Syrie James’ Books
My new comedy JANE AUSTEN IN 48 MINUTES by Syrie James
(UPDATED December 23, 2023) I’ve had a wonderful time this year presenting and performing in four staged readings of my new original comedy JANE AUSTEN IN 48 MINUTES with three different casts. The play features a cheeky and wise Jane Austen as narrator and a cast of costumed actors who play 47…
Read MoreSyrie James at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath
I had the thrill of a lifetime participating in the Jane Austen Festival this month in Bath, England. It is the largest and longest-running Jane Austen Festival in the world and draws many thousands of people every year. The festivities started off on Saturday Sept. 9 with a Regency Costumed Promenade through the streets…
Read MoreCelebrating My Jane Austen Novels with The Enchanted Book Club
I was honored to be the guest author this weekend at The Enchanted Book Club’s first-ever in-person event and book signing, and it was like something out of a fairy tale! I couldn’t resist posing with Colin Firth, my favorite Mr. Darcy. If you’re a fan of classic literature and historical fiction novels and…
Read MoreEMILY film review — an impassioned biopic of Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë
In the film EMILY, Emma Mackey brings Emily Brontë to vivid life in writer/director Frances O’Connor’s thrilling blend of fact and fiction. Emily Brontë is something of a mystery. When she tragically died at age 30 of tuberculosis, she left behind few preserved letters, and no diary to reveal her private thoughts and…
Read MoreJane Austen & Regency Christmas Traditions
It is fascinating to look back at Christmas during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Some of the customs we associate with the holiday, such as Christmas trees, Christmas cards, and Santa Claus, didn’t exist until many years later. But Jane Austen’s Christmas was equally as merry as the one we celebrate today. Read on for a…
Read More8 Ways to Live Like Jane Austen
Are you a Jane Austen fan? Have you ever been faced by a difficult decision — when you had to make a choice and desperately wanted to do the right thing, but weren’t sure which alternative was best? The next time that happens, make it easy on yourself. Just ask: What Would Jane Do? One…
Read MoreComparing the Jane Austen’s Persuasion Movie Versions
Which film version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is best? There have been a number of movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s Persuasion including a new one from Netflix, and it’s always a thrill to see Austen’s work adapted for the screen. Persuasion, Jane Austen’s last completed work, is one of my favorite novels. The story…
Read More8 Reasons Why I Love SANDITON, BRIDGERTON, and Other Stories Set in Jane Austen’s Regency Era
I have a soft spot for historical fiction—be it a novel, film, or TV series—set in England during Jane Austen’s Regency era. I’m a huge Pride and Prejudice fan and my heart jumped for joy to learn that PBS’s SANDITON, inspired by Austen’s unfinished novel, and BRIDGERTON, Netflix’s megahit based on the novels of…
Read More7 Ways My Real-Life Romance Inspired FLOATING ON AIR
My contemporary romance novel Floating on Air (Book 1 in my Struck By Love series), about the whirlwind love affair between a radio deejay and a charismatic entrepreneur, is based in many ways on my own romance with my late husband. I hold this book dear to my heart. Here are 7 ways my…
Read More8 Things I Love About the 80s
I’m feeling nostalgic about the 1980s. I set two of my novels in that awesome era, a decade that gave us incredible entertainment choices, unique pop culture, life-changing technology, and the fitness craze. Here are 8 things I love about the 80s. 1. MOVIES Some of my favorite movies came out in…
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