Mary Lydon Simonsen's Blog: What readers are saying about The Second Date, page 4

A Death in Hampden - Changing Hats from Austen to Mysteries

Most of you know me as a writer of Jane Austen re-imaginings, but I also write mysteries. I have just released the third book in the Patrick Shea mystery series which is a British police procedural set in London. Why British? Why London? 
The London part of the answer is easy. London is one of the great cities of the world. Having visited London on three occasions, I fell in love with the idea of my copper walking past the British Museum, St. Paul's, the Tower of London, etc. Although they are not central to the theme of my three mysteries, they serve as a background.
Why British? When I write, I have to learn something. Researching the history of old and modern London and Britain is a huge draw for me. There is the added attraction of learning a whole new vocabulary. In America, we have police investigations (sounds sinister). In England, they have inquiries (sounds so polite). In the States, we read people their Miranda rights. In England, they are cautioned. It's the same thing, but doesn't it sound like it is done with a gentler hand?
So what about Jane Austen? I have not abandoned her. In the spring, I released a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining,  When They Fall in Love, with a setting of Florence. I am also tinkering with a modern novel where Mr. Darcy comes to 21st century America seeking advice after his failed marriage proposal to Elizabeth. But my next book will be the fourth Patrick Shea mystery where Patrick investigates a murder at a Jane Austen conference. I'm really looking forward to combining the two subjects.
I have a favor/favour to ask. If you know someone who enjoys mystery, would you please tell them about A Death in Hampden or mention it on Facebook or send a tweet.  Here is the Amazon link to the Kindle e-book. A paperback will be out in about two weeks.
Thank you.

Quoting Austen

"Give us a thankful sense of the Blessings in which we live, of the many comforts of our lot; that we may not deserve to lose them by Discontent or Indifference." Jane Austen

Gone Fishin'

Hello Friends and Readers,

As my dear husband and I approach retirement, we are looking for the perfect retirement home. As a result, I am running hither and yon. Although it looks as if I have abandoned the blog, I have not. I am just waiting for things to settle down. Thank you for your patience.

Launch and Giveaway of When They Fall in Love

It's launch day for my latest Pride and Prejudice re-imagining, When They Fall in Love . I hope you will join me at Austen Authors to help celebrate and to be entered in a giveaway of two e-books. 
When They Fall in Love is available in e-book format from:
AmazonBarnes and Noble
The paperback version will be available in late April.

When They Fall in Love - Artwork from the Book

On Monday, April 8, at Austen Authors, I will launch my latest Pride and Prejudice re-imagining,  When They Fall in Love . The story is set in 1821 in Florence, Italy. Here is a summary:

Spring of 1814 – Fitzwilliam Darcy proposes to Elizabeth Bennet at the Hunsford Parsonage, but his offer of marriage is rejected.


Spring of 1821 – A recently widowed Fitzwilliam Darcy has taken up residence with his six-year-old daughter, Alexandra, at a villa in the hills above Florence and invites Charles and Jane Bingley and their daughter to come for a visit. Included in the invitation is Elizabeth Bennet, who has taken on the responsibility of governess for her niece.Duomo and Campanile - Florence
In the intervening years, Elizabeth’s opinion of the Master of Pemberley has altered greatly, but has Darcy’s opinion of Elizabeth changed? After all, he married another and fathered a child. Will they be able to put their troubled history behind them?
When They Fall in Love is set against the background of the greatest city of the Renaissance, a perfect place to start over.


For those of you who have read my books, you know that I love history, but I also love art, most particularly the art of the Renaissance, which was the primary motivation for placing my story in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. I was fortunate to have visited Florence twice and to have viewed the magnificent treasures of the Uffizi Gallery. Several are mentioned in When They Fall in Love, and they are pictured here: Rape of the Sabine Women and the Colossus of the Appenines by Giambologna; Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini; Venus d' Medici modeled on Praxiteles's Aphrodite of Knidos; The Duke of Urbino by Piero della Francesca (with a opening on the left for his deceased wife, Battista Sforza); and The Venus of Urbino by Titian.. 











I hope you will join me on April 4 at www.austenauthors.net for the launch and giveaway of When They Fall in Love.
Now available on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook.

