Sophia Rose's Blog - Posts Tagged "jaff"

An Austenesque Lover’s Reader Problems is a reprisal of a post I did for Meryton Press in December.



From time to time, being a lover of all things Jane Austen can cause some minor difficulties in life. Let me explain what I mean. I’ve listed a few as examples that I've encountered over the years and okay, I might have stretched a few of these to be entertaining.

Problem #1 The Lone Austen lover for miles around.
On the job, I’ve discovered that quoting Jane or sharing my raptures over the book that kept me up until two in the morning gain me really odd looks and people who hang a louie for the closest door.
At home, there is the embarrassed tribe member who shoves my pile of lovelies from Meryton Press under the precarious stack of mags and papers on the coffee table when his friends come by. “And if you love me, don’t talk to my friend about Jane Austen even if there is a question of favorite books which there won’t be if you don’t bring it up.” And to make the agitated one happy I so do swear. Sigh…literary heathens! And this is why I have my on-line support group of other Austen lovers.

Problem #2 Scheduling Family Trips. (This is an exaggeration as my family trips are sacrosanct -LOL)
How is it that the tribe doesn’t get the need to consult the calendar for the regional Jane Austen conventions before purchasing plane tickets to the other side of the country? I ask you? So what if it was the deal of the century and I agreed to the trek for the annual family campout a year ago? JASNA hasn’t been in my neck of the woods for five years. Okay, but at least I’m reading Sunkissed: Effusions of Summer in my beach chair by a breathtaking mountain lake. There are small compensations.

Problem #3 Finding the privacy to read.
Did you know, I can do all my chores without a single person wishing to interact with me? However, the moment I park it in the lounger to read the latest, I get the ‘where is my… or you gotta hear this…’. I really need to work on my stink eye expression because it doesn’t even make the joe interrupting the good part pause for a second thought about the danger to his life if he doesn’t walk away now.

Problem #4 Wishlist Choice Overload.
I have a gift card. Hip hip hoorah and doing the Snoopy Dance! I now have to decide which book/s from my twenty page Amazon wishlist that I’ll be purchasing. Do I get that latest that my GoodReads buddies are all raving over? You know that Then Comes Winter one? Or maybe… But what about… Oh man, I’m starting to crack under the strain. It’s been an hour. For the love of Dove Dark Chocolate, I just need to make a choice. Eenie, Meenie, Minie…

Problem #5 Reading in public places.
I am a compulsive reader. Yep. No cure and trust me it’s been tried. I have a book tucked along for the ride no matter where I’m going. And, see, this leads to issues because I’m a very interactive reader. I laugh, snort, sigh, snarl, groan, bawl, mutter, and make faces that probably would scare the chainsaw guy in that horror show. It definitely has an effect on the folks at the dental office. I had this young buffed dude just get up and move across the room while never taking his eyes off me. How rude! I wasn’t going to do him violence and I certainly wasn’t going to hurt my precious Kindle. Yeesh, Wickham would bring out that response in most readers. This is why I make an effort to choose my public reading book wisely.

Now, tell me I’m not alone on this sort of thing. What type of reader issues have you encountered as an Austen lover or a reader in general?

Eleven of Jane Austen's most infamous characters are inviting you into their intimate lives to know their thoughts, their motives, and their actions from their point of view. In essentials they are much the same as they have always been, but in knowing them perhaps you will like at least understand them better (Wickham quit twisting Lizzy's words to suit yourself or was that you Willoughby...).

You are invited to join our excitement by visiting several of the blogs who are posting our announcement where you can also participate in a fabulous giveaway opportunity. Thanks to all who are hosting us

Here are links to a few of the blogs hosting our announcement:
Claudine's JustJane1813: http://justjane1813.com/2017/09/05/24...

Ceri's Babblings of a Bookworm: http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot....

Meredith's Austenesque Reviews: http://austenesquereviews.com/2017/09...

Rita's From Pemberley to Milton: https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

Candy's So Little Time:
http://candy-m.blogspot.com/

Mira's Obsessed with Mr. Darcy: https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

Maria's My Jane Austen Book Club:
http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...

