Christina from Book Addict! The random number generator landed on your comment! Congratulations, Christina. Please send me your address. Thank you all for placing such fun and creative comments. Laurie Viera Rigler and I enjoyed reading them.
Showing posts with label Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. Show all posts
Saturday, May 8
The Winner of the Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is ...
Christina from Book Addict! The random number generator landed on your comment! Congratulations, Christina. Please send me your address. Thank you all for placing such fun and creative comments. Laurie Viera Rigler and I enjoyed reading them.
Saturday, April 24
Book Giveaway: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Gentle readers. The paperback version of Laurie Viera Rigler's Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is out. Who can resist the striking blue and purple cover? Readers who live in the US and Canada are eligible to win. All you need to do is leave a comment. Here is the topic: You meet a Regency miss who has mysteriously appeared in your living room. She is all discombobulated and upset at her situation, and doesn't know where she is or how to get back. What's the first thing you will teach her to help her live in the 21st century?The contest is open until mid day May 8, EST US. The winner will be announced in the afternoon of May 8.
Friday, March 5
Follow Friday: Jane Austen Addict
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Follow Friday is a tradition begun by Laurel Ann that I shall continue. My first selection is Laurie Viera Rigler's website, Jane Austen Addict. This site has more bells and whistles than my budgerigar's cage. Laurie, the author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict features videos, a blog, a chatroom, information about her books and tours, and all sorts of what nots. I love the purple and blue cover of the new paperback version of Rude Awakenings, and her many tidbits of information.Wednesday, July 22
Winner announced in the giveaway of a copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Congratulations go out to Laura's Reviews. You are the lucky winner of a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler. Please contact us by July 28th to claim your prize at janeaustentoday at yahoo dot com.A big thank you to author Laurie Viera Rigler for her interview and answers to our readers questions. The turn-out was great, and our thanks to you all for participating.
- Read the original interview of author Laurie Viera Rigler
- Visit Laurie at her website and blog Jane Austen Addict
- Read Vic's review of Rude Awakenings
- Read Laurel's review of Rude Awakenings
Cheers, Vic & Laurel Ann
Monday, July 20
Book Giveaway Reminder
Gentle Readers, Tomorrow is the deadline to leave a comment for a chance to win Laurie Viera Rigler's Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. You've read our reviews (see sidebar), now read for yourselves! Click here for details & to enter the contest.The FABULOUS Georgette Heyer book giveaway contest will stay open until July 31st. One lucky winner will receive 10 Georgette Heyer books, and 5 lucky winners will receive their very own copy of The Grand Sophy. How outstanding is that? Click here to leave your comment.
Wednesday, July 15
Book Give-away & Interview with Laurie Viera Rigler, Author of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Gentle Readers: Austen-esque author Laurie Viera Rigler’s new book Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict was just released in June by Dutton. Please join us for an interview as Laurie chats about her highly anticipated new novel.
Thanks for joining us today Laurie. Your bestselling debut novel Confession of a Jane Austen Addict received rave reviews from critics and fans. Your second novel Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is a mirror story to Confessions. What was your inspiration in developing Jane/Courtney’s story, and how were influenced by your first novel?
First may I say how happy I am to be here on Jane Austen Today, which is one of my favorite blogs? Thanks for inviting me!
When I was writing Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I knew that if my twenty-first-century protagonist, Courtney Stone, was taking over the life of Jane, a nineteenth-century gentleman's daughter in Regency England, then Jane had to be taking over Courtney's life in twenty-first-century L.A. I thought about including that mirror story in the first book, but it just didn't work—Jane's journey in the modern world was a very different journey, and I knew it had to be its own book.
As for how the first novel influenced me, I was pretty sure how Rude Awakenings would end (that is, who Jane would end up with), but I had absolutely no idea how she would get to that point. For me, not knowing is the most fun part of writing—I have no idea what's going to happen next, and how the story unfolds is a constant surprise.
Time travel is an important element in your story requiring readers to “suspend disbelief” and just go with the story as the two characters, Jane Mansfield from 1813 and Courtney Stone from 2009, swap bodies, and lives. Have you always been a fan of time travel, or did you embark on this writing journey because of your "vision" of that four poster bed as you stood in your kitchen? What plot elements of time travel did you use to make Jane's/Courtney's experiences more believable?
