Hi readers! Happy Monday! I’m very excited to welcome author Kirstin Odegaard to Austenesque Reviews for her very first author visit! Kirstin just released a fun and modern take on Pride and Prejudice just last month, titled P & P & LOL: a Novella Retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice…Through Texts. But she also has previously published two other Austen-inspired works – First Impressions: a Modern Retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emily: a Modern Retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma.  🤗

Kirstin is sharing some excerpts from her modern and mobile inspired adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. We hope you enjoy! 📱💬

Thank you, Meredith, for hosting me today. I’m excited to talk about my newest release P & P & LOL: a Novella Retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice…Through Texts!

A lot of people have asked me how I got the idea to write a texting-only book. It’s unconventional, but I worked up to the idea slowly. I started with little texting snippets, like this one:

Lady C: I believe it is time you choose a wife.

Collins: Oh! Um, OK. Now? Or can I wait until I finish this episode of Sanditon?

Lady C: Now, Collins.

Tell me how you’ll find her. I suspect you’ll need a very good strategy.

Collins: Well, there’s this one family I know. I’m supposed to inherit all their stuff when their father croaks, so maybe one of his daughters?

Lady C: Yes, they sound sufficiently desperate.

Collins: Right? I was thinking I could say, Hey! Sorry your dad kicked the bucket and that you’re homeless, but it’s kinda your lucky day because now you get…(drum roll)…ME!

Lady C: It pains me that I have to say this, but don’t do the drum roll.

Collins: Wasn’t planning on it!

“Rat a tat a tat” will sound much better!

Writing a few little scenes got the juices firing, so then I stepped it up to string several posts together to tell a mini story. Here’s an example of that:

Lyds: Hey! I stole Mom’s phone. She was having one of those fake LOL conversations with Lady Lucas again.

Kitty: Those are so funny! Forward me the texts.

Forwarded messages

LadyLucas: Such great news! My Charlotte is engaged!

MamaB: LOL!

LadyLucas: I’m serious. She’s marrying Mr. Collins.

MamaB: No. He’s marrying my Lizzy.

LadyLucas: Pretty sure I know who my daughter’s engaged to, LOL!

Lyds: That’s when Mom talked to Lizzy, found out Lady Lucas was telling the truth, and yelled at Lizzy for half an hour.

Kitty: Oh yeah. That was too funny. Send the rest.

Forwarded messages

MamaB: Congratulations to Charlotte! Just talked to Lizzy, and she said she didn’t want him, so he ran off to ask your daughter instead, LOL!

LadyLucas: Charlotte said HE didn’t want your Lizzy! Met my Charlotte and realized he liked her better, LOL!

MamaB: Didn’t realize your family liked sloppy seconds! If Lizzy gets another cast off, we’ll be sure to send him your way, LOL!

LadyLucas: I can’t remember. How many of your daughters are engaged? Because HALF of mine are, LOL!

Kitty: OK, this is getting boring. You can stop.

Lyds: Yeah, they just go on and ON. Hey, want to send Lady Lucas a nice message saying congratulations without the LOL—from Mom’s phone?? Mom’ll flip when she finds out, and Lady Lucas won’t know what game Mom’s playing.

Kitty: That sounds HILARIOUS. Do it.

MamaB: Lady Lucas isn’t talking to me. Why would she do that to her oldest friend?

PapaB: Perhaps because you sent her passive aggressive and mean spirited messages instead of just congratulating her on her daughter’s nuptials?

MamaB: I knew you weren’t going to take me seriously. You never do.

MamaB: WHO SENT LADY LUCAS THAT CONGRATULATIONS MESSAGE WITHOUT SAYING LOL

After experimenting with the longer conversations, I thought I’d go all in and write a book! The unconventional format raised a lot of plot questions, like—Why don’t these people ever put down their cell phones and talk to each other?! And why is Darcy texting his proposal? Why is Mr. Collins texting his? Unravelling the problems was part of the fun. I hope you enjoy the answers I came up with—and I hope it brings you a laugh to read about Lizzy and Darcy’s romps and romanticisms through the soft glow of a phone screen.

The excerpt below is a scene when Darcy, Charlie, and Caroline come over to have dinner with their new neighbors, the Bennets. Enjoy!

~ Excerpt from P&P & LOL ~

Sunday, September 25

8:22 am

MamaB: tonight is my mystery meatloaf dinner with those two men and the sister try to wear something pretty jane and lizzy dont drone on about school and learning you know men find that boring

Lizzy: So, look hot and sound dumb. Thanks for the love life advice, Mom.

