As our wonderful celebratory week of retrospection draws to a close we decided it would be equally as fun to look into the future. As a group we have grown this past year, both in numbers and in the depth of our relationships. We have mixed it up from time to time; have been unafraid to try new things and reach out to new readers. Keeping Austen Authors fresh and exciting is very important to us. We want all of you who support us to have a reason to come back every day and to never be bored. We also hunger for new faces to join in with the same enthusiasm for Jane Austen and our novels. Finding the perfect balance between plotting an agenda for the calendar months stretching before us while also remaining flexible for a surprise is what we are striving for.

Therefore, keep in mind that these ideas and slated giveaways are tentative. Curve balls may be thrown or we may be struck by the lightening bolt of inspiration! We are writers after all and inspiration is what we do best!

 

October 2011

Abigail Reynolds celebrates the release of Mr. Darcy’s Undoing
Mary Simonsen celebrates the release of Mr. Darcy’s Bite
Monica Fairview, Jane Rubino & Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, Diana Birchall, and Jane Odiwe celebrate the release of the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It
Austen Authors proudly welcomes guest Janet Mullany  to celebrate the release of Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion.
There will be giveaways of signed novels for all Launch Celebrations 

Monthly Prizes following a Halloween theme:
Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson
Mr. Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange        >> duo donated by Sourcebooks Landmark

The Phantom of Pemberley
Vampire Darcy’s Desire by Regina Jeffers    >> duo donated by Ulysses Press

Mansfield Park and Mummies
Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by Vera Nazarian, signed

Those of us who are planning to attend the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting and Conference in Fort Worth, Texas from October 13-16 will be sharing our memories, photos, knowledge gleaned, and much more in a series of blogs. If interested in a sneak peak at what we will be doing at the AGM, click HERE for a look at the 200th Anniversary of Sense & Sensibility themed event. Better yet, if you live in the general vicinity of Dallas and Fort Worth, consider dropping by the Renaissance Worthington Hotel located at 200 Main Street in Fort Worth, on Sunday, October 16. Starting at 8:30 am until 10am in the Grand Ballroom Foyer of the hotel, there will be an author autographing with some 30 authors of Jane Austen literature. From Austen Authors there will be Abigail Reynolds, Sharon Lathan, Karen Doornebos, Diana Birchall, C. Allyn Pierson, Cindy Jones, and Mary Simonsen. For more information on that event and the full list of participants, click this link: JASNA 2011 AGM Author Autographing

November 2011

Regina Jeffers celebrates the release of Christmas at Pemberley
Sharon Lathan celebrates the release of Miss Darcy Falls in Love

Abigail Reynolds is spearheading a host of activities pertaining to the timeline in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice ~~

 Abigail says, “I’m still going forward with the P&P200 celebration where interested authors take turns writing different P&P scenes from alternate points of view for the 200th anniversary of the event. The Netherfield Ball will be a major event.” For more information on Abigail’s plans, revisit her blog from a few days ago: An Anniversary with Lots of News

Monthly Prizes:
What Would Mr. Darcy Do by Abigail Reynolds
Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise   >> duo donated by Sourcebooks Landmark

Mr. Darcy Takes a Plunge by J. Marie Croft
Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos
Sense and Sensibility 1995 DVD donated by Susan Adriani

December 2011

Christmas will be celebrated for sure! We are putting our heads together for holiday themed fun and prizes.

Monthly Prizes:
Christmas at Pemberley by Regina Jeffers
A Darcy Christmas by Sharon Lathan
A Darcy Christmas by Carolyn Eberhart
2 Regency styled hair bands with bows and ribbon flowers donated by C. Allyn Pierson

January 2012

Monthly Prizes:
Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski
Mr. Darcy’s Secret by Jane Odiwe    >> duo donated by Sourcebooks Landmark

Lady Vernon and Her Daughter by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell
Sense and Sensibility graphic novel donated by Heather Rigaud

February 2012

Romance will be the theme for February – naturally! Our special spotlight will be on Regency Romances beyond Jane Austen. We plan to invite a few of our author friends as well as highlighting the novels a few of us write that are not strictly Austen. We already have author Deb Marlowe – An Improper Aristocrat and Her Cinderella Season – Delilah Marvelle – The Scandal and The Gallantry series –  and Katharine Ashe – In the Arms of a Marquess – on the docket with guest posts and novel giveaways. Tentatively we are earmarking February as a Special Event month with major prizes and an extravaganza celebration. Be on the lookout for that!