I've long been fascinated with the idea of time travel—is there anyone who hasn't fantasized about traveling to another time and place? And is there any Janeite who hasn't wished to go to Regency England?
What particularly fascinates me are the "many worlds" or "parallel worlds" theories of quantum physics in nonfiction works by such visionaries as physicists Brian Greene and Michio Kaku. And in fiction I love the work of novelist David Ambrose, who wrote "The Man Who Turned Into Himself" and "Superstition," two books that will definitely twist your mind into pretzels!
I think of my stories more as tales of parallel realities rather than time travel stories per se. But then again, that view is really a matter of reader's perspective. I didn't consciously make use of any of the conventions of time travel literature in my stories. For me what makes any story believable is my own willingness to believe in it—as the writer I make that leap of faith, and as the reader as well.
The bottom line is that it really was my vision of Courtney awakening in that four-poster bed in Regency England that started me on the journey of writing Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, and consequently Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.
When you wrote Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict did you also have the idea of writing a mirror story for Regency heroine Jane Mansfield time traveling into Courtney Stone’s technology infused world of 2009? How did you decide which plot elements were best to flesh out Jane's/Courtney's new life? Like dancing, modern courtship rituals, or taking a car vs. a carriage.
When I was writing Confessions I realized that Jane's mirror story had to be its own book. I had no idea how the plot was going to unfold, because I don't work from an outline, but I did make a list of what I thought would be most jarring about our twenty-first-century world to a gentleman's daughter from Regency England, and a lot of that list did find its way into the book. Certainly modern courtship rituals and so-called sexual freedom were high up on that list, because I thought these aspects of contemporary life would be even more challenging for Jane to adjust to than mere technology.
Research was obviously an important element in developing a believable and accurate experience for your heroines during both eras in each of the novels. What resources did you use to inspire your historical and modern interpretations? Did you unearth any surprise discoveries or revelations that inspired your plots or characters?
Even before I started writing my first novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I was an avid reader and collector of books and articles about Jane Austen's world. Although Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is almost wholly set in twenty-first-century Los Angeles, it's written from the first-person point of view of a lady from 1813 England, and thus my research of her time had to be extensive. All the work I put into researching the first book, which takes place almost entirely in Regency England, really paid off, but the research didn't end there. One of my most frequently consulted resources in writing Rude Awakenings, aside from Jane Austen's own texts, was my online subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary, because my protagonist's language, both spoken and inner monologue, had to be authentic to the period. It also had to have an arc as she becomes more familiar with, and indeed begins to access from Courtney's memories, the modern lexicon. I got so deeply immersed in the language that I created my own mini-glossary of words that I used in the novel, along with a notation as to whether they had the same meaning then as they do now, and if not, what they did mean. What surprised me was how many commonplace words we use in our modern world that either were not used at all in Jane Austen's day, or had a different shade of meaning.
Jane Austen has obviously inspired your writing life. She chose to write about what she knew, “two or three families in a country village.” Were you influenced by her simple scope and emphasis on character development? Aside from inspiring two books, how has she influenced your own world? Are you indeed the biggest Austen addict of us all?
I could never presume to be the biggest Austen addict of us all, but I can say that I don't see myself giving up Jane Austen any time soon. She is an endless source of wisdom, comfort, and entertainment in my life, which is why being an Austen addict is one of the healthiest addictions I can think of. I get something new out of reading Austen every time I close one of her books. I learn something new about myself, about the people in my life, about human nature and all its beauty and flaws and potential for greatness, about the human heart and its capacity for love and growth and change. That is how Jane Austen has influenced my world, aside from inspiring me to write both of my novels. For that, and for all of her delightfully entertaining stories and enduring words of wisdom, I will always be grateful.
In conclusion, now that you have charmed us with Jane and Courtney’s stories, can you share any future plans for books? Will you stay with the Jane Austen theme, or venture abroad?
