Modern Day Mes

Imagine my surprise as I was looking at a book and it was described as such "If Jane Austen had written the Da Vinci Code this book is what would have been created." The book is "And Only to Deceive" by Tasha Alexander. And if I wrote about Victorian England instead of Regency England and about females sleuths instead of gentle females and about art theft (Ha! I knew I could work it in some how) instead of the trials and tribulations of marriage, then yes, I would have written "And Only to Deceive." Do not get me wrong; this is an amazing book and I was excited to learn it was a series. Emily is a great female character and Colin Hargreaves is a reason to love not only spies, but British gentlemen spies as well. I am eagerly awaiting the fourth installment and cannot wait for its release or even a hint of when it will be released.

Jude Morgan, however, is me only slightly more viscous and perhaps, dare I say it, more clever?! He wrote "An Accomplished Woman" his take on "Persuasion" and it is fabulous. All his books are fabulous. There are some that are even studies of character and manners, which I totally enjoy (after all didn't I create that?). I have not yet read a Jude Morgan book that I did not appreciate. His book on the Romantic poets is divine. Unfortunately "An Accomplished Woman" will not be available to the US until April 2009. I ordered a copy from the UK because I loved the idea and his writing so much. I do not believe he has reached much acclaim in the US, but he certainly should.

Stephanie Barron writes a series where I, yes, me Jane Austen, is a sleuth. I must say that I was quite shocked to find myself solving mysteries and even more pleased that I was good at it. The amazing thing is how well Baron actually mimics my writing style. For a second I thought I was actually reading my diaries. It was a remarkable discovery.

So for those of you who think that six books was not enough for my literary career, fear not. There are others out there who can carry on my tradition and quite well in fact. Do not be disheartened by bad imitators. Try these geniuses and I swear you'll be pleased.