal pictures, even though they are only marginally related to the topic (November = Fall, right?)

Miss Bingley’s attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy’s progress through his book as in reading her own; and she was perpetually either making some inquiry or looking at his page. (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 11)

Posted in Austen Authors, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged fall color pictures, NaNoWriMo, plotting, rough draft, writing technique | Leave a comment

What’s New?

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

Susan Mason-Milks, Maria Grace, and me at the AGM banquet

Although I’m still trying to preserve the afterglow of my experience at the JASNA AGM in Minneapolis (see previous post), I want you to know that I have been very busy since returning home. Let me catch you up on the highlights:

1) I’ve been making steady headway on the new book. Yay! And I reached the point where I decided it deserved a page of it’s very own here on my site. Since the title is still a matter of some debate, it’s simply called Work-In-Progress for now. But that’s the good news: progress! Hope you’ll take a look at the new page.

2) On October 3rd October 15th, I had the honor of doing a guest spot on Janet Taylor’s blog, More Agreeably Engaged. It tells my story of becoming a novelist (and how I nearly didn’t), with the help of a few paraphrased lines from Northanger Abbey:

No one who had ever seen me in my early life would have supposed me born to be a novelist. My situation in life, the habits of my mother and father, my own person and course of education, were all equally against me. But when a lady is to be a novelist, the perverseness of forty different circumstances cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a novel in her way.

The book giveaway is over now (sorry), but you can read the rest of the post here in case you missed it earlier. I’m sure Janet would love to have you drop by!

3) I recently gave my first newspaper interview! It was in promotion of a 3-day art event (the East Pierce County Open Studio Tour) coming up November 1-3, at which I’m being featured as a guest author. I’ll be doing book signing appearances at different locations each day, and I’d love to have you stop by to say hello. For detail of the event and my scheduled appearances, download the full brochure here.

4) I’m pleased to announce that I’ve finally selected a narrator – a talented lady by the name of Beverley Crick – to produce the audio version of For Myself Alone. She begins work on it soon, so hopefully the book will be out by mid-December. Hmm, that’ll be just in time for Christmas gift-giving, won’t it. 😉

5) As much as I’ve been enjoying my modest success, I also want to report on rubbing shoulders with authors who have risen higher.

Fellow Austen Author Sharon Latham (whom I met in person for the first time last month at the AGM) has received a HUGE honor. Her novel Miss Darcy Falls in Love has just been announced as one of the 30 World Book Night novels for 2014! (Read more about it here). This is a really big deal in the literary world, and represents not only an acknowledgement of Sharon’s achievements but also of the legitimate claims of the niche genre in which we both write. I celebrate with her!

Finally, last night I got to attend a Seattle appearance and book signing by British author Jo Baker. Her most recent novel, entitled Longbourn,

is a “below stairs” account of events in Pride and Prejudice. In other words, what were the Bennets’ servants up to all that time? I haven’t finished reading the book yet, but I can tell you that it bears no resemblance to the experience of the gentlefolk above stairs.

After the book signing, a group of us Austen types took Jo out to dinner before she flew off to her next appearance in San Francisco. It was interesting to hear her inspiration for the book (many of her family members worked in “service” in the past) and how successful it has become (she now has a movie deal too). I told her I just hoped to get some of her overflow. Since the titles of our books are so similar (Longbourn / Return to Longbourn), perhaps people will stumble across mine when they go looking for hers!

That’s all my news for today. And now, I’d better get back to the piles of laundry that await me downstairs. I throw that little reality check in lest you think that the life of an author is all glitz and glamor! Sorry if that spoils any illusions for you.

Posted in art, blog hop, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized | Tagged audiobooks, Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, Janet Taylor, Jo Baker, Northanger Abbey, Open Studio Tour, Return to Longbourn, Sharon Lathan, World Book Night | 5 Comments

Having a Ball at the JASNA AGM

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

It was great! I’m so glad I went! That’s my reaction to my first Jane Austen convention – the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting, held in Minneapolis a week and a half ago. So here’s the blow-by-blow I promised you in my earlier post on the subject (see Minneapolis, Here I Come).

