Everyone welcome avid Austenesque reader, Sheila! I met Sheila a few months ago on amazon and am so thrilled that she is now active participant on this blog!!
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You: Tell us about yourself
Sheila O’Dara Lambert Majczan, DOB: 6/29/46, mother of 2 females and 1 male, now ages: 34.5, 32 and 30, grandmother of a girl, 16 months and a boy, 22 months. I worked as a kindergarten teacher and as a caseworker for Children, Youth & Families and for Developmental Programs – with IDD (intellectually, developmentally disabled). I have always liked to read and also do many crafts, i.e., Polish Star Christmas ornament, calligraphy, needleworks. I am not very athletic but try to walk for my health. I live in the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania but have also lived for a short time in Georgia, Texas (both due to my husband’s military service) and Pittsburgh, PA (while my husband attended law school). I am a good cook. I love music, owls and JAFF and other historical romance novels. I babysit my grandchildren on a regular basis (one is an hour away and the other 1.5 hours away so it involves travel.)
Your Induction:
- What was the first Austenesque novel you ever read? My first order through Amazon is dated February 18, 2006: Pamela Aiden’s 3 volumes of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman.
Your Habits:
- About how many Austenesque novels do you read a month? A year? With retirement and now with the purchase of a kindle my reading has ramped up. I can usually finish
a novel in 2 days (unless it is one by Linda Wells…LOL) I have been re-reading all my older ones in the past 6 months so that they are fresh in my memory as I have a newer goal to post reviews of all the books I own in the JAFF genre. I have posted ~95 reviews since January and only one or two or so before that.
- Around what percentage of your total reads a year are Austenesque novels? At present about 90 to 95% of my reading is JAFF.
- Where/how do you obtain the Austenesque books your read? Most all is through Amazon but I have purchased a few in the past at Barnes & Noble store or at their table at conventions or Jane Austen Days.
- What is your favorite time of day to read? Doesn’t matter but I must read before I go to bed – it’s the last thing I do before turning out the light.
- What is your favorite place to read? My armchair, rocking chair in bedroom or at the table when I eat alone
- What do you like to listen to when you read if anything? Light Classical Music or Easy Listening
- What do you like to drink or eat when you read if anything? Dove Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate flavored roasted almonds or maybe popcorn, drink coffee or iced water.
- Do you read more than one book at a time ever? OH, YES –sometimes I have 4 or 5 going at the same time in different rooms of the house
- Do you ever read the ending of a book first? Maybe not first but I do sometimes read the end before I actually get to it.
- Do you ever reread? YES, more than just once
Your Collection:
- Collectively around how many Austenesque works do you own? 140 books and 22 DVDs
- Where do you store your Austenesque collection? I have a separate book shelf for those books and a rack for the DVDs
- What format are most of your Austenesque books in? 82 hard cover or paperback, 58 on my kindle/e-book, & 1 audio book of Persuasion?
- How many Austenesque books are currently in your TBR at this moment? Maybe ½ dozen but I have a long list on my “Wish List”
Your Faves:
- Pride and Prejudice Variation: author: Abigail Reynolds or Kara Louise, maybe Mr. Darcy’s Noble Connections and Pemberley’s Promise
- Pride and Prejudice Modern Adaptation: Pemberley by the Sea by Abigail Reynolds
- Minor Character Story: Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken
- Reference/Nonfiction Work: Jane Austen and Her Times, 1775-1847 by G.E. Mitton
- Austen-Inspired Original: Jane Austen’s First Love by Syrie James
- Austenesque Genre: Definitely Variations
Your Desert Island 5: (You are about to be stranded on a desert island for unspecified amount of time you must select what you will bring)
- Five Austenesque/Jane Austen Movies: 1995 Pride and Prejudice, 2005 Pride and Prejudice, Bride and Prejudice, Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow, and Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds
- Five Austenesque Books: Mr. Darcy’s Refuge, Mr. Darcy’s Noble Connections, The Rule of Reason, Chance Encounters, Memory Vol. I (but these can vary depending on my mood – very difficult to select 5 (I would have my Bible before any book.)
Would You Rather?:
- Have Lady Catherine or Mrs. Norris as a mother: die at birth – horrors. OK, if I must – Mrs. Norris (pretend to have errands to run elsewhere)
- Live in Bath or live in London: I would take London because of the access to plays, libraries, museums, musical events, etc.
- Be besties with Eleanor Tilney or Georgiana Darcy: Georgiana – listening to her play pianoforte would be so soothing.
- Dance every set at a ball or go horseback riding through the countryside with friends: Dance as I don’t ride.