Monthly Prizes:
Cotillion
The Grand Sophy  by Georgette Heyer
>> duo donated by Sourcebooks Landmark

The Scandal of Lady Eleanor by Regina Jeffers
Lady Vernon and Her Daughter by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
By Force of Instinct by Abigail Reynolds

March 2012

Jack Caldwell celebrates the release of The Three Colonels

For March we will shine the spotlight on our contemporary Austen Authors! We have a bunch and they deserve the focus. And maybe anticipate a few guests.

Monthly Prizes:
The Importance of Being Emma by Juliet Archer for UK/ROW winner
According to Jane by Marilyn Brant
Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard by Belinda Roberts    >> donated by Sourcebooks Landmark
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, signed   >> donated by Sharon Lathan
Persuasion by Jane Austen, a P&P bookmark, and an “I ‘Heart’ Darcy” keyring donated by J. Marie Croft

 

The Giveaway Page continues the Monthly Prizes for April to August 2012. Be sure to consult that page occasionally for updates on our schemes and generous donations. We are constantly on the lookout for something to celebrate around here! Many of us are finishing up novels that will be released in 2012. Hopefully none of the 25 Austen Authors will need to depart our family. Instead we hope to welcome new authors of Austen literary fiction! If that is you, drop us an email! And speaking of our authors, what do they have to say about what they are looking forward to?

Susan Kaye ~ “I will finish A Word, A Look – Volume 3 of the Frederick Wentworth, Captain series. Or die.”

Mary Simonsen ~ “I plan to restart my Question of the Day series – ie: Did Marianne really love Colonel Brandon? – as a cross-promotional special between my blog and Austen Authors.”

C. Allyn Pierson ~  ”I am looking forward to having the 2013 AGM in the Midwest – and we get to celebrate 200 years of Pride and Prejudice! WooHoo!”

Indeed it will be awesome to travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota in October of 2013, Carey, but first we have the 2011 AGM in Fort Worth and then the 2012 AGM in New York City! “Sex, Money, and Power” – now that is a theme that intrigues!

Diana Birchall ~ “I have two novels out with my agent, one a suffragette novel set in 1908 (non Jane Austen-related) and the other a sequel to Northanger Abbey called The Bride of Northanger. My aim is publication and remuneration, and when those goals are achieved, celebration!”

Regina Jeffers ~  ”I’m looking forward to the birth of my first grandchild in early November. The child shall be a boy, and his parents have chosen the name James Oliver Montenaro.
As an author, I look forward to the release of Christmas at Pemberley in late October and its sequel after the first of the year. I’m also working on the follow-ups to The Scandal of Lady Eleanor.”

Sharon Lathan ~ “I am most excited about the wedding of my daughter Emily to Neil that will take place on November 4. We are thrilled! I think my goal to finish Dr. George Darcy by the end of 2011 will not happen, but it WILL get written! And I am also looking forward to the 2012 Romance Writers National Conference that will be in Anaheim, CA – my neck of the woods and favorite place of all: Disneyland!”

Monica Fairview ~  ”There are four of us Austen Authors who have stories in the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, which will be released in October, so I’m looking forward to celebrating the launch. Come along and find out which authors are involved! As for the beyond, I’m editing one Jane Austen variation (can’t say more than that at the moment) and polishing another novel, a historical romance/suspense, so there will be a lot of movement in the coming year or so. I have great expectations of our next Austen Authors year! Meanwhile, I have to look back and say I’ve enjoyed every moment of our journey together, and of course all the wonderful people who come by to comment on our blogs and extras.”

Vera Nazarian ~  ”This is going to be an amazing year for Austen Authors, and I for one hope to do my part to spread the fun and entertain! I am actively working on the next book in the hilarious and romantic Supernatural Jane Austen Series. The official series website is now up and running: Vera Nazarian Supernatural Jane Austen Series  Take a peek for the complete lineup. Stay tuned for many surprises in the coming months, including a fun “scavenger” hunt across many blogs!”

Cindy Jones ~  ”I will continue to report on the JASNA AGM 2011 in my North Texas home chapter. Since I serve on the steering committee for the AGM, readers will get the absolute inside scoop on which fabulous authors signed books, who wore what stunning gown, and what it was like to meet Jane Austen in Ft. Worth, Texas.”