Columbia. When not obsessing about where to put the buttons or the commas, she can be found running by the ocean, eating excessive amounts of gluten, listening to earnest love songs, and pretending her dog understands every word she says.Firkins applied the Page 69 Test to her new YA rom-com, Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things, a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, and reported the following:
On page 69 in Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things, Edie and Henry are fighting about Henry’s lax attitudes around love and relationships. We get a glimpse of Mansfield, and how Edie doesn’t fit in with her wealthy, polished surroundings. Edie’s repulsed by Henry. Henry’s intrigued by Edie. We sense a growing tension that may shift from hate to something more complex. The page represents several main themes/storylines in the book: the search for confidence when we don’t fit in, the difficulty of finding meaningful love in a disposable, live-in-the-moment society, and a growing awareness that everyone’s more complicated than their first impression might imply. The only thing missing to fully represent the book is a pun.Visit Jacqueline Firkins's website.
Coffee with a Canine: Jacqueline Firkins & Ffiona.
My Book, The Movie: Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things.
--Marshal Zeringue