Pride and Prejudice Anniversary Party Blog Hop

I don't remember how old I was when I saw “Pride and Prejudice” (BBC, 1995) for the first time but I remember that I was very young and I also remember how much my family and I enjoyed its light tone, its humour, its characters. It seemed so very different from everything else and it was impossible not to have a good time and a good laugh while watching it. I remember the agony of the wait until the next episode. 

I was captivated by the language, the manners and the fashion and I would watch it each time one of the channels would broadcast it. Luckily for me, it happened at least once a year and then we would follow the story and enjoy it as much as ever. Of course, now I have a DVD of the movie and I can watch it whenever I want, because it is not something that I can ever get tired of. In fact, I've just finished watching it and I'm thinking about watching it all over again! 

At one point I discovered that the mini-series I loved so much was actually based on the novel that was written by Jane Austen and, as strange and unreal as it is to think about it now, I knew nothing whatsoever about Jane Austen or any of her books back then. Alas, I couldn't read the book at that time, because my English wasn't what it is now, but I would come back to it again and again until I finally managed to do it. Naturally, I've been rereading it ever since... And my English has much improved since then; in fact, so much so that I wrote a Regency-set novel of my own - Margaret's Rematch - as a tribute to Jane Austen.

This year I'm taking part in “The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge” and for the first time ever I'm going to read (or, at the very least, attempt to) different interpretations, variations, sequels, spin-offs and even parodies based on “Pride and Prejudice”. 

As for myself, I think that if I ever find myself so bold as to trifle with Jane Austen's characters, I would take up Caroline Bingley's case (I feel extremely sorry for her!) in order to redeem her in the eyes of the readers and give her something that I'm sure will relieve her bitterness – a fine gentleman with a sense of humour and a happily ever after. 

Here is the LINK to the list of other participants (you will find them at the bottom of the post).

The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013

I decided to take part in "The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013", hosted by Laurel Ann at Austenprose, by challenging my ability to read Pride and Prejudice interpretations, variations, sequels, spin-offs and parodies. I'm not yet sure about the exact schedule but here are the things that I intend to watch and read:

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 
2. Pride and Prejudice, A&E/BBC, 1995
3. Death Comes to Pemberley, P.D. James
4. Darcy's Days, Fitzwilliam Darcy
5. Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy's Dreadful Secret, Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian
6. Mr. Darcy's Letter, Abigail Reynolds
7. Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy, Barbara Tiller Cole
8. Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife, Linda Berdoll
9. Definitely Not Mr. Darcy, Karen Doornebos
10. Becoming Elizabeth Darcy, Mary Lydon Simonsen
11. Georgiana Darcy's Diary, Anna Elliott
12. Charlotte ~ Pride and Prejudice Continues, Karen Aminadra

New Year, New Journal, New Writing Resolutions

Now is the time to make Writing Resolutions for 2013 and my main resolutions are to WRITE as much as I can, to COMPLETE my fantasy novel and to FIND an agent for it. Here is the time-frame that I intend to follow:

January - September: I write the first draft;
September - December: I revise, edit and polish the thing;
December: I search for and find an agent :D

It's important that I don't get side-tracked by other projects that keep popping into my head, taking all the space there, though, I think, I would like to have small side-projects to work on from time to time, such as fairy-tales, short stories and novelettes.  I would also like to keep up with my Regencies, though at present I will limit myself to research.

Well, we'll see! Happy New Year everyone!