And, just so you know, Dangerous to Know has made itself at home here on GoodReads. We'd love it if you gave it a click and placed it on your 'Want to Read' shelf:

Stay tuned for the cover reveal, blog tour, and November 15th release date!
#RakesandGentlemenRogues

As I stand here prepping dinner with a new style of chicken and rice one-pan recipe I’ve been playing with involving my recently picked hot peppers and onions (more cumin and garlic, yep, too bland…. Ouchiwawa, juices from the pepper got into a cut on my finger…) and attempt to listen to Lady Susan on my phone with the volume turned up as loud as it will go (oh for sound cancelling headphones), the city guys are working on the sidewalk across the street by breaking up the old concrete first.
Man, there is a cacophony going on between jackhammer, earthmover, and trucks.
How will I ever conduct a chat with my latest guest? Is it polite to offer a visitor to your home earplugs and use semaphore flags to communicate? Haha! Good thing she has already visited once before and her first impression has already been made.

I’m tickled to death to welcome back author Karen Cox for a Sofa Chat in honor of her latest release, I Could Write a Book, an other-era modern Emma retelling.
See, guys, I Could Write a Book was an ongoing future release project when I last chatted with Karen and she got me all jazzed to read it with her hints and descriptions. Now, it’s here! I want to warble on like Miss Bates, but I guess I should finish up this food and welcome Karen to the chaos.

Hey, Karen! *shouts to the lovely lady at the front door* Come on in and let me close out the noise if I can. Sorry about all that. *quieter now with the door closed*
I work with preschoolers, a little noise won’t bother me! (Unless I’m writing, of course :) )

How have you been?
Great! Thrilled, excited, swamped, overwhelmed, nervous…you know, everything an author is when she has a new book coming out!

Four book releases this year, right? A short story for The Darcy Monologues antho (I, Darcy), a novella (The Journey Home), a novel (I Could Write a Book), and now another short story for the Dangerous to Know anthology. Whew, way to go, Karen!
Uh-huh…I think I went a little bit crazy this year- lol

How are you holding up through all that? Any great tips you can pass along now about keeping up with such a writing/release schedule?

I didn’t plan it this way. Both The Journey Home and I Could Write a Book were projects I started some years ago and hadn’t finished. I stopped working on them to put together Undeceived and the “Northanger Revisited short story” in the Sun-kissed anthology. Undeceived, a 1980s Cold War spy novel based on Pride and Prejudice, was pretty intense, research-wise. It took a lot of time, and there wasn’t a lot left over for the other half-finished stories, but I never forgot about them. It’s just been in the last year or so that I’ve had the time and energy to revisit those projects. The Journey Home novella was an experiment of sorts. I didn’t expect people to respond to it the way they have. It’s been a wonderful surprise. Thank you, readers!
If I had to give advice on schedule, I’d say keep the end goal in sight, and then think to the end of the week. Don’t get mired down in the tasks to do in between, or you’ll go crazy. Make lists but don’t obsess over them. Use Scrivener. Keep plugging away. In the end, though, remember to do what works for you. The end in sight... now that is a helpful hint. Lists! My favorite thing. No prob, there!

I was just telling the folks that I was all a twitter over your latest release of I Could Write a Book because we discussed it a tad during your last Sofa Chat visit. What made you decided on an Emma retelling? And why the ‘70’s?
Oh man, now I’m wondering what I said last time! Heh, heh, heh, okay you didn't say anything shocking- just messin' with you.
I’ve always loved Emma, both as a novel and as a character. A lot of readers don’t care for her, but I think she’s marvelous. And the whole novel is brilliant: the unreliable point of view, the dialog, the double-speak of characters like Frank Churchill—it’s just genius—the novel that reads like it’s about nothing, until all of a sudden the whole fabric of Emma’s life unravels.

The title of the 1995 Emma adaptation “Clueless” really sums up the whole novel in one word—it’s the story of how Emma gets a clue. What I love about Austen’s Emma is once she sees her mistakes, she faces them, accepts them, and deals with the fallout. I made it my writing mission for others to see in Emma what I saw in her: strength, independence, vulnerability, and empathy. She loves her friends and family; she just wants them to do what she wants. Who can’t relate to that? Okay, I've not always been an Emma fan, but yes, you are selling her well here....

