by Janet Mullany

My October release, JANE AUSTEN: BLOOD PERSUASION, is about Jane Austen as a vampire. To write it, I had to learn something about vampires—easy: You sift through the vampire lore and use what suits the plot. I also thought I knew quite a lot about Jane Austen. I didn’t. I wasn’t even sure what I thought about her, other than loving her books, being annoyed by her letters, and critical of most of the movie versions.

The problem is this—we all think we know Jane Austen. We own her. She’s everywhere, on movies, in sequels, prequels, “what-if” novels. She’s cast as a vampire slayer, a detective, or even a vampire. But who was she really and why do we still read her? Her books are brilliant and witty, structured like elegant puzzles, and every time you read one of her books you find something new—or you discover something new within yourself.

Her life was fairly ordinary; she grew up in the country, the youngest daughter of a clergyman, to a family of high achievers. Her brothers had successful careers in the navy and the church, and one brother unexpectedly became heir to several large estates. She had little formal education, and liked to read, dance, play music, and flirt. She enjoyed the company of children and had a great sense of fun. Neither she nor her sister Cassandra married, although Jane received at least one proposal of marriage, one from an eminently suitable young landowner. Jane accepted, thought it over for a night, and broke off the relationship. It was certainly the sort of marriage that a young woman of her background would be expected to make if she was lucky—a “good” marriage to someone known to the family and who would help them out financially if necessary. For reasons we’ll never know, that marriage was not right for her, and she had the sense to know it. Fortunately, the Austen women had a different sort of HEA—the landowner brother Edward provided them with a home where, for the last eight years of her short life, Jane had the security and peace to polish earlier books and write new ones.

Austen’s books deal with the conflict of the heart and the mind, the balance of desire and practicality. Her heroines are nearly always attracted to the sexy rakes, men like Wickham or Frank Churchill or Henry Crawford. But they don’t marry them, and it’s usually a decision they reach on their own. Two centuries later, we still have to make the decision of whom we’ll allow ourselves to love and how we can retain our sense of self within a relationship.

Why do you love Jane Austen? Comment to enter to win an autographed copy of JANE AUSTEN: BLOOD PERSUASION.

Book blurb:

Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion. It’s 1810 and Jane Austen settles down to some serious writing in the peaceful village of Chawton. But it’s not so peaceful when the Damned introduce themselves as her new neighbors. Jane has to deal with the threat of a vampire civil war, her best friend borrowing her precious silk stockings for assignations with the Damned, and a former lover determined to hold a grudge for eternity.

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By Giveaways26 Comments on Thinking about Jane Austen

26 Replies to “Thinking about Jane Austen”

  1. I love Jane Austen because she is the essance of romance. Her books are romantic poetry between lovers.

  2. I love Jane Austen because she makes a person feel like she is there in that time period with the characters she writes about, right in the middle of the story.

  5. Hi Janet, love this post. You’re right about Jane Austen, we read her books, we study her life and literature but she remains a woman of mystery for the most part. Her works speak to us through the years for even though we are modern women with a totally different lifestyle and means than she and Cassandra had, we are still women. She writes characters with whom we can connect and who touch our sensibilities about men and choices pertaining to both the men we choose to love and the ones who choose to love us. We may fantasize about the rakes and the bad boys but nature instills in us the sense to choose the man who will best be our partner … it’s up to us to listen to that good sense and not run off with a Wickham or Crawford even if they have money like Frank Churchill. : )
    Janet, please don’t include me in the drawing for JANE AUSTEN: BLOOD PERSUASION – I already won a copy from you and I am reading it right now. [sigh] Imagine if she had actually been a vampire and being immortal, she could have written even more great novels. : )

  6. Jane Austen’s stories still resonate with me. Despite being written so long ago, her characters still experience familiar situations. Austen’s humor, insights into people’s behavior and emphasis on family and friends is just as interesting and important in 2011.

  7. Hi Janet,

    Welcome to the blog and congrats on your new release! I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice. I love Jane’s books because she has these wonderfully compelling heroes, engaging storylines and great conflict. Oh, and they are timeless.

  8. I have just learned how many P&P variations that are out there and I’ve enjoyed many of them. Her characters stay with you and her stories bring on so many what if’s.

  9. I like Jane Austen in that her stories are timeless. Her novels are still being adapted today for books and movies.

  11. I think I may have read a Jane Austen book in college. I have copies of most of her books here at home and keep trying to get to them. What movies I have watched of made from her books show stories of family, friendship, the importance of doing what is right (even if it is not easy or preferable for you). The stories may take place in Regency England, but their essence is universal and timeless.