Although plans for my next novel are in too early a stage to talk about just yet, I hope that what I love best about Jane Austen will always inform and inspire my writing.
Thank you again Laurie for joining us today. Both Vic & I had a great time reading Rude Awakenings, and wish you all the best with your new novel.
Contest Now Closed: Win a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict personally inscribed to you by author Laurie Viera Rigler. Just post a comment asking Laurie about her writing experience or tell us what you think would be the biggest challenge for a Regency era woman in our 21st-century world. The contest is open to continental US residents only and will end on midnight eastern time Tuesday, July 21st. A winner will be drawn and announced on Wednesday, July 22nd.
Read Vic’s review of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict at Jane Austen’s World
Read Laurel Ann’s review of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict at Austenprose
Purchase Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler
Thanks for joining us today Laurie. Your bestselling debut novel Confession of a Jane Austen Addict received rave reviews from critics and fans. Your second novel Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is a mirror story to Confessions. What was your inspiration in developing Jane/Courtney’s story, and how were influenced by your first novel?First may I say how happy I am to be here on Jane Austen Today, which is one of my favorite blogs? Thanks for inviting me!
When I was writing Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I knew that if my twenty-first-century protagonist, Courtney Stone, was taking over the life of Jane, a nineteenth-century gentleman's daughter in Regency England, then Jane had to be taking over Courtney's life in twenty-first-century L.A. I thought about including that mirror story in the first book, but it just didn't work—Jane's journey in the modern world was a very different journey, and I knew it had to be its own book.
As for how the first novel influenced me, I was pretty sure how Rude Awakenings would end (that is, who Jane would end up with), but I had absolutely no idea how she would get to that point. For me, not knowing is the most fun part of writing—I have no idea what's going to happen next, and how the story unfolds is a constant surprise.
Time travel is an important element in your story requiring readers to “suspend disbelief” and just go with the story as the two characters, Jane Mansfield from 1813 and Courtney Stone from 2009, swap bodies, and lives. Have you always been a fan of time travel, or did you embark on this writing journey because of your "vision" of that four poster bed as you stood in your kitchen? What plot elements of time travel did you use to make Jane's/Courtney's experiences more believable?
I've long been fascinated with the idea of time travel—is there anyone who hasn't fantasized about traveling to another time and place? And is there any Janeite who hasn't wished to go to Regency England?
What particularly fascinates me are the "many worlds" or "parallel worlds" theories of quantum physics in nonfiction works by such visionaries as physicists Brian Greene and Michio Kaku. And in fiction I love the work of novelist David Ambrose, who wrote "The Man Who Turned Into Himself" and "Superstition," two books that will definitely twist your mind into pretzels!
I think of my stories more as tales of parallel realities rather than time travel stories per se. But then again, that view is really a matter of reader's perspective. I didn't consciously make use of any of the conventions of time travel literature in my stories. For me what makes any story believable is my own willingness to believe in it—as the writer I make that leap of faith, and as the reader as well.
The bottom line is that it really was my vision of Courtney awakening in that four-poster bed in Regency England that started me on the journey of writing Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, and consequently Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.
When you wrote Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict did you also have the idea of writing a mirror story for Regency heroine Jane Mansfield time traveling into Courtney Stone’s technology infused world of 2009? How did you decide which plot elements were best to flesh out Jane's/Courtney's new life? Like dancing, modern courtship rituals, or taking a car vs. a carriage.
When I was writing Confessions I realized that Jane's mirror story had to be its own book. I had no idea how the plot was going to unfold, because I don't work from an outline, but I did make a list of what I thought would be most jarring about our twenty-first-century world to a gentleman's daughter from Regency England, and a lot of that list did find its way into the book. Certainly modern courtship rituals and so-called sexual freedom were high up on that list, because I thought these aspects of contemporary life would be even more challenging for Jane to adjust to than mere technology.
Research was obviously an important element in developing a believable and accurate experience for your heroines during both eras in each of the novels. What resources did you use to inspire your historical and modern interpretations? Did you unearth any surprise discoveries or revelations that inspired your plots or characters?