As for the 70s, it was a time of change in the US culture, of shifting social mores, all against the backdrop of political turmoil from the Vietnam War, and from Watergate.
Austen’s Emma takes its story into an English village, and keeps the big, bad happenings of the outside world off stage, for the most part, but you can see how those changes are infiltrating little Highbury—the Coles aren’t respecting the class boundaries, yet Emma has befriended a girl who is “below” her, all while dissing the man who wants to marry poor Harriet because he is “as much above her notice as below it.” (21st Century reader says “Whaaat?”)
Small, Southern towns in the 70s were a lot like Austen’s Highbury, so they were made for this tale—made for it, I tell you! Preach it, sister!

Oh, before we get much further, may I offer you some bread bowl spinach dip or I have some queso cheese and tortilla chips?
I’m a spinach dip and bread bowl fan, especially if it’s warm. Yep, it was bubbling nicely before I turned off the warming pot so easy does it.

Got a favorite dip?
Smoked gouda dip from the Kroger deli, next county over. I can’t resist it! Oh yeah!

So, the 70’s eh? I remember being stuffed into polyester, scratchy knee-high socks, pretending to be one of Charlie’s Angels, and thinking the roller rink playing Queen and BeeGees was where it was at. What are your memories of the 70’s?

I was born in 1965, so I remember quite a lot: Watergate, avocado green and harvest gold appliances, the US bicentennial, Star Wars, Dorothy Hamill haircuts, gas shortages, Jimmy Carter, John Denver, Watergate hearings on TV, etc., etc. I lived in western New York State from 1970 -1977, and then we moved to Kentucky when I was in sixth grade—a horrific experience to move in middle school, let me tell you. So, take the 70s changes, and add in the culture shock of moving from North to South, and my social growth was stunted for a year trying to figure it all out!

Aside from Emma or Mr. Knightley, who ended up being your favorite character to write for the story?

Miss Bates—she is hilarious! And if you read Austen’s Emma closely, you’ll see how Miss Bates lets the cat out of the bag, or turns a plot point. True that! Mr. Woodhouse was another favorite to write, and surprisingly, Frank Churchill. o_0 Frank? Um alright.... In fact, Frank (his name is Weston in my story) was probably my favorite secondary character. I’ll bet he has an interesting back story.

What scene(s) from Jane Austen’s Emma did you know from the beginning just had to be included in your retelling?

The ball, where Knightley asks Emma, “whom are you going to dance with?” So much happens at that ball; there would be no way to leave it out. A close second would be the set-down at Box Hill. The ball, le sigh...

When translating Austen’s story into a modern era, what elements were difficult because of the nearly 200 years of historical change?

By far the most difficult task—as with resetting any of Austen’s novels—was writing the heroine’s life experiences so they would be relevant in a 20th Century adaptation.
Women’s roles in society have changed so much (thank goodness, for the most part), and an author must take a little artistic license in order to show how a “modern woman” might find herself in an analogous position to Emma’s.
Like I did in Find Wonder in All Things, I used Emma’s own personality and family dynamics to guide her into a place of sheltered privilege that, hopefully, mirrors Austen’s Emma.
To be honest, no matter how an author tries to bridge that 200 years, there will be readers who say “That’s not believable now. A woman wouldn’t be restricted like that now.” I’m just not sure I agree.
People always have constraints—well, let’s call them challenges—based on the time and place they were born, how they were raised, and their own personalities. What matters in life is what people do with those challenges. Austen’s heroines always learn something about themselves, see their mistakes, and THEN they get the happy ending. (Except for maybe Fanny, not sure about her. Or Lady Susan- ha) I think that “hero’s journey” is why Austen’s stories endure, and why we can still learn from them. ha ha, yeah that HEA for those gals is up for debate.

Another real difficulty was the Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax scenario. A secret engagement isn’t going to be scandalous in the 1970s, so what would make sense? What would they have to hide? And why would the folks in Highbury care? I had to really wrap my head around that puzzle for a while, but I think I came up with a pretty nifty solution!