- Marry Edmund Bertram or Edward Ferrars: Edmund Bertram
- Attend a strawberry-picking party at Donwell Abbey or attend the theatre with the Gardiners: theatre – I love going to plays and the Lehigh Valley has a number of good theatres in the area and NYC is close enough to take a bus trip to the theatre district
- Go shopping with Lydia Bennet or have tea with Mrs. Elton: yikes – not much of a choice – tea with Mrs. Elton, see if I can out-brag her
- Discover and read the finished manuscript (by Jane Austen) of The Watsons or Sanditon: The Watsons
You Right Now:
- What Austenesque novel(s) are you currently reading at the moment? I am re-reading two and reading for the first time one: Darcy’s Dreams by Regina Jeffers & Assumed Obligation by Kara Louise and in the middle of trying to get through Memory, Vol. II for the first time – it is dragging.
- What Austenesque novels are on your wish-list?
Pride and Popularity by Jenni James
An Unexpected Lady by Lelia M. Silver
The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth by Victoria Kincaid
Bluebells in the Mourning by Karalynne Mackrory
Mr Darcy’s Struggle by Martine J Roberts
The Gypsy Blessing by Wendi Sotis
His Uncle’s Favorite by Lory Lilian Mr. Darcy’s Pledge by Monica Fairview Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson
From This Day Forward – The Darcys of Pemberley by Joana Starnes
To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too)by P. O. Dixon
The Secret Betrothal by Jan Hahn Memory: Vol III by Linda Wells
Rain and Retribution by L.L. Diamond
Rainy Days by Lory Lilian
The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcyby Regina Jeffers
Echoes of Pemberley by Cynthia Ingram
Bewitched, Body and Soul: Miss Elizabeth Bennet by P. O. Dixon Another Place in Time by Mary Lydon Simonsen According To Jane by Marilyn Brant
- What do you love most about Austenesque novels? I really love the angst and sexual tension between Elizabeth and Darcy most of all. I like Col. Fitzwilliam’s relationship with Darcy in most novels, also.
- Where can we find you? I post reviews on amazon, have a link to goodreads but don’t post reviews there and I am no longer on Face Book due to privacy issues. You can e-mail me at odara7rox[AT]rcn.com
- Book Trading/Ebook Lending: If you live near Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania or have a Kindle and like to lend and share books, be sure to contact Sheila through her email. She is interested in trading and lending!
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Awesome Sheila, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and share your love and admiration of Austenesque literature with us!!
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Want to see some more Ardent Austenesqe Admirers? CLICK HERE!
Thank you Sheila that was fascinating and thank you for sharing with us all. I am so behind everyone else with their reading and collection of books!
Good Morning, Michelle. I have noted so many other regulars on Meredith’s site. Feels so like a community of friends. Glad to meet you. I have to admit that until I retired I, too, was way behind in my reading. Books lasted weeks rather than days.
That is so kind of you to say, Sheila! I feel the same too! I love seeing so many familiar names comment week to week! 🙂
Yay, Sheila!
If you’ve never seen one of her reviews, what I like most is the thoughtful enthusiasm she brings to them. Keep it up, kiddo! (For those of you not coeval with Sheila and myself, that is a term of good fellowship).
Stan
Hello, Stanley, I follow your progress on your Volume III on Goodreads. That book is avidly awaited. Hope the creative spirit has perched on your shoulder. And so thrilled that you took the time to drop in and say “Hello”. And thank you for the kind comments.
Agreed, Stanley! I love Sheila’s honest reviews!
What a lovely interview. Thank you for allowing us to get to know you better. I love your enthusiasm, Sheila. It is a gift to the authors that you take the time to review. Good or bad – it is input that we so desperately look forward to. On a personal level, I just finished one of your Maria Grace recommendations and I LOVED it. Keep ’em coming!
Dear, dear Joy, Buenos Dias, Hope your day is going super and thank you for visiting and for your comments. I feel the connection. Maria Grace does not disappoint. So glad you loved whichever one it was that you read. And hope that Muse also sits close by your creative ear as you work on your book. This is such an honor for me to be introduced to the rest of our fellow readers here.
I finished “If Only I Had Learned” last night and as I mentioned above, I loved it. I know, I know, I know that I should have been writing Mr. Bingley but… I couldn’t stop reading once I started. I got a preview today of Bingley and Jane’s photos for the cover from the talented Janet Taylor and I AM IN LOVE. So sweet. Sigh! I am not going to start anything else until I am done. Happy reading for all the goodies in your TBR pile.
Just loaned you The Secret Betrothal, Mr Darcy’s Pledge, and Victoria Kincaid’s books. Let me know when you need more please.
