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Showing posts from January, 2021

Guest Blog: An Interview with Christina Morland About Her Love of Austen, Writing, & Latest Novel, The Year In Between

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My friendship with two fellow JAFF lovers was one inspiration for the Jane Austen State of Mind blog. Through commenting on posts to the Facebook page, Austen Readers, the three of us realized we shared one huge thing in common--our love for the book Seasons of Waiting by Christina Morland. This realization subsequently sparked a friendship between us that has been a real bright spot in the craziness of the past year. Gina, Wendy, and I communicate almost daily through Facebook messenger and have gotten to know each other quite well. In addition to  Seasons of Waiting (which we call SOW for short), we love all of Christina Morland's books! We re-read A Remedy Against Sin awhile back, and next we're planning a re-read/study of her other great novel, This Disconcerting Happiness . We truly believe Christina's work is on a different level than most JAFF--even those books by our other favorite authors. That's why we jumped headlong into her newest novel, The Year In Betw

Alix James' A Fine Mind Explores the Challenges of Neurodiversity in the Regency Era

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I am excited to provide a preview of Alix James' newest novella, A Fine Mind . It will be available on  Amazon via Kindle Unlimited and for purchase tomorrow (Thursday, January 28). Alix James is the pen name under which JAFF Rockstar Nicole Clarkston publishes her novella length stories. I have read nearly all of Nicole's full-length novels and have them in both eBook and Audiobook. I have only recently started to read her shorter Alix James offerings.  A Fine Mind offers a compelling glimpse into the challenges of living with an exceptional, though neuro-atypical, mind in an era and culture in which there was little knowledge, curiosity, tolerance, or acceptance of differences. Weeks in advance of the book's release, Nicole sought input from readers with personal experience and/or professional expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As a fan who fit the bill on both fronts, I volunteered to read it and give my two cents. I had not originally planned to write a blo