Life is hectic for novelist

SOUTH JORDAN — "For the woman with everything except a Mr. Darcy of her own, an invitation to Austenland, Pembrook Park, Kent, England."

So reads the jacket of Shannon Hale's newest book, "Austenland," her first adult novel and a delightful look at the Jane Austin legend for modern times.

During last month's release party for the book, a friend presented Hale with a giant cardboard cutout image of Colin Firth — the British actor who portrayed Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC-TV adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice."

The expression on Firth's face was memorable enough that the approximately 100 women who assembled to celebrate Hale's book knew the exact scene in which it appeared.

Hale chuckled as she retold the story during an interview in her South Jordan home. At the same time she was feeding her 6-month-old daughter, Maggie, and telling Max, her 3 1/2-year-old son, to let a ringing phone go to voice mail.

Over the past four years, the life of this unpretentious, multitasking novelist, now 33, has gotten both more interesting and more chaotic.

Relaxing at home is barely possible these days even when her husband, Dean, is home to help with the kids. Shannon and Dean are clearly devoted to each other, and she calls him a "hands-on papa."

Dean is not a professional writer; he works in the computer world. But he also finds time to read and critique at least three drafts of each of Shannon's books before they are published — and he loves the books, too. "He's a real gem," Shannon said.

And together they have written a graphic novel, to be titled "Rapunzel's Revenge," which has been illustrated by local artist Nathan Hale (no relation).

Few people who are not writers realize that rarely do even their best friends read their novels. Shannon Hale realizes that a book-signing party for her might be equated with "an employee-of-the-month celebration" for someone else.

"And your family is always there to remind you that you're really not that special," said Hale. "This is just my job. I started writing when I was 10. I still have all the rejection letters for my short stories laminated into a long roll I show during high school visits."

Although she is a New York Times best-selling author and winner of the prestigious Newbery Honor award for the young-adult novel "Princess Academy," most of the people with whom she associates are unimpressed. "People often have never heard of the Newbery — it's very much a niche honor."