Sharon Lathan, Marilyn Brant, Candy Morton, Maria Grace, & C.A. Pierson at the Hilton

I flew out of Seattle on Wednesday afternoon (September 25) with heavy suitcases bearing books and high expectations for all I would see and do in the next four days. My first goal upon arriving in Minneapolis was to connect up in baggage claim with my friend and roommate for the weekend, fellow Austen Author Susan Mason-Milks, who was also coming from Seattle on a different flight. What happened next was a sign for how the weekend would go. Before I could even meet up with Susan, I stumbled across four other Janeites whom I knew but hadn’t expected to find, at least not so soon! All six of us ended up piling into a van-style cab together. And at the hotel, these fun and fortuitous meetings just kept coming.

Next week shall begin my operations on my hat, on which you know my principal hopes of happiness depend. (Jane Austen, a letter, 1798)

The first thing on my schedule for Thursday morning was a “Bonnet Workshop,” where I hoped to make something to wear the rest of the weekend as occasion required, since I hadn’t managed to fit my only other hat into my suitcase. Two hours and a gobs of hot glue later (not period-correct millinery technique, admittedly), I had something I was reasonably pleased with. What do you think? The rest of the day was filled informative sessions (Regency Magazines, The History of Tea, etc.) and meeting with friends over meals.

Friday was a big day, the highlight of the morning being the dance workshop class I’d been looking forward to for months: an hour and a half with a bunch of other clueless students under the instruction of a dance master, learning some of the “country dances” Jane Austen would have danced herself! Despite knowing nothing when I started, I flatter myself that I caught on pretty well, AND I had a marvelous time. Now I’m hooked, and I’d love to find a dance group near home so that I could continue, which might be possible. Far less likely, though, is that my husband will agree to go with me. That he would ever consent to dress in Regency costume for it? Impossible. *sigh* There goes that little fantasy. [For an exciting update on this fantasy fulfilled, see my 7/20/17 post!]

Friday afternoon, Plenary Speaker John Mulland gave a fascinating talk entitled “Speechless in Pride and Prejudice,” expounding on the significance of silences and silent characters in the novel. Did you know that there are two important characters in the book that never actually say a word (they have no lines of dialogue)? Read more here, Susan Mason-Milks’s post about the AGM at Austen Authors.

with Emily Auerbach at the Author Signing

Later in the day, I participated in the “Author Signing” – an array of about 25 authors with published books (fiction and non-fiction) related in some way to Jane Austen. I got to sign a few books and postcards, to meet some of my lovely readers, and also visit with my fellow authors, including my tablemate – scholar, speaker, and author Emily Auerbach. During this session, I managed to snag a few authographs for myself as well.

Another special event followed on Friday evening – a dinner gathering together in person an entire community of folks normally connected mostly via the internet: the present members of the Austen Authors group, along with bloggers, and other JA enthusiasts. There were about 30 of us, and we very noisily took over one entire end of an English pub style restaurant for a couple of hours. Who knew that Jane Austen fans could be so rowdy?

Austen Authors Karen Doornebos, Jack Caldwell, Susan Mason-Milks, Maria Grace, C. Allyn Pierson, Sharon Lathan, Marilyn Brant, Syrie James, me, and Abigail Reynolds

Marilyn Brant, Susan Mason-Milks, Shannon Winslow, C. Allyn Pierson, Syrie James, Sharon Lathan, Abigail Reynolds, and Maria Grace.

More excellent and informative sessions followed on Saturday, leading up to the climactic events of the convention: the banquet, the promenade, and the Regency ball. This was the time to pull out all the stops and appear in your best period costume. I only had a “morning” dress to wear, not a proper ball gown. Where I fell a little short in the wardrobe category, however, I think I made up in enthusiasm. “I danced every dance!” as Lydia boasts in P&P’95. The only minor blight on the evening was the lack of enough gentlemen partners (we ladies outnumbered them at least 20 to 1!). But that didn’t slow us down. This style of dancing doesn’t require the typical male/female roles. So, yes, I danced with girls most the night… and had a wonderful time!

“Perhaps by and bye I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones.” (Lizzy to Darcy at the Netherfield ball, Pride and Prejudice)

Here’s a link to a video of the dancing. I’m in the semi-chaotic scene somewhere! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK8LtFdsM9o&feature=youtu.