Which ones seemed to translate easily for you?
Emma is perhaps the easiest Austen novel to translate to modern-day stories, because Emma herself is so atypical for her time. She’s financially independent, an unmarried woman who runs her own life—we can relate to that quite readily. The gentlemanly charm of Mr. Knightley slips into any time frame. And the bond between Mrs. Weston and Miss Woodhouse translated easily too. *nods*

And, now that you’ve got I Could Write A Book into the wild, what is something fun and relaxing you have planned for the fall?

I’m taking a weekend trip with a girlfriend to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Waters house and go to the spa. I’m going to spend some time on my house (it REALLY needs some work!) And I’m going to catch up on my reading. I haven’t had nearly enough time for reading lately. Swell ideas, there!


Sofa Starters:
Red or Yellow? Yellow (sunny, golden yellow is my favorite color ever!)
Ice-Cream or Frozen Custard? Ice Cream-something with caramel in it
Washing the car or washing windows? Washing the car – lots of opportunities to play with the water hose
Miss Bates or Mrs. Bennet? Miss Bates – hands down
Skiing or hiking? Hiking. Have never been on snow skis, and have never been able to get up on water skis. I’ll just walk, thanks…like Elizabeth Bennet.
Jungle or Desert? Hmm…there are snakes both places. I hate snakes! Desert, I think? No mosquitos?
Regency ball or Sixties Sock Hop? Regency Ball – for the attire, and the fun formality of it.

Well, I should let Karen head on back south where I’m sure she has a lot going on as usual. Thanks so much for stopping by and I do apologize once again for the racket out there. We’ll all love the smoother sidewalks, I’m sure.

Oh say… before you head out, would you take a taste and give your opinion on this chicken and rice dish?
Mmm-spicy! Pass the ice water! And hand me another helping.

When Karen’s not hanging around GoodReads, you can find her at:
Website: www.karenmcox.com
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/karenmcox
Visit with Karen on several of the usual social media haunts such as Facebook, (karenmcox1932), Twitter (@karenmcox1932), Pinterest (karenmc1932), Instagram (karenmcox1932), and Tumblr (karenmcox).

If you would like bits of authorly goodness in your inbox once a month (updates, sales, book recommendations, etc.) go here to get Karen’s News & Muse Letter.

Thanks so much for the chat, Sophia! I always have a great time here! You betcha! Return guests are always a treat. So glad you could come today.

Drop by and visit the other stops on Karen's I Could Write a Book Blog Tour:


Laughing with Lizzie ~ September 6 ~ Launch Post & Giveaway

So little time… ~ September 7 ~ Book Excerpt & Giveaway

Book Lover in Florida ~ September 8 ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

~ Austenesque Reviews ~ September 15 ~ Book Review & Giveaway ~

My Love for Jane Austen ~ September 16 ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

Granny Loves to Read ~ September 17 ~ Book Review & Giveaway

My Jane Austen Book Club ~ September 18 ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

Just Jane 1813 ~ September 19 ~ Video Interview with Karen M Cox & Giveaway

Sophia’s Sofa Chat ~ September 21 ~ An Interview with Karen M Cox on Goodreads

Babblings of a Bookworm ~ September 22 ~ Book Review & Giveaway

Silver Petticoat Review ~ September 23 ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

From Pemberley to Milton ~ September 25 ~ Book Excerpt & Giveaway

Margie’s Must Reads ~ September 27 ~ Book Review & Giveaway

Obsessed with Mr Darcy ~ September 28 ~ Book Review

My Vices and Weaknesses ~ September 30 ~ Book Review & Giveaway

Diary of an Eccentric ~ October 2 ~ Book Review & Giveaway

More Agreeably Engaged ~ October 4 ~ Book Excerpt & Giveaway

Today, instead of my usual 'chatting' with a guest, I have invited author, Victoria Kincaid to come do a takeover of my couch and share with you about her latest book release, President Darcy.

Victoria is no stranger and was a Sofa Chat guest about a year and a half ago.
Here's the link if you'd like to check our our previous chat: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

Without further introduction, I'll let Victoria give you the low-down on her latest book...

Thank you for having me for a visit, Sophia!

President Darcy is my first modern Pride and Prejudice variation and I’ve been very nervous about whether readers will like it, although so far most of them have (whew!).

