From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: English novelist Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, the seventh of eight children of Rev. George Austen and his wife Cassandra Austen, nee Leigh. Her six major novels concern the pursuit of security, and love, for women dependent upon marriage among the landed … Continue reading 10 Facts You May Not Know About Jane Austen and Her Novels