I’m working on a new kind of project that I think I am ready to talk about. It’s a new Jane Rochester story, but not quite like the previous ones. Last year, I came across an indie author who was selling a work of fiction in the form of physical letters. (David Viergutz, a horror writer. Not my kind of stories, but he seems like a super nice guy). And it occurred to me that a Letter from Jane Eyre might be a project worth considering. I had a new idea for a Jane Rochester story that promised plenty of interesting material, but not quite enough substance for a full length novel, and this seemed like a great way to put it to use. I was also really drawn to the idea of putting Jane’s voice into a letter.

One of the many things I love about Charlotte Bronte’s writing is the way it is so grounded in physical reality. When Jane takes a walk, she knows the names of the flowers and birds, she notices the details of farm life, or factory life, or even the sound of a stream or ‘beck’ flowing in the distance. (Truly, a ‘beckoning’ sound.) While our modern world gives us many advantages and opportunities she never had, I think there are also things that we have lost. We know our commute better than our garden, our celebrities more intimately than our neighbors, and our technology is more familiar than our bookshelf. There is a tangibleness to Brontë’s world that I love, and that brings back my childhood. I am starting to realize that my own generation may be the last to grow up ‘analog’. When I was young I spent endless amounts of time on my back in the grass, watching the clouds go by, or tearing apart milkweed pods, or finding out where the river went, just to see what was around the next bend. I appreciate much of what we have today, but hate to think of what we may lose. Digging deep into Bronte’s world is my own little way of trying to retain what was good of the past.

Letters are another tangible that has disappeared from every day life. Jane Eyre feels to me the perfect narrator to meet in a written letter that arrives in one’s mailbox. Of course, as Brontë is not here to pen any more stories, you are stuck with my imitation of her, but the best I can do is create a Jane Rochester story and send it to you by mail. Thanks to the blessings of technology, you don’t have to read my actual handwriting. As a somewhat uncoordinated leftie, you’d have as much luck reading a letter from Charles Bingley as you would from me! But technology grants me the ability to use beautiful historical fonts from http://www.oldfonts.com. And as Jane Eyre was a capable artist, I have a lovely opportunity to include some original art work into the letters. (More on that to come later.) There are so many possibilities to this. I’m still exploring them.

My first task, however, was to write the story, and while it is still ‘in the works’ at present, the finish line is visible. I think it’s a fun tale that Jane Rochester fans are really going to enjoy. I was originally planning to release it as a new novel, but it may surface as letters instead. Meanwhile, I’m tinkering with some short stories I hope to make available to you soon. I also have an idea for a further Jane Rochester mystery, in a somewhat unexpected setting. The basis of this story idea was born soon after that of the Hour of Fatality, but I wasn’t sure if I would manage to stay motivated enough to make it all the way to this tale. Time will tell if I will be able to pull it off!

Thank you, dear readers, for staying along for the ride!