Review: Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress

Post crazy migraine that has been haunting me since last night, I'm sneaking online to share my review of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.  This great compilation of short stories center on the nearly infallible Ms. Austen and her wonderful novels.  What more need I say?

Whether you are a fair weather fan  of Jane Austen, or a die hard Janeite, Jane Austen Made Me Do It has a wonderful variety of original short stories to catch any reader's attention.  Some of the stories are retellings, based on the characters in Austen's famous novels.  Other stories are modernizations, featuring Austen characters or themes.  Honestly, there is a little something for everyone. 

Longtime Austen fans will quickly recognize the authors featured in this compilation.  Authors like Lauren Willig, Laurie Viera Rigler, and Beth Pattillo (to name a few) have short stories in the book, alongside a few newbies like Brenna Aubrey, who was the winner of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest that was held at The Republic of Pemberley (as mentioned in Laurel's guest post on Sunday).  Regardless of the author, the stories are filled with great character sketches, romantic longing, and Austen-like whimsy.  For readers who are hesitant to try out a retelling or modernization, this is a great way to try out the stories available on the market, as many of these authors have also published longer Austen-expired novels. 

Without going into too much information about each of the stories, let me just share a few that I really enjoyed.  One of my favorites was "When Only a Darcy Will Do," by Beth Pattillo, in which Mr. Darcy steps into a modern tale and sweeps the heroine and reader off their feet--yet again.  Although I honestly enjoyed each story, a few others that stood out to me were those based on Persuasion, which I keep hoping some of these authors will take on and write more about (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).  "Waiting: A Story Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion" by Jane Odiwe was a delightful peek inside Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot's long awaited for reunion, and had me loving this sweet story even more.  I also got a real chuckle out of "Intolerable Stupidity," by Lauren Willig, which is a literary courtroom drama that puts the authors of these retellings and modernizations on trial.  The playful mix of Austen characters, stories, and tongue in cheek poke at authors such as those who wrote stories for the book, was too smart for words!  And to top it off, I 100% agree with the winner of the short story contest, "The Love Letter" by Brenna Aubrey; its modern equivalent for Persuasion had me cheering on love that can endure.

I swore I wouldn't pick out individual stories, but I hope that the few I highlighted--out of a book filled with delightful treasures--will better show the nice range included in the book.  There are homages to Northanger Abbey's Gothic ghost story, episodes with the newly wed Darcys, and even Emma.  Whether you are a true-blue Janeite, fair-weather Austen fan, or formerly-nervous Austen purist, this book has a great selection of stories for every reader.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on an advanced copy provided by the publisher & Netgalley.

Don't forget to stop by the "Guest Blog & Giveaway" post to hear more from Laurel Ann Nattress about this fun compilation, and also to enter to win a copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.  The giveaway ends this Sunday, November 13th, so stop by today!

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Laurel Ann Nattress of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

I am so excited to have the wonderful Laurel Ann Nattress from Austenprose and the editor of the newly released Jane Austen Made Me Do It.  I'll be posting my review of the book tomorrow, but let me just say that Jane Austen Made Me Do It has been such a fabulously entertaining and relaxing read over the last several weeks.  When I was pushed to the wall to get grading finished, I could escape into one of the  many short stories in this compilation.  As a Jane Austen fan, this really was the perfect book for a nice escape from the daily grind.

Having said that, let me introduce Laurel Ann Nattress!

Hi Becky, it is a pleasure to be here at One Literature Nut during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere in celebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. One of the most rewarding aspects of editing the anthology was working with the twenty-four authors. With such a mix of personalities and styles, we were bound to get an equally varied assortment of stories – and we did! From Regency to contemporary, romantic to comical, there is something here for everyone.

One of the stories, “The Love Letter,” by Brenna Aubrey, I am particularly proud of. It was selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest that was held online at The Republic of Pemberley last January. The contest was my idea. I thought that since Jane Austen had dedicated much of her life to her craft, that fostering new writers was in the spirit of her ideals. My editor was also very excited about the project. We worked on the concept and the rules while Myretta Robens, the web mistress of our host site, created the pages and story board.

The contest ran for six weeks and we had hope for about twenty to thirty stories. Imagine our surprise when eighty-eight stories arrived! And, best of all was the variety and quality. The public had a chance to vote for the Top Ten Finalists, and my editor and myself had the difficult task of selecting the winner. I had been particularly moved by Brenna’s story the first time I had read it, and just loved it. I was thrilled when my editor revealed to me that she felt the same way and we were in agreement of the winner. The day I called Brenna at home was very memorable for me. She was so quiet when I called. I could hear the trepidation in her voice. When I finally told her that her story had been selected the Grand Prize Winner, there was silence, and then elation.

I think readers will be as moved as my editor and myself by “The Love Letter.” Here is a description:

“The Love Letter,” by Brenna Aubrey

Young doctor Mark Hinton thinks his life is perfect.  He is just about to finish his residency and has accepted the offer of a fabulous new job.  Things could not be better…  until the arrival of an anonymous letter in the mail forces him to confront the truth he’s been hiding from for seven years.

Sent on a quest by the mysterious contents of the letter, he is forced to discover the contents of his own heart thanks to Jane Austen, a canny librarian, a cantankerous patient, and a coolly observant sister.

Since the release of Jane Austen Made Me Do It on October 11, 2011, the reaction to Brenna’s story by readers has been amazing. Many reviewers have mentioned it as one of their favorites in the collection. That is especially rewarding for me. I feel like I have had a small hand in the beginnings of a talented new writers career. Jane Austen would be happy with that!

