Jane Austen Made Me Do It (Ballantine 2011)

Guest Post: A Fine Naval Fervor in Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress

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AustenBlog is delighted to host Laurel Ann Nattress, proprietor of the fabulous Austenprose and editor of the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, for a little tidbit about the anthology. The Editrix had her share in the conversation, er, anthology, as you will read below. LA and I have known each other for a really long time–we were reminiscing how long at the JASNA AGM last week!

Jane Austen Made Me Do It Hi Mags, thanks for graciously inviting me here today on AustenBlog during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere in celebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. It is particularly gratifying to me since you were one of the first authors I reached out to contribute a short story and have been with me through the entire publication process. You have always been so incredibly supportive of me and my blog Austenprose, advising me on the technical geeky stuff, SEO, social media and all-around advice guru. I sincerely thank you. [Aww. –Ed.]

Captain Frederick MarryatI was really intrigued when you told me that your inspiration for your story would be from two sources: Captain Frederick Marryat’s novel Peter Simple and Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Honestly I was expecting the further exploits from The Very Secret Diary of Henry Tilney, so this was a jolting surprise! After you explained that Peter Simple was an Age of Sail novel written by an English Royal Navy officer, it all started to make sense. I knew that in addition to our shared passion for our “dear Jane” that you were a huge Captain Horatio Hornblower fan who had studied naval history and lore from the era. I was astonished that you were able to pull a plot element out of Peter Simple about sailors receiving family letters and selling them to their shipmates for entertainment and then make the leap to creating your story, “Heard of You,” about the early career of Austen’s Captain Wentworth and Admiral Croft. I remember reading the first draft and shaking my head in amazement at how you pulled it all together. I was truly touched by the story and I hope that readers will be too. Continue reading

Vote for a new writer in Jane Austen Made Me Do It short-story contest

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The stories are all in, and the voting has commenced! Check out the stories submitted to the Jane Austen Made Me Do It contest. The story receiving the most votes will be featured in the anthology. The ten stories receiving the most votes will be finalists for inclusion in the anthology. Check out the stories, and then be sure to vote–only one vote allowed per person! Voting ends February 28–that’s tomorrow, Monday–so make haste!

ETA: My bad!

It’s not too late to enter the Jane Austen Made Me Do It short story contest

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If you are an aspiring author who would like to join the Jane Austen Made Me Do It group of authors, follow the link to find out how to submit your own Austen-inspired short story for possible inclusion in the anthology. You can enter until February 13, 2011, so make haste!

Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest Announced

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Aspiring Authors, would you like a chance to have your Jane Austen-inspired story included in the upcoming anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, edited by the lovely and accomplished Laurel Ann Nattress, doyenne of Austenprose? The anthology is tentatively scheduled to be published by Ballantine in the autumn of 2011, and the Editrix will have her share in the conversation. One lucky author will have a short story chosen for inclusion in the anthology as a result of this contest.

The contest, hosted by the Republic of Pemberley, is open to unpublished authors 18 years of age or older residing in the U.S.* Manuscripts must be submitted between January 1, 2011 and February 13, 2011. Ten finalists will be chosen by voting at RoP, and the editor and publisher will choose the grand prize winner. Grand prize is publication in the anthology, naturally, and payment of $500. Be sure to check out the complete list of rules, and get writing!

*Not in the U.S.? Consider the short-story competition being sponsored by Chawton Library!