Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Stories by: Lauren Willig " Adriana Trigiani " Jo Beverley " Alexandra Potter " Laurie Viera Rigler " Frank Delaney & Diane Meier " Syrie James " Stephanie Barron " Amanda Grange " Pamela Aidan " Carrie Bebris " Diana Birchall " Monica Fairview " Janet Mullany " Jane Odiwe " Beth Pattillo " Myretta Robens " Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway " Maya Slater " Margaret C. Sullivan " and the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley website “My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.� If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen-her novels, her life, her wit, her world. In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger,� a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting� captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane� imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat,� our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales� based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity� finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!� a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; and in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,� a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise. Regency or contemporary, romantic or fantastical, each of these marvelous stories reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. RandomHouseReadersCircle.com

A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress is the author/editor of Austenprose.com, a blog devoted to the oeuvre of her favorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. Nattress is a lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and a regular contributor to the PBS blog Remotely Connected. Classically trained as a landscape designer at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, she has also worked in marketing for a Grand Opera company and at present she delights in introducing neophytes to the charms of Miss Austen’s prose as a professional bookseller. An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottage near Seattle, Washington, where it rains a lot.