Monica Fairview's Blog, page 3

Did Jane Austen Ever See an Elephant? by Diana Birchall

Elephant at Exeter Exchange, 1812

You don’t have to be a pachydermophiliac to delight in a very delectable question, whose origin may be traced to a discussion on one of the Jane Austen online lists from as far back as 2011 – this post is what one might hopefully and tactfully call An Old Classic. Research has not revealed whether the inquirer had been drinking pink champagne, but the question at hand, now and forever, is:  Did Jane Austen ever see an elephant?

My feeling is that she did.  She w...

P&P: Prelude to Pemberley- Darcy Decides to Match Bingley and Georgiana

Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on our journey as the Austen Variations authors post the events of 1811 in real time on the date they happened – 214 years in the future.

Darcy Decides to Match Bingley and Georgian...

Coming Soon—An Offer of Marriage by Amy D’Orazio

I have a new book coming this month! An Offer of Marriage is currently available for preorder. An excerpt is below, from a part where Darcy and Elizabeth are engaged but Bingley knows nothing about it. Hope you enjoy!

You can preorder it here or begin reading it here.

“Elizabeth, perhaps I might show you the house? Jane—shall you join us?”

“I would like that,” Elizabeth said with a smile, but her smile turned to a shocked look as the door opened…and Bingley was announced.

There were a select fe...

Six Very Important Questions for our AV Authors!

I don’t know about you, but August makes me want to be silly! (Perhaps that’s because I’m a teacher, and soon I’ll be back to pretending — for a few weeks, at least — that I’m a serious grown up? Or perhaps it’s just because…I’m silly!)

In the spirit of August Austen silliness, I presented my fellow Austen Variation authors with six very important questions. Read on to find out what they thought!

(Want to answer these questions yourself? Click here if you want to answer the questions before find...

Release day for Look on the Heart

Good morning, readers!

It’s release day for Look on the Heart, a new Darcy and Elizabeth variation! This book was inspired by a reader plot bunny, so shout out to Karen Leos!

You can get the book on Amazon and KU here: https://mybook.to/LookontheHeart

Here’s the blurb:

Elizabeth Bennet’s father has raised her to value a person’s character more than their appearance. He learned the hard way that physical beauty can conceal poor behavior—an error he made in marrying his wife. Determined not to re...

P&P Prelude to Pemberley: Darcy and Georgiana Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk

Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on our journey as the Austen Variations authors post the events of 1811 in real time on the date they happened – 214 years in the future.

Darcy and Georgiana Have a Heart–to–Heart T...

Audiobook Release Day for More Than You Know! by Jennifer Altman

Hi, all! I hope you’re having a wonderful summer filled with sunshine, relaxation, and—of course—a good book or two.

Today, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: my most recent Pride and Prejudice variation, More Than You Know, is now available as an audiobook, beautifully narrated by the incomparable Stevie Zimmerman!

If you’ve already read the book—thank you! I’m so grateful for your support. And whether this will be your first time experiencing the story or a return visit, I hope you’ll ...

Soul Marks for Soul Mates

We fanfic writers love to play around with the soul mate idea. It sounds lovely in some ways–two people who are meant for each other, destined to find each other and fulfill each other’s every emotional need.

In real life, most people probably don’t believe in soul mates. I personally believe that one could find happiness with any number of different mates, and that choosing a spouse is more about finding somebody that you choose rather than about finding someone who is a perfect ideal match. In...

P&P Prelude to Pemberley: Darcy’s Scathing Letter to Wickham

Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on our journey as the Austen Variations authors post the events of 1811 in real time on the date they happened – 214 years in the future.

Darcy’s Scathing Letter to Wickham

Septembe...

Some New – But “Old” News

Greetings to you all! It has been a while since I have posted here, except for the few P&P Behind the Scenes I contributed that were posted the last couple years. I have a bit of news I wanted to share, as well as what I’ve been going through the past couple of months.

This past March, severe storms were forecasted for Friday night. For almost the full week before, it was a dire forecast. I was supposed to watch my three granddaughters early Saturday morning, and so I decided to spend the night ...