One of the things that was very striking to me between President Darcy and the original Regency era Mr. Darcy was the degree to which presidents’ lives are constrained. While Mr. Darcy in P & P is a model of rectitude and responsibility, he didn’t have to be. He could have lived the idle life of Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility or Mr. Crawford or Tom Bertram in Mansfield Park or even Walter Elliott in Persuasion. Since Mr. Darcy didn’t have to work for a living, he could have chosen to amuse himself all day every day.

But President Darcy has to behave. Presidents’ lives are under constant scrutiny from the press, the public, and everyone around them. Even the White House staff leaks uncomplimentary things sometimes. If the president says—or tweets—something inappropriate, it’s instantly headline news on newspaper websites and cable news stations. If a president cares about his reputation, he must be very careful about what he says and does. There’s probably nobody else in the country who is under the same degree of scrutiny; certainly Regency-era Mr. Darcy isn’t subject to that constant examination and judgment of his behavior.
This means that when President Darcy insults Elizabeth upon their first meeting, it’s big news (which Lydia tweets to the world). It means that he needs to hide his growing attraction to Elizabeth from everyone lest someone notice and leak to the press. And, ultimately, media scrutiny plays a big role in what happens to Darcy and Elizabeth as a couple.

Presidents also aren’t free to go where they want to. Not only does a president—unlike Mr. Darcy—have a very serious job with specific and unrelenting duties, but his movements are severely constrained by security concerns. The president can’t stop by a 7-Eleven for a cup of coffee or decide at the last minute to visit a friend for the weekend. Every movement must be planned in advance, and every step of the journey needs to be secured by the Secret Service. When the president goes anywhere, approximately one hundred staffers must travel with him.
These constraints made it much harder for my Darcy and Elizabeth to meet up more or less by chance as they do at Rosings Park, so I had to find a new and plausible way to have them encounter each other at the point in the story when Elizabeth is blaming Darcy for ruining Wickham’s life and breaking Jane and Bingley apart. It also meant that it was impossible for Elizabeth and the Gardiners to drop by Pemberley (now a house in the Hamptons) for a visit or to be unaware of when Darcy would be visiting the house.

I didn’t fully anticipate these difficulties when I started writing a modern P&P, and working around these constraints sometimes left me tearing my figurative authorial hair out. However, a strange truism about writing is that sometimes being boxed in forces the writer to be more creative. What I found was that when I resolved these dilemmas, the story was usually stronger because of it. In other words, President Darcy’s problems became my solutions.

Oh my, yes, I did enjoy this piece of insight into how an author works and particularly on this particular novel. I'm keen to read it now. Thank goodness its already released.



On Goodreads: President Darcy: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/President-Darc...
On B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pres...
On Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pres...

Victoria's website: https://victoriakincaid.com/
Victoria's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kincaidvictoria

And before she goes, Victoria left us a treat, an excerpt from President Darcy to whet your appetite! Thanks for this and for the visit, Victoria!