Even before I started writing my first novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I was an avid reader and collector of books and articles about Jane Austen's world. Although Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is almost wholly set in twenty-first-century Los Angeles, it's written from the first-person point of view of a lady from 1813 England, and thus my research of her time had to be extensive. All the work I put into researching the first book, which takes place almost entirely in Regency England, really paid off, but the research didn't end there. One of my most frequently consulted resources in writing Rude Awakenings, aside from Jane Austen's own texts, was my online subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary, because my protagonist's language, both spoken and inner monologue, had to be authentic to the period. It also had to have an arc as she becomes more familiar with, and indeed begins to access from Courtney's memories, the modern lexicon. I got so deeply immersed in the language that I created my own mini-glossary of words that I used in the novel, along with a notation as to whether they had the same meaning then as they do now, and if not, what they did mean. What surprised me was how many commonplace words we use in our modern world that either were not used at all in Jane Austen's day, or had a different shade of meaning.
Jane Austen has obviously inspired your writing life. She chose to write about what she knew, “two or three families in a country village.” Were you influenced by her simple scope and emphasis on character development? Aside from inspiring two books, how has she influenced your own world? Are you indeed the biggest Austen addict of us all?
I could never presume to be the biggest Austen addict of us all, but I can say that I don't see myself giving up Jane Austen any time soon. She is an endless source of wisdom, comfort, and entertainment in my life, which is why being an Austen addict is one of the healthiest addictions I can think of. I get something new out of reading Austen every time I close one of her books. I learn something new about myself, about the people in my life, about human nature and all its beauty and flaws and potential for greatness, about the human heart and its capacity for love and growth and change. That is how Jane Austen has influenced my world, aside from inspiring me to write both of my novels. For that, and for all of her delightfully entertaining stories and enduring words of wisdom, I will always be grateful.
In conclusion, now that you have charmed us with Jane and Courtney’s stories, can you share any future plans for books? Will you stay with the Jane Austen theme, or venture abroad?
Although plans for my next novel are in too early a stage to talk about just yet, I hope that what I love best about Jane Austen will always inform and inspire my writing.
Thank you again Laurie for joining us today. Both Vic & I had a great time reading Rude Awakenings, and wish you all the best with your new novel.
Contest Now Closed: Win a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict personally inscribed to you by author Laurie Viera Rigler. Just post a comment asking Laurie about her writing experience or tell us what you think would be the biggest challenge for a Regency era woman in our 21st-century world. The contest is open to continental US residents only and will end on midnight eastern time Tuesday, July 21st. A winner will be drawn and announced on Wednesday, July 22nd.Read Vic’s review of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict at Jane Austen’s World
Read Laurel Ann’s review of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict at Austenprose
Purchase Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler
Thursday, July 2
Winner announced in the giveaway for copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Congratulations to Miss Remmers. You are the lucky winner of a copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler. To claim your prize, please reply by e-mail to Vic and Laurel Ann at janeaustentoday at yahoo dot com with your full name and address. Shipment is by USP to continental US addresses only. Please respond by July 9th. Thanks again to all of our participants. Your responses were amazing.Cheers, Vic & Laurel Ann
PS Please note email correction: janeaustentoday at yahoo dot com
Thursday, June 25
Win a copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
SWAG ALERT!Today, in celebration of its official release date, we are offering a chance to win a free copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler.
This new novel is the parallel story to her best selling Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, where we met Courtney Stone, a LA singleton addicted to Jane Austen who is mysteriously transported back to Regency era England and into the body of Jane Mansfield. This time around we meet Jane Mansfield, a 19th-century Gentleman’s daughter who wakes up in Courtney Stone’s modern and technically infused LA world.
To qualify, please leave a comment stating why you are a Jane Austen addict and how you feed your need for more Jane. The contest is open through Wednesday, July 1st and the book will be mailed to continental US addresses only. Winner to be announced on Thursday, July 2nd. Good luck and happy reading!
This new novel is the parallel story to her best selling Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, where we met Courtney Stone, a LA singleton addicted to Jane Austen who is mysteriously transported back to Regency era England and into the body of Jane Mansfield. This time around we meet Jane Mansfield, a 19th-century Gentleman’s daughter who wakes up in Courtney Stone’s modern and technically infused LA world.
