Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

I haven’t been as bloggy as I would have liked this year. Part of that is due to the fact that I just haven’t been feeling well. I’ve been dealing with chronic eustachian tube dysfunction since December of 2015 (it’s supposed to get better, and it has, but I’m not yet back to right). That means it’s been uncomfortable to exercise, which – coupled with the general anxiety that comes from weird ear sounds and bouts of temporary hearing loss (every time I get sick) – means I’ve also gained weight. So, you can see why I haven’t really been motivated to blog a lot of outfits lately.

All that said, I haven’t been completely out of it. I can say that I’ve been using that Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade pot I’d been wanting to try, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. I’ve also been trying some new hair products that I’ll be sharing with you guys in the new year.

I’ll also have some fun tiki-themed pinup photos (by Holly West!) to show you.

So. Even though I may not seem like I’m here, I am and I’d love to chat on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Those links are in the navbar to the left! Stop by and say hi, and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2017 is better for all of us, in every way!

~ Kali 🙂

 

Jane Austen’s Emma onstage and adapted in a contemporary novel

Having just celebrated 200 years of publication this past December, Jane Austen’s Emma deserves an extended anniversary party! This spring, the novel is celebrated by the release of Katie Heaney’s Dear Emma – a contemporary adaptation of the original story – and a stage run of Jon Jory’s Emma at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

Emma at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company runs through March 26. Heaney’s novel, featuring a college-aged advice columnist named Harriet struggling with love and friendship, is available now via Amazon.

For more about Jane Austen and Emma:

Cincy Shakes presents Emma
Cincy Shakes presents Emma.

Jane Austen’s Emma is almost 200!

Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma (1996 Miramax adaptation).

It’s hard to believe that December will mark the 200th anniversary of Emma‘s publication. The recent lead up’s been pretty interesting, including a modern retelling of the novel by Alexander McCall Smith and Pemberley Digital’s multimedia Emma Approved adaptation, which wrapped last year. Various organizations, including the Bay Area English Regency Society in the San Francisco Bay Area, are organizing celebrations commemorating the event. Even though it’s not popular on the same level as, say, Pride & Prejudice, people love Emma because it has a little something for everyone.

Before writing Emma, Jane Austen once expressed, “I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like” (James Edward Austen-Leigh’s Memoir of Jane Austen, p. 158). Most believe that the author was at least half-joking when she said this, as Emma Woodhouse is often a great favorite among readers. The character aside, however, the story itself is simply brilliant. Part romance, part comedy, part drama, and part “detective novel,” adapters for stage and screen have lots of choice when it comes to direction and focus. If the depth and texture of the novel has a limitation, it’s in the fact that most adaptations can’t do justice to everything it offers (not even the long miniseries versions).

Jane Austen wrote Emma over the period encompassing January 21, 1814 – March 29, 1815. At his request, she dedicated Emma to her most high-profile fan, the Prince Regent. This is a bit strange, considering that she didn’t care much for him, his conduct towards his wife, or his personality in general. He received a special first edition of the novel (one of twelve “presentation” copies issued by the publisher), in three volumes, which is kept at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. For more on the presentation edition, see this description of Anne Sharp’s copy (Bonhams auction site). Novelist Maria Edgeworth – a favorite of Austen’s – also apparently received a presentation copy of the novel.

First published in December, 1815 (though the frontispiece is dated 1816) by John Murray, Emma was the last work Austen lived to see released. The first edition consisted of 2000 copies. Oddly, the book did not sell well, so the second printing/edition didn’t happen until 1833. For more information on the initial publication of the novel, look here. You will also find opinions on the novel from Austen’s friends and family right here.

For more on Jane Austen’s Emma and its various media adaptations, visit the Emma Adaptations Pages.

Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma reboot coming soon to The Austen Project!

Alexander McCall Smith's Emma reboot - a tribute to Jane Austen's original novel
Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma reboot – a tribute to Jane Austen’s original novel.

Well, it looks like the wait’s a-shrinking for the Emma reboot by famed mystery novelist Alexander McCall Smith. This Jane Austen retelling is coming to the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in early November. According to Amazon.com, preorders are open for the US edition, scheduled to release in April.

Here’s the novel teaser from the official “The Austen Project” website:

Fresh from university, Emma Woodhouse arrives home in Norfolk ready to embark on adult life with a splash. Not only has her sister, Isabella, been whisked away on a motorbike to London, but her astute governess, Miss Taylor is at a loose end watching as Mr. Woodhouse worries about his girls. Someone is needed to rule the roost and young Emma is more than happy to oblige.

At the helm of her own dinner parties, and often found either rearranging the furniture at the family home of Hartfield, or instructing her new protégée, Harriet Smith, Emma is in charge. You don’t have to be in London to go to parties, find amusement or make trouble. Not if you’re Emma, the very big fish in the rather small pond.

But for someone who knows everything, Emma doesn’t know her own heart. And there is only one person who can play with Emma’s indestructible confidence, her friend and inscrutable neighbour George Knightly – this time has Emma finally met her match?

More Pinup: May Delicious Dolls and Tassel Twirl!

More good news on the pinup front! I’m in the May regular edition of Delicious Dolls (photographed by the awesome Angela Morales) and Tassel Twirl issue #2 (photographed by the superlative Miss Missy), out today! Both issues are fantastic, full of beautiful women, entertaining articles and interviews, and superb photography.

Kali by Miss Missy Photography
Kali by Miss Missy Photography.

The above is a sneak peek from my wonderful shoot with Missy. We spent the whole day shooting everything from the great 1940s old Hollywood look above to my beautiful Alfred Shaheen tapa print sundress. More to come from that day in the nearish future!

Pinup: I’m in Ivy Magazine #9 – Gals at Work!

I’ve already plastered social media with the news, but why stop there? I’m in Issue #9 of Ivy Magazine, the “Gals at Work” issue under the name “Kali the Cat.” Yeah, that was for Elizabeth Taylor. This wonderful edition is full of beautiful pinup models photographed by some of the most talented artists in the industry. You can order your copy via Amazon.com – and it’s on sale! Mine arrived at my door in less than three days. Look for the Veronica Virgo cover!

Ivy Magazine #9
Ivy Magazine #9

My favorite shot from last year’s photo shoot with Holly West is in this one. I’m wearing my trusty Deadly Dames Film Noir dress in a 1930s Ford sedan. My hair and makeup are by the incomparable Rockwell DeVil.

Stay tuned for more pinup-related announcements in the future! My blog like page on Facebook is a good place to keep up with all the fun!

A “modern” Emma by Alexander McCall Smith…

Writer Alexander McCall Smith – creator of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency mysteries  – is working on a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma for HarperFiction’s Austen Project.

“Writing a contemporary version of Emma is both a privilege and a real challenge,” the author said. “Not only is Emma one of the finest novels in the English language, but it is possibly Jane Austen’s most thought-provoking and interesting book.”

According to HarperFiction,

The Austen Project pairs six bestselling contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works: Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. Taking these well-loved stories as their base, each author will write their own unique take on Jane Austen’s novels.

Continue reading “A “modern” Emma by Alexander McCall Smith…”

Emma Approved: Another Austen-inspired web serial

Emma Approved
Emma Approved premiers October 7!

If you enjoyed The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, an interactive online media series adapted from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, you’ll be over the moon about Emma Approved. Based on Austen’s Emma, this one’s produced by the very same team that  brought you Diaries and Welcome to Sanditon.

Continue reading “Emma Approved: Another Austen-inspired web serial”