Our own Sharon Lathan, a member of JASNA and living here in the Central Valley, is a published, bestselling author
of a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
From the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark--
Sharon
Lathan presents Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, A fascinating portrait of a timeless, consuming love
- and the sweetest, most romantic Jane Austen sequel.
It's Darcy and Elizabeth's wedding day, and the journey
is just beginning as Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice characters embark on the greatest adventure of all: marriage
and a life together filled with surprising passion, tender self-discovery, and the simple joys of every day.
As their
love story unfolds in this most romantic of Jane Austen sequels, Darcy and Elizabeth reveal to each other how their relationship
blossomed. From misunderstanding to perfect understanding and harmony, theirs is a marriage filled with romance, sensuality,
and the beauty of a deep, abiding love.
For more information about Sharon and her happily-ever-after version
of life for Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, visit her website: Sharon Lathan's Darcy Saga
In the publishing industry it is unanimously agreed that Sourcebook, Inc. is the leader in publishing Jane Austen related
novels.
Sharon Lathan is published by Sourcebooks, but their reputation as
the only publisher to
fully embrace the world of Austen novels written as devoted fan-fiction was established long ago with authors Linda Berdoll
and Amanda Grange paving the way. Today their list of published authors writing in the Austen subgenre numbers over 20 and
continues to grow. The widget below is merely a small sample of what this one publisher has given to the Jane-lovers of the
world who want MORE! For more information visit
Sourcebooks and
Austen Fans. And for more on what is out there related to Jane Austen, do a simple Amazon or Google search, but be prepared to be overwhelmed!
Here is a new spin on Jane Austen sequels - "Mr. Darcy, Vampyre"
- a book that picks up where "Pride and Prejudice" leaves off. With all the new monster books, this seems to fit
right in. Considering Jane's popularity and the popularity of fantasy novels like "Harry Potter" and "Twilight",
the combination of the two seems to make sense. If you love vampire stories, then this may be your cup of tea, or blood perhaps?
If you've read any of these new novels, please drop me a line!
Here's the description of this novel from Amazon:
Sourcebooks
Landmark, the leading publisher of Jane Austen-related fiction, is excited to announce a major release: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
by international bestselling author Amanda Grange.
Amanda
Grange, bestselling author of Mr. Darcy's Diary, gives us something completely new—a delightfully thrilling,
paranormal Pride and Prejudice sequel, full of danger, darkness and deep romantic love…
Amanda Grange's style and wit bring readers back to Jane Austen's timeless
storytelling, but always from a very unique and unusual perspective, and now Grange is back with an exciting and completely
new take on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
starts where Pride and Prejudice ends and introduces a dark family curse so perfectly that the result is a delightfully thrilling,
spine-chilling, breathtaking read. A dark, poignant and visionary continuation of Austen's beloved story, this tale is
full of danger, darkness and immortal love.
Hey everyone! I've got a really great book here that
was just released called Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford. It's getting rave reviews so
far, and I personally have read the first few chapters and LOVE it! Here's an excerpt:
"Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature
she loves—but now it's because she's the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York.
Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves—along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations.
Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own.
To make matters worse, the manuscript she
finished just before being turned into a vampire has been rejected by publishers—116 times. Jane longs to let the world
know who she is, but when a sudden twist of fate thrusts her back into the spotlight, she must hide her real identity—and
fend off a dark man from her past while juggling two modern suitors. Will the inimitable Jane Austen be able to keep her cool
in this comedy of manners, or will she show everyone what a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper set of fangs can do?"
This is definitely one to check out! Here's a link to the website for more excerpts:
Jane Bites Back
Well, here it is everyone! The latest Jane Austen classic to be "monsterized"!
This one, believe it or not, is called "Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters"! With the popularity of "Pride
and Prejudice and Zombies", expect a lot more of this sort of thing. Here's what Amazon says about it:
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved
Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities.
As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full
of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne
is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over
meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever
snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen’s biting social commentary with
ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It’s survival of the fittest—and only the swiftest swimmers will
find true love!
