What if our favorite Jane Austen characters solved mysteries? What kind of fun (and trouble) would they get into?

Whether you’re new to Jane Austen’s characters or they’re familiar friends, now you can find out – and meet and chat with the author of the book herself!

Join in the interactive and exciting discussion of The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet, a new novel by Katherine Cowley featuring the forgotten sister from one of the most famous works of English literature, Pride and Prejudice.

Fans of Jane Austen as well as readers who have never before encountered Austen’s work will enjoy this blend of mystery and the Regency. When Mary, the overlooked and underestimated Bennet sister, discovers a dead body on the beach, she doesn’t know if there is anyone who she can trust. Can Mary unravel the mystery, even as the threat of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte looms?

This is a novel about overcoming the limitations placed on us by others and becoming who it is that we want to be. The discussion will be led by the author of the book, Katherine Cowley.

What Makes This Special

It’s a Genre Mashup. Some of the most interesting discussions are about stories that combine multiple genres. A murder mystery + Pride and Prejudice = a rollicking good time! We’ll discuss not only themes from the story but also why there are so many retellings of classic literature and fairytales—and the possibilities (and pitfalls) that these retellings create.

And your guide is the author of the novel! Katherine Cowley is a writing teacher and an avid book club member (she likes to be in at least two book groups at any given time!). She is also the author of The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet. You can immerse yourself in the story, have a great discussion with your peers, and ask your burning questions to the author herself.

Your Guide

Katherine Cowley

http://www.katherinecowley.com/

Katherine Cowley read Pride and Prejudice for the first time when she was ten years old, which started a lifelong obsession with Jane Austen. She loves history, chocolate, traveling, and playing the piano.

Katherine has a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with an emphasis in Media Arts (Film), and a master’s degree in English with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition, both from Brigham Young University. She teaches first-year writing classes at Western Michigan University, and she has previously taught writing, film, and humanities classes at Brigham Young University and Mesa Community College. She has also worked as a radio producer for NPR-affiliate station Classical 89, and as a documentary film producer.

Her blog, “Jane Austen Writing Lessons,” was selected by The Write Life as one of the “Best 100 Websites for Writers in 2021.” The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet is her debut novel; the second and third books in the series are forthcoming in 2022. She also has several dozen published short stories, as well as a published novelette and novella.