Novel Advice

A book of advice columns, in which characters from across classic literature write in for help with their very particular problems and receive guidance from the opinionated Aunt Antigone.

// publisherSimon & Schuster / Tiller Press

// my roleAuthor

// about

An agony aunt for the fictional

Novel Advice is a literary humor book featuring characters from the Western canon, seeking advice about the stories they're trapped in. Ophelia writes in about her dating woes. Dr. Jekyll is desperate for work-life balance tips. Mrs. Bennet needs financial advice. Ishmael wonders about rushing into a relationship too quickly. Their letters are answered by Aunt Antigone, who dishes out practical wisdom with a fair dose of snark.

The book is equal parts humor and genuine affection for these characters and the questions at the heart of their stories. (There is also a hidden message inside which, to my knowledge, no one has yet found.)

Open spread of the Novel Advice table of contents, listing chapter titles and character names from classic literature — including Anne Shirley, Holden Caulfield, Lady Macbeth, Gregor Samsa, Captain Ahab, and Ebenezer Scrooge — organized into thematic chapters such as 'Receiving an Education,' 'Body, Mind and Spirit,' 'Bonds of Matrimony,' 'The Way We Work,' and 'Money Matters.'

Back cover of Novel Advice by Jay Bushman, on a red background, with copy describing literary characters writing to advice columnist Aunt Antigone, and blurbs from Sean Stewart and Amber Benson.