Four years in the blogosphere!
Our birthday was last month and we forgot… but in September we’re celebrating. Stay tuned for special posts and prizes.
And thanks for being our friends.
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Our birthday was last month and we forgot… but in September we’re celebrating. Stay tuned for special posts and prizes.
And thanks for being our friends.
And now, from the mad mind that brought you Austen Trek and Jane Austen’s Batman, we have
Jane Austen’s BUFFY; or, if Jane Austen had written Buffy the Vampire Slayer….
Mr. Giles turned his eyes on Miss Buffy Summers. “I can guess the subject of your reverie.”
“I should imagine not.”
“You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in the presence of a vampire without being able to place a stake within his chest–and indeed I am quite of your opinion. I was never more annoyed! Their love of blood, and their eccentric dentistry–the villainy, and yet the arch dialogue of all those people! What would I give to hear your strictures on them!”
“You conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was more agreeably engaged. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a handsome vampire can bestow.”
Mr. Giles immediately fixed his eyes on her face, and desired she would tell him what vampire had the credit of inspiring such reflections. Miss Summers replied with great intrepidity:
“Mr. Angel.”
“Mr. Angel!” repeated the watcher. “I am all astonishment. How long has he been such a favourite?–and pray, when am I to wish you joy?”
“That is exactly the question which I expected you to ask. A watcher’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from reluctance in killing a person to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. I knew you would be wishing me joy.”
“Nay, if you are serious about it, I shall consider the matter is absolutely settled. You will be having charming relatives in Spike and Drusilla, indeed; and, of course, they will always be in Sunnydale with you.”
She listened to him with perfect indifference while he chose to entertain himself in this manner; and as her composure convinced him that all was safe, his wit flowed long.
“You are aware of his much-lamented past, I am sure,” said Mr. Giles. “And you must of necessity regard it with the greatest horror. To murder humans for one century,
or two centuries, or three centuries, or whatever it was, above his head in blood, and alone, quite alone! What could he mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence to chuse to remain soulless for so long–and then, at the last, to repent? And why?”
“The latter shows an affection for humans that is very pleasing,” said Buffy.
“I have a excessive regard for Angel, he is really very sweet (for a vampire), and I wish with all my heart he were well settled. But with such friends as Spike and Drusilla, and with his inexplicable love for hair gel, I am afraid there is no chance of it.”
Cara
Cara King, author of MY LADY GAMESTER and eternal geek
Things change, people change, and time moves on.
(Unless one has a time machine. And Todd hasn’t built one for me yet, though he did give a talk this week to a group of eminent physicists on the cool things one could do with a time machine! That’s my trusty Todd. Who else would have the nerve to do something like that?)
But, as I said, time moves on. And I’ve decided that now is the time for me to move on.
I think I really need to focus on my young adult writing now, for one thing. (I’m not great with focus, and I find that cutting out distractions helps there.)
Plus, I really need to focus on my writing. That is, my work-in-progress. I love the Riskies, I love being here with all of you wonderful folks, and talking about Drury Lane and the rules of duels and the writing process and great covers and Gerard Butler and Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom and great Jane Austen (and Scarlet Pimpernel) movies…but sometimes I love it too much. 
Sometimes it takes up too much of my time, and energy.
So I’ll be leaving the Riskies. (Wow, it’s hard to type that!)
Next week will be my final week here…and so I decided I wanted to do a humorous post next week, and give you all the heads-up and farewell today….so that next week I can sign off with a lighthearted post, if not with a light heart.
I will miss you all so much! Though I will stop by from time to time, and I may even do a guest blog every now and then…who knows? (I still owe Diane that Jane Austen’s Phantom that I promised!)
As to the Jane Austen Movie Club, it will be up to the other Riskies whether or not it will continue. We were getting fewer and fewer comments on it anyway, so I think if it goes, it goes at a sensible time. We did have some great discussions!
So to my five fellow bloggers and all of you wonderful readers and commenters: thanks for all the fun, all the education and information. Thanks for your friendship and warmth and concern. Thanks for years of good times!
I’ll miss you all….
Cara
Cara King, who will still try to stay Risky
The first time I ever read Jane Austen, I was in eighth grade. The book was Pride and Prejudice, and I utterly loved it.
