My Jane Austen Summer: A Season At Mansfield Park by Cindy Jones

My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

A Season At Mansfield Park

A contemporary tale set in Texas and Rural England.

Our heroine Lily escapes her life in Texas which is definitely not going to plan. She needs to stop stalking her Ex and his new Girlfriend. Now, after blurting out to them that she is going to England, She, has to follow through.

Her book shop owning fried a kindred spirit had shown her the re-enactment Jane Austen Mansfield Park Summer Literary Event and now she had to go.

So, after selling all her worldly goods to get her air fare she is on her way.

In England she meets a whole host of colorful and intriguing characters all stuffed into a crumbling ancient manor house. A house with virtually no plumbing and very little electricity.

Her roommate is a gothic rock chic who keeps running away. In the attic room is a beautiful man, her soul mate but with  a secret.

Lily is determined to rise to every challenge put before her, however impossible that may be. But for all her determination she can not stop the inevitable.

Journey through Lily’s Mansfield Park with her it’s a lot of fun and pretty entertaining, funny but with a darker under layer, as she come to terms with grief and disappointment.

Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd

Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd

A Novel

The style is in keeping but Lynn Shepherd has dramatically changed the lead characters of Mansfield Park. Fanny Price is not the down trodden poor relation so viciously put upon by Mrs Norris. 

In this story she is completely the opposite to the original, she is an orphaned heiress with property and a large fortune and Mrs Norris cannot do enough for her.

She is mean and haughty and treats her cousins with distain, while acting as if butter would not melt in her mouth. And, if that is not different enough, Mary Crawford in this alternate Mansfield Park is intelligent, thoughtful kind and caring just knowing that should make you want to find out more.

But, add murder of a most brutal kind and a thief catcher brought in to solve the terrible crime. A man who will use any means to catch his villain including physical violence and spying.

Everyone in the household starts to look guilty and one disaster is soon followed in quick succession by more.

This is a good who dunnit in it’s own right, I am usually too quick to work out who the killer is, but, this one was a pretty good mystery through to the climax. Mixing Austen and murder rather well.

I certainly found it hard to put it down once I had got into the story.

I do hope Lynn Shepherd keeps up the good work and writes us some more Austen murder mysteries.

Lynn Shepherd's Website HERE

Interview With An Author – Janet Mullany

Interview With An Author – Janet Mullany

Janet Mullamy’s Website Here

1) Your own favorite Austen character and why?

Janet – Henry Tilney. He’s such an adorable flirt and he really seems to like women.

2) Your Favorite Austen book?

Janet – My answer usually is whichever one I happen to be rereading, which at the moment is Sense and Sensibility, but I’m torn between Mansfield Park and Persuasion. Indecisive? Not really.

3) Which actor would you chose to be YOUR Mr Darcy and why?

Janet – Obviously I don’t have a calling as a casting director because I can’t honestly think of anyone! I’m really tired of all the perpetual cooing over Colin Firth and I’m impressed that he’s managed to have a career despite P and P. I tend to visualize Darcy as a fairly ordinary looking sort of man. Just about any competent actor in his mid 20s could do it.

4) Who would be your perfect Elizabeth?

Janet – A younger Emily Blunt or Emily Mortimer.

5) Your favorite book of all time by any author?

Janet – Wives and Daughters by Mrs. Gaskell

6) Your favorite Austen film or TV adaption?

Janet – 1995 Persuasion

7) You are having a dinner party and can invite four Austen characters which would they be?

Janet – Henry Tilney, Anne Elliot, Mary Crawford, Mr. Darcy

8. Why have you chosen them?

Janet – Mary would flirt outrageously with all the men but I think there’s the basis for interesting conversation.

9) Which character would you like to play in a film?

Janet – Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She’s so awful.

10) Tell us about your next planned book (whether Austen related or not)?

Janet – JANE AUSTEN: BLOOD PERSUASION (October 2011)–Jane, Damned again. Jane Austen battles rogue vampires, a sulky ex-lover, family members behaving badly, and other interruptions to her writing in Chawton, 1810.

Thank you very much Janet, very much appreciated.