King James Version of the Bible - 402 Years Old

This post originally appeared on austenauthors.net sometime in 2011, but I thought it was worth another look.
Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is not the only book having a big anniversary this year. The Authorized King James Version of the Bible beats Austen out by 200 years. This translation of the Bible sponsored by the Church of England was begun in 1604 and completed in 1611 in response to problems with earlier translations as detected by the Puritans, a cranky lot who found fault with everything. The translation was undertaken by 47 scholars, all of whom were members of the Church of England. The New Testament was translated from Greek, the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew, while the Apocrypha were translated from the Greek and Latin.
Now for the interesting part. The Authorized Version’s acceptance by the general public did not happen overnight. Biblical scholar, Hugh Broughton, the most highly regarded English Hebraist of his time (but who had been excluded from the panel of translators because of his uncongenial temperament), chimed in with his opinion of the completed work: “I would rather be torn in pieces by wild horses than that this abominable translation should ever be foisted upon the English people.” Fortunately, for him, no one could find any wild horses.
A primary concern of the translators was to produce a Bible that would be appropriate, dignified and resonant in public reading. Hence, in a period of rapid linguistic change, they avoided contemporary idioms, tending instead towards forms that were already slightly archaic, like “thee and thou,” “verily” and “it came to pass.” The translators also tended to enliven their text with stylistic variation, finding multiple English words or verbal forms in places where the original language employed repetition. In other words, they used a thesaurus.
There are so many phrases that we use in everyday language that come from this translation. Here are a few of them from Matthew:
Man shall not live by bread alone. (4:4)
The salt of the earth (5:13)
The light of the world (5:14)
Turn the other cheek. (5:39)
O ye of little faith (6:30)
Seek and ye shall find. (7:7)
Every kingdom divided against itself shall not stand. (12:25)
The blind lead the blind. (15:14)
The signs of the times (16:3)
Take up the cross. (16:24)
Suffer little children (19:14)
The last shall be first, and the first last. (20:16)
Out of the mouth of babes (21:16)
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (26:41)

As a Catholic, I did not grow up with the Protestant King James’ Version of the Bible, but I know a stylistic masterpiece when I read it. British Theologian, F. W. Haber, said it best:  [The King James Version of the Bible] lives on the ear, like music that can never be forgotten, like the sound of church bells, which the convert hardly knows how he can forego. Scholars may argue about the accuracy of the translation of the King James's Version, but it would be hard to find a more beautiful one. Happy Anniversary!
Compiled from on-line sources including Wikipedia as well as The History of the English Language by Professor Seth Lerer, The Teaching Company.

Review of Best Exotic Marigold Motel

I rarely do movie reviews because, by the time I have seen a film, so has everyone else. Occasionally, something is so good and so touching that you want to share so that no one misses out on a true gem. Here is the description of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel from IMDB.com:
British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson all have unique reasons for seeking retirement in a country and culture that is the antithesis of their well-ordered life in England. Upon arrival, they are hit in the face with the sounds, sights, and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and they are pulled into the vortex that is modern-day India.
The story is predictable. There will be salvation for all but the crankiest visitor. And there are a few false notes, most particularly Wilton’s extremely nasty character and Smith’s reaction during a visit to a servant’s home. But it is the journey that makes this film so enjoyable. And the acting! My goodness! It is a pleasure watching six of Britain’s premier actors doing what they do best: drawing believable characters that we care about.
As wonderful as the older talent is, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), the owner of the hotel, is a scene stealer. He twists and turns the most negative news until it comes out of his mouth as a positive. His mantra is: “Everything will be fine in the end, and if it’s not, it is not the end.” Retired or not, that’s a great outlook on life.

Winner of Headstrong Girls

The winner of Headstrong Girls is Kimberly. Please contact me at quailcreekpub@hotmail.com so that I can get your information for Nook or Kindle. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Darcy on the Hudson - Two Five-Star Reviews

Last week, I hit two home runs when Darcy on the Hudson received two five-star reviews. Here are excerpts:
Janet Taylor at More Agreeably Engaged - 5 Stars
"On more than one occasion, I laughed out loud. I even had 'a little water' in my eyes on others. I loved this book, and I thank you, Mary Simonsen, for a good and rewarding read."
To read Janet's entire review, please click here. 
Evie Cotton at The Lavendar Lady - 5 Stars
"One thing I love about Mary Lydon Simonsen is her attention to detail. Every time I open up one of her books I am transported to a time and place that I never knew that I never knew. For instance, I am a history buff and love war time stories. World Wars I and II are my favorites, but I have never contemplated what life was like in Great Britain during those times. I've really only heard these stories told from the American point of view. While reading 'Darcy Goes To War', I found myself constantly saying out loud (to my husband's irritation) "Huh!" and "Wow!" and "Gee Whiz!". The same is true for 'Darcy on the Hudson'. I learned so many things about the day to day lives of those living in 1811 New York that I hardly know where to begin. Its those day to day events, told in such a detailed yet easy manner that leave you with no question of how things transpired."
To read Evie's entire review, please click here.