Joy, you are so generous. I will get right to those as I know there is a time limit. So happy to have someone with whom to share these marvelous books. Stay warm up there at 6,000 feet.
Dear Joy, Janet Taylor does such lovely art work. Just beautiful. So glad you liked that story. I, too, had to keep reading even though I had so many other things, even other books, waiting to be attended to. At the moment, while watching PBS detective shows, I am sorting out all my hoard of left over craft odds and ends to give away, i.e., patterns, beads, material, Styrofoam objects, etc. Now please complete your story so I can read that. Have a good evening.
I wish we could lend and borrow Kindle books here in the UK. All we have here is Amazon Prime at a not inconsiderable price (£79 per year equivalent to about $135) and we can only borrow ONE book per month and only from Amazon themselves. If you don’t use any of the other services, such as streaming TV and films (our TV isn’t that smart) or free next day delivery on Amazon goods, it’s just not worth it.
Looking forward to your next book Joy. Any chance of letting us have a sneak peak at the cover sometime? I just bought A Father’s Sins for my Kindle and rather enjoying it so far. Can’t believe it’s your first!
What a lovely interview, with its revelations of an enviable life. I wish I had time to read so many Austenesque novels! The only time I had the leisure was when my hip was replaced, and I spent the entire recovery plowing through a stack of them. Am so glad you mentioned Bride and Prejudice–one of the happiest movies on earth! As I grew up in Los Angeles, I would also put Clueless on the list–which I like a lot more than I like Emma! Now that I’m in the know, I’ll always look for your reviews on Amazon before selecting the next Austenesque novel to buy. Thank you so much for sharing with us, on this site that feels like a community of friends.
Good afternoon, Heather, (BTW: my second is Heather and until she was married it was Heather M. so I always note your name when reading comments.) She and our son attended college in this area (Lehigh U. and Moravian College). DeSales Univ., 5 minutes away, puts on a number of plays with an emphasis on Shakespeare but about 5 years ago they put on P&P which is how I learned about JASNA, when their local chapter’s attendance at that play was described in our newspaper. I love that we are close to Hershey, PA, Philadelphia, PA and NYC so we can take advantage of their cultural events and NOW we have the Sands Casino which led to Arts Quest, which has major acts featured. So if your son decides to go to school here he will have a number of options for entertainment. Thanks for your comments.
Dear Abigail, ( The note above says I am replying to Abigail but my reply to Heather seems to be placed under your comment so I am sorry if this seems to post elsewhere.) Good afternoon…here in the East. Sorry to hear about your hip problem but at least one good thing came out of it – you got some reading in. Yes, Bride and Prejudice is very uplifting – “Bring me to Love” is a favorite song for me (the beach scene). I always longed for a kiss at the end but understand the culture prevents such. There are so many good variations and movies it was very difficult to name 5 favorite in Meredith’s questionnaire. Clueless is funny and I watch it when it comes on TV. I really should get a copy, as I seem to have every other take-off of JA’s books. As my goal to post reviews came about I now find I keep adding books so I am thinking this will be a forever exercise for my brain. But I, too, love to read other’s reviews even when there are hundreds listed. Some are so well written that I am humbled by my simple posting. But I attempt to consider others’ opinions, also.
I have a rarity for your DVD collection (and that of other Janeites): did you know that there is a Mormon Pride and Prejudice movie? Available on Amazon, dated 2004. Pretty hilarious, actually! Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Kam-Heskin/dp/B0002ZH5PQ/ref=sr_1_13?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1405360389&sr=1-13&keywords=Pride+and+Prejudice
I have it! PInk cover – yes, cute.
Pleased to ‘meet’ you, Sheila! I went to college in the Lehigh Valley; it’s a lovely area and I wish I had had more of an opportunity to explore it while I was there. Maybe in another year we’ll I’ll bring my son to the area to show him where I went to school.
It sounds like your Kindle was a big part of your Austenesque obsession. I would never have as many titles as I do were it not for my nook and iPad. Sadly, I don’t have the kindle version of any of the books on your to read list, otherwise I’d love to lend them to you.
Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself with all of us!
Fun getting to know you, Sheila! I love the details. LOL, your answers to the this or that questions made me chuckle. Great idea to re-read some of your earlier JAFF reads and nice choices for your favorites piles. So many good ones on your book shelf thanks for sharing your pictures.
Dear Sophia Rose, Hello. After seeing your magnificent shelves and hundreds of books, I am humbled to have mine presented : ^ ). Hope all is well with you. We are again having downpours here in PA. I would re-read many of these even if I was not posting reviews. Aren’t the JAFF authors just amazing? I felt bad selecting “favorites” as so many are really creative and I do enjoy all their books.
