Greetings from the new JASNA Website Manager! Sharon Lathan here to say howdy and give a brief overview of what's altered. Maybe I am crazy but I actually enjoy messing around with websites. Carrie needed help and I was happy to step up. Together we are brainstorming of ways to make our region's website interesting and dynamic. These projects are naturally works-in-progress, but here is what we have so far---

1. An improved membership page in a FAQ format with details on membership requirements, fees, benefits of JASNA, and an easy-breezy registration form.

2. Informational pages on JASNA and Jane herself. Curious about the various movie adaptations of her novels? You will find it on the "Jane Austen" page!

3. "Beyond Jane" will explore and link to the numerous books, movies, music, etc. that have been inspired by love-for-Jane, including my own humble offerings. 

Other tidbits are scattered here and there - Did you notice the "Jane Says" quote? - and every page has been updated.

Of course, "brainstorming" is always better with lots of brains involved. SO, we want to invite our members and guests to assist. Stories of Jane-love are welcomed. How did you first discover Jane? Have you written pretty verse or a song inspired by P&P? Any great experiences in a Jane related adventure? Ever traveled to Bath and want to brag? Met Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen and he assisted you into the carriage?

OK, maybe that last one is my own fantasy, but perhaps you get the idea! We welcome you to share your anecdotes and memories. Send anything of interest to me or Carrie. Our email addresses are on the "Contact" page.

For now simply have fun exploring. Insights or noticed errors are appreciated. Enjoy yourself and by all means, JOIN JASNA where the fun never ends! 

Ta-Ta for now, Sharon

Hi everyone,

I'm SO happy to say that our website is officially updated! It's taken me a little while, but every page has been updated now to reflect all recent changes and new activity. Please be sure to see the Jane Austen Festival page, the Ivory Byte page for all of our latest newsletter issues, and our Members page with photos from our most recent meetings.

Thank you everyone for your patience with me, and I hope you enjoy the site! If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please drop me a line.

See you next month at our "Pride, Prejudice and Romance" meeting!

-Carrie

Hi everyone!

It's been quite a while since I posted to our blog, partly because there was a bit of a lull in our activities at the end of 2009, and partly because I've been having a lot of issues updating our website. I'm currently working on getting these issues fixed so that I can get everything updated, including a new full page dedicated to our upcoming Jane Austen Festival in May. Please excuse the mess and incomplete pages while I'm working on this, and I will notify everyone as soon as the website is ready with complete information.

Thank you for your patience!

All the best,

Carrie Flores 

Good afternoon everyone!

I want to send out a hearty thank you to everyone who braved the heat on the 18th to come out to our first ever Barnes & Noble Book Fair! It ended up being 110 degrees that day (ouch!) so thank you indeed! We did pretty well, with our total sales adding up to $556. It's a good start, but let's see if we can do even better in October everyone!

I just updated our website with photos from the book fair and also our latest edition of an Ivory Byte, so be sure to check out our Members Page link as well as the Ivory Byte link. Also, I'm very excited to say that we've got over 80 fans on our Facebook page now! The word seems to be getting out about our little group, which will hopefully result in higher numbers for our meetings, so good work everyone!

Try to stay cool in this July heat wave, and be sure to lookout for the August issue of An Ivory Byte soon.

All the best, Carrie

Hey Everyone!

I've got a couple of updates concerning the upcoming JASNA Book Fair at Barnes and Noble.

First of all, in addition to the information table we're going to have set up, we're also now going to have a sign up table where everyone can sign in as soon as they arrive and receive a sticker to let the cashiers know that you're there to support our group when you go to pay for your items. This table is going to be available starting at 11:00 am, so if you're planning on coming to the meet & greet luncheon, you might want to arrive between 11:00 and 11:30 to sign in, then head over to the cafe and meet Marilyn and me for soup, sandwich, coffee or anything else that sounds good! Remember to let the cashier in the cafe know that you're there for the book fair.

Okay, here's the fun part! We've upped the ante a little for this event. We're going to give out a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card to the person who shows up for the meet & greet in the best Regency outfit! Not too shabby, huh? Here are the requirements - you need to be at Barnes & Noble by the end of the meet & greet, which ends at 1:00 pm. Be sure to look for Marilyn or me in the cafe to let us know that you want to be part of the contest. At 1:00, Marilyn and I will judge the costumes and decide who the winner is. It's that simple! This contest will be open to all age ranges, members and non-members alike. So dig out your top hats, bonnets and reticules, be creative with your ensembles, and come to Barnes & Noble prepared to have a good time!

Also, once again, for any of you who have small children or grandchildren, there will be a Children's Storytime event the same day as our book fair beginning at 11:00, and Curious George will be there. Please remember too that if you can't make it to Barnes & Noble during the hours that our group will be there you can still support our group by coming in anytime that day to make a purchase, even if you forget your voucher. Just let the cashier know that you're there for the book fair, and you'll be good to go!

I can't wait to see all of you there - and I really hope we get to see some great costumes that day! Please drop me a line if you have any questions.

All the best,
Carrie Flores