Headstrong Girls - An Interview

When Headstrong Girls co-operate, rather than compete...
Please welcome June Williams and Debra Anne Watson. Along with Enid Wilson, they are co-authors of Headstrong Girls , a new collection of writings inspired by Jane Austen. June, Enid and Debra Anne met on-line in a Jane Austen community. After reading each other's stories for years, they decided to publish a collection together, with each person writing one-third of the content, and collaborating on a tag-along story.
Mary: Please introduce the ladies in your photo.
Debra Anne : The photo was taken a few years ago on a visit to San Francisco. I am on the far left. Next to me is Aimée Avery, author of A Little Bit Psychic: Pride & Prejudice, and Honor and Integrity. Next to her is Sara Angelini, author of The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy and co-founder of Austen Underground, which Aimée and I help administer. On the right is June. Enid is from Down Under, and we haven’t managed to meet in person yet.
Mary: How did the three of you decide to collaborate on this book/collection?
June : One day, Enid, who has published a few JA-inspired novellas, read a comment from a sick reader at a forum, saying she wanted to combine a few short stories from her favorite authors to bring with her when she visited a doctor’s office. That was the inspiration for Honor and Integrity, a collaborative short-story collection, which was published last summer with Aimée and Enid. They both were extremely helpful in guiding me through the publishing process. I enjoyed the camaraderie when we were discussing and writing, so for Headstrong Girls, I was happy to join in again. This time, Debra Anne makes her debut.
Debra Anne : Yes, it has been a great experience. I’ve written three short stories for Headstrong Girls, Enid two stories and a short film script, and June one long short story.
June : We have a tag-along story, too, in which the three of us each write a section, but we cannot change what the previous writers did. The last writer has the hardest job—bringing all the threads together. Debra Anne volunteered to be that writer this time. It was as if Debra Anne had been reading Enid’s mind from the start. (Enid was quite evil, starting the story with Caroline Bingley accusing Elizabeth Bennet of being a murderer. Luckily, Mr. Darcy came to stand by Lizzy!)
Mary: Finishing each other’s section of stories without consulting with each other! That sounds challenging.  You must have become very good friends.
June : Yes, almost everyone we’ve asked for help in the Jane Austen community has responded favorably, including more established authors such as you, Mary, for letting us post here and advising us about blogs. My legal story, No Cupid Contract, was edited by two amazing lawyers that I met for the first time through Georgia Girls Rock, a fun group within the JA community. I posted a cry for help, and they responded.
Debra Anne : I have edited for many JAFF authors over the years, but formatting for publishing was new to me. Enid was our manager, keeping us on target. I also want to credit Aimée for putting the bug in me for my story, Pride and Preservation, set on a wildlife preserve in South Africa.
Mary: Why did Aimee suggest a story set in South Africa?
Debra Anne : It wasn’t the locale she suggested. When Aimée’s stories have cliffhangers, she blames a mischievous monkey named Cliff (Hanger), who I’ve borrowed a time or two myself. Aimée mentioned that Cliff wanted me to “write a story with monkeys in it.” The story wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it. That monkey must have been hopped up on Banana Krimpets!
June : That story has some beautiful imagery: a baby samango monkey that is hand-fed by Lizzy (a veterinarian), a colourful sunset over the South African plain, an injured lioness, wild dogs, a blue crane with a five-foot wingspan, a boa constrictor – oh, wait, that was Caroline Bingley.
Mary: Sounds like fun, and it has familiar characters from Pride and Prejudice.
June : The rule was to use the term “Headstrong Girl” in each story. The girls are Caroline Bingley, Lady Catherine, Emma Woodhouse, and Jane Fairfax, not to mention JA’s memorable gentlemen and a few new characters we invented.
Debra Anne : But it’s not all fluffy. People get killed in some of the stories. And we couldn’t write an Austen-inspired work without Wickham appearing somewhere, although he’s not always the main villain.
Mary: The result of all your efforts is available now?
Debra Anne: Yes, Headstrong Girls, a bit of mystery, a bit of love, all inspired by Jane Austen, is available in any good e-book store.
Thank you, ladies. It’s been a pleasure. Mary
GIVEAWAY!!!! To help celebrate the publication of Headstrong Girls , the authors are hosting a giveaway of one e-book of Headstrong Girls.
The fine print: Leave a comment by March 12 about a time when a stranger helped you with something. Winner will be announced on March 13. Entry is open worldwide. Because my blog does not capture e-mail addresses, you must leave an address where I can contact you.
Headstrong Girls is available at:AmazonBarnes and NobleSmashwords