Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

I had such a busy week last week packed full of exciting things. I have to tell you my life is usually a very ordinary one spent writing and looking after my family. But last week was full of magical days and even a larger than life evening or two. It started off when I met Monica Fairview and Victoria Connelly in London before we went off to a dinner given by our wonderful publisher Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks. I met Monica and Victoria in St. James's in the afternoon so we could have a wander round, soak up some Regency history, and look at the shops. You can see a photo of Monica and I standing with a statue of Beau Brummel in Jermyn Street at the end of the Piccadilly arcade. Further along is the wonderful Floris perfume shop which is celebrating its 280 year anniversary this year. There were some gorgeous examples of old perfume bottles and packaging displayed in the shop, and the very kind assistant told us that some of the popular perfumes of the day were Jasmine, St...

Here is another painting of Jane Austen which I'd forgotten about and came across whilst looking for something else, inspired, as ever, by Cassandra's sketch. The little painting that Cassandra produced is very delicate when seen close to and I have attempted a similar effect. However, Cassandra's brushwork was so fine that I found I could not produce anything like the sort of detail she managed in her lovely watercolour, but as I'm sure those of you who visit my blog regularly know, that does not stop me trying to improve! Jane Austen lived at Chawton from 1809 until just before she died in 1817. I thought you might like to see this unusual view (at the bottom of the page) of the house from the garden. There are several outbuildings; two barns in the courtyard have been converted into a lecture room which houses a changing exhibition. The garden in Jane's day was much larger than it is now. There was an orchard, a shrubbery, a vegetable garden and a field where th...

What excitement! When a large parcel arrived from Sourcebooks in America, I could scarcely contain myself. Seeing an image of my book is nothing to actually having the pleasure of seeing it and holding it in my hands at last. I am absolutely thrilled and I can't thank enough all the people who have worked on Lydia Bennet's Story to make my dreams come true. Thank you to the design department - I love the size of the book and the cover - the illustration and text have a gloss finish, which set against the rhubarb and custard matt finish of the rest looks really yummy! Inside, the decorations are very pretty on the chapter headings, and the whole book smells wonderful. I know that might seem a bit of a strange thing to say, but I love the smell of books, especially new ones. Thank you to everyone who worked on it, but especially to Deb Werksman for believing in me. I thought this morning we'd see if Jane is in at her home in Chawton. Let's pass by the front door and peep ...

Jane Austen revised her early novels at Chawton cottage in Hampshire after moving there in 1809. My painting shows the sisters coming out of the cottage to go on a walk. Jane is wearing a Tam with a red feather cockade. At a conference in Lyme Regis, Diana Shervington, a descendant of Jane Austen's brother Edward, showed this wonderful adornment for her hat and I decided to include it in my painting. Jane was very fond of walking, a pursuit she enjoyed as well as her heroines. The following is an extract from Pride and Prejudice. Miss Bingley comments on the fact that Miss Elizabeth Bennet has walked from her house at Longbourn to Netherfield. "She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild." "She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a...

I hope you have all enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice adaptation that has just finished on TV in the US. I loved this version and I thought Julia Sawalha was a fantastic Lydia, petulant and precocious but still managing to be very funny! Adrian Lukis was perfect for Wickham too, just the right combination of charm and charisma to convince us in the beginning that he is an ideal partner for Lizzy but also imbued with a certain sleaziness, which soon shows us his true character. Poor Lydia cannot see this and believes herself to be in love with him. Whatever her faults, I could not let Lydia be miserable with Mr Wickham for the rest of her life - I had to find a happy ending for her in Lydia Bennet's Story! Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet was a wonderful Lizzy and I'm sure most will agree that Colin Firth is unsurpassed as Mr Darcy. I think the on screen chemistry between these two is what sparked so many web sites, blogs and sequels to Pride and Prejudice in the years since its...