Following Austen

British edition of A Walk with Jane

Found out last week that there will be a British edition of A Walk with Jane Austen coming from Monarch Press in late summer or early fall.  I'm thrilled!  Sounds like everything will stay the same except for the cover.  Will post more when I learn the details.

Booksigning pics

Booksigning last night was fantastic.  Thanks to all who came out -- what a fabulous little celebration -- and to all who sent good thoughts and prayers my way.  It meant so much to have family and friends there.  We had a standing-room-only crowd, and sold every available copy!

A few of my favorite pics...

 

 

It's official!

I've been holding off announcing this until I knew the book was in stores, but now that I've seen it in Borders and Barnes and Noble, wanted to let everyone know, the book is now available!

In addition to brick-and-mortar stores (where you might find it in the Christian inspiration section... but don't let that scare you!), it's available online at:

Amazon (also Amazon UK, Canada, Japan, France and Germany)
Barnes and Noble
Borders (now teamed with Amazon)
Powell's
Parable Christian Stores

And here's a sample of what people are saying:

Publishers Weekly starred review:

"It is the author's passionate connection to 'Jane'—the affinity she feels and her imaginings of Austen's inner life—that bring Austen to life in ways no conventional biographer could... Deliciously uncertain romantic tension holds the book together as Smith weaves her own thoughts, historical research, and fitting references to Austen's novels into a satisfying whole."

Karen Joy Fowler:  "A lovely, intimate read."

Emma Campbell Webster:  "A welcoming read. Lyrical and questioning...perfectly pitched"

Bookreporter.com:  ". . . a likable and vulnerable true-life memoir . . . a moving and well-written read."

Jane Austen's World: "I loved this book. In fact, I suspect if Jane Austen were able to read it, she would give it her seal of approval."

Austen-tatious:  "Will surely be an inspiration to anyone who reads it."

Gina Dalfonzo:  "Stands out like a beacon. "

Tamara Leigh:  "That rare book which keeps popping into one's thoughts and beckoning one back."

Mary Yerkes: Lori’s writing is intelligent, lyrical, and poignant. Her authenticity and vulnerability are rare in Christian circles. This book is a breath of fresh air, one that should be inhaled deeply.

Order your copy today!  Or if you've already read it, respond to this post or email me (austenquotes AT gmail DOT com) and let me know what you thought.  I'd love to hear from you.

Release day

Today is officially release day.  (Whoo-hoo!)  Unfortunately, one of the first things you learn as an author is that very little actually happens on release day. (I expect fanfare!)  I went to Borders with my dear friend Kristine, to check to see if they had the book and how it was displayed, but -- alas -- they don't have it, and said it should come in sometime in the next week.

I think that when you're not J.K. Rowling, release dates are a bit flexible. 

The orders from Amazon seem to have shipped though.  If you've read it, would you rate it at Amazon and/or post a review there?  Thanks!

Anyway, Kris and I stayed for tea.  I think it's a very good release day tradition, which we'll be repeating soon for her book, Child of Divorce, Child of God, which comes out in the spring.

France, Germany and Japan!

Okay, so this is very cool.  A Walk with Jane Austen is now available internationally via Amazon.  They're selling the English version of the book (no translations yet!) in the UK, France, Germany, and Japan. 

Evidently, this is what the title looks like in Japanese:

ペーパーバック

And that will set you back a mere ￥ 1,517 .

Very cool!

Books!

Okay, here they are!

I love the interior design...

Interview at Jane Austen's World

Ms. Place at Jane Austen's World has posted a little Q&A (including pics from my trip!):

Writing is a tough profession and not for the faint-hearted. What made you go for the “gusto” and pursue a career in this field?

I had been freelancing on the side for about five years, and had published one book (The Single Truth). I was traveling to do some speaking in support of that, and had tons of writing ideas I wanted to pursue. Eventually it got to the point that I couldn’t continue to work all day and write at night and on the weekends — I just didn’t have the energy. So I decided to go for it, for at least a year. (Being miserable in my job probably helped tip the scales.) That was two and a half years ago. Financially, it’s incredibly difficult, and I kind of wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I love it, though, and it was one of those things I knew I had to try.

Read more here.  She's also posted it at her other beautiful (and newly re-worked) Jane Austen Today.

This pic is my favorite window at Alton Abbey.

Books!

My boxes of books arrived on Friday!  Unfortunately, I left my camera at my parents' this weekend, so I've not been able to take pictures.  I want to show you! 

The interior design is gorgeous, and they used a good thick-ish paper.  I really like the feel of it.

There's such a mixture of emotions in this.  I was thrilled to hear the UPS guy knock on the door.  They arrived on a difficult afternoon.  I was taking a nap, and just not feeling well, and had not managed to shower.  Probably appropriate, given the year it's been and the way the book came to be through all that sickness. Ugh.

Anyway, so I'm thrilled, and terrified that it's actually in print and too late to change anything, and wondering again at the fact that anyone would ever publish anything I've written.  I got to show my parents and my brother and sister-in-law this weekend, to a tiny round of applause (including grins from my tiniest niece).  And as I was looking at it over the weekend I couldn't help thinking, Wow, I would buy that book.

Of course, it never fails, no matter how much you work on something, when you first open the book, you're bound to find a typo.  Argh!  But that's something we can fix in the next printing.  ;-)

A Walk with JA -- available in the UK

Just found out last week that A Walk with JA is available on the UK version of Amazon.  Still waiting for word on bookstores there, but this is very cool.

Also looks like both Borders and Barnes & Noble (in the U.S.) will be carrying it in their brick-and-mortar stores.

Whoo-hoo!

A Walk with Jane Austen goes to press today.  There's been a flurry of last-minute activity, but I think we're all set.  A moment for celebration!