Novel Advice Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters

From an Emmy Award–winning writer, witty and hilarious advice to classic literary characters—from Lady Macbeth to Victor Frankenstein—on how to cope with their most arduous, “real-life” struggles.

Why do we love literature? There are many reasons, of course, but one of them has to be that we find the characters relatable. Even while fictional, their problems and predicaments feel real, speaking to human nature and reality even when wrapped in fantastical or romantic packaging.

When a real-world person has a problem, they turn to their friends, family, therapists—and advice columnists. In Novel Advice, our favorite characters from classic literature do just that, writing in to Aunt Antigone, the “agony aunt for the fictional” who dishes out practical advice, along with a fair dose of snark.

By turns amusing, touching, and enlightening, see what Aunt Antigone has to say about:
-Relationships, with advice for Ophelia and Ishmael about their dating woes
-Careers and Work, when Dr. Jekyll searches for the perfect work/life balance
-Mental Health, when Scarlett O’Hara wants tips about the best way to handle stress
-Finances, in response to Mrs. Bennet’s request for tips to manage her money woes
-Community and Society, as when Hester Prynne writes in for help with her judgy neighbors​

Emmy Award–winning writer Jay Bushman imaginatively considers those scenarios and dozens more. He shines a light not only on the key themes and plot points found in our favorite classic novels and plays, but also on the human nature that lies beneath these enduring works of fiction.

Perfect for fans of Texts from Jane Eyre, Tequila Mockingbird, and booklovers everywhere, this book is a hilarious and thought-provoking look at our favorite literary characters seeking help from an advice columnist with her own dramatic background.

Jay Bushman has a long history of chopping up classic works of literature into new and surprising formats. He won an Emmy Award as a writer and transmedia producer on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, the hit transmedia modernization of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and was the cocreator/showrunner of its sequel interactive series Welcome To Sanditon. Jay wrote one of the first Twitter novels, The Good Captain, a scifi adaptation of Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, and his blog reimagining of Spoon River Anthology was honored in the International Symposium on Electronic Art. Jay has written interactive experiences for stories like Disney’s Haunted Mansion, Game of Thrones, 13 Reasons Why, Terminator, and Arrival. JayBushman.com