MamaB: you know thats not what i meant

but yes do that

10:04 pm

Lyds: That dinner was soooooooooo funny!!!! I CANNOT wait until those neighbors come over again.

Lizzy: After tonight, they are never coming over again.

Lyds: Highlight reel, Kitty?

KittyCat: YOU KNOW IT!!!

Lizzy: Please don’t.

KittyCat: FIRST ONE—WHEN MOM INSISTED CAROLINE AND WILL TAKE MORE MYSTERY MEATLOAF AND THEY BOTH TOTALLY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE GONNA BARF!!!

10:06 pm

Lizzy: I noticed Charlie took more before Mom even said anything.

Janie: All that means is that he was hungry.

Lizzy: All that means is that he likes you so much he doesn’t mind getting his stomach pumped later.

10:07 pm

Lyds: Or what about how Dad could not keep it straight who was Will and who was Charlie and he called them by the wrong names ALL NIGHT??

KittyCat: WILL TOTALLY HATED THAT!!!

Lyds: You know what Will super hated? When mom googled how much money investment bankers make right in front of him and Charlie and asked them if that’s what they really make. Lizzy you looked like you were about to die!

KittyCat: TOO FUNNY!!!

AND THE PHOTO ALBUMS!!! IT WAS HILARIOUS WHEN MOM BROKE OUT JANES BABY BOOK AND TURNED TO THAT PAGE ABOUT TEETH AND WHEN SHE OPENED THE LITTLE ENVELOPE ALL OF JANES OLD BLOODY TEETH WERE INSIDE!!! THEN MOM TOOK ONE AND SHOVED IT IN CHARLIES FACE AND HE HAD TO PRETEND TO BE SUPER INTO IT!!!

Janie: That was a low point, yes.

Lizzy: OK, as fun as this is…

Lyds: No way are you cutting us off before the best one. Yeah, Kitty?

KittyCat: WE TOTALLY SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!!! THE DUET!!!

Lyds: LOLOLOL the duet!!! Best part of the night!! I knew when Sound of Music came up Mom and Mary would do it.

Lizzy: YOU brought up Sound of Music.

Lyds: Duh!!

KittyCat: I LOVE IT HOW MARY DOES THE MALE VOICE IN I AM SIXTEEN GOING ON SEVENTEEN AND SHE MAKES HER VOICE ALL SCRATCHY AND DEEP!!!

Mary: Baritone. Thank you. That has taken much practice and dedication, to say nothing of the whole acting element of singing, which I worry Mother does not understand.

Lyds: LOL Mary she does not! You had better teach her. But not til the neighbors come over again!!!

Janie: Lizzy’s right. They are never coming over again.

Lyds: LOL its like you two dont even know mom. Kitty do you think next time Mom will make the quiche with the runny center??

KittyCat: OR MAYBE THAT SWEET POTATO PIE THAT DOESNT HAVE ANY SWEET POTATOES IN IT!!! TOO FUNNY!!!

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Thanks for reading! If you liked this post and want to see more of what to expect in P & P & LOL, you can click here or here or here to read other texting posts I’ve written.

Thanks so much for sharing, Kirstin! This seems like such a fun way to update and translate Pride and Prejudice! I like the idea of seeing some of these more private behind-the-scenes types of conversations. I wonder what other changes we will see?! 📱

Best of luck with your new release of P & P & LOL, Kirstin! 🙌🏼

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~ Connect with Kirstin ~

Website    ❧    Facebook

~ About Kirstin ~

Kirstin Odegaard likes taking long walks on the beach, relaxing in a warm bath until the skin on her toes wrinkles, and sipping her tea while it’s still hot. But she has three kids, so she never does any of that. In her non-fantasy life, she’s into Lego battles, stuffed animal parties, and kiddie cuddles. When she’s not writing or with her family, she runs her tutoring center, where she advises students on how to solve for X and which date to take to prom. She fell in love with Pride and Prejudice with that first viewing of a dripping Colin Firth emerging from the lake. She is also the author of First Impressions: a Modern Retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emily: a Modern Retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma.

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~ GIVEAWAY TIME!~

Kirstin brings with her ONE ebook copy of P & P & LOL for me to give away to ONE lucky reader!

To enter this giveaway leave a comment, a question, or some love for Kirstin!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Kirstin!
• This giveaway ends May 15th!