CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
"The only things that sell are Jane Austen and vampires," Michael Thomas Ford complained to his literary agent several years ago. Ford, who had written many award-winning books for gay readers, including Last Summer, had yet to register a hit with the mainstream market. What began as a joke out of frustration turned into Jane Bites Back, a confection of a novel that imagines Austen as a vampire and small-town bookseller in upstate New York, jealous of the royalties she's lost since everybody thinks she's dead. "I wrote a pitch, went on vacation," Ford remembers. "And my agent called to say, 'You're not going to believe this. Everybody loves it!'"
And they do. Ballantine signed Ford to write three Jane novels. In the first Ford transports Austen into the present, where she runs the gamut of middle-aged meltdowns--hanging on to dying dreams (it's been more than 100 years, and she still can't find a publisher for her manuscript), dating, and coping with the ghosts of the past and present (including the sexy, matter-of-factly bisexual Lord Byron--also one of the undead).
While the Jane books are a departure for Ford, he says they allow him to write about the literary world that has become his home: "I just think of what would make me insane as a writer, and then I do it to her." Ford reserves his most pointed scenes for the circus of contemporary publishing, throwing Austen onto talk shows with conservative pundits and convention panels with backstabbing fellow writers.
Of course, the Jane books rely on the business Ford lampoons, as they arrive amid the spate of vampire and Austen volumes. But there's always room for one more, he contends. "Vampires," he says, reluctant to make the pun, "just won't die."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: The Daily
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Latest Stories
Over 90% of trans youth live in states pushing anti-trans legislation: report
April 23 2024 10:08 PM
George Santos pulls out of New York congressional race
April 23 2024 7:04 PM
Biden will hammer Trump over abortion bans in Florida speech
April 23 2024 5:00 AM
Tristan Snell, who brought down Trump University, sees conviction in hush money case
April 22 2024 7:36 PM
Joe Biden admin marks Earth Day with major environmental initiatives
April 22 2024 4:18 PM
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: 'We want to end' trans and gender nonconforming teachers
April 22 2024 4:13 PM
Nonbinary 17-year-old killed two years after being reported missing
April 22 2024 3:46 PM