It’s recently occurred to me that this was by no means my first encounter reading a book set a ways in the past…and this might have had something to do with my ability to understand (for the most part) and enjoy Austen.
I began reading the Oz books when I was in first grade.
When I was eight, I (and the rest of my friends) all started reading the Little House books.
Then, when I was nine or ten, I started on Louisa May Alcott.
Elementary school also introduced me to Caddie Woodlawn, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green Gables, The Happy Orpheline (and Luvvy and the Girls), Half Magic, and Ballet Shoes.
By junior high, I had encountered The Story of Treasure Seekers and Cheaper By the Dozen.
And I wonder if that made all the difference?
Would I lack my current interest in history (and historical fiction) if I hadn’t read so many of these books when I was young?
What do you think?
What books set in earlier times (whether written then or now) did you read when you were a kid? Do you think they inspired a love of historical fiction in you?
All answers welcome!
Cara
Cara King, who wouldn’t mind hanging out in Oz for a while
Friends, I’d like to give you an update on what is happening in my life and why I haven’t been around.
On the morning of January 14th, my husband set off for work as usual, but came home quickly, complaining of visual distortion in his left eye. After the kids were off to school, I took Rich to a clinic where he was told it was probably an ocular migraine. He rested comfortably throughout the day, getting up now and then, looking and talking normally. Then at around 9 o’clock, as he was lying in bed waiting to say goodnight to our kids, he suddenly groaned and started rocking as if he’d lost control of half his body. He couldn’t tell me what was wrong but I knew it was a stroke. I allowed myself about 30 seconds of denial and called 911.
Though he was quickly rushed to the hospital, the period for early intervention (many strokes are reversible within the first four hours) had already passed. The damage to the left hemisphere of his brain was serious, resulting in paralysis of his right side, speech aphasia and general disorientation. When asked the year, he answered “1942”. He couldn’t say my name, though he correctly identified through yes-or-no questions that I was his wife and not his sister. When I said “I love you”, he did manage to say “love too.”
After a barrage of tests, the cause of his stroke was identified as a tear in the left carotid artery. Carotid dissection can occur with a neck injury but sometimes, as in my husband’s case, the cause is unknown. It is responsible for less than 5% of all strokes but causes about 25% of strokes in younger patients. It explains how a 48 year old man who doesn’t smoke, exercises regularly and whose cholesterol and blood pressure are all within healthy limits could suffer a stroke. The good news is that the risk of further complications is low and that Rich’s age and general good health add up to a better than average prognosis for recovery.
Once he was stable, Rich was moved to an acute rehab unit and a few weeks later to a sub-acute rehab center, where he is continuing to receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. He doesn’t feel much below the knee yet, but he can walk with a cane, with slight assistance from a physical therapist. He has been gradually regaining feeling in his arm, though he has little control yet. His mind gets clearer all the time. He understands most of what is said to him and can express his needs with a combination of words and gestures. He’s starting to try to converse, though sometimes his attempts leave us both frustrated and caught between laughter and tears. But we persevere.
It’s been a harrowing time, but several books have helped me and I’d recommend them to anyone, whether or not your own life has been affected by stroke.
The other book was given to me by my cousin soon after she learned about Rich’s stroke. It’s MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, by Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained brain scientist who suffered a massive stroke at 37 and recovered to write about the experience. It is a quick read, engrossing and very hopeful. Taylor was able to do some work within the year after her stroke but also continued to improve for eight years, by which time she was also playing guitar, making stained glass art and water skiing. She believes that challenging herself both mentally and physically aided her complete recovery. I think that’s key. Rich and I will keep aiming for 100%.
I’d just like to add that MY STROKE OF INSIGHT is fascinating to anyone interested in learning more about the differences between right and left brain thinking and developing what Taylor calls a “balanced brain” approach to life.
Thanks to all of you who expressed sympathy when Diane first posted about my absence from the blog. I’m spending a lot of time at the rehab center and even when Rich comes home, it will probably be a while before I can get back to regular writing or blogging. Please know I miss you all, am very grateful for all your kind wishes, and I’ll stop by whenever I can.
Elena