Jan Ashe: My Obsession with Jane Austen

Welcome Jan Ashe to Darcyholic Diversions!

Hi, Darcyholics!  It is very nice to welcome a good JAFF friend, Jan Ashe, to Darcyholic Diversions.  Jan is the chairman of the upcoming Jane Austen Society of North America-Georgia Region's Jane Austen Inspired Literature Tent at the Decatur Book Festival this Labor Day Weekend.  I have been working with her as the author liaison and program chairman.  I know you will enjoy getting to know her.  Please click on the Button to the Left of this post for more information about the our plans for the upcoming Decatur Book Festival. Hope that you will consider joining us--whether you are an author, blogger or fan.

This has been a busy week and a half of posts.  There are many opportunities for upcoming drawings, so don't miss posts with double giveaways from Kara Louise, Becky Thumann and Sharon Lathan as well as the one from Gayle.  Read ALL of them and don't forget to comment!  Comments are how you WIN those giveaways!

Upcoming Guest Posts Are As Follows:
June 12--Shannon Winslow
June 15--Karen Wasylowski
June 19--Krista Bagley
June 22--Stephanie Hamm
June 26--Laurel Ann Nattress
June 29--Pam Dixon
July 3--Jennifer Petkus
July 6--Karen Aminada
July 10--Marilyn Brant
July 13--Meredith Esparanza
July 17--Lori Smith
July 20--Bernadette
July 24--Barbara Tiller Cole: Christmas in July
July 27--Amy Cecil
July 31--Maria Grace
August 3--Wendi S.
August 7--Moira B.
And Many more to come!

&*&*&*&*&*&

Comments on Jan's post will be entered into the monthly drawings here at Darcyholic Diversions.  Winners will be selected along with other June winners, at the beginning to July.  Entries will be based on comments on blog posts; but additional chances will be given for joining this site, tweeting this post, Joining this site as a member via Google Friend Connect (GFC) (See the left hand column on the blog to join!), sharing this on Facebook or your blog, Friend me on Facebook, clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook page, Join Darcyholic Diversions Facebook Page or following BarbTCole on Twitter.
 

My Obsession with Jane Austen

When did it start?  I was an adolescent during the era of Elvis Presley and the Korean and Vietnam Wars and remember where I was the day JFK was shot.  None of these inspired me to fanaticism. Even then I was drawn to, as Bush put it, a simpler and gentler America/time. Even in grade school, the music, movies and books of eras past caught my attention.  In particular I loved period pieces and classical music and imagining stories in my head, stories without violence and crime or hatred.

Now, half a century later, I still prefer these things.  Yes, I have jotted down some of the stories in my head… No, I have never posted/published them.  Why not?  Ego and fear – both of which are too big and too fragile to overcome – and laziness – creating and editing is hard work.

Hmm.. I drifted off topic .. which is typical of one of my major shortcomings – distracted by another tangent in my thoughts .. eh-hm .. back on track ..

My Obsession with Jane Austen, Take Two

My favorite Jane Austen novels are Persuasion and Mansfield Park. What? say those who know my obsession with P&P fan fiction. But Yes, they are my favorite Jane Austen to read and for characters and storyline.  But my favorite fan fiction is far and away those inspired by P&P.  I love P&P fan fiction. I can’t seem to get enough of it.  I keep expecting to reach the point that I say “Enough, I’m tired of D&E!”  But, here I am, more than 500 stories read and I’m not even close to saying that. How do I know 513? – well, that’s easy.  I keep a list.  Early on I realized I was going to run into trouble keeping my Read and TBR (To Be Read) separate so I started writing them down, putting a synopsis and my opinion for each book as I finished it.  That list grew once I found the JAFF Index (BTC-Editor's Note--jaffindex.com) - a goldmine of information. 

Now I have a spreadsheet with all the stories and I add to it weekly with newly published works and WIPs. To add to the plethora of data I store on JAFF, I also track the ‘what they own/read/like’ for my daughter and daughter-in-law.  You see, we have a one-for-all and all-for-one philosophy about our JAFF books. Lol … many is the time I have gotten a call to see if we own or have a copy of a story they found for sale at a good price.  Since I keep track of alternate titles too - it has saved us some disappointment more than once.  My wonderful but spoiled daughter in law (DIL) won’t go to websites to read but is insatiable, so I copy and format stories to her specifications and send them to her to put on her iPad.

Did I mention I can’t get enough?  I am completely addicted!  I will gorge myself on JAFF to the exclusion of Real Life responsibilities and tasks? To be honest, our RL now incorporates JAFF as one of its basic realities. Reminiscent of the days when women were home as housewives and became invested in daily soap operas whose characters became the subject of conjecture and discussion and emotional expression just as if they were the next door neighbors.  My daughter, DIL and now my friends in the JAFF world have conversations about the stories and the plots as if they were real and not some author’s invention.  We actually care about these characters and the angst and joys in their ‘lives’.

Our extended family members roll their eyes and gently chide, but basically leave us to our mania.  We even travelled to a three day retreat and joined with authors and readers to talk about Jane Austen and JAFF.  Every minute was wonderful.   Being part of a lovely sisterhood of intelligent, friendly, caring women provides a welcome catharsis against the realities of working and living in the 21^st century.

And it was fond memories of that delightful Gatlinburg weekend that caused me to become very enthused when I heard the JASNA-Atlanta Chapter was going to be involved in the Decatur Book Festival this year.  How exciting – to have JA inspired writers here to sign books and talk about their craft!  And before I knew it I became actively involved in planning and preparing for this big event Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1 and 2.  We are getting together things to dress our tents Regency style, preparing our Regency costumes to wear that day, completing crafts, gathering bookshelves, etc.  Lots of loving hands pulling together hoping to honor Jane Austen and our visiting authors.  I believe we can bring together Jane purists with Austen inspired writers and readers and all enjoy together the wonderful legacy she left us.  I hope to see lots of authors, fiction and non-fiction, sharing two days of discussion and fellowship, united in our appreciation of Jane Austen – Then And Now (the theme of the JASNA tents).

Oh, I could ramble on and say so much more but think it best to close for now.  Happy reading to you all and I hope to see you in September at the DBF.

 Link For the Latest Info About the Decatur Book Festival!