As the woman—Elizabeth Bennet— stepped out of the closet, brooms and mops went crashing to the floor. She flinched, and Darcy tightened his grip on her hand, drawing her closer to him as if the cleaning implements represented a serious threat to her safety. It was ridiculous and inappropriate, and Darcy had no idea why he did it.
The woman seemed to provoke unexpected reactions from him. How else could he explain his unwarrantedly casual reaction the potential danger she might represent?
As he double-checked to ensure she was unharmed, Darcy was struck by her eyes—a deep, mossy green he had never seen before on another human being. With such a uniform color…they really were quite fine. He couldn’t look away. No, it would be more accurate to say he didn’t want to look away.
She was about average height for a woman, which meant that she peered up at Darcy, who came in at around six feet. A sweet, heart-shaped face accentuated those marvelous eyes. Lustrous, wavy dark hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. And that dress—a floor-length black silk sheath that skimmed all her curves without revealing too much. In fact, it revealed just the right amount of her creamy skin…
Rather pointedly, she cast her eyes down at her hand. Which he was still holding. He noticed her fingers, delicate and tapered and so small, nestled in his grasp.
The touch of her hand was the single most wonderful sensation he had ever felt.
His fingers caressed her fingers.
Her hand trembled in his.
He had no desire to release her.
The rest of his body also responded to her proximity. Leaning toward her, he scented a vaguely floral fragrance…perfume or shampoo perhaps. He flushed with a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature in the hallway, moisture collecting on his forehead and the back of his neck. His mouth was suddenly parched, and his tongue licked dry lips. Her eyes followed the movement. She is staring at my mouth.
If only I could touch more than her hand. Darcy’s hand rose, needing to learn if her hair was as soft as it appeared. But then the (apparently very small) part of his brain that was still sane reminded him that the woman was a stranger, and he aborted the movement.
I should probably say something. His lips were parted, ready to speak, but all his thoughts appeared to have melted away at her touch.
Bing cleared his throat. “We should get to the dinner.”
The words worked their way through Darcy’s sluggish brain. He understood their import, but the thought of releasing Elizabeth Bennet’s hand horrified him. He desperately needed to touch more of her, not less.
“Just a second, Bing,” he snapped.
Elizabeth blinked, her eyelashes fluttering. Is she as affected by the touch as I am? “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. President,” she said with a note of finality that suggested she preferred he return her hand. Damn. Could she guess he’d been thinking improper thoughts—when he knew literally nothing about her except her name? It seriously had been too long since he’d had a date.
Dropping her hand as if it had burned him, he stepped backward, putting more distance between them and trying to collect thoughts that seemed to have been scattered by a powerful wind.
Why was he reacting this way to this woman? She was pretty—well, more than pretty. Beautiful. And that dress displayed a body he would certainly describe as “hot.” But he saw beautiful, well-dressed women every day.
And she’d been hiding in a closet, he reminded himself. It wasn’t normal behavior. She also didn’t appear capable of assembling coherent sentences. It truly was a shame she wasn’t more …eloquent. Lack of intelligence was always a deal-breaker for Darcy.
Although it was probably a good thing. If she were smart, too, she’d be irresistible.
Bing cleared his throat loudly.
Finally, Darcy tore his eyes from her vivid, dark green ones, but he was still rubbed raw by her proximity. He didn’t know why she affected him like this, but Darcy couldn’t let her—or anyone else—notice the results.
Taking out his handkerchief, he blotted his brow and mopped the back of his neck before discreetly wiping his sweaty hands and returning the handkerchief to his pocket. Elizabeth stared, likely marveling at how profusely the President of the United States could sweat. Bing regarded Darcy warily; he knew how out-of-character this behavior was.
He had embarrassed himself sufficiently; remaining any longer would only produce more shame and more perspiration. It was past time to appear at the dinner and get away from the spacey woman with the lovely eyes.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode down the hallway. Behind him, he heard Bing ask, “Will you join us at the dinner, Ms. Bennet?”
Damn! I should have asked that. She had me too flustered.
“Um…sure,” she said uncertainly.
No regrets, he told himself sternly. The woman couldn’t string two sentences together. Her beauty was nothing but a momentary distraction.
Darcy tugged his cuffs into place and straightened his bow tie. Taking the service hallway was intended to help him make up time after his last meeting ran late, but the encounter with Ms. Bennet had further delayed his schedule. Time to focus on the dinner and his political priorities for the evening.

Wow! This month promises some wonderful things that I just had to share with everyone.



First up, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo 2017. This is the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write a novel or 50,000 words in 30 days. I find this sort of pressure a great way to get busy on my writing. Its a big rush and I'm looking forward to working on a story I've had brewing for over five years. Here's the link if you think this might be something you're interested in doing: https://nanowrimo.org/





Secondly, I'm participating in a fun week-long reading challenge. The Ho Ho Ho Read-a-thon hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviews blog. My goal is to read five holiday/winter-themed books. Here's the link if you're interested in checking it out for yourself (and you don't have to be a blogger to participate. I do it with just a GoodReads shelf set up to link to): https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2...



And finally, drum roll please, we begin our blog tour for the stories of some devastatingly handsome rascals in Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues. The tour begins on November 6th.

We'd love to have you stop by along the tour and say hey. My own particular stop is for Nov 24th when my book pal Anna is going to interrogate interview me.



