Gaming counters, or gaming tokens, were held by individuals and used over and over again when playing a wide range of games, particularly gambling ones. Values would be set at the start of each session and payment would be made at the end, when each player would again collect up...
Last week, on Thursday the 12th of March, I was invited to talk about the far-reaching impact of Jane Austen. The event was hosted by Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky as part of a community outreach in association with Woodford Theatre, a local theater presenting Sense and Sensibility later this...
It is a tremendous pleasure to welcome my pal and fellow Austen Author Brenda J Webb. Brenda came into my life at a time I was feeling especially alone and betrayed. She gave her friendship selflessly, her honesty and sincere support a soothing balm when I desperately needed it. Now...
My guess is that most reading this blog post today have already packed up their Christmas decorations and kicked the shriveled tree to the curb for disposal. Am I right? What is Sharon thinking to write a post about Christmas on January 6? Ah! Bear with me my dear friends,...
It is a delight to welcome Julie Klassen to my blog today. I met Julie at the 2013 JASNA AGM in Minneapolis when we were fortunate to be seated next to each other at the author signing. I have a personally signed novel to prove it! And this image here,...
I am delighted to welcome Jeanna Ellsworth to my blog today! Jeanna is a new author friend, one I am SO pleased to have grown acquainted with this year. Much like me, Jeanna writes Austenesque novels with a positive message and hints of spirituality. I am fortunate to count myself...
Love ’em or hate ’em, Jane Austen mash-ups are everywhere! By definition, a “mash-up” is a derivative work consisting of two pieces of media conjoined together. In the Austen world this was originally attributed to movies like Clueless and Bridget Jones’ Diary where Austen characters and plotlines were set into modern...
The word “Gothic” conjures a host of imagery to us these days. For the moment let’s set aside visions of head-to-toe black painted and garbed Marilyn Manson. LOL! Instead, let’s delve into the history so as to learn what the term meant in the Regency Era, specifically in relation to...
I am an unabashed fan of the 2005 Joe Wright movie version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This movie was my introduction to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, and all the others, so without a doubt this colors my opinion. I have seen several of the other adaptations, enjoying them...
I stumbled across this article several years ago and posted it on the blog in 2007. I figured why not share again for those who may not have read it then? The article was written by Bruce Ward for canada.com in December of 2005, weeks after the 2005 version of...
Last time I posted a Pride & Prejudice character quiz, the responses were overwhelming numerous, but also with friendly “complaints” at how easy it was. To be honest, I think all of you know Pride and Prejudice so well that stumping you is next to impossible! I would probably have better...
Austen is all over Facebook. Somehow her fictional characters have crossed over the space/time continuum and all of them have their own pages! Twitter too! A simple search will find everyone from Mr. Darcy to Mary Crawford to Elinor Tilney, and they are an extremely friendly lot, so if you...
These are characters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen describing themselves in their own words. See how well you can do! My father is a knighted gentleman of modest means. Unfortunately his wealth is not huge enough to provide me with a large dowry and because I am rather...
For the past few days, while I wait for the print version of Darcy and Elizabeth: A Season of Courtship to be delivered so I can review it for final publishing, I decided to have a bit of fun. Creativity in various ways appeals to me, so I set up...
My post on Cinematic Lovers on February 7 was quite popular. For some reason a plethora of romance movie aficionados haunt my blog. Shocking! Since that recognition quiz was handled so well, I composed another lovers quiz. This one contains images of couples from Jane Austen movies. All are married,...
