MADNESS IN MERYTON BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

Hello, readers! It’s a treat to be back at My Jane Austen Book Club to kick off my blog tour for my upcoming release, Madness in Meryton. This is my sixth Austenesque novel, and I have to say, I think it is my favorite one yet!

Like Elizabeth Bennet, I enjoy human folly, and there is plenty of it to be had in Madness, which is a mischievous twist on the Groundhog Day trope. The day being relived takes us through Elizabeth’s meeting with Mr. Wickham in Meryton, and his accusations about Mr. Darcy that evening, but as the day continues repeating, it begins to vary widely and with shocking results.

I will be sharing an excerpt with every post on my blog tour, and today’s except features an idea of my own invention, that the Bennet sisters’ first encounter with Mr. Wickham in set during Meryton’s monthly market day. This scene is set at the market about a week into Elizabeth’s redundant loop, at a time when she is chiefly fixated on promoting the attachment between Jane and Mr. Bingley, though the seemingly endless repetition has made her reckless and rash….

MARIA GRACE: TWO NEW BOOKS IN THE JANE AUSTEN'S DRAGONS SAGA!

Thank so much for inviting me to visit, Maria Grazia! I’m excited to share my newest books with your readers!

Who hasn’t said Jane Austen books could really used a lot more dragons? Ok, maybe you need to be the mother of sons in order to heard that. So, I suppose you can blame my three sons for this adventure. We were having lunch at the local pizza buffet one day and started kicking around ideas and we hit on ‘what if dragons lived during the Regency…’ Well before I knew it, we’d hammered out an entire dragon culture and the story potentials went WILD. So much fun!

MURDER AT NORTHANGER ABBEY BLOG TOUR - SHANNON WINSLOW: MR TILNEY'S LETTER

I especially enjoy writing the many letters included in my novels, trying to make each one a little work of art, as Jane Austen did.  Who can forget Darcy’s 8-pager to Elizabeth after his failed first proposal or Captain Wentworth’s iconic love letter to Anne? You pierce my soul…

But I bet you didn’t know that Henry Tilney can be just as passionate.

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from Murder at Northanger Abbey, (my new Northanger Abbey sequel) that illustrates what I mean. It’s a letter – a slightly steamy love letter, actually – that Henry wrote to Catherine during the time they were separated and waiting to marry. Since the action in this novel takes place after the wedding, this letter is included as something Catherine is remembering to help her through another difficult separation from Henry.

WHEN MARY MET THE COLONEL BY VICTORIA KINCAID. THE AUDIOBOOK IS OUT!

Hi Maria Grazia and thank you for welcoming me back to your blog!  Today I’m pleased to announce the release of the audiobook of my Pride and Prejudice novella, When Mary Met the Colonel.  This was the first of my secondary-character P&P variations and has a special place in my heart.  

I wasn’t sure, when I started writing it, if I could make a secondary-character story compelling and if readers would believe a love story between Mary and Colonel Fitzwilliam was believable.  Fortunately—based on the book’s reception—the answer to both questions appears to be yes!  I feel fortunate that I was able to secure the wonderful Stevie Zimmerman to narrate the audiobook of When Mary Met the Colonel.  She always does a great job!

Below is an excerpt from the beginning of the book.  I hope you enjoy it!

Fitz cleared his throat. “You must be Miss Mary Bennet.”

The young lady dabbed at her eyes with a corner of the handkerchief, which was still fairly clean despite its tumble to the stones. “Yes. The two elder Miss Bennets are the pretty ones, and the two younger Miss Bennets are the lively ones. I am the one in the middle—neither pretty nor lively.” Her hand immediately flew to her mouth. “Oh, dear me! That sounded terribly bitter, did it not? I apologize, Colonel.”

Ah, he suspected that he had now uncovered the reason for her tears; such sentiments might be particularly acute on the day one of her sisters married. Fitz took the liberty of seating himself next to Miss Bennet. “Do you fear to offend my delicate sensibilities?” He batted his eyelashes absurdly, provoking laughter. “Only apologize if you are speaking an untruth.”