Between you, me and the lamppost... you are probably going to want to hit every stop for the opportunity to get snatchy-hands on those two fabulous prize packages.

Here's the schedule:
Dangerous to Know Blog Tour:
💗Monday, Nov6: REVIEW: Margie's Must Reads, https://margiesmustreads.com

💗Thursday, Nov9: REVIEW, Obsessed with Mr. Darcy, https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

💗Monday, Nov13: REVIEW, Austenesque Reviews, http://austenesquereviews.com

💗Tuesday, Nov14: REVIEW, Olga, ROSIE AMBER team, http://www.authortranslatorolga.com/

💗Wednesday, Nov15: (release day) REVIEW, Just Jane 1813, http://justjane1813.com

💗Thursday, Nov16: REVIEW, Diary of an Eccentric, https://diaryofaneccentric.wordpress.com

🎩Monday, Nov20: FEATURE w/Kathy Toigo (Wickham), From Pemberley to Milton, https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

🎩Wednesday, Nov22: FEATURE w/Joana Starnes (Willoughby), Babblings of a Bookworm, http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot.com

🎩Friday, Nov24: FEATURE w/Sophia Rose, (GenTilney), Herding Cats & Burning Soup, http://www.herdingcats-burningsoup.com

🎩Monday, Nov27: FEATURE w/Amy D'Orazio (CaptTilney), My Jane Austen Book Club, http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...

🎩Wednesday, Nov29: FEATURE w/Brooke West (Crawford), VVB32 Reads, https://vvb32reads.blogspot.com

🎩Thursday, Nov30: FEATURE w/Lona Manning (Tom Bertram), Lit 4 Ladies, http://lit4ladies.com

💗Friday, Dec1: REVIEW, Lit 4 Ladies, http://lit4ladies.com

🎩Monday, Dec4: FEATURE w/Beau North (Fitzwilliam), Obssesed with Darcy, https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

🎩Thursday, Dec7: FEATURE w/ J Marie Croft (Thorpe), Harry Rodell blog/ROSIE AMBER team, https://harryrodell.wordpress.com/aut...

💗Friday, Dec8: REVIEW, From Pemberley to Milton, https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

🎩Monday, Dec11: FEATURE w/Jenetta James (William Elliot), Austenesque Reviews, http://austenesquereviews.com

🎩Thursday, Dec14: FEATURE w/ Karen M Cox (Churchill), Darcyholic Diversions, http://darcyholic.blogspot.com

🎩Monday, Dec17: FEATURE w/ Christina Morland (Sir Walter Elliot), Of Pens & Pages, http://www.ofpensandpages.com


Oh, and we must not forget my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love spending the day with family and friends, but also reflecting on the good that has come into my life and how I can do good in other's lives.

So, that's November. How's this month shaping up for you?

This was an exciting debut week for Dangerous to Know.

Our first stop on the blog tour happened at Margie's Must Reads blog with her delightful thoughts on our handsome, flawed gentlemen.
https://margiesmustreads.com/2017/11/...
Hope you can drop by and don't forget there are a couple of fabulous prize packs to tempt you.

And our handsome DTK is now live at on-line merchant sites in electronic or paperback editions.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Know...
***pro tip, did you know that if you buy a papercopy then Amazon will offer you a matchbook $.99 price for the ebook? So... you could buy a friend the PB for their stocking and snag the ebook version for a little pressie for moi.
Or if you'd rather just have the ebook, it's on sale for $2.99 through the release season before it goes back up to regular price.
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dang...

It has been euphoric to see the reviews starting to come in and know that our beloved bad boys are providing an engaging read for folks. Thank you, profoundly, to all those who have taken the time to leave us a review on Amazon and GoodReads. It is a true gift back to our editorial and author team. Muah!

We are having a post-release party!
And you are invited.
Games, trivia, meet and greet, giveaways...

