GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY - MADELINE COURTNEY PRESENTS ABHORRENCE AND AFFECTION

Hello, I'm Madeline Courtney and I write Jane Austen inspired romances. My first novel, Abhorrence and Affection, has just been published on Kindle and is going through some minor editing, so it can be ready for print within the next month! (Which is super exciting and super nerve wracking at the same time).

Abhorrence and Affection is a relatively short read (only 51K words long or 144 Kindle pages) about a silly, young woman forced into marrying her childhood rivalry to save her family from their debt...

This, of course, leads to silly arguments and hilarious insults between the two main characters; a Mr. Nicholas Oakley and a Mrs. Bethany Benedicts Oakley... But there are some serious scenes as well...

"How dare you make such suggestions when you have no idea what it is your talking about? Of course you've always been this way; conceited, arrogant, rude to others when they don't match up to your ridiculously high standards. Why do you think you had no suitors? It definitely wasn't because you're not beautiful. It was because you insist on treating people like dirt beneath your feet and no one wants to be in your presences for longer than five minutes. If it wasn't for me you would have surely died an old maid." -Abhorrence and Affection, Chapter Six

The story really shows that sometimes life just doesn't turn out the you would expect it to... but that's not always a bad thing... even if you are too stubborn to see it at first.

It's definitely something I would suggest to anyone who has read all the Austen novels and can't help searching for more. Even I, the writer, want to curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea on a rainy day and just lose myself in the story all over again.

If you're interested in reading Abhorrence and Affection... you can purchase the Kindle version  or  read the first chapter for free   

Giveaway Time! Yes, I'm having a small giveaway. As soon as I reach 10K followers on Twitter, I'll be giving out 10 free copies of the novel (Kindle and Print)... So be sure to follow me on Twitter at @MaddieC123 for a chance to win!

Madeline Courtney

SHOULD ELIZABETH HAVE ACCEPTED DARCY'S FIRST PROPOSAL?

(guest post by Victoria Grossack)

I always want to play “what-if” with stories.  Juliet should not have faked her death; Romeo should not have swallowed the poison, and heck, maybe the Montagues and the Capulets should have ended their feud earlier.  So here’s a question: when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth in Kent, should she have accepted him?

Some will cry out: Of course not!  Because in that case we would not have had the second half of Pride & Prejudice (and amazingly, the proposal scene occurs at the exact midpoint of the story).  And the second half, in which Elizabeth revises her opinion and Darcy atones for all his defects, is absolutely delightful.

But let us put aside the fact that an acceptance by Elizabeth would ruin the story.  If you were living in the novel, how would you advise Miss Elizabeth Bennet?

If your primary concern were money, you would recommend that she accept the proposal immediately. We have not seen Pemberley yet, but Mr. Darcy seems to be very rich and Elizabeth Bennet’s expectations are fairly bleak.  So if we were to take the attitude of Mrs. Collins, we would tell her to accept the proposal immediately.  In fact, Mrs. Collins is one of the few (other than Miss Bingley) who detects Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth, and she is convinced that if Elizabeth knew of his interest in her that her dislike would vanish.

VICTORIA KINCAID, WHY MR COLLINS? READ AN EXCERPT & WIN YOUR COPY OF MR DARCY TO THE RESCUE

Mr Darcy to the Rescue 

When the irritating Mr. Collins proposes marriage, Elizabeth Bennet is prepared to refuse him, but then she learns that her father is ill. If Mr. Bennet dies, Collins will inherit Longbourn and her family will have nowhere to go. Elizabeth accepts the proposal, telling herself she can be content as long as her family is secure. If only she weren’t dreading the approaching wedding day… Ever since leaving Hertfordshire, Mr. Darcy has been trying to forget his inconvenient attraction to Elizabeth. News of her betrothal forces him to realize how devastating it would be to lose her. He arrives at Longbourn intending to prevent the marriage, but discovers Elizabeth’s real opinion about his character. Then Darcy recognizes his true dilemma… How can he rescue her when she doesn’t want him to?

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 Victoria Kincaid about Mr Collins 

Mr. Collins is annoying.  Certainly he is one of the least-loved Pride and Prejudice characters.  So, why did I write a P&P variation in which Elizabeth becomes engaged to him?  I recently became intrigued by Collins when I realized is that there aren’t a lot of P&P variations which redeem him.  You can find variations in which Mr. and Mrs. Bennet mend their ways or Caroline Bingley finds true love or Kitty and Mary become less foolish—even stories where Lady Catherine and/or Wickham see the light.  But there aren’t many where Collins really becomes a better person (disclaimer: Mr. Darcy to the Rescue doesn’t redeem Collins either—he’s just as foolish and funny as in P&P).   I began to wonder why that is.  Why is it harder to redeem him than it is to redeem Wickham or Caroline or Lady C? 

Here’s my theory:  it’s because he’s stupid (Jane Austen actually says so).  It’s hard to imagine redeeming stupidity.  You can picture someone who is wicked (like Wickham) or haughty (like Lady C) seeing the error of their ways and turning over a new leaf.  But it’s hard to imagine Collins having the self-awareness to see that he is making mistakes and taking steps to change his behavior.  He’s simply too dense. 

THE ROSS POLDARK BLOG TOUR UPDATE - MORE PRIZES AND STILL TIME TO ENTER THE CONTEST!

The Ross Poldark Blog Tour has concluded but there is still time for you  readers to leave comments and enter the giveaway contest until 11:59pm PT, August 10, 2015. And, there is exciting news. PBS has contributed a DVD of season one of Poldark to our list of prizes! Here is the updated prize list with it included:

• (1) DVD of season one of Poldark
• (2 ) Old Britain Castles Pink Pottery Mugs by Johnson Brothers
• (1) Twelve-inch Old Britain Castles Pink Pottery Plater by Johnson Brothers
• (1) London Telephone Box Tin of Ahmad English Breakfast Tea
• (1) Jar of Mrs. Bridges Marmalade
• (1) Package of Duchy Originals Organic Oaten Biscuits
• (2) Packets of Blue Boy Cornflower Seeds by Renee’s Garden Heirloom (1) Trade Paperback Copy of Ross Poldark & Demelza, by Winston Graham