Jane Austen...Vampire?

Is it so hard to believe that one of the world's favorite authors is still alive today...running around...as a vampire? This is the premise of Jane Bites Back, a very entertaining novel by Michael Thomas Ford. Jane Austen is living as Jane Fairfax in the sleepy college town of Brakeston, New York. She is the owner of Flyleaf Books, a moderately successful bookstore (who is surprised by this???) and is a bit weary of having lived for the last 234 years. Jane has been trying to get her "big break" by getting her novel, Constance, published while watching the stunning sales of anything having to do with Jane Austen and not receiving any royalties from the sales. Her manuscript is rejected 116 times before she receives her big break and a publisher decides her novel is one of the best things written in a really long time. Things get a little crazy when she begins to be pursued by a local contractor (should she tell him she's undead???) and a suitor from her past. This entertaining novel contains lots of references to dead (and un-dead) authors and literary figures from the past and it is a treat to read. I am a big Jane Austen fan, so it was enjoyable imagining her trying to live a comtemporary life, and doing things such as talking on a cell phone and being a panelist at a romance writers' conference. Jane is charming because she is constantly in turmoil about who should know she's a vampire, and she really thinks feeding on blood is a "necessary evil." This is a great read for vampire and literary story lovers! If you like this story, try also reading Stephanie Barron's, Jane the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, the first book in the Jane Austen Mysteries series.