CONFINED WITH MR DARCY - LET'S HELP THE JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE MUSEUM!

Thank you, Maria Grazia, for having me today! I’m so excited about Confined with Mr. Darcy. It’s not often that I get to write something short and sweet, but this was my perfect opportunity—and I get to help Jane Austen House Museum’s Covid-19 Survival Appeal at the same time. So many small museums are hurting and may have to close for good. I wanted to help one of these museums, one that means a lot to me. I hope people will help me by purchasing Confined with Mr. Darcy on Kindle or paperback. It’s available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you try it out and like it, please consider purchasing your own copy for a future re-read. Let’s raise as much money as we can for Jane Austen House Museum!

REBELLION AT LONGBOURN BLOG TOUR - EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

Join me in welcoming Victoria Kincaid back to My Jane Austen Book Club. She's here to celebrate her new release with an excerpt and the giveaway of an ebook copy.

Hello Maria Grazia and thank you for welcoming me back!  Readers’ reception of Rebellion at Longbourn has been very favorable so far, and I hope your readers will enjoy the excerpt below.  It takes place when Darcy visits Longbourn after a two-year absence. He has been away and only recently learned that Collins took possession of the estate.

“Oh yes!”  Charlotte’s expression softened as it always did when she discussed her son.  “His name is Robert, and he…” Mr. Darcy had unwittingly hit on the only subject that would make Charlotte Collins garrulous, but he seemed quite content to listen to her enumerate her son’s amazing achievements, among them: holding up his head, rolling over, smiling, and growing two teeth. 

As Charlotte spoke, Elizabeth suddenly realized Mr. Darcy was staring at her hands.  As the weather grew warmer, she had not troubled herself to don gloves after working in the kitchen.  But her bare hands were red and chafed, bearing callouses and blisters—the unmistakable signs of labor.  They were not the hands of a young lady.  Elizabeth flushed and fought the urge to hide her hands under the folds of her gown. 

There is nothing I might do now, she consoled herself.  He has noticed and is unlikely to forget.  The damage is done. 

Why should I care what he thinks of me anyway? He is wholly unconnected to me and my life. 

TEN REASONS TO READ AND LOVE THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY

When I started my own Jane Austen Book Club online back in 2010 it was because I couldn’t find like-minded fellows to create a real one in my little hometown in Italy. But thanks to the web and the Internet,  I could discover how many lovely, devoted, enthusiastic Janeites are there all over the world.

While reading the newly released The Jane Austen Society, the charming debut novel by Natalie Jenner, I was brought back to that initial passionate desire to spread the love for Jane Austen and to be part of a community. I enjoyed it so much! I  was brought back to Hampshire and Chawton, which I visited only once in my life, but whose touching memories will stay with me forever. 

Here are 10 reasons why you should read The Jane Austen Society.

JANE AUSTEN'S FIGHTING MEN: PERSUADED TO SAIL

Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. I’d like to thank Maria  Grazia for the opportunity to visit with you today to talk about my latest book, PERSUADED TO SAIL: asequel to Persuasion and Book Three of Jane Austen’s Fighting Men.

PERSUADED TO SAIL picks up at the end of Persuasion—the wedding of Anne Elliot to Captain Frederick Wentworth. Planning an uneventful honeymoon cruise aboard HMS Laconia to Frederick’s posting in Bermuda, the Wentworths’ plans are thrown into disarray by the Hundred Days Crisis.

Hold on a second. What is the Hundred Days Crisis?

To explain this, I have to go back to the genesis of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). This era of conflict arose out of the Wars of the French Revolution (1792-1802). Europe had been locked in a bloody conflict between the homicidal French Republic and the autocratic European monarchies. The chaos allowed a little-known general from the French island of Corsica, Napoleon Bonaparte, to prove his military prowess, to seize power in a coup d'état, and then smash the Coalition armies and force a peace. Peace only lasted a year, and a third coalition of European powers was formed in 1803 to fight the self-styled Emperor Napoleon.

