Welcome to “Z” Day here at Austenprose, the start of open season on zombies in the Jane Austen universe! In honor of the launch today of Dreadfully Ever After, the third installment in the world-wide sensation Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, we are celebrating "Z" Day with a contest and tons of giveaways. Yes, gentle... Continue Reading →
A Preview of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After (the sequel), by Steve Hockensmith
More zombies in our Jane Austen. Rising from the grave (yet again) is the next installment in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies franchise, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, by Steve Hockensmith. Due out in March 2011, this sequel to the bestselling Jane Austen and Seth Grahame Smith literary mash-up Pride and... Continue Reading →
Jane and the Damned, by Janet Mullany – A Review
It is 1797, and twenty-one-year-old Jane Austen’s first attempt at publication, First Impressions, has been "Declined by Return of Post". Disheartened, but not dejected, she attends the Basingstoke Assembly with her sister Cassandra. One would think that “to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love,” not to be turned into... Continue Reading →
Cousin Kate, by Georgette Heyer – A Review
From the desk of Chris:Â Kate Malvern just lost her job as governess and is staying with her old nurse Sarah until she gets a new situation. Sarah doesn't like the idea of her Kate, whose father was a gentleman despite being a soldier and a gambler, hiring herself out to anyone who asks. Kate... Continue Reading →
Emma and the Vampires, by Wayne Josephson – A Review
Austen and vampires. Two powerhouse pop culture juggernauts. Mash them up and they are irresistible to publishers eager to feed on the Twilight & Trueblood craze. Here is a new novel that transforms Emma, Austen’s masterpiece of astute characterization and social reproof into a tale of Undead matchmaking blunders and vampire battles. Will Miss Woodhouse... Continue Reading →
The Quiet Gentleman, by Georgette Heyer – A Review
From the desk of Deb Barnum: The return of Gervase Frant, Earl St. Erth, to his ancestral home of Stanyon Castle following the death of his father should, by all events, be a time for celebration. But he finds his step-mother and younger step-brother quite disappointed that he has managed to survive his war service... Continue Reading →
Austen Book Sleuth: New Books in the Queue for August 2010
The Jane Austen book sleuth is happy to inform Janeites that many Austen inspired books are heading our way in August, so keep your eyes open for these new titles. Audio The Convenient Marriage, by Georgette Heyer, read by Richard Armitage In honor of historical romance novelist Georgette Heyer’s birthday this month, I am sure... Continue Reading →
Dawn of the Dreadfuls, by Steve Hockensmith – A Review
If you have not heard about the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you must be from another planet. The break-out best seller of 2009 (and soon to be a major motion picture starring Natalie Portman) took the publishing industry quite unawares making its co-author Seth Grahame-Smith a hot property, oodles of publicity for its... Continue Reading →
A Bookselling Moment with Dawn of the Dreadfuls, or a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Emergency Room
Happy Easter everyone. I received my Easter egg a day early. It is sitting on top of my head and is not the chocolate variety. Add to that a nice shiner and I feel quite the proper street ruffian. I joke about my enthusiasm to sell Jane Austen to the masses at my job at... Continue Reading →
My Top 20 Favorite Austenesque Books of 2009
Another year – another plethora of Austen inspired sequels, re-tellings, mash-ups and nonfiction fare devoured! In 2009 we saw zombies invade Pride and Prejudice hungry for more brains and ascending the bestseller lists for months, Mr. Darcy go paranormal in a way we could never have imagined before with Mr. Darcy Vampyre, and Jane Austen... Continue Reading →
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, by Amanda Grange – A Review
Among all the hype and circumstance, the highly anticipated Mr. Darcy, Vampyre will hit bookstores this week. Officially it has the honor of being the first vampire-themed Jane Austen sequel in print by a major publisher. I can assure you it will not be the last. This clever concept is not new by any means.... Continue Reading →
Seducing Mr. Darcy, by Gwyn Cready Wins 2009 RITA Award
Congratulations go out to author Gwyn Cready, who was awarded a 2009 RITA for her novel Seducing Mr. Darcy in the Best Paranormal Romance category by the Romance Writers of America® (RWA) at last night’s Awards Ceremony held at RWA’s 29th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. We are so happy that Mr. Darcy seduced the... Continue Reading →