Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

I am very excited to tell you that I can now show you the cover for my new novel, Mr Darcy's Secret. I am absolutely thrilled with it, I think it's the best yet, and I hope you like it too! I love the very curvy Lizzy on the cover, set against a backdrop that could either be Derbyshire or the Lakes where most of the action takes place. Look at those gloves! York tan if I'm not mistaken, and what a gorgeous contrast they make to the beautiful, sheer muslin gown she is wearing. The whole picture is lit by the shaft of light slipping under the curtain highlighting Lizzy's skin and that enigmatic smile. Well, I'm really chuffed, as they say where I come from. Sourcebooks do the most wonderful covers in the world!

I've just come back from visiting family in Pembrokeshire, Wales. I always love a trip to Tenby where there is a gem of a bookshop at the bottom of a medieval passage. The Tudor Merchant's house is well worth a visit too - you have to pass it down the steps to get to the bookshop, and there's also a very good pub that does lovely food. The bookshop is filled from floor to ceiling with tottering piles of books, some on shelves, others piled up on the floor so there's just about room to stand and circumnavigate. It's like an Aladdin's cave because you never know what treasure you might find. The books are all rather precariously placed - I don't think I've ever been without knocking half a dozen or more off their wobbly pile, but this is what makes it such fun. This time I found a wonderful book on Thomas Wentworth - (yes, of course there is a Jane Austen connection with the Leigh family), a Georgette Heyer hardback, and some Daphne du Maurier short storie...

Recently, P and P Tours celebrated the start of one of their fabulous holidays with an evening party in Bath to be held at the beautiful house that was used in the filming of Persuasion. I was invited to my great delight, but I must admit when I was told there would be dancing I felt a little nervous at the prospect! However, I needn't have worried. I wasn't the only one who hadn't been initiated before, and the fact that most of us were beginners only made the evening more fun. Two beautiful and very patient young ladies from the Jane Austen Dancers of Bath came along to show us how to perform the steps. There was a lot to remember! We learnt individual steps, and then the patterns of the dances, not to mention interacting with our partners. Helen Wilkinson who runs the tour ended up with a very poor partner (yours truly) who would keep going in the wrong direction - talk about 'Wrong way, Mr Collins!' I expect the fact that I'd imbibed several glasses of wi...