ELAINE OWEN, GASKELL VS AUSTEN. AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY

Hi everybody! I’m thrilled to be able to visit with you today via My Jane Austen Book Club! A million thanks to Maria Grazia for letting me introduce myself and my newest novel, Margaret of Milton, to you!

Margaret of Milton is a variation on the beloved novel North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. On a blog dedicated to Jane Austen it may seem strange to feature a book based on a different author’s work! But as many Janeites have discovered, the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell contain some intriguing parallels and differences from Austen. Today I’d like to talk about the lives and writings of both authors.

RAKES AND ROSES BLOG TOUR OPENS TODAY!

Bestselling author Josi S. Kilpack tours the blogosphere May 4 through May 22, 2020 to share her third novel in the Mayfield Family series, Rakes and Roses. The blog tour kicks off here today and will see forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance.  

OUTMATCHED BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

Hello! My name is Jayne Bamber and it’s great to be back at My Jane Austen Book Club, to talk about my new release, Outmatched,  a fusion of Sense & Sensibility and Mansfield Park – coming to Kindle May 8^th. I kicked off my blog tour at AustenAuthors by discussing the first deviation from canon I entertain in the story: Maria Bertram’s rejection of Mr. Rushworth when Sir Thomas returns from Antigua. Today I would like to share a taste of the next twist to turn Mansfield Park upside down – Mrs. Rushworth is not willing to take no for an answer. I can’t give The Big Secret away, but I would like to share just a little bit of one of the most pivotal moments in the story, which ultimately inveigles the cast of Sense & Sensibility in the Bertram family fracas….

LAKESHIRE PARK BLOG TOUR: MEGAN WALKER ON HER LOVE FOR JANE AUSTEN

Debut novelist Megan Walker tours the blogosphere from 6 April through May 1, 2020 to share her new historical romance, Lakeshire Park. Forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction have featured and will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance novel. Today Megan Walker is our guest at My Jane Austen Book Club. Please, welcome her in the section comment and get ready to enjoy her post about her favourite Austen novels: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.

FORTUNE & FELICITY BLOG TOUR: INTERVIEW WITH MONICA FAIRVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Hello Monica and welcome back to My Jane Austen Book Club! It’s been a while, since the release of Mysterious Mr Darcy. It was two years ago already! I’m glad to be here discussing with you your upcoming Fortune & Felicity, again a Pride and Prejudice Variation. What is it that you especially love in Austen’s P&P,  which inspires you to write about its characters and to imagine new scenarios for them?

It’s wonderful to be back again. It feels like such a long time since I’ve visited. It’s a good time to be reconnecting online as well, especially with all the things that are happening. Please stay safe, everyone.

NEW RELEASE: MISS AUSTEN BY GILL HORNBY

Gill Hornby and the two editions of Miss Austen, the US one on the left and the UK one on the right

Miss Austen, the untold story of Cassandra Austen and her famous sister Jane,  is out today in the US  (Flatiron Books, New York) 

You can’t miss it, it’s an absolute must for any Janeite.  It’s also a delightful, clever, entertaining read, perfect for finding some solace and escape in these troubling times. You’ll find comfort and joy entering the daily life of the two young Austen sisters and their family. You’ll feel the bittersweet melancholy of Cassandra doing her best to preserve her beloved sister’s reputation, while making a balance of her own choices and her own life.

L.L. DIAMOND, UNDOING: AUTHOR GUEST POST & EXCERPT

Thank you so much for having me! It’s been a long five-year road to publishing Undoing, so I’m so excited for everyone to finally see what I’ve been holding on to for all this time. I thought I’d share a bit of my inspiration and thought process behind Elizabeth’s husband, Thomas Osborne, Duke of Leeds. I have a small excerpt after, a letter from Elizabeth to Jane. I hope you enjoy!

In Particular Intentions, I use the Earl Fitzwilliam as a nod to the actual earldom many believe Jane Austen used to show Fitzwilliam Darcy’s ties to the nobility in Pride and Prejudice, and I had some fun in a similar way with Undoing as well.

