Lori Smith is an adorer of Jane Austen and a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. She feels connections to Austen on many levels—as a writer, a single woman, an Anglican, and as someone struggling with a mysterious chronic illness. For her last book, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith, Lori spent a month in England tracing Austen’s life and works. Readers voted to give that book the Jane Austen Regency World Award for best nonfiction.
As a child, Lori’s mother had to pay her to read books. So it’s a bit ironic that she now gets paid to write them. Lori’s been writing for more than ten years. In addition to her three books, her work has appeared in Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly, Beliefnet.com, Skirt!, Crosswalk.com, Breakpoint.org and Today’s Christian Woman.
Lori lives in Northern Virginia with her sweet but stubborn English lab, Bess. Follow her on Twitter @WriterLoriSmith.
No worries — and thank you so much! I will see if I can move your comment to the other page.
Lori, I am so glad to have found you again! I was that goofy fan of yours that went to a book talk you did at a Borders in Tyson’s Corner when you were publicizing your book, A Walk With Jane Austen. I loved that book and can’t wait to read this next one. I’m so glad you are still writing!
I remember you, Karen! So glad to hear from you!
Glad to see you are feeling better and are back to blogging and writing. Brenda fills me in on you from time to time. We were just in your area this weekend and actually met a mutual friend. I didn’t know they knew you until a few years ago when she was reading your book and we made the connection.
Thanks, Beth — good to hear from you! Curious about our mutual friend. Hope you and yours are very well.
So glad to see that you are writing again. I met you briefly at a JASNANY event at Manhattanville College where you kindly autographed my copy of A Walk with Jane Austen.
Can’t wait to read your new book.
Be well.
Anita – Great to hear from you! I have such wonderful memories of that event. Will you be at the AGM in October? I can’t wait to be back up there with everyone in NY.
Delighted that you are feeling better- and with another “darling child”! Looking forward to reading your new book!
Thank you! It’s great to hear from you!
So proud of you, Lori!
Enjoyed your other two books and plan on getting this one as well.
Thanks, Diane!
I, too, am delighted you are feeling better, Lori. A Walk with Jane Auaten is a complete treasure to me. It’s as if I know you! I honor you for you atrong, moral, Christian stand. God bless you richly! Martha
Thanks so much, Martha!
Thank you for speaking at the Capital Christian Writers tonight. It was more than a pleasure listening to you. I know thsat I will enjoy your book. Hope to see you soon maybe when I finally publish my first novel.
Thanks, John. Really enjoyed being with CCW last night!
You are very graciously welcome.
Miss Smith,
I read your book A Walk with Jane Austin and really enjoyed it! The world of Jane Austin is always a quiet place for me to escape to for a few minutes before I go to sleep after a trying day. Your discriptions of Jane’s life and the visits to her haunts were wonderful as I too love England with memories when I briefly lived there as a girl.
However, I really connected with you on your story of your health. You said it was a blessing of God to finally know what it was. As you told your story of tiredness and torment, I understood it for I had Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever, a close kin of Lyme’s Disease. It was diagnosed 7 months after the tick bite. Life physically was horrible for awhile. It was two years after that before I felt like I was well. However, it was by the grace of God that I am well. My husband who was there to help me through it, along with other brothers and sisters in Christ showed me the love of God during that time.
So, don’t give up! Look to Him and recover!
Thanks for the excellent reading and looking forward to reading more of your work.
Debbie Chandler
Thanks, Debbie! I’m so glad you’ve recovered from the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This tick stuff is unbelievably hard.
You’ve probably already seen this in National Review Online but…….
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/313858/it-s-not-war-sexes-interview
I thought of you immediately when I saw it. Hope your day is going well. Wishing you the best for the Thursday event.
Alan