Yours Faithfully, Amanda

January 24, 2016 Dear Jane, Pray, dear friend, I fear you must forgive me my giddiness at the moment. I have been reading through a couple of your letters (from a marvelous book called, Jane Austen's Letters  by Deirdre Le Faye) in order to find an appropriate quote for the title of my letter today and I must tell you that I have found the most perfect one yet. Two-hundred and three years ago, precisely to the day (Sunday 24 January 1813), you wrote a letter to your dear sister, Cassandra and started with these sentiments: "This is exactly the weather we could wish for, if you are but well enough to enjoy it. I shall be glad to hear that you are not confined to a house by an increase of Cold." I feel as though I have travelled back through time! Luckily, I am quite well enough to enjoy the cold and it is a good thing because the cold has certainly arrived.  Allow me to explain.  New York City (as well as Washington D.C., Baltimore, the Carolinas, etc.) experienced a

January 19, 2016 Dear Jane, As you may have noticed, this letter looks rather different from those of the past. In truth, I was becoming quite bored with the color scheme of the last few years and decided that a nice blue would certainly liven up the first letter of this, the Year of Lord, two-thousand and sixteen. How exciting. It is almost as though I revived a tired, old bonnet with new lace and fresh ribbons. After all, we must do what we can to stay fashionable in these ever changing times. Firstly, I must bid you a much belated, "Happy New Year!" I am appalled that it has taken me so long to wish you (and my gentle readers) glad tidings and a new year filled with happiness and good fortune. The idea of a new year is much like that of a blank page. As the authors of our own stories, we have the ability to write a new tale filled with hope, imagination and adventure...we just have to be fearless and creative enough to begin it! Now, that being said, my new year ha