Have you ever heard of Lady Amelia Darcy? No, she is not a character in a Jane Austen novel. She was a real woman and the only surviving child of Robert Darcy, the 4^th Earl of Holderness. Now, you are probably asking what her connection is to Undoing. Well, I will not say that is a simple answer, but I will give you the real and the fiction of Amelia Darcy.

In 1773, the real Lady Amelia Darcy married Francis Osborne, who was at that time the Marquess of Carmarthen. After Amelia’s death, Osborne became the 5^th Duke of Leeds. When I first started writing Undoing over five years ago, I called the duke in my story by a different title (that’s a story for another blog post!) and his first name was Thomas. When I began updating it, I remembered this link between a real-life Darcy and a dukedom and wanted to use that link in my story as well—a little reality mixed in with the fiction.

DUKE DARCY'S CASTLE BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

Duke Darcy's Castle is the third book in the series Dare to Defy by Syrie James, but it is a story you can read and enjoy independently from the previous instalments.

It's been my happy place for a few days, a pleasant reading reminding me of a splendid tour in Cornwall a few years ago. The action takes place, in fact,  in a remote, enchanting tidal island inspired to real Mount St. Michael, St. Gabriel's Mount.   

The novel is set in the late Victorian Age and it has all the elements an engaging historical romance can offer:  a captivating hero, a brilliant heroine, a steaming love story.

Kathryn Atherton arrives at St Gabriel's Mount unexpected  - well, they weren't expecting a lady - and with one purpose in mind: to be appreciated as an architect by the Tenth Duke of Darcy, Lance Granville, whose ancient castle needs renovation and refurbishment. Her professional success, in a world exclusively inhabited by male architects,  is very difficult to achieve, but that is just what Kathryn wants to pursue and she will not let  any distraction or obstacle to lead her astray.  

Lance Granville has just left his own career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title and become the Tenth Duke of  Darcy, something he has never wished for himself. When a very attractive woman architect appears in his residence, he just can't believe his eyes.

Kathryn and Lance will hit it off immediately  and the attraction between them will not make things easy for either of them. 

This is the premise to a delightful love story that will keep you intrigued and excited till the last page. 

JEANETTE WATTS, A WOMAN'S PERSUASION - AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY

Thank you for hosting me on your wonderful book club!

While all of us feel the irresistible pull of the spirited Lizzie Bennett, I am not the only person who has a special love for Anne Elliot from Persuasion.

Anne is dutiful, steady, and puts the needs of others before herself. Does that make for a dull heroine? Maybe to some. But I love "overlooked" people. It's always fun to find the introvert in the room, and go start a conversation. Introverts frequently have plenty to say. They spent less time talking and more time thinking.

OBSTINATE HEADSTRONG GIRL BLOG TOUR: KAREN M. COX, WHY ELIZABETH?

For over two hundred years, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

The book under the spotlight today is a romance anthology, ten Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. 

In ELIZABETH: OBSTINATE, HEADSTRONG GIRL, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her—her Mr. Darcy—all with humor and her sparkling charm.

“I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, January 1813―and we think so too!

Foreword by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Tessa Dare. 

Stories by Amy D’Orazio, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, Joana Starnes, Karen M Cox, Elizabeth Adams, Leigh Dreyer, J. Marie Croft, and Christina Boyd.

GEORGIANA BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY

Thank you for hosting me here at My Jane Austen Book Club and letting me talk about my latest release, GEORGIANA: Pride & Prejudice continued… Book Three.

What was the impetus for Georgiana’s story? I had a couple of ideas that percolated for a while before scenes and dialogue began to solidify in my brain. I wanted her experience at Ramsgate to not only mould her character but to have some impact on what would happen later in the story.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF 1932 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE REVISITED

Thank you for letting me stop in here at My Jane Austen Book Club! This month, I’m celebrating the tenth anniversary of my debut novel, 1932, by re-releasing the book with a new cover, some book group questions, and some new scenes and chapters.