Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

Last night we were treated to a delicious evening's entertainment from two of our wonderful British actors at the Jane Austen Festival . Adrian Lukis (who is a very well-known and loved actor in the UK -  he played Mr Wickham in the classic 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation )  and Caroline Langrishe (who is well-known for her roles in Judge John Deed, Lovejoy and Sharpe) entertained us with a selection of duologues - some of the most memorable scenes from Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and of course,  Pride and Prejudice. My personal favourites were the scenes from Persuasion - beautiful! They were absolutely brilliant and brought all of the characters to life - it's always wonderful to hear Austen performed 'out loud' and the audience lapped it up - the room echoed to the sounds of their laughter!   Caroline Langrishe and Adrian Lukis performing Austen duologues - Jane Austen Festival I was very lucky to meet Adrian and Caroline w...

In September of last year I was very lucky to be invited to take part in a television programme here in the UK. It's called Masterchef, and the wonderful cooks below were competing for the title week by week, undergoing a gruelling set of challenges and providing some fabulous food for those fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of all their hard work. This episode coincided with the end of The Jane Austen Festival, and many of the attendees were asked to come along and enjoy some of the food with a Regency theme. The chefs were divided into two teams and they were competing for the chance to cook with top chef, Jason Atherton. The event took place at The Royal Crescent Hotel, and the chefs cooked outside in tents erected on what was known as the Cresent Fields in Jane Austen's day. I was so lucky to be invited to the dinner that took place next day, and meet amongst other distinguished guests, one of my favourite actors, Adrian Lukis, who you will all reco...

In Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth goes touring to Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle they visit Pemberley and to Lizzy's horror she comes face to face with Mr Darcy. She's really embarrassed because she's turned down his marriage proposal and she is mortified at what he will think of her looking over his house and grounds. But, it's at this point in the book that Darcy starts to show that he's really taken notice of Elizabeth's criticisms of him and he makes an enormous effort to be extra civil and attentive to her and her relatives. During the visit he introduces his sister Georgiana, and Lizzy discovers that Bingley is with him also. Her sister Jane is in love with Bingley, and been disappointed by him. Yet, it is very clear that he has not stopped thinking about Jane and this is proved when he remembers the exact date when he saw and danced with her last - November 26th. Here's an extract from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice followed by one of m...

Here are some more photos from my day out at 'Longbourn' with P and P Tours! We were taken into the church first, which features in the very first episode as well as the wedding scene at the end. I've included the BBC clip of the wedding so you can see exactly where we were. Helen and Maddy bring the whole event alive with their insider knowledge combined with expert knowledge on the historical background of the time. The church is very beautiful, and being attached to the house is so typical of the kind of manor houses found in Jane Austen's day. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments about the cover of Mr Darcy's Secret. I'm thrilled that you all like it as much as I do! I've been very busy writing a short story for an Austen Anthology which Laurel Ann of Austenprose has put together, I've just finished another book which I'm now editing, and I've recently joined a new blog of Austen Authors - but more of that later! I've also just come back from my summer holiday, and was feeling very rested until I realised that it's now payback time. Mountains of washing later, and still plenty to go, I'm wondering why I always think it's a good idea to take so many clothes. But, I'll stop moaning, I had a lovely time, and the memory of wonderful Spanish sunshine and food will stay with me for a long time. Before I went away, I had a real treat in the form of a day out at Longbourn - Afternoon Tea with Mrs Bennet, no less, who I have to say was far too young and the epitome of a grac...