By Sunday morning, things were winding down. But the final event on the schedule was well worth staying for. It was a brunch meeting featuring a presentation by a panel of three from the team who created The Lizzy Bennet Diaries – a vastly popular online modern-day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which was presented as a series of episodic video blogs. This wonderfully innovative and extremely well done series has no doubt captured an entirely new audience for Jane Austen. And it’s not just for the under 30 crowd. It’s for anybody looking for a fresh way to get your P&P fix. I came to the party late (the live series having already wrapped up), which was just as well, because once I got started, I couldn’t rest until I had seen all of it. You can still view it here, episode by episode or in marathon fashion like I did. 🙂

I’ve got one more bit of fun to tell you about before I finish this longer-than-usual post.

Lunch with Julie Klassen

As I expected, the best part of going to the AGM was the chance to meet new people, as well a many I’d only known over the internet before – fellow Austenesque authors, other Janeites, and even a few of my fans! What I didn’t anticipate is that I’d also get to know a lovely author of whom I am a particular fan: Julie Klassen. I introduced myself to her at the author signing on Friday, and then we bumped into each other several times afterward. We even ended up as dance partners for a while at the ball and shared a late lunch (along with Abigail Reynolds) Sunday afternoon before I caught my plane home. Just the icing on the cake of an already-great weekend!

So there you have it – all the highlights from my experience at the AGM. It was well worth the trip, and I hope to go again. Next year’s event will be in Montreal. Will I see you there?

Posted in Austen Authors, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, learning, my books, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Austen Authors, Jane Austen, Jane Austen convention, Jane Austen quotes, JASNA, Julie Klassen, Pride and Prejudice, Shannon Winslow | 9 Comments

The Power of a Well-Written Letter

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

I know I promised to write about my experiences at the JASNA AGM in Minneapolis, and I will! But it the meantime, here’s my most recent post at Austen Authors, reproduced here in its entirety:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter.”

Okay, so this line isn’t strictly a Jane Austen quote… but it certainly could have been. She must have subscribed to this policy (as I do) because she often allowed her characters to explain themselves and express their innermost feelings in letter form. Case in point: the 8-pager Mr. Darcy wrote to Elizabeth after his failed proposal in the middle of Pride and Prejudice:

Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were last night so disgusting to you. I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, which, for the happiness of both cannot be too soon forgotten… You must pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice…

The letter, over which Elizabeth obsessed for days, represented the turning point in their relationship. Elizabeth’s eyes were opened and she began to see Darcy and his behavior in a new light because of it. And Austen included several other letters in the novel – at least three from Mr. Collins, Lydia’s note about her elopement, and the one to Elizabeth from Mrs. Gardiner (excerpted below) immediately spring to mind.

Will you be very angry with me, my dear Lizzy, if I take this opportunity of saying how much I like him. His behaviour to us has, in every respect, been as pleasing as when we were in Derbyshire… He wants nothing but a little more liveliness, and that, if he marry prudently, his wife may teach him. I thought him very sly; he hardly ever mentioned your name. But slyness seems the fashion. Pray forgive me, if I have been very presuming, or at least do not punish me so far as to exclude me from P. I shall never be quite happy till I have been all round the park. A low phaeton with a nice little pair of ponies would be the very thing…

Perhaps the inclusion of so many letters in Austen’s books is a holdover from the epistle prose that had been popular before the advent of the true novel. In one of her lesser-known works, Lady Susan, Austen used this format herself, telling the story entirely through letters exchanged by a handful of interrelated people. And did you know that the earliest drafts of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility were also written in this style?

The line at the top of the page is actually taken from the movie The Jane Austen Book Club and is said in reference to arguably the most compelling letter composed by one of her characters: the culminating note left by Captain Wentworth for Anne Elliot near the end of Persuasion. Although they had fallen in love when they first met, Anne had been forcefully “persuaded” by her family to reject the captain’s proposal. Now, years later, they have a second chance. The letter seals the deal:

…You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been; weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant…

Did I hear a collective sigh, ladies? Was there ever a more poignant plea for the ultimate consummation of long-thwarted love? I think not. (I’m excited that I get to use a variation of this letter in the novel I’m currently working on: The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. It’s a Persuasion tie-in, starring Jane Austen herself!)

