‘Emma continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love. Her ideas only varied as to how much…’

Jane Austen’s Emma has delighted readers since it was first published in 1815, despite the fact that Austen thought she had created a heroine that ‘no-one but myself will much like’. Of course in a way she was right – Emma Woodhouse is pretty, rich, privileged and wants for nothing. In short, she’s faintly annoying. But this is what has always attracted readers to Emma more than any other Austen heroine – she is flawed but fun. Her acerbic humour and arch commentary on the society that surrounds her draws us in and means we are totally on her side by the time pride leads her to a fall… which of course it does…!

If you’ve been enjoying the new TV adaptation on Sunday nights (BBC1 at 9pm – we’re three weeks into the four-part series) you’ll be on tenterhooks to what happens next in the romantic fortunes of Highbury’s irrepressible matchmaker. Emma’s determination to find love for her friends has already backfired once, leaving her mortified and poor Harriet Smith inconsolable. Will the dashing Frank Churchill succeed where Mr Elton failed? And what is to become of Jane Fairfax? Tune in on Sunday for the next instalment…

In the meantime, try our quiz to find out which female character from Emma you’re most like! Are you the reserved but perhaps-not-so-demure Jane Fairfax? A supremely confident Augusta Elton? Find out in our quiz on Facebook.

To win one of five copies of our special tie-in edition, with an introduction by the BAFTA-winning screenwriter Sandy Welch, post your funniest matchmaking story on the blog – we’ll award copies to our five favourites!

Jenny - Press Officer

UPDATE: Thanks for posting so many hilarious stories! I’m pleased to announce that Emily is the winner of a brand new copy of Jane Austen’s Emma - after all, not only did she go to the cinema with the wrong man, she then spent the entire evening with him over dinner and only realised her mistake on the way home! Quite an achievement. Hope you enjoy the book!

Emily’s disastrous date:

I once agreed to go on a blind date with a friend of a friend. I’d arranged to meet him outside a cinema. I hadn’t thought to ask what he’d be wearing so when I spotted someone looking a bit lost and confused I tentatively asked them if they were looking for me. He smiled and said yes - phew! We watched the film, then he invited me out for a meal. I had a lovely time, he was the perfect gentleman. Then I realised I was late for my bus so I said I’d call him and dashed off.

While I was sat on the bus my phone rang. It was the friend who’d arranged it all for me, before I could thank her she said “Why did you stand him up?” After much confusion it turned out that my ‘date’ had been with a complete stranger, and the real date had arrived after I’d gone inside and was left standing outside waiting for me.

As the phone number I had was for the man I was supposed to be meeting and not my mystery date I couldn’t call him, and never did see him again!

and How to Make Sure He Does

A refreshing new approach to dating, for women who want a new way of finding a soul mate. I just love this book: it’s something fresh and different, but also extremely practical and full of common sense – not at all patronising like so many other dating books.

Julia - Vermilion editor

I’m so excited that The Four Man Plan has found its way to the UK. The most exciting part is, I think you gals really get it and REALLY need it! From what I hear so far, things are a little different over there. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I’ve been told that it goes something like this: girl goes to pub or club, girl meets boy, girl and boy drink several pints or shots, girl and boy start snogging or more and POOF! you have a new boyfriend for the night, a week, or however long it lasts. No “dates”, no “asking out”, no “getting to know each other”. Can this be so?

I’m sure it’s a generalization, and to be perfectly frank, it’s not so different from how a lot of folks find themselves in relationships here. But does that seem a bit random? Wouldn’t it seem more likely to be a successful relationship if you meet a man by the light of day? I don’t know, I kind of think it’s a good idea to see if you can have a conversation with someone, and find out whether or not they are honest, loving and willing before locking on. Don’t get me wrong, I did it the other way a bunch of times, to my deep misery.

The US 4MPlanners have been using The Plan to a great deal of success. Some find that their love lives are now manageable, make sense, more relaxing and most importantly FUN! And of course, many have found themselves that ideal man, some after just a few short weeks, some after 65 weeks of planning, since the US version came out! Join us in the FORUM, just click that big gray button on the left, and get all the dish, ask your questions and share your stories. I pop in almost everyday to give advice, though it is rivalled by the wisdom of your fellow 4MPlanners.

I’m so looking to hearing from you, I want to know EVERYTHING…and welcome you to the glory of The Four Man Plan!

 - Author of the Four Man Plan.
Visit the official 4MP website.

The Plan has hit the UK - and you can get it here! Date at least four men at any one time, break the habits that make you suck at love, and find the ultimate prize.  If you want to find out more about how the plan works, the Daily Mail ran a huge feature on it earlier this year.

