Persuasion is everywhere lately! (And by everywhere, I mean esoteric circles and niche corners of the internet.) It has inspired me to share an excerpt from a modern, YA Persuasion that I’ve been working on. This is the scene when Anne first meets Mr. Elliot. Oh, Mr. Willoughby, Mr. Elliot, and Mr. Crawford, why am…
Author: Kirstin Odegaard
P&P & :) by Kirstin Odegaard
A few months ago, I posted some P&P text conversations, and for this post, I’m giving that another go…again with P&P. This is totally and completely because I love that book and not at all because I couldn’t think of anything clever for the other books. Like last time, assume I’m about a decade behind…
Episode II of Austen’s Mysterious Death: Sleuth Kirstin Analyzes Every Clue. Except the Ones that are Confusing. Or Hard to Find. Or that Just Don’t Really Interest Her. by Kirstin Odegaard
Last month, I wrote about two theories on how Austen died: tuberculosis and Addison’s disease, but neither seemed to fit all of our clues. Click here if you’d like to revisit that post. Before we dive back in, let’s revisit Austen’s symptoms, gleaned from the letters that Cassandra didn’t destroy. Here they are again: -Pain…
Episode I of Austen’s Mysterious Death: Sleuth Kirstin Leaves No Stone Unturned. Except the Really Big Ones that are Hard to Turn Over, by Kirstin Odegaard
Today, I’d like to write about the most Googled question on the internet: how Jane Austen died. Oh. Sorry for that anticlimax if you were expecting a different question. No, the hot duke is not returning to Bridgerton, ever. We’re all just going to have to content ourselves with the equally angst-ridden viscount. Now back…
Tea-totaler, by Kirstin Odegaard
Last month, I wrote about tea + Jane. (Click here to revisit that post.) This month, I’m sharing an article I wrote for my local newspaper about tea + me. It’s from my collection-of-articles-book that’s not actually a book because, well, I’ve never compiled them into a book. But I sometimes think really hard about…
Jane to a Tea: A Few Facts about Jane & Tea, by Kirstin Odegaard
Jane loved a good steaming cup of tea. In a letter to Cassandra, Jane wrote, “Let me know when you begin the new Tea. I am still a Cat if I see a Mouse.” And Miss Bates in Emma gives us this little gem: “No coffee, I thank you, for me—never take coffee.—A little tea…
P & P & LOL, by Kirstin Odegaard
Recently, I’ve read some posts about reimagining Pride and Prejudice through texts or social media messages—and Lelia Eye did a fun one recently. I loved the idea, so I said to my husband, “I’m going to do that too!” “But you’re not at all into social media,” he said. This is true. But I’m not…
How Anne and I Lost our Bloom, by Kirstin Odegaard
I’m rereading Persuasion, and as I read, I’ve been thinking about all the references to how Anne has lost her bloom. We’re told in the first chapters that “Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early.” Even Captain Wentworth says Anne is “so altered he should not have known…
First Impressions Excerpt, by Kirstin Odegaard
My first Austen-inspired novel is a modern, YA take on Pride and Prejudice. While writing it, I liked the challenge of translating Regency problems into modern predicaments that would feel real to a twenty-first century teenager. For instance, Darcy’s 10,000 pounds a year wouldn’t have the same allure to a high school student as it…
Holiday Wrap Up, by Kirstin Odegaard
I’ve written a monthly column for my local newspaper for over ten years now. The articles are mostly small moments and reflections about life with young kiddos. Now and then, I’ll run into someone who recognizes my picture from the paper (because I’m quite the celebrity, with these sightings happening at least once every three…
Jane’s Highlights, by Kirstin Odegaard
Sometimes, when I’m reading Jane Austen—or any great book—I’m struck by a stand out line that I don’t want to forget. During my school days, I was on the hunt for those lines, but now that I don’t have to produce an essay after I read something, I don’t find those unforgettable lines as often. …
My Meet Cute with Jane, by Kirstin Odegaard
I remember when Jane and I first met. I was in high school; she was a regular at Winchester Cathedral. We were introduced by a mutual acquaintance, my senior English teacher. I thought it would be awkward at first, neither of us knowing what to say, but we had so much in common that we instantly…
