From Publisher’s Marketplace, which lists the latest book deals:

FICTION: WOMEN’S/ROMANCE
Syrie James’s THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN, written in a modernized Jane Austen style that weaves fact and fiction together seamlessly, and in which Jane Austen meets Mr. Ashford, falls in love, and has just the relationship her legions of fans and readers might wish for the beloved spinster, to Lucia Macro at Avon, in a good deal, at auction, by Tamar Ellman at the Laura Dail Literary Agency (NA).

Well, now we know where those Very Secret Diaries of Jane Austen used for MP1999 came from.

We suppose one can expect to see this in a year to eighteen months.

We received some information from the Shakespeare Festival of New Jersey about their upcoming production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, as well as an education program with a Q&A with the adapter/director, Bonnie J. Monte. Also, we have been told that if you mention that you are an AustenBlog reader when you call for tickets, you will receive a 15% discount! All the information and links you need below the flip. (more…)

We received a link to an essay about Jane Austen on the “Sexual Fables” Web site from the author, Martin Blythe. Well, it’s not really an essay, more of a hybrid essay/speculative semi-fiction type of thing. We could spork-fisk it, but it would be like shooting fish in a barrel, frankly. There’s just no sport in it. We thought we would open the floor for our readers to take a turn; or even praise it if you are so inclined. We are feeling magnanimous tonight. Also we think it’s actually kind of a neat idea, just a bit lacking in execution.

Our Gentle Readers may have seen the announcement about the new Sony e-book reader. We investigated which of Jane Austen’s novels might be available for the device and discovered not only the novels but several titles of Austen paraliterature as well.

We like e-books, and have the “Big Six” on our PDA at all times. One of our book groups is currently re-reading Mansfield Park in preparation for the JASNA AGM. We mostly have been reading it on the PDA, which we prefer to carry rather than our Chapman edition, fearing it might get ruined in transit. We are currently debating whether to bring the Chapman to Tucson (the e-book IS searchable, but the hard copy has all kinds of interesting collateral material that might come in handy for the quiz will provide the reader with additional insight into the novel. And just today we showed our co-workers the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice as part of a discussion about comma usage. (When you work with word nerds, that sort of conversation is perfectly normal.) However, we most likely will wait for the price to come down on this device (by about half) or for something less expensive and, one hopes, using a universal format rather than something proprietary to one device.

The news trickles out slowly…Alert Janeite Arwen posted in comments that Company Pictures’ Web site now lists Blake Ritson as one of the stars of MP2007 along with Billie Piper. The listing would make one think he is playing Edmund Bertram, wouldn’t it? He’ll make an awfully pretty Edmund, if so.

STYLE
Authoritative, cool, natural, animated, warm, smooth, rich, boyish.

Ah-MMMM! Too good for the likes of Edmund the Wanker, that’s for sure. (Yes, as a matter of fact the Editrix does have issues with Mr. Bertram the younger. Thanks for asking.) Check out the samples on the agency site; Blake has a lovely voice.

The complete text of Lynn Marie Macy’s stage adaptation of Northanger Abbey (which incorporates scenes from Ann Radcliffe’s novel The Mysteries of Udolpho) will be included in Playing With Canons, an anthology of plays based on works of classic literature. No news yet on how to order the book, but we will let you know. The book will be available on October 17.