Jane Austen & Regency Christmas Traditions

Regency Christmas Pudding

  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…

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8 Ways to Live Like Jane Austen

Anne Hathaway as 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…

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Comparing the Jane Austen’s Persuasion Movie Versions

Film Review Persuasion

  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…

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7 Ways My Real-Life Romance Inspired FLOATING ON AIR

7 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…

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8 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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Haunting Halloween Giveaway!

Dear Readers, ‘Tis the season for things that go bump in the night! To celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year, I’ve partnered with 5 amazing authors to present a HAUNTING HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY! The lucky winner of this contest will receive all six of the novels pictured below in paperback format. Scroll down to enter.…

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Victorian Capes and Cloaks: A Dramatic Fashion Statement

Victorian ladies fall and winter cloaks 1890s

  When I was writing my novel Dracula, My Love, I came to a crossroads and knew I was in trouble. In the book, my heroine Mina Harker falls madly in love with Dracula, a brilliant, charismatic, devastatingly handsome being who may not be the evil monster everyone supposes. I couldn’t help falling a little…

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Authors’ Chat with Syrie James and Natalie Jenner

  Hello dear readers! I’m delighted to share this video interview between me and the fabulously talented author Natalie Jenner in honor of the paperback release of her wonderful novel, The Jane Austen Society. Please join us at the link below as we discuss the writing of our novels, how we were influenced by Jane…

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