Thanks again Becky for letting me share Brenna’s story with you today. I hope that your readers enjoy “The Love Letter” as much as I did and can bask with me in my pride of playing a small part in spotlighting her talent.

Cheers, Laurel Ann    

Editor bio:

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. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributor to the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine. An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottage near Snohomish, Washington. Visit Laurel Ann at her blogs Austenprose.com and JaneAustenMadeMeDoIt.com, on Twitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart, edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Ballantine Books • ISBN: 978-0345524966

Giveaway of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Enter a chance to win one copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It by leaving a comment by Sunday, November 13th, stating what intrigues you about reading an Austen-inspired short story anthology. Winners to be drawn at random and announced on Monday, November 14th. Shipment to US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck to all!

Review: Bloody Valentine by Melissa De La Cruz

This week has been Spring Break, which was a much needed escape from work.  I had all sorts of goals to read and get ahead on blog posts and reviews, but I should have known I would be sitting here on Thursday wishing I had just one more week!  Since I don't have one more week, I better get a move on and write the reviews I have waiting, right?  One of the reviews I've had is for Melissa De La Cruz's small short story selection from the Blue Blood series. 

Synopsis:  This installment in the Blue Blood series is a short compilation of three short stories from characters we've been reading about.  The first story is told from Oliver's perspective, Schuyler's close friend who has been put through the wringer in the series.  The second is from Allegra's point of view, showing the earlier years in Schuyler's mother's life, including the choices she had to make that got her where she is in our series.  The final story is told about Schuyler and Jack, bringing there story together in a little more detail.

Although this is a short story collection, I would not recommend this before reading at least the first four or five books in the series.  Some of the characters and situations would feel odd and unfamiliar without more of the story already in place.

Review:  Altogether, this was a nice, easy collection of stories.  Oliver's initial story in the book set a fairly depressing tone, especially since I always felt for him.  His story seems to try to make you feel that Oliver will somehow be "okay," but I felt overwhelming sadness for this character and all he's been through as Schuyler's much-used friend (talk about an understatement).

The other two stories in the collection were nice additions to the back story that we've wanted.  I've especially wanted to know more about Schuyler's mother, and this collection gave us a small glimpse into her story. 

On the whole, this is a well-written compilation.  If you have read the series (and I would definitely recommend you read the other books beforehand), these stories are a nice addition to what we know about the characters.  Besides, the cover is so pretty, how could you resist picking it up to get a little more to the back story?!?

Author Highlight: Sherman Alexie

This is one of those posts that I've stewed about for over a month, mulling over the details and information I wanted to share. You see, last month I had the wonderful opportunity to go hear Sherman Alexie, famed author, speak at King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. Alexie made a comment/joke about graduate students that approach him with reverential awe, and even though my grad schools days are a handful of years behind me now, I will admit to a certain reverential excitement to my attendance that night. Even I laugh at myself, but I can't begin to say how excited I was to be able to attend his reading and signing.

In graduate school, I actually focused my research on Native American & ethnic literatures (more specifically, the teaching of such texts). Through my time studying these texts, my major professor at the time gave me the wonderful opportunity to go with him into his undergraduate, ethinic literature course and teach Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. In preparation, I poured over his work, reading his essays and poems, and marking the discussion points from the novel that I wanted the students to grasp. It was in this process, that I stumbled across his essay, "Superman and Me," which I still frequently take into the classroom so that I can discuss sentence construction and language. Was I a huge fan going into his visit here? Um...considering how many hours I spent studying, writing, and teaching his texts, I'd say that's a big YES!

Alexie was born in 1966, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He was born with water on the brain, and had to have surgery for it at the age of six months. In his appearances, and in books such as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian (which I read and reviewed this summer), discuss or include his experiences with hydrocephalus. Alexie attended high school off of the reservation, and later went on to Gonzaga University, later transferring to Washington State University.

Alexie first began his writing career by writing poetry. His first two volumes of poetry, The Business of Fancydancing and I Would Steal Horses, were both published, and are heralded by many authors, teachers, and readers. He has since worked on film, Smoke Signals, and published a lengthy list of novels that have received much notice and acclaim. Some of the novels he has written include: Reservation Blues, Indian Killer, and Flight, not to mention his books of short stories and poetry, The Toughest Indian in the World, Ten Little Indians, and War Dances, to name a few.

Much of Alexie's work is filled with an irony and humor that can't be passed up without asking someone nearby to, "listen to what I just read." I've literally been known to call up friends and family while I'm in the middle of reading one of his poems or narratives, to share something I thought was poignant or downright hilarious. More often than not, it was the amazing humor and depth of understanding in explaining cultural difference that has me always coming back for more. Literally, I can't get enough of his work.

At the book signing, I will say that his humor was colorful, and had me blushing a couple of times and looking around to see other people's response to his insights and jokes. He is a great speaker, and doesn't shy away from politics, culture, or gender. In short, I found him captivating in his honesty, and I will admit to laughing A LOT during his reading and introduction. (Below is the one picture I was able to salvage from the book signing. I had the person behind me in line snap the picture with my iPhone, and as happens, the camera moved while snapping the photo, so we're all blurry and crazy looking. Fun, but not good enough to post!)

For more information on Sherman Alexie, to read his essays or poems, or to get more information on his published works, see his official website ShermanAlexie.com for details. Also, for prices on his books, see Sherman Alexie's Amazon Page.

Soon to follow, I will be posting my review of his most recent collection of short stories and poems in War Dances. I even have an extra copy and will be hosting a giveaway, so stay tuned!