In which we get to know our members a little better…
Name: Amanda Jones
Nationality: Australian
How old were you when you read your first Georgette Heyer novel?
12 or 13, I think.
What was it?
These Old Shades.
How did you discover her work?
I THINK a school librarian, when I was looking for something after finishing Jane Austen. Or it could have been a friend’s grandmother.
Did Heyer lead you to read other authors in similar genres?
This was the 70s. I finished Heyer and went to Barbara Cartland. That put me off for decades from trying other similar genre writers. No one comes close to Georgette.
Which of her books have you read the most often?
These Old Shades, Frederica, The Grand Sophy, The Talisman Ring, False Colours.
Which, if any, would you never read again?
I very infrequently reread The Quiet Gentleman, Charity Girl and April Lady.
If you could be a Heyer heroine, which would you choose?
Frederica or Sarah Thane (or maybe Venetia, because Damerel!).
Which Heyer hero (or heroine) would make the best husband/wife/partner?
Hugo Darracott, Sir Tristram, Frederica, Kit and Cressy from False Colours.
How has Georgette Heyer influenced your life?
The cadences in which I speak and write; she has given me so much uncomplicated pleasure when life has been overwhelmingly complicated; audiobooks of her books help me sleep; she makes me laugh; she has brought me like-minded friends; she (and Jane Austen) have been a constant presence for nearly 50 years.
Amanda Jones has been involved in organizing two very successful Georgette Heyer conferences in Sydney, Australia, and is looking forward to a third in 2019. Having read Pride and Prejudice around age 12, and looking for someone to read who was like Jane Austen, Amanda was directed by a helpful school librarian to a whole shelf of books by Georgette Heyer. She has read them repeatedly over the ensuing decades whilst raising a family and working in a number of different fields, and they have never failed to lift her spirits.
