Yours Faithfully, Amanda

December 9, 2014 Dear Jane, I have decided to write you directly as I have the most riveting and extraordinary news to share with you! Now, I am going to ask that you sit down when you read this for you may not believe what I must tell you and may very well suffer a fainting spell....Are you quite ready, Jane?  Last night, my sisters and I attended an athletic event known as a "basketball game" and had the opportunity to see their Royal Highnesses, William & Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in person! Forgive me, Jane, for I am still overwhlemed by the fact that we were truly in the same room as them! I should also note that the King and Queen of American Pop Music, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, were in attendance and met the Royal couple as well. I must say that I never thought that I would ever see them in person and it was a dream come true, Jane. Catherine and William have long been favorites of mine and my sister's and we just simply had the time of our...

October 10, 2014 Dear Jane, How is it that we are already in the midst of October? I fear that time is flying by much too quickly for my liking, and I am sure that I would feel much more at ease if it moved at a more leisurely pace. It seems that if one stops to rest for a single moment, the whole day is gone, and then the next begins without anything getting done at all! It is a truly vicious cycle, Jane, but "tis life" as they say and we must be glad for there is so much good to be had in it.  As you may know, Jane, I am quite partial to the month of October. The bewitching fragrances of leaves and pumpkin in the air are invigorating and truly allow one to feel all the joys of autumn. Unfortunately, living in New York City, I have yet to breath in these fine hints of autumnal bliss. However, the smell of rubbish seems to lessen as the air gets cooler, which is something that one must always be grateful for. I am fortunate that I was able to have a nice holiday at home...

September 2, 2014 Dear Jane, Today marks the one year anniversary of  the first time I penned a (public) letter to you! I must confess that if I had not moved to New York City (one year and one day ago), I do not think that I would have begun this delightful venture, so I am very pleased that I did in fact move last September. It is wonderful to be able to read through all of my adventures from this past year and I am quite proud that I have been able to continue my correspondence with you (for we have already established how very lazy of a creature I can be at times).  Coincidentally, Jane, I arrived back in New York City from Springboro, Ohio on the same day that I moved last year (the first of September). Unfortunately, it is just as hot if not more so than it was on this day last year when I wrote to you for the first time. I know that it was in fact just as hot last year because I posted a picture about how it was so horridly humid  out that I could stick a lea...

August 21, 2014 Dear Jane, Although my letters to you may not arrive as often as I would prefer, I do find myself writing to you almost every day inside my head. Do not be alarmed, gentle readers, for strange voices do not plague my mind, but I have found that it is a true comfort to have someone to tell my thoughts to other than just my own (rather empty) mind. For this, I must thank you, Jane, for time and time again you allow me to confide in you! Now then, where to begin? First and foremost, I would be remiss if I did not relay my feelings of utter astonishment that today is already the twenty-first of August in the year of our Lord, two-thousand and fourteen. How did this come to pass, Jane? I am to leave Springboro, Ohio in approximately eleven days and I simply cannot account for where the time has gone this summer. It has been such a lovely (although eventful) summer here and I confess that I find it rather difficult to imagine life in the bustling city of New York ...

May 23, 2014 Dear Jane, How truly right you are in the above sentiment, for a large income seems to be one of the ONLY recipes for happiness at this time! Must making a living be so incredibly difficult, Jane? Why won't a kind, elderly gentleman or lady bestow an endowment upon me with the hopes that,  because of their admirable generosity,  I will become the most remarkable artist I can be? I confess that I struggled between using the above quotation and one other for my headline, so I shall share it, as it is equally relevant to this conversation.  " I am sorry to tell you that I am getting very extravagant, and spending all my money, and, what is worse for  you , I have been spending yours too."  ~ Letter to Cassandra (1811-04-18) [ Letters of Jane Austen -- Brabourne Edition ] It is a true comfort to know that I am not the only one who enjoys being "extravagant" now and again. (And by extravagant I mean grocery shopping.... But also buying rings fro...

February 17, 2014 
Dear Jane, 
As you very well know, this is a quote from one of your letters to Fanny Knight (your niece) on 13 March 1817, and it truly made me laugh aloud (for it is painfully true)! This quote has inspired me to comprise a letter solely dedicated to both your wittiest and most romantic accounts of love throughout your letters and novels, and as Saint Valentine's Day was only three days ago, the subject of love is still quite relevant. Additionally, although I did not receive any fine poems of love from young gentlemen or obtain an invitation to a ball at the pump room in Bath, I can still appreciate an agreeable love quotation (especially one written by you) every now and again! Before I begin, I wanted to tell you that I came across the above-mentioned quotation on the cover of a fantastic book that I purchased about a week ago in a sad, little town called Roanoke, Virginia. It is entitled, The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen , and it may very well...

February 9, 2014 Dear Jane, This fine quote from Pride and Prejudice  is more true than you know, Jane. I realize that I did not truly know myself until the moment I began this tour. I am learning so much about myself as both a person and a performer, I hardly know where to begin.  Firstly, I  sincerely hope this letter finds you well and in the very best of spirits. I fear that my apologies (no matter how sincere they may be) in regard to being a neglectful correspondent are becoming tiresome and repetitive for the both of us. I have decided that a resolution of mine in the year of our Lord, two thousand and fourteen, will be to pen a letter, at the very least, once every fortnight. While I am quite aware that this is an ambitious pursuit for a lazy creature, such as myself, I am quite determined to succeed.  Now, Jane, as you will remember, I am currently touring the country with a musical production called "Are You My Mother?" I must say that it has been q...