To qualify, please leave a comment stating why you are a Jane Austen addict and how you feed your need for more Jane. The contest is open through Wednesday, July 1st and the book will be mailed to continental US addresses only. Winner to be announced on Thursday, July 2nd. Good luck and happy reading!
Visit Laurie's website Jane Austen Addict to learn more about her books and view a new book trailer.
Tuesday, June 9
Get ready for Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
17 days and counting until the release of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, the highly anticipated parallel novel to Laurie Viera Rigler's bestselling Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. This time out we experience Jane Mansfield's story, a Regency Miss who takes a fall from her horse in 1813 England and wakes up in 2007 in the body of LA singleton Courtney Stone. Don't miss out on all the transitional hilarity as Jane must deal with iPods, TV and all sorts of modern contraptions! Pre-order your copy today to assure delivery on June 25th. Vic and Laurel Ann were honored with advance copies and can share that Rude Awakenings is fun and quirky and hilarious! Publisher's description
Laurie Viera Rigler’s debut novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, was a hit with fans and critics, and a BookSense and Los Angeles Times bestseller. Its open-to-interpretation ending left readers begging for more—and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict delivers. While Confessions took twenty-first-century free spirit Courtney Stone into the social confines of Jane Austen’s era, Rude Awakenings tells the parallel story of Jane Mansfield, a gentleman’s daughter from Regency England who inexplicably awakens in Courtney’s overly wired and morally confused L.A. life.
Here is a clever preview video for your enjoyment!
Thursday, November 6
Announcing: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler!
GREAT NEWS FOR JANEITES EVERYWHERE!While snooping about on Amazon.com tonight, I had a wonderful surprise when I discovered that the title of Laurie Viera Rigler’s sequel/parallel story to her popular Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict would be Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. I immediately wrote to Laurie who is traveling in Tennessee and confimred my discovery sharing my excitement and enthusiasm for her new novel. Imagine my delight when I found the cover posted on her agent’s web site. Hurrah! Isn’t it beautiful? Here is the blurb from Laurie’s literary agent, Marly Rusoff & Associates, Inc.
RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT by Laurie Viera Rigler, Publisher Dutton, June 2009. The eagerly anticipated sequel/parallel story to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.
Laurie Viera Rigler’s debut novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, was a hit with fans and critics, and a BookSense and Los Angeles Times bestseller. Its open-to-interpretation ending left readers begging for more-and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict delivers. While Confessions took twenty-first-century free spirit Courtney Stone into the social confines of Jane Austen’s era, Rude Awakenings tells the parallel story of Jane Mansfield, a gentleman’s daughter from Regency England who inexplicably awakens in Courtney’s overly wired and morally confused L.A. life.
For Jane, the modern world is not wholly disagreeable. Her apartment may be smaller than a dressing closet, but it is fitted up with lights that burn without candles, machines that wash bodies and clothes, and a glossy rectangle in which tiny people perform scenes from her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. Granted, if she wants to travel she may have to drive a formidable metal carriage, but she may do so without a chaperone. And oh, what places she goes! Public assemblies that pulsate with pounding music. Unbound hair and unrestricted clothing. The freedom to say what she wants when she wants-even to men without a proper introduction.
Privacy, independence, even the power to earn her own money. But how is she to fathom her employer’s incomprehensible dictates about “syncing a BlackBerry” and “rolling a call”? How can she navigate a world in which entire publications are devoted to brides but flirting and kissing and even the sexual act itself raise no matrimonial expectations? Even more bewildering are the memories that are not her own. And the friend named Wes, who is as attractive and confusing to Jane as the man who broke her heart back home. It’s enough to make her wonder if she would be better off in her own time, where at least the rules are clear-that is, if returning is even an option.
You can also read a preview of the story line on Laurie’s web site. I am so excited for this book and can’t wait to read it. Check out Laurie’s first novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.Congratulations Laurie, and best wishes! Laurel Ann, Austenprose & Vic (Ms. Place, Jane Austen's World
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