We all have our favorite Austen and Shakespeare characters, but have you ever wondered what it would be like if they all interacted? If so, we have a list of book series with crossover characters that you'll want to add to your reading list. Maybe these -- and our writing workshops in June -- will get your creative juices flowing.
"Kill Shakespeare": In this comic book series by authors Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col, Shakespeare's greatest heroes (Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Puck) and his most sinister villains (Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Iago) face off in a battle over the fate of a wizard named William Shakespeare. What could go wrong?
"Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen": Often billed as the first Austen sequel ever written and originally published in 1913, this novel by Sybil Brinton intertwines the lives of your favorite Austen characters from all six novels into one story. This is a must-read for any Jane Austen enthusiast.
Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries: Calling all mystery lovers! In this series by Carrie Bebris, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" want to enjoy their lives as newlyweds. This proves to be impossible, as they find themselves getting pulled into various mysteries. These cases involve characters from Austen's beloved novels, and it is up to the Darcys to solve them. The series features seven books and include characters from Austen's novels. Examples: "The Intrigue at Highbury (Or, Emma's Match," in which the Darcys meet Mr. Knightley and his new wife, Emma, from Jane Austen's Emma, and must work together to investigate the crimes at hand. In "The Deception at Lyme (Or, The Peril of Persuasion)," Mr. Darcy allies with Captain Wentworth from Persuasion to investigate a battle.
The Rajes Series: Award-winning author and JASP 2019 speaker Sonali Dev's series centers on an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty. Dev's novels add a modern Indian American twist to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" (Dev's "Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors"), "Persuasion" ("Recipe for Persuasion"), and "Sense and Sensibility" ("Incense and Sensibility"). In May, Dev plans to release book No. 4: "The Emma Project."
We encourage you to register for JASP's creative writing workshops! Led by playwright Sarah Rose Kearns and Journal of Juvenilia Studies editor Lesley Peterson, they will focus on "Creating Your Own Theatrical Adaptation" and "Rants and Raves." No writing experience necessary. Act fast: Space is limited to 25 people each session!