You mentioned several of my favorites in your interview. Two of which are pemberley’s promise and assumed obligation. Most of my books are paper copy but I have a few on kindle. I will have to see if any on your wish list are ones I have. I have read many of them I just don’t recall in what format. I especially loved your positive (cough cough) responses to Meredith’s questions. She does come up with some challenging ones. Mrs. Norris was a tough choice. I loved what you’d do during tea with mrs Elton. Persuasion with ciaran hinds is a great pick. I love that version. Very nice to get to know you.
Hello, Suzan, Thank you for your comments….Yes, some of the questions were “difficult” – LOL. Ironically, one of the other readers just lent me three books on kindle which she noticed were on my Wish List, so I sent her a list of mine. Thus, I would love to loan out any books I can if I may get your e-mail address. Mine is listed above so you could respond to me there. I just think these authors’ books need to be lent out and borrowed as much as possible. Can’t get too much of a good thing. Have a good week. Sheila
Hello Sheila!
Glad to meet you 🙂
It´s amazing how fast you read!, what´s your secret? LOL
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about reading, JAFF and life. Pennsylvania seems to be a beautiful place.
Good morning Teresa. My granddaughter is named Tessa, which is a derivation of your name. So, of course, I think it’s lovely. How do I read fast – Don’t know. Maybe it has to do with my eagerness for the “rest of the story”! There are some books which I will read over, slower, to get all the details I skimmed the first time. LOL Yes, we all, I am thinking, love our home state/country. But the bluebells in spring in Texas were memorable. And Pittsburgh with its rivers and tunnels taught me a lot about driving – chuckling! And the view from Mt. Washington was incredible.
Hi Sheila: You make me look like a piker in regards to my Jane Austen fan-fic collection! My excuse? I read a little of anything and everything and don’t tie myself exclusively to Miss Austen. My son-in-law is also English, and as such, I have done a brief tour of your fair island.(Paington, Cambridge, Manchester, Sherwood Forest, Stonehenge, Wells, etc) I loved it so much and felt such kinship that I didn’t want to come back. For English lit, I also love Fanny Burney, Dickens, Samuel Richardson, the Bronte Sisters, and Douglas Adams (do I dare label A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as “English lit?”) I wish you all the best and Bath is on my bucket list. (We went right by Bath and straight to Stratford-Upon-Avon on our last excursion because at that time, I had no idea of the significance of JA)
Hello, Jeffrey, so glad to meet you. I am English in background only. Names such as Covington, Adams, Fuller and McConnico on my maternal side link me to the British Isles. We visited there in 2004 for our 35th Anniversary. We traveled to London, Edinburgh and then did B&Bs from Dublin to Shannon. While in London we took the train to Bath and to Winchester.. My daughter loves A HItchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy and I have read it also but long ago. I have other reading interests but at present am concentrating on JAFF. I read mysteries, Sci-Fi/fantasy (love Terry Brooks: read all his), read most all of John Grisham (my husband is a lawyer and Grisham’s books are very interesting.). I am also reading “true” books about close encounters with death. But I go in spurts. I have a large collection of Dickens’ DVDs and collect every Jane Eyre DVD I can find – for years that as my favorite book. I think I read it 8 times. Elizabeth Gaskell is also a favorite: have her books and DVDs and just started reading Cranford for the first time. I love history so when my husband gave me a choice of Hawaii or the British Isles the choice was immediate. We don’t have castles here, nor The Winchester Cathedral, etc. Although “we” did buy and import the London Bridge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(Lake_Havasu_City) I wonder how many of our readers know that fact? Thank you for visiting. Sheila
Oops, mea culpa – we took the train to Windsor not to Winchester. Toured the castle there as the Queen was not in residence. Had a great lemon tart with tea – couldn’t get the recipe…LOL
Jeffrey, I found all 3 volumes re: Evelina by F. Burney for free on Amazon so they are on my list. I never heard of this author before so as looking forward to learning of a new author.
Jeffrey, of course Hitchhikers is English Lit!! Douglas Adams had a unique way of looking at the world which was reflected in his writing. Hard to believe he was only 49 when we lost him.
*waving* Hello Sheila! Nice to meet you! Love your answers. I loved your answer to the Norris/Lady Cat question. LOL What a choice!
Hi, Stephanie – Yes, *with a wink* – Meredith put us in a quandary with some of those questions. I didn’t go into my choice about whom to marry…guess I am a coward in considering “other men”…LOL
Good Afternoon Sheila! It is such a delight getting to know you! I too love ‘Bride and Prejudice’ and I like the song where all the sisters are singing during the rain storm. I have the tune in my head but can’t think of the name of it for the life of me…something about a ‘wife’. Loved your photos too! Some day I will get to Bath!