Letter writing is a lost art, I’m afraid. But people used to take a lot of care and pride in it. Jane Austen certainly did so in her personal correspondence, making sure that what she wrote entertained as well as informed the recipient. For instance, she once wrote an entire letter backwards (every word spelled back to front, instead of front to back), just to amuse her niece Cassy. Cassandra Austen ultimately destroyed a large portion of Jane’s letters. But many were preserved and give us more insight to her movements, her thoughts, and her sharp wit. Be sure to read them if you haven’t already.

In person and in real time, I rarely think of just the right retort or response to someone. But in a letter, I can take as much time as I need to be sure I say exactly what I want, exactly the way I want to say it – a big advantage over a phone call, casual email, or instant message! I especially enjoyed writing the many letters in my novels, trying to make each one a little work of art, as Jane Austen did. I made sure to allow Mr. Darcy plenty of time likewise, so that he could carefully compose the following letter to Lady Catherine in The Darcys of Pemberley (as it says in the last chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth at length persuaded him to seek a reconciliation):

Allow me to offer my congratulations on the engagement of your daughter Anne… Much as you are looking forward to this addition to your family circle, Mrs. Darcy and I find that we are expecting an addition to ours by a different means. This blessing causes me to reflect on the importance of maintaining (and restoring when necessary) peace and unity within my extended family. I regret the disagreement that has broken that bond in our case.

Although I will make no apologies for a marriage in which I have been supremely happy, I am sorry that the accomplishment of it occasioned you pain. My hope is that the success of the match now made for your daughter will produce a degree of felicity eclipsing any pleasure lost by a disappointed former plan.

Though I am amenable to conciliation, what passed between us – especially uncharitable words spoken and written against my wife – cannot be easily forgotten. However, if after the passage of time you have experienced an alteration in your position to the extent that you now find yourself able to make some reparation, I am willing to hear whatever you have to say on the subject. The matter is entirely in your own hands, Madam…

What do you think? Will this letter budge the old buzzard? As Darcy asks Elizabeth, is it too harsh or too yielding? Has your own life been significantly impacted by some special piece of correspondence you have either sent or received?

Posted in Austen Authors, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, my books, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized | Tagged Captain Wentworth, Captain Wentworth's letter, Jane Austen, Jane Austen quotes, letter writing, Mr. Darcy, Shannon Winslow, The Darcys of Pemberley | 1 Comment

Minneapolis, Here I Come!

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

My Regency-style dress is finished and I have purchased my plane ticket. Tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Minneapolis to attend my first Jane Austen convention! It’s bigger than national; this one’s INTERnational. It’s the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), this year to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ll be doing a little sightseeing on Thursday, but then I’ll plunge right into the full slate of activities on Friday.

The conference is sold out again this year, so there will be hundreds of Janeites running around the city (or at least the hotel) in period costume, taking tea, taking classes, and taking dance workshops. Doesn’t that sound like fun? You could learn how to crochet a reticule (small handbag) or how to play Whist (popular card game of the day). You could sit in on an explanation of property rights and inheritance, especially primogeniture and entailment, as seen in Austen’s novels. And, since this is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, many of the speakers will be further elucidating attendees on that book in particular. Example: Do Elizabeth and Darcy Really Improve “upon acquaintance”? Then, the culmination of the festivities will be the banquet, promenade, and Netherfield Ball on Saturday night.

The possibilities are endless, and my head is swimming with everything there will be to see and do – too much to cram into a couple short days. But actually, more than the classes, I’m looking forward to the people I’ll meet. This will be my chance to finally talk face-to-face with many of my fellow members of the Austen Authors group, as well as making the acquaintance of other Austen-style authors and Jane Austen fans. Perhaps I’ll even meet a few of my own fans at the author book signing on Friday evening!

I promise you a full report after I return, with lots of pictures. Right now, though, I’d better run. I still have a lot of packing to do. Minneapolis, here I come!

“So much novelty and beauty! I have travelled so little that every fresh place would be interesting to me.” (Anne, Persuasion, chapter 20)