For the most part, my life is very ordinary but now and again I get away from the computer and have some fun. Last Tuesday I went to dinner at the Reform Club, hosted by the wonderful Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks. It gave all the UK Sourcebooks authors a chance to meet and chat, and of course to eat, drink and take photos! Here I am (in the middle) with fellow bloggers Jane Odiwe (left) and Monica Fairview.
And here I am with Dominique and a certain Mr Darcy, Vampyre!
The following day, Jane and I went to the Chawton House Jane Austen Museum, "Home of England's Jane", where we were treated like royalty by the lovely Ann, Louise and Jo. Here I am signing some of my books.
The museum is fascinating and well worth a visit. It's wonderful to stand in the rooms where Jane stood and to walk around the garden she knew. The house itself is lovely, I could happily live there! But it's all the small touches that make it so wonderful: the amber crosses in a drawer, the lock of Jane's hair, as well as all the furniture that has been assembled to show the type of furnishings Jane would have known. The bed in particular set Jane (Jane Odiwe and not Jane Austen!) and I talking, with all its tenting. I didn't take a photo because the things are delicate but I recommend you go and see it for yourself.
There's a cafe just over the road from the museum and also a pub so it's easy to make a day of it, and the house isn't hard to reach. It's just over an hour from Waterloo to Alton, and then a short taxi ride or bus ride or about a 45 minute walk to the museum itself.
Then on Thursday it was off to the RAF club for the RNA "Fabulous at Fifty" lunch. It was wonderful to be a part of the association's fiftieth year celebrations. Here's to the next 50 years!
Now it's back to work. But some breaking book news before I go. A Darcy Christmas is out now in the US and it will be out in the UK at the end of November. Wickham's Diary (a novella) will be out in April and Henry Tilney's Diary will be out in May. So plenty there to amuse you, I hope! Meanwhile, I'm getting on with a new book to keep you entertained into 2012 and beyond!
Amanda Grange
4 comments:
I really look forward to Wickham's Diary and Henry Tilney's. I have the others. I have to say not enough has been done with Henry Tilney. I do so love his character. People just do not know what they are missing.
I so enjoyed our day out Amanda - what a lovely week!
I agree, Suzan, Henry is very funny and life with him would be constantly amusing.
Hi Jane, yes it was a fabulous week and I loved our day at Jane Austen's house as well. I would recommend a visit to anyone.
It all sounds great fun, Amanda. I always enjoy meeting up with fellow authors. It's being able to talk shop: problems of lack of tension, emotional colour, and all the rest of it without getting blank stares in return!
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