Why are people so interested in continuing Austens books?
It is a great question, but I do not think there is a single answer. I imagine the motivations for writing a sequel or variation or behind-the-scenes or modern spin vary widely from person to person. A cynic would likely say it is merely the greed to cash in on a fad while exploiting a classic piece of literature. Maybe in a few cases, but I truly do not think this is the norm. I recently wrote a guest blog for Diary of an Eccentric entitled, “Ignorance is Bliss.” In it I talked about how I entered the realm of Austen fan fiction (JAFF) largely unaware of just how huge the genre was. I knew of a few online communities and had read enough JAFF to know what I wanted to say and that the reception would be good, but I did not know of the massive collection of books being published. At first it was daunting. But then I realized that the wealth of competition and rabid interest only proved why I had begun writing in the first place: People love Jane Austen and they can never have enough. So