Here's another newly released Jane Austen
related book that sounds very interesting. It's called "Jane Austen: An Unrequited Love" by author Andrew Norman,
a man who has also written biographies about Arthur Conan Doyle, TE Lawrence and Sir Francis Drake.
As we all know, there's been a lot of mystery surrounding Jane Austen's love
life over the years, but Andrew Norman believes he has solved at least part of this mystery by identifying the man whom Jane
Austen truly loved - and its not Tom Lefroy.
An
article regarding the book published on May 25, 2009 by Telegraph.co.uk states: "A new biography of Jane Austen claims to have identified Dr Samuel Blackall as the mystery suitor who broke the
novelist's heart and sparked a rift with her sister." Could this be true? We'll all have to read and find
out!
"All Things Austen" by Kirsten Olsen
was recently advertised in the latest issue of Jane Austen's Regency World magazine, and it sounds really interesting!
It can be found on Amazon.com and also directly from the publisher.
Here's part of the description from Amazon:
Willoughby (Sense and Sensibility) drives a curricle not a gig - what does this say about him? Captain Wentworth
(Persuasion) and Fanny's brother William (Mansfield Park) follow the 'King's Service' at
sea - what sort of life did they find there? Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Pride and Prejudice) is called Lady Catherine,
not Lady de Bourgh - what does this very important distinction signify? Abridged from the critically acclaimed All Things
Austen (Greenwood, 2005), this similarly formatted encyclopedia takes readers from the works of Jane Austen into her
universe. More than 70 alphabetically arranged entries provide rich and fascinating historical details on the form and function
of everyday and obscure objects that are mentioned in her novels. A selection of illustrations accompany the lively and often
humorous entries that bring her fiction to life.
This is the hottest book to be released in
ages. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" has been flying off store shelves. Have you read it yet? Drop us a line
and let us know!
For any of you Janeites out there who love
the whole idea of time-travelling back to Jane Austen's England, the "Lost In Austen" DVD is a must! It was
recently released in the United States on April 14th, and it's hilarious. It involves the main character, Amanda Price,
exchanging places with Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and the chaos that ensues. For all of you ladies that have
always wished that you could meet the real Mr. Darcy, this one is for you!
I was recently made aware of the following
book entitled Longbourn by Nicholae Gertsner when the publisher sent me an email regarding its release.
Its another sequel style novel based on characters from Pride and Prejudice and it sounds quite
interesting. Here is a description from the publisher:
After Algernon Bennet endures twenty years of exasperating marital bliss, his lady suddenly dies.
He misses her, but, recovering from the shock, finds the sensation comparable to removing tight shoes. He looks forward to
enjoying the unexpected tranquility of single life at his beloved estate, Longbourn.
Instead of enjoying tranquility, he is obliged to dash across the country to save a daughter
and her rascal husband from debtor’s prison. Then he must try to free his young parson, who is already in prison after
being falsely accused of theft.
As a distraction from ever-increasing
chaos, he amuses himself by making William Collins, the pompous heir to Longbourn, fear that circumstance will deprive him
of his coveted inheritance. Miss Pepper, his daughter’s impertinent companion, looks on, more than willing to help him
play his game.
This is a novel that was recently introduced to me by our group's newsletter editor, Marilyn Saunders. I had
never heard of it before, and I'd wager that not many Jane Austen fans have. It sounds fantastic though! Here's what
Amazon had to say about it:
The first
Jane Austen sequel ever written!
Originally published in 1914,
this charming and original sequel to the novels of Jane Austen intertwines the lives of the most beloved characters from all
six Austen novels with new characters of the author's devising. Inventive matchmaking leads numerous pairs of lovers through
the inevitable (and entertaining) difficulties they must encounter before they are united in the end.
Old Friends and New Fancies is a
gratifying read for any Jane Austen enthusiast.
"This is the ultimate Jane Austen sequel....Virtually all
the characters left standing at the end of the novels-most particularly the unmarried ones-must all meet up... Broken engagements
will follow, a few false trails and threatened unacceptable matches must be endured before the Forces of Good prevail."
-Charles Wenz, Life Member of the Jane Austen Society