Hello, Carole in Canada – I so notice you every time due to that screen name! You have grandchildren also? I thought I saw you mention them once. You’re not talking about “No life Without Wife” are you? That one when Kholi falls back on the air matress with his Speedos on – so snugly? Horrors. I do think that is so hilarious but you want to cover your eyes for that particular moment. LOL Now I will have that song in my head.
That’s the song – it doesn’t rain until the wedding scene she is dreaming about where Darcy substitutes for Wickham in her dreams. Thanks for reminding me. Hope you get to Bath. When I was in England I was not aware of Chawton…so I missed that but did see her memorial in Winchester Cathedral – along with so many other historical figures. Mr. Kholi sahib he is called…Mr. Collins character.
OH I love Bride and Prejudice! The songs are so catchy! 🙂 Mr. Kholi was perfect, his laugh, his striving to be hip, I enjoyed him as a character. 🙂
Yay!! More Bride and Prejudice fans. Nitin Ghanatra is my favourite Mr. Collins. I rather like Naveen Andrews’ Balraj, too. Not enough of him in the film for me.
Currently, over here, the England cricket team are playing India in a series of matches. India has a player named Kohli and I smile to myself every time I hear a commentator say his name. You can guess what I’m thinking about!
I am laughing out loud…yes, it burns onto your brain once you view it!
Yes, Sheila I am a grandmother of two and I am currently working on my ‘Ardent Austenesque’ interview! I hope to get it to you, Meredith, in the near future…just have to take some pictures first. I am finding it difficult to pick my favourites! Mr. Kholi was hilarious and so well played. This is one ‘Mr. Collins’ that I actually liked!
Take your time, Carole! No rush! Can’t wait to see your answers!
Finally, it’s lovely to get to know you better, Sheila. I’ve seen your name around various blog sites and your comments are always insightful. I wish I had more time for reading than I do and I’m certainly VERY behind in my reviewing. I love audiobooks too. It’s a way of doing some “reading” if I have a lengthy drive to work.
Meredith, Like Carole in Canada, I’ve started work on my “Ardent Austenesque” submission, but my home and work schedule is hectic till into September so I hope to get it to you then. I’m having to work on it it short snatches at the moment.
Anji, it was so nice of you to drop in and add to our conversation. Your name is also familiar to me as I go from site to site. Lovely way to socialize without having to dress up. Cup of coffee and my slippers and friends to talk to and with whom to share a laugh.
That sounds fine, Anji! Get it to me whenever it is convenient for you!
Good morning, Sheila and Meredith. It’s 7:30am here in the UK as I type and promises to be another hot, sunny one in the heatwave we’re currently having. Shame I have to go to work!
I love what you say Sheila, about having friends to talk to, and being able to socialise without having to dress up. Last night, when I was “socialising”, I was relaxing in my comfy recliner chair, in my PJs, with a rather nice glass of chilled Australian Chardonnay (my preferred tipple) by my side.
I was lucky enough to meet and have lunch with Cassandra Grafton recently and one of the (many) topics we covered was how friendly the JAFF community is. I feel like I’ve been part of it forever, even though I only found you in January. Thanks to all of you for being so welcoming.
Must go get ready for work now. Have a great day everyone!
I am sorry not to have commented before now. I read your interview and enjoyed it. I love your collection of books. I envy your reading schedule. It’s very similar to what mine used to be. Glad to get to know you. 🙂
Good morning, Deborah, no apologies needed. I used to work and have reared 3 children so I know how hectic schedules may be. I only really started faithfully posting Amazon book reviews this past January and then connected to Meredith’s Blog through that, as she said. I also bought a kindle and through Abigail’s Web Page learned about Austen Variations (which was under a different name at the time) so this online chatting, reading, posting, etc. exploded for me since December. Thanks for stopping in and chatting.
Hi Sheila! I already felt that I know after you reading all your posts on this blog, and now I know you better!! You inspire me to start posting reviews on amazon. I’ve read many JAFFs and I like your idea of going back, rereading, and then reviewing.
Thank you for sharing. Have fun with those grandchildren!!
Yes, I so like all the friends I, too, see over and over again on the various blogs. I didn’t have time to post reviews before I retired but it has been so rewarding and keeps my mind sharp as I pay attention to spelling, grammar (although I am not perfect) and, most importantly how a book affected me…Darcy and Elizabeth are my favorites but I just re-watched Emma with Mark Strong and Kate. Grandchildren keep me active. A day with a 2 year old makes me sleep so well that night! LOL thank you for your comments and for stopping in.