Midnight in Austenland (26 page)

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to the many people who nurtured this story from concept to printed book. Lovely cheek kisses for all the folks at Bloomsbury: Victoria Wells Arms, Mike O'Connor, Maureen Klier, Liz Peters, Sabrina Farber, and Rachel Mannheimer. Special slobbery kisses for Barry Goldblatt, Janae Stephenson, Shelby Ivory, Jen Jones, Meghan Hibbett, Stephenie Meyer, and Jerusha Hess. A movie kiss on the mouth for Dean Hale. And a grateful curtsy to Jane Austen.

While writing this book, I enjoyed delving into many Gothic tales, particularly
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier,
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson,
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë, many Agatha Christies, and, of course,
Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen.

Finally, apologies to nuns everywhere for the sad fate of Grey Cloaks Abbey, and most especially to the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of Solitude in Arizona, who wrote to tell me how much they appreciated the dedication in
Austenland
.

A Note on the Author

Shannon Hale is the author of
Austenland
,
The Actor and the Housewife
, and six young adult novels published by Bloomsbury:
The Goose Girl
,
Enna Burning
,
River Secrets
,
Forest Born
,
Book of a Thousand Days
, and the Newbery Honor–winning
New York Times
bestseller
Princess Academy
. She and her husband have worked together on two graphic novels,
Rapunzel's Revenge
and
Calamity Jack
. They live with their children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

By the Same Author

The Actor and the Housewife

Austenland

For Young Readers:

Princess Academy

Book of a Thousand Days

Rapunzel's Revenge

Calamity Jack

The Books of Bayern:

The Goose Girl

Enna Burning

River Secrets

Forest Born

Copyright © 2012 by Shannon Hale

First U.S. Edition 2012
Electronic edition published in January 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address Bloomsbury USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Hale, Shannon.

Midnight in Austenland : a novel / Shannon Hale.—1st U.S. ed.

p. cm.

ebook ISBN: 978-1-60819-640-1

1.  Single women—Fiction.   2.  Americans—England—Fiction.   3.  Austen, Jane, 1775–1817—Influence—Fiction.   4.  Chick lit.   I.  Title.

PS3608.A54584M53 2012

813'.6—dc22

2010053029