Yours Faithfully, Amanda

April 27, 2014 Dear Jane, I cannot believe that it is the twenty-seventh of April and that it has been over two months since I last penned a letter to you.   I am of the mind to sign the end of my letters, “Yours Unfaithfully, Amanda,” for no faithful pen pal would allow two long months to pass before writing to such a dear friend! I realize that I cannot make amends for my poor behavior, but in truth, I have thought of writing a thousand times! Whether it be daily obligations or that dreaded foe, laziness, something has continually gotten in my way, and I offer my sincerest apologies. I hope that in time, you are able to forgive me. Since last I wrote to you I turned the ripe age of twenty-five on the seventh of March in the Year of our Lord, two-thousand and fourteen. (This I cannot believe; I am becoming an old maid with no prospects just like poor, Charlotte Lucas! Oh Mr. Collins...!)  Images from my birthday dinner at the Machine Shed. I visited this re...

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...

January 2, 2014 Dear Jane, How can I ever make amends for my prolonged absence from our (well, my) correspondence? I don't believe I can, therefore, I will just have to prove to you that I am still a loyal companion by writing another letter. I must say that I am quite eager to share some rather exciting news with you that I have not, as of yet, announced publicly. However, I must ask you not to get yourself overly excited for it is not as astonishing as announcing an engagement of marriage (for instance), but it is exceedingly agreeable never-the-less. Before my own announcement, I must wish you the happiest of belated birthdays, Jane! Can you believe that you turned two hundred and thirty-eight on the 16th of December in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and thirteen? I certainly cannot. The fact that you continue to make such an impact in the lives of women (and men, I am sure) all over the world after two hundred and thirty eight years, is quite a remarkable feat! ...

November 24, 2013 Dear Jane, I often feel as though I have a thousand ideas (well maybe more like ten) all at once, but am never able to follow through on them. It is excruciatingly vexing! I want to do so many different things, and I am realizing that life  goes by very quickly. I need to give my ideas and dreams some direction, I think.   To put it plainly, if I were to write a memoir in fifty years, this is how I would like the title and subsequent sub-title to read:  Amanda Forker: Living her Dream {From starring as Amanda/Jane in her original musical, "Faithfully Yours, Amanda" on the Broadway, to becoming a pop star & movie musical star, to hosting Saturday Night Live no less than five times, to becoming acquainted with the Duchess of Cambridge, Beyonce,   Kristen Wiig, and J.K. Rowling, to having been mentored by the incomparable  Tina Fey, to becoming the leading Jane Austen fan and historian, to starring in her own sitcom loosely bas...

November 20, 2013 Dear Jane, It is quite fortuitous that I happened upon this quote from one of your letters to your sister, Cassandra, for I wrote an eerily similar message to my own sisters one day last week after I too drank a hearty amount of wine (well, spirits, actually) the night before. (Needless to say,  a shaking hand was not, unfortunately, my worst symptom and  my message was not quite so long nor was it worded as beautifully as yours.  Additionally, I was not in Hurstbourne, but on the island of Manhattan.)  I won't delve too deeply into this subject, but I will say that, any person, be it gentleman or lady, must not be looked down upon for enjoying a refreshing spirit (or three) every now and again, even if they may have had more than they should have. (In truth, I did leave out a few details from my story, Jane, but a wise lady never reveals the entirety of her secrets.)  It is a comfort to know that even the admirable Miss Jane Auste...