On Monday, November 20.
Several of our authors and our editor are hosting time slots off and on throughout the day:
Lona Manning 2am EST
Christina Boyd: 9am EST
Christina Morland: 10am EST
Amy D'Orazio: 12pm EST
Beau North: 1pm EST
Joana Starnes: 6:30pm EST
Sophia Rose: 7pm EST
Karen M Cox: 8pm EST
Christina Boyd: 9pm EST



My own time is 7pm EST so if you're on Facebook, it would be great if you can stop by. But no worries if that time is not good because I'll leave my posts open until the next afternoon at 2pm.

In The Best Sellers & Best Stellars Party Room.
Pop in through out the day!

Pssst--pass it on!

To come to the party, you must join the Beststellars Party Room Group on Facebook (no worries, you can leave after the party if you like).
Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bests...


Would love to see you there!

Starting yesterday with author, Christina Morland visiting at My Jane Austen Book Club blog, Rational Creatures began her grand tour here: https://thesecretunderstandingofthehe...


Book Description

“But I hate to hear you talking so, like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” —Persuasion
Jane Austen: True romantic or rational creature? Her novels transport us back to the Regency, a time when well-mannered gentlemen and finely-bred ladies fell in love as they danced at balls and rode in carriages. Yet her heroines, such as Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Elliot, and Elinor Dashwood, were no swooning, fainthearted damsels in distress. Austen’s novels have become timeless classics because of their biting wit, honest social commentary, and because she wrote of strong women who were ahead of their day. True to their principles and beliefs, they fought through hypocrisy and broke social boundaries to find their happily-ever-after.
In the third romance anthology of The Quill Collective series, sixteen celebrated Austenesque authors write the untold histories of Austen’s brave adventuresses, her shy maidens, her talkative spinsters, and her naughty matrons. Peek around the curtain and discover what made Lady Susan so wicked, Mary Crawford so capricious, and Hettie Bates so in need of Emma Woodhouse’s pity.
Rational Creatures is a collection of humorous, poignant, and engaging short stories set in Georgian England that complement and pay homage to Austen’s great works and great ladies who were, perhaps, the first feminists in an era that was not quite ready for feminism.
“Make women rational creatures, and free citizens, and they will become good wives; —that is, if men do not neglect the duties of husbands and fathers.” —Mary Wollstonecraft

Stories by Elizabeth Adams * Nicole Clarkston * Karen M Cox * J. Marie Croft * Amy D’Orazio * Jenetta James * Jessie Lewis * KaraLynne Mackrory * Lona Manning * Christina Morland * Beau North * Sophia Rose * Anngela Schroeder * Joana Starnes * Caitlin Williams * Edited by Christina Boyd * Foreword by Devoney Looser

You don't want to miss this:
Rational Creature SUPER Giveaway

The Random Name Picker winner review all blog comments and select one winner from these blog stop comments during the tour for all 21 prizes: Winner’s choice of one title from each authors’ backlist (that’s 16 books, ebooks, or audiobooks), our bespoke t-shirt/soap/candle; #20, a brick in winner’s name to benefit #BuyABrick for Chawton House; and #21, the Quill Collective anthologies in ebook or audiobook

Blog Tour Schedule
Rational Creatures Blog Tour Schedule

September 18 / My Jane Austen Book Club / Guest Post

September 20 / Long and Short Reviews / Guest Post

September 25 / Books & Wine are Lovely Playlist

September 27 / Fangs, Wands and Fairydust / Guest Post ***This is me and my Austen lady*** Do stop by and give us some comment loving if you have a minute: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/

October 2 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Guest Post

October 4 / From Pemberley to Milton / Guest Post

October 9 / Austenesque Reviews / Guest Post

October 11 / Silver Petticoat / Guest Post

October 15 / Just Jane 1813 / Book Review

October 16 / My Love for Jane Austen / Guest Post

October 18 / Rosie’s Review Team / Book Review

October 23 / More Agreeably Engaged / Guest Post

October 25 / The Book Rat / Guest Post

October 30 / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review

November 1 / My Vices and Weaknesses / Guest Post

November 6 / Diary of an Eccentric / Book Review

November 8 / Of Pens and Pages / Book Review

November 13 / Let Us Talk of Many Things / Guest Post


Rational Creatures will dip her curtsey at retailers starting Oct 15th. Meanwhile, feel free to mark her as a 'want to read' here on Good Reads for your wish list.