Yours Faithfully, Amanda

October 10, 2016 Dear Jane, When last I wrote, I mentioned that I would not write again until I had some diverting fall excursions to tell you of. Happily, I had a most lovely Friday evening last week and I hearily wish to tell you all about it. (Pray, do not be alarmed by the quotation above as it will all be explained in good time.)  A portrait of Miss Charlotte Brontë. After a surprisingly pleasant day of temping, I was determined to visit the Morgan Library (one of my most favorite places in New York City) in order to walk through an exhibit currently on display there called, "Charlotte Brontë: An Independent Will." Fortunately, the Morgan offers patrons free admission on Friday evenings from seven o'clock until nine o'clock so I had no excuse to miss it.  Miss Brontë's writing desk... I need one of these! Now, as Miss Brontë found her fame many years after your passing, you would not have known her, but she certainly knew you, Jane. I implo...

June 1, 2016 Dear Jane, My spritzer against the scenic backdrop of my barred  window in Queens.   Well, June has officially arrived and it seems that it has never been this hot in the entire history of the world. That was most certainly an exaggeration, Jane, but it really has been exceedingly warm. For the life of me I cannot understand why people prefer the heat to the delightful "sweater weather" of the Fall. I must confess that if we were to skip right over summer and find ourselves in autumn once more, I should not be saddened in the least. That being said, one should note that it is lovely to enjoy a summertime spritzer (best pronounced 'SPRIT-ZA') in the evening. To make a spritzer, just pour a generous amount of the wine of your choice and add a dash of seltzer water. It really is quite delicious, Jane. Now then, when last I wrote I mentioned that I would soon be attending my first regional meeting with the New York Chapter of the Jane Austen Socie...

May 13, 2016 Dear Jane, Before I begin, I must tell you that this letter will be centered entirely on myself, although, I dare say my letters always are. But what is one to do when one has so much to tell? Is it selfish of me to want to report my various adventures to my favourite authoress? If it is, then I heartily accept my selfishness for, I agree, there really is no hope of a cure. My, what adventures I have had of late! It has once again been quite some time since last I wrote, but I am sure you are not surprised for as you know, young ladies of little fortune living in New York City must always do their utmost to stay busy and employed by something each day. Although, as it is only four o'clock on a Friday afternoon and I am writing you a letter, you will surely be forced to conclude that today was no such day. I must confess that I was not so fortunate as to get any paid work on this rain-filled, spring day, but one must not let this affect one too greatly for tomorro...

April 19, 2016 Dear Jane, If I am to be completely honest with you (which I have decided to be), I have nothing new to report in regard to my life in Queens. My jaunt with the Miss Nelson is Missing tour came to an end at the end of March, and I have returned to my life as a "temp." I dare say you shall agree with me when I conclude, that life has once again become a quick succession of busy nothings. (Your brilliant words, of course.) Before I move on, I must state that I heartily agree with the quotation above from your novel,  Mansfield Park . Unfortunately, there has been no "active indispensable employment" to be had, so my sorrow has not been much relieved as of late. Let me explain. When I say that I have returned to temping, I must also admit that I did not work a single day last week. How is it possible that in a city as giant as New York, not one office needed a last-minute, fantastic receptionist, such as myself? I was all astonishment...and anger...

March 19, 2016 Dear Jane, I do hate to complain, but I must confess to being quite ill as of late. I believe in my heart that I have a sinus infection (but I often believe myself to be suffering from sinus infections, you know). I dare say, I am rather like your character Mary Musgrove (née Elliot) of Persuasion  who famously said the above-listed quotation. As you well know, Mary always fancies herself indisposed but this particular time, however, I really am!  I had no intention of specifically using this quote, but I should not be surprised as I just finished re-reading Persuasion (a great favorite of mine!).  Since last I wrote to you, I celebrated my twenty-seventh birthday...goodness me, I am getting old! However, I have decided that I quite like this age as it is exactly the age of Anne Elliot in Persuasion and as she is one of my favorite literary heroines, why should not I be happy with twenty-seven? Much can happen to a woman at the age of twenty-seven a...

February 29, 2016 Dear Jane, I write to you on this, the twenty-ninth of February, a day that will not come again for another four years. You may be inquiring as to the reason behind this, for I dare say you would not have been familiar with the term, "leap year" in your lifetime. As you may very well know by now, I have never been known as a woman of science but from what I understand (or rather, from my recent "google search") a leap year occurs every four years or so because the earth does not orbit the sun in exactly 365 days. Forgive me, for that was a very vague and rather boring explanation. Luckily for you, I know nothing more on this subject so I shall say nothing more about it. You have my word! Since we last spoke, the weather has become much warmer and very unseasonable for the month of February. It is very odd for one not to need their cloak on a February afternoon, but that is exactly what happened today. It was nearly 60 degrees outside!  You ...

December 29, 2015 Dear Jane, As I sit on my sofa in Queens, waiting for my dear mama's lasagne to warm in the oven, I find myself happily reflecting on the joyous Christmas I had with my family. I truly had the most delightful week at home and I miss it terribly already! I am all astonishment at how quickly the holday passes by and find myself overwhlemed at the thought of having to  prepare for the approaching new year. Fortunately, my resolutions have been declared and will be put to the test when two-thousand and sixteen arrives in three days time.  I dare say I was inspired to write you a letter this evening after watching a movie called "Becoming Jane." It is a wonderful (though at times rather fictional) movie about your life as a young lady in Hampshire. As a hopeless romantic, I confess that I am quite moved by the story. The movie implies that you were madly in love with a Mr. Tom Lefroy and almost eloped with him. Unfortunately for your most avid admirers,...

December 8, 2015 Dear Jane, I do detest being deceitful, but you and I both know that the quotation above has not been displayed in its original entirety. My apologies, for playing such a trick on you, gentle readers, but surely you should know better than to believe I could claim to have any sort of genius. An amateur authoress stops at nothing to get her blog read...even if she has to lie to her dearest friends at times by claiming to be a genius. The quote (in it's entirety) is as follows: "Expect a most agreeable letter, for not being overburdened with subject (having nothing at all to say), I shall have no check to my genius from beginning to end."  In case you had doubts, I shall now present three reasons to prove to you that I truly am not a genius. (I told you that I had nothing much to say, after all). Oddly enough, all three examples are from my time in high school. Many of my dear friends and family know this already, but I often boast (yes, boast) ...