If you have recently taken up the plan or if you just need some dating advice, leave a comment with your dilemma by the end of February and Cindy will get in touch with a selection of commenters for some personal advice and assistance!

New Year’s is a time for hope. People gather together in the middle of winter, perhaps by a roaring fire, and they “make merry”, glad to have what they need to make it through to the Spring – shelter, food, warmth, loved ones, and a hot rum toddy or two. Time slows down in the winter, and there’s a chance to ponder one’s life from the safety of a snug cocoon. It’s a good time to imagine a new you, and take stock of the old one. And that applies especially to relationships.

Whether you’re currently in a relationship or just dreaming of one, a good New Year’s resolution might be to finally deal with your baggage, so you can really make a fresh start. Many of us are hampered by the past, and that tends to make history repeat itself. But if you shake off the false lessons of the past and learn its true ones, you can propel yourself into a place where new things are possible. (I’ve explored this process in detail in a new book, Better Love Next Time.) If you’re already in a relationship, and you basically believe you and your partner are real allies, it may be time to be thankful for that and vow to make the most of it, by learning how to avoid the mistakes that happened before. A time for good will towards the main person in your life. These are hard days for many of us and they make us appreciate what we have.

If, on the other hand, you want to start a new relationship, it’s a good moment to really get ready for that step, by making peace with past relationships that may still be in your way. Peace and good will – I guess the season has gotten to me after all…

J. M. Kearns - author of Better Love Next Time

What was your inspiration for The Fidelity Files?

Before I became a full-time writer, I worked in a very corporate environment. And like all corporate jobs, there were a certain number of ‘alcohol-related’ events that I was expected to attend. I would often find myself at work ‘happy hour’ functions in nearby bars, observing the interactions between single and non-single co-workers as their behaviours gradually declined from professional to something else entirely. Something hardly capable of being described as ‘appropriate’.

Some of the disturbing things that I witnessed as I watched alcohol cloud people’s judgment and the bar environment offset any trained workplace behaviour upset me on a profound level. I felt incredible discomfort in some of the things that I observed and above all else, it instilled a level of doubt and distrust in me that I never knew I had. I secretly wished that someone would tell the ‘conveniently’ absent significant others about what their husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends/fiancés really did while attending these ‘obligatory’ and supposedly ‘uneventful’ work functions. But I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to do it. I was brave enough to think it…but not exactly brave enough to go knocking on people’s doors with bad news. You know what people tend to do to ‘the messenger.’

So instead I created a character whose job and purpose in life was to do just that. To reveal the truth to anyone who wanted to know. To knock on all the doors that I never had the courage to knock on. An invincible superhero-esque woman whose quest is to fight against the evils of infidelity. But of course, she soon finds out she’s not as invincible as she once thought.

In a sense, the Ashlyn character of the book is the mask that I always wanted to wear. She’s the woman that I never had the confidence or audacity to be. A façade behind which I could hide as I watched my fantasies of exposing the truth come to life on the page. I believe we are all afraid of feeling vulnerable on some level. We all fear the painful emotions that come with betrayal. My greater purpose in writing The Fidelity Files was to explore these fears so that I could offer a message of faith and hope despite them. Because if someone who makes their living as a fidelity inspector can believe in love despite everything she’s seen, it shouldn’t be that hard for the rest of us.

Have you ever met a professional ‘honey-trap’?

This is the second most popular question people ask after I’ve told them what The Fidelity Files is about. The first most popular question is whether or not I was ever a professional ‘honey trap’ myself. And the answer to both is, sadly, no. I wish my life was that exciting! Although, I do admit, it sounds like a fascinating job and I would really like to meet one some day. In fact, when I first came up with the idea for the book, I didn’t even know ‘honey-trappers’ existed in real life. I thought that I just made up the profession. And so I wrote the book from the perspective of what I believed the life of a honey trap (or ‘fidelity inspector’ as I called it) would be. I only recently found out that there are quite a few agencies out there that do this kind of thing for real, especially in the UK. I’m just dying for a real-life honey trap to read my book and tell me if I was anywhere near the mark, or just completely off base.

Jennifer thinks of herself as a modern day superhero: if you were a superhero what would you be called? And what would be your special power?

Calorie Immunity. That would definitely be my super power. The ability to eat anything I want and be completely unaffected by the calories contained within. I would never gain a pound! I have a HUGE weakness for cupcakes. I’m talking epic. I cannot pass up a cupcake to save my life. So with my calorie immunity, cupcakes would no longer pose a threat to me…or my thighs.

I’m not really sure what my superhero name would be, but with a super power like that, man, would I look good in a leotard and boots.

