The eBook for Jane Austen’s Guide to Life is just $1.99 through Wednesday, May 7th!  Thrilled about this, wanted to let you know.  Kindle, Nook, and Kobo versions are available at the discounted price.

(And the cover you see here is from the recently-released paperback edition!)

Here’s what BookBub had to say:

Ask yourself: What would Elizabeth Bennet do? Playful and wise, this delightful book examines Jane Austen’s novels for advice. The modern-day woman will cherish this guide’s wit!

This deal only lasts for three days until May 7th — don’t miss it!

It’s been quiet here on the blog for the last six months.  I’ve been working — working!  After years of chronic illness, this is a gift and a joy.  I joined the fabulous Container Store team and am loving it.

Hoping this on-again, off-again blog will be back on soon.  Missing you.

Nice review posted at Crosswalk.com yesterday:

This book may be short, but it’s brimming with charming philosophy, poignant words of advice and witty guidance from an old friend. Smith speaks sister-to-sister, and it’s her enchanting way of communicating that makes her a trusted companion, alongside Austen. She draws examples from Austen’s life—one of solitude and substance. (read more)

Crosswalk.com featured The Jane Austen Guide to Life today, with a summary of many of the life lessons from the book:

Many modern women enjoy the classic romance novels written by English author Jane Austen in the 19th century, because Austen’s astute understanding of human nature have imbued her stories with a timeless appeal. Austen, who has come to be considered a sort of patron saint of romance, was a Christian whose faith is reflected in the spiritual lessons that her novels and the story of her life can teach readers today.

Here’s some advice Austen might give you if she were alive today… (read more)

Featured today in an article on Time.com about the recent group of Austen advice books:

Jane on the Brain: Austen Advice-Book Trend Peaks

For Lori Smith, whose Guide to Life is her second Austen-related book, it boils down to women’s desire to find a role model who is the opposite of those presented by reality-television and its hangers-on. “[Austen] really wanted her heroines to be women of substance, which I think is an idea that is kind of lost today,” she says. “There’s so much there that’s in contrast to our own culture where we’re looking for our 15 minutes of fame.” Austen, she points out, didn’t have any desire for fame or riches.  Read more

As part of the blog tour, today I wanted to share a little excerpt with you. There are so many parts of The Jane Austen Guide to Life that I’d like to post, but this is one of my favorites–a few bits from the chapter on Finding Joy and Laughter.  Enjoy!

Finding Joy and Laughter

Jane Austen was buoyant. She lived with energy and joy. It’s impossible to read her letters and books without coming away with the sense that she was something of an irrepressible force. She laughed at herself, at the everyday world, and at everyone around her (mostly all in good fun)—and she welcomed having them all laugh at her. But if she relished laughter, there was more to that vital spirit of hers. She wrote to Cassandra of a ball at which she had “had an odd set of partners”: “I had a very pleasant evening, however, though you will probably find out that there was no particular reason for it; but I do not think it worth while to wait for enjoyment until there is some real opportunity for it.” So she did not “wait for enjoyment,” she simply took joy wherever she could, and as much as possible. Continue reading »