  12. It’s Jane Austen’s characters that are simply compelling. She had such a gift. I have grown to love them over the years.

  13. I love Jane because she writes more than a romance. She writes about the humanity of a society. Warts and all. The friendships, the jealousy, the snobs and the poor. Those who are honest and those who are not. Each and everone is portrayed in such a way that though they can be made fun of ,they are still part of our world. Everything sprinkled with great wit… She was a very insightful author & I’m still finding new ways to look at her work. Hidden meanings or little jokes I missed… It’s never dull 😀

  14. I love Jane Austen…her stories are timeless and never get old. Maybe that’s why she translates so well as a vampire!

  15. Bev, please don’t enter me in this contest… I have won in the past, and I love reading your website when I’m not busy. I’m glad to see that Janet throughly researched Jane Austen before turning her into a Vampire, lol. As I wrote in the past Vampires are not my cup of tea, but I know a lot how love reading about them. Blood sucking little things…ew. Please don’t be offended Janet…I do, on rare occasions, read about Vampire, Damphires and such. (Vampire Academy Series comes to mind) Definitely not around Hallows Eve. LOL. It’s going to take some time, like it did with Romance. Good Luck Janet… I know your book will be loved by many.
    Pride and Prejudice, I read in Middle school. I’ve read many books growing up, and when young, my father read to me, (most Fiction). It was the sound of his voice and how he brought out each character that intrigued the most, which then, urged me to reading on my own. I wanted so much to bring out each characters’ emotions, like my father had done.
    To be honest, it took a second read to fully capture the love Jane had put into her books, and that I am glad for. I must sadly admit, Beverley, you weren’t the first romance book I’ve read. It was Jane Austen complete series throughout my school years. After Jane, I went back to my love for adventures…until I read Taste of Desire–and WOW. Now I’m really hooked. My friends find me not only searching through B&N in my normal Genre, they see me wondering in their section–Romance…lol.

  18. Wow, what a lot of comments! I agree that Austen, in her wit and insight is timeless, and she knows how and how much to engage the reader but always leave you room to wonder about what ifs… and she does leave quite a few loose ends. No wonder there are so many spin offs and sequels!

  20. I love Jane Austen because she defied the conventions of her time — she didn’t marry when it was expected of her and she wrote, which was not expected of her.

    She also had a very modern and honest view of the world in her stories — that even centuries later, readers are able to gain insights which can still be applied to our time.

  21. Jane Austen is not just a writer but can see the depths and understand people so well. She is an artist and the books are compelling since they are memorable and treasures.

  22. I love Jane Austen for so many reasons ! She was the first romance author I ever read. I was introduced to her by two retired librarians who moved in next door to our little house in Kelsale England. I read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year and when I do I am transported back to the gorgeous library in their home with the fireplace and the enormous (to a nine year old American girl) leather chairs where I sat and read Austen for hours on end.

    Even after 200 hundred years few people have the insight into the human condition Jane Austen had. She had (and still has) the power to show us the entire person, the good and the bad of an individual, the flaws and the goodness and then makes us fall in love with that character. Something I can only aspire to as a writer.

    And anyone who wants some fabulous takes on Jane Austen should pick up Bespelling Jane Austen !! It features novellas by Janet Mullany, Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason and Susan Krinard – paranormal takes on some Jane Austen stories that you will absolutely LOVE !!

  23. Way neat! I love reading vamps and historical romance together so having Jane Austen as the heroine is a treat! I’ve just read P&P and read it a couple times already. The first time I read it in HS for class (well actually twice then, I sat and read the whole thing on the weekend and then read parts and parts as the class assignment went for it) then last year it was the first time I picked it up to read again and it felt so different. I think because when I got online a few years ago and found all that I missed reading in historical romances, I loved so much I read. And then discovered the traditional regencies after the line went down on those (so glad they are back in re-releases). I find them so much a comfort to read! I just get this huge relaxing feeling that has me smiling through the books. When I re-read P&P it was just so visual, I could so feel, touch, taste everything in P&P that I didn’t the first couple times around. So it just the great feeling and comfort of reading hers. Now I have to decide which of hers next to read. And I get excited when I find a historical vampire (or werewolf) to read and BLOOD PERSUASION (awesome title) sounds great!

    cathiecaffey @ gmail.com

  24. I admit…I’ve never read any Jane Austen. But now I like her because she’s a vampire. Hey, I just moved to Austin. Hmmm…good omen? 🙂

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