Dream-casting time: who in your head would play Jennifer in the movie of The Fidelity Files? What about Jamie?

I’ve always struggled with this question because I’ve never really had one person in mind for the role of Jennifer/Ashlyn. She would have to be beautiful and sexy so that the men in the movie would fall for her but she would also has to come off as sympathetic and a little vulnerable so that audience would relate to her. I would love to see Eva Longoria in the role because I think she could pull it off. Also Natalie Portman, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson or Keira Knightley would be great casting.

As for Jamie, Patrick Dempsey is an obvious choice for me. I think he has that distinguished mature look that’s described in the book and he also comes off as very sweet and genuine. That’s the kind of guy Jamie is in my head.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write? A favourite place? What’s your writing process? Are you a planner?

I write best in the morning. Something I never thought I’d say in a million years as I’ve never been a morning person. I used to think that waking up before 11 was early. But in the past year or so, I’ve been waking up at 7:30 and on the computer by 8:00 and I’ve never been more productive.

I can’t write in noisy places like coffee shops (I guess there goes my dream of becoming the next J.K. Rowling) so I usually write in my office at home. It’s quiet and comfortable and my fish is there, right next to my desk. He likes to watch me work. I think he’s my muse. Although I should probably figure out how long fish tend to live before I get too attached to that opinion.

The writing process is very random for me. It all depends on the day. Because I tend to be equally right and left brained, sometimes I feel as though the writing process is just a constant struggle (or sometimes clash) between the two brains to come up with a consistent way to write a novel. I write outlines, because my analytical side tells me it’s the right thing to do, but then halfway through the story, I come to the conclusion that I only write outlines so that I’ll have something to deviate from. I create complicated spreadsheets (a nod back to my days as a strategic analyst) for my storylines and page counts and pacing only to abandon them halfway through. And yet, despite this seemingly random chaos, it all feels perfectly natural to me. As if it was designed specifically for a purpose. So I suppose, my lack of a defined process is a process in itself.

Other than writing, what other jobs or professions have you undertaken or considered?

Before I wrote my first novel, I worked as a strategic analyst for a film studio. Which basically means I worked on spreadsheets all day. Lots and lots of spreadsheets. Pie charts were popular too. But seriously, I do actually have a very analytical side so I enjoyed analysing the movie industry and predicting how well certain titles would do.

I also waited tables all through high school and college. My parents used to own a pizza restaurant in Colorado and I worked there every summer. I even made pizzas for a little while. And yes, I was able to toss the pizzas over my head like they do in the movies. But what they don’t show you in those movies is how much flour you have to wash out of your hair every night.

If I wasn’t a writer, I think I’d want to be a blackjack dealer in Vegas. I love to gamble. And as the dealer, I’d get to take other people’s money instead of losing my own. Either that, or I’d like to own my own cupcake shop. But without my calorie immunity super power, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.

Watch the trailer for The Fidelity Files:

[youtube:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QpKa8oAvf8M]

Find out more about the book, learn about Jessica Brody, send in your stories of infidelity and go behind-the-scenes on the trailer on the Fidelity Files website.

Jessica Brody - Author of The Fidelity Files

V-Day. Officially the darkest day in the Singleton’s calendar (and yes, we all turn into Bridget this time of year, there’s no point denying it). Every lady who works in publishing gets tarred with the Bridget brush sooner or later. Just be thankful, you 20-somethings, that you weren’t in publishing when the book originally came out. I’ve just checked when that was, and it was 1996! Jesus, I’ve been using the phrase ‘Smug Married’ for 12 years! And telling people that no, I’m not shagging my boss, because all my bosses (bar about 2) have been ladies and the 2 that weren’t were most emphatically NOT Daniel Cleaver clones.

Anyway, V-Day’s when we all publish our dating books, so that Singletons hiding at home rather than being humiliated by Smugs can feel that little bit worse about ourselves by reading man-uals.

These are either written by women, with helpful and hopeful tips like: ‘Be yourself!’ (Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying. It’s clearly not working so well for me. Who else’s self should I try being?) Or by men, who offer tips like ‘Wear a short skirt! Smile at him to show you’re interested! Always wear make-up – men are visual creatures!’ (Thanks, I know that too – I’ve seen Maxim, and it’s terrifying. Seemingly the best ruse is to hang about in your bra and pants, with your thumbs stuck down the latter, pouting wildly. If you provide your own beer, so much the better.)

Now, my job involves reading a lot of dating manuals (no, really, it does – people on the Tube must think I’m a right old freak; or someone who just cannot put advice into practise with any degree of success).  I’ve read most of them, so you don’t have to. Here’s what to avoid and what to take home and have a guilty flick through because it might just work…

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