Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

Happy Valentine's Day! We're celebrating over at Austen Variations with some writing - excerpts from our books and a poem by Diana Birchall, plus there are links to authors' websites for their special contributions! Here's an excerpt from Project Darcy which follows on from my piece at Austen Variations - I hope you enjoy it. Jane Austen and her friend, Tom Lefroy, are falling in love at the Manydown Ball! My spirits were dancing in silent rapture just as much as my feet when Tom escorted me to the dance floor. I think something of the joy we felt on the occasion pervaded the whole room like the fragrance lingering on the air as the atmosphere lightened. There was laughter and movement and flurries of white muslin as dashing young men spun their partners round, satin slippers kicking up the chalk. As the musicians played faster the handclaps and boot stomping grew louder. Everywhere looked a blaze of colour and sparkle under glittering chandeli...

Happy Valentine's Day! Over at Austen Authors  we've been celebrating the whole weekend with lots of fun stuff - on Saturday I compiled excerpts from everyone's books - lovely romantic passages, of course - do have a look.  I am thrilled to bits with this review from Suite 101  I don't think if I'd written it myself I could have done it better-thank you so much, Jessica Hastings! I've been over at Love, Romance, Passion talking about writing styles. Here's the interview I had with Keira. And here's a guest blog from Read All Over Reviews  - suitably romantic for today! Thank you, Teresa, for inviting me to your blog to talk about my book,  Mr. Darcy’s Secret , and as we are so close to Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be lovely to tell you about how some of my research was connected with the sending of flowers and love letters. In Georgian times it was customary to send love letters and tokens, cards cut and pricked with a design to look lik...

To celebrate Valentine's Day, here is a snippet from Willoughby's Return. I wanted this book to be as much Margaret's story as Marianne's and I thought it high time she started to enjoy herself by attending balls and meeting young men. Colonel Brandon's sister and family have recently returned to Whitwell and his nephew, Henry Lawrence, back home from university, is introduced to Margaret for the first time at a ball at the Brandon's home, Delaford. The gong rang out, calling the weary dancers to rest awhile and replenish their energy. All the guests hurried off to the dining room, where tables were set, groaning under the weight of a magnificent spread. The musicians laid aside their instruments and dashed to the servant’s hall for a glass of negus and a bowl of soup. Colonel Brandon ushered his guests, Sir Edgar and Henry Lawrence, to his table, where much to her great delight, Margaret already sat, with her mother, the Middletons, and Mrs Jennings. There wa...

Lydia Bennet's Online Diary. At this time of the year I always read Pride and Prejudice and I thought it would be fun to see what Lydia is thinking about all the goings on at Longbourn. Lydia's online diary starts just before Mr Bingley arrives and finishes where my novel, Lydia Bennet's Story, begins. Monday, February 15th, 1802 Two events have occurred today to vex me beyond endurance. I am a laughing stock, only to be pitied and I am more convinced than ever that I will die an old maid! The first was a letter from my friend Isabella extolling the virtues and pleasures of love and affairs of the heart, which by all accounts she is surrounded as she has gone to Bath. I have received more descriptions of lovers than I ever want to read again and I expect she will receive an offer any day now. I am happy for her but it is so unfair! Other people have all the luck! If I should have the chance to go to Bath, I am sure I would find myself a husband but papa won’t even take me a...

Lydia Bennet's Online Diary. At this time of the year I always read Pride and Prejudice and I thought it would be fun to see what Lydia is thinking about all the goings on at Longbourn. Lydia's online diary starts just before Mr Bingley arrives and finishes where my novel, Lydia Bennet's Story, begins. February 14th, 1802 Rebecca the housemaid came to our door this morning with a breakfast treat of rolls and a cup of chocolate. She set down the tray, put more coal on the fire and then stood before the bed looking for all the world as if she bore it on her shoulders. “Begging your pardon, Miss Lydia,” she whispered, looking about her as if she expected us to be intruded upon at any moment, “Forgive me if I have done wrong, but I thought it would be best not to hand this over to you in front of your mother and father. I found this letter addressed to you lying on the hall carpet, just poked under the door. I hope that’s right, miss,” she added, and took from her grubby pocket...

...he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents would most suit her. In chapter fifty of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Bennet is beginning to think that she made a mistake when she turned down Mr Darcy's proposal. Her feelings towards him have changed and she can only contemplate on the fact that if he knew of her heart's transformation he would consider he had won a victory. What a triumph for him, as she often thought, could he know that the proposals which she had proudly spurned only four months ago, would now have been gladly and gratefully received! He was as generous, she doubted not, as the most generous of his sex; but while he was mortal, there must be a triumph. She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both; by her ease and liv...

Calling all men! (As Lydia would say!) Look here - I know there's still a couple of weeks left until Valentine's day, but I wanted to draw your attention to the lovely work of Jean Judy and her blog about Jane Austen which features her lovely jewellery. I first discovered her work on Ms Place and Laurel Ann's lovely blog and couldn't get an e-mail out quickly enough to ask her to make me one after I'd dropped some large hints to my husband about February 14th! Here's a sneak preview of my beautiful bracelet (underneath) which features Sense and Sensibility on one side of the medallions and a selection of my own paintings on the other. I asked for spring colours - I love blues and greens and I think it's beautiful. I'm not sure I will be able to wait until Valentine's day to wear it. Here's my lovely husband with a couple of gorgeous girls - my sister and my daughter.