Monica Fairview's Blog, page 43

A “Progressive” Book Launch for “Mr. Knightley in His Own Words”!

Have you ever participated in a “progressive dinner”? It was a fun, social thing they did back in the day – church groups, etc.. You all ate the appetizer at one person’s house. Then you moved on as a group to somebody else’s for the salad, then the main course at a third place, and dessert at a fourth – progressing from house to house. That’s what I’ve got planned for you today to celebrate the launch of Mr. Knightley in His Own Words!

You start right here at Austen Variations for the appetizer...

P&P The Untold Stories: Mr. Bennet calls on Mr. Bingley

What did Mr. Bennet say to Mr. Bingley when he called at Netherfield?

October 3, 1811

Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley…though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid, she had no knowledge of it.

-Pride and Prejudice

Despite his insistence that he would not call on the newest member of the Meryton neighborhood, Mr. Bennet had always intended to visit with Mr. Bingley. After all, they were near...

Mrs Bennet Makes a Match Release Day!

It’s release day for my latest novella, Mrs Bennet Makes a Match! To help celebrate, I’m sharing a snippet  from Chapter 2. I posted an excerpt (Chapter 1) previously; you can find it here.

In this segment of the second chapter, Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley have come to dinner, and the party is now in the drawing room after the meal. Mrs Bennet has been looking on with pleasure at the resumption of Jane and Bingley’s romance, when… Well, read on, and you’ll see!

As Mrs Bennet covered a dismissive h...

Traces of Magic: Happy Release Day!! + Giveaway!

Hello friends! I’m looking out of the window at the leaves turning color and I’m reminded that autumn is coming. Where did the summer go?  Yikes!  I suppose I was too busy working on Traces of Magic to notice the transition!

I’m a summer baby, which is probably why summer is my favorite season.  Every year,  when autumn arrives, I cling to it like Winnie the Pooh clings to his flying balloon. I love the long, bright days, and I don’t want them ever to end.  I hold on as tightly as possible to wh...

Strokes of Inelegance: the final part of a modern P&P story!

Greetings, friends! It’s almost the end of a “scandalous September.” (Did you do anything scandalous this month? For my part, I turned another year older…very scandalous indeed!)

In March, I began an untitled P&P short story to help me get out of a writing funk. Now, as we approach October, I have finally finished! (Well, there’s a long epilogue I’ll post on my dusty old website soon; I decided not to post it here because this last installment is already long enough — and Austen Variations is ge...

New novella coming soon! Wits & Wagers

Hey all, I have a new novella coming soon (well, it’s 45K words, so not sure if its a novella or a mini novel but you get the point, haha!). Wits & Wagers is currently available for preorder will be out at the end of November. In the meantime I hope you enjoy an excerpt from chapter 1.  I hope to see you back in October for the cover reveal!

Leave me a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy. The winner will be posted on the Quills & Quartos facebook page at the end of this month!

“I cannot s...

P&P The Untold Stories: Bingley Takes Possession of Netherfield

What will Caroline Bingley think of Netherfield Park?

September 25, 1811

Caroline Bingley glared at her brother as their carriage rattled over the cobblestones of a little country town. “Charles,” she said in a deceptively honeyed voice, “you know I do not like surprises.”

Bingley rubbed his hands together gleefully. “You will like this one.” She had been trying to wheedle the information out of him since they had left London, but he was determined not to tell her until the last minute.  He cou...

Mr. Darcy and the Governess Launch Giveaway

I come with AAAALLLLL kinds of announcements today. First! I must pay off some arrears of civilities. I had never gone back to announce the winners of the drawings for my last two posts. Bad author! So, I have some ebooks to give away right off the top. My randomizer (my 17-year-old son) plucked some numbers out of the air for me, and these are the names they corresponded to for the respective giveaways.

You can reach me at Author@AlixJames.com with your contact information, and I’ll get your bo...

Throwback Thursday: Mrs. Bennet Tells All

Mrs. Bennet Tells All, by Jack Caldwell

Greetings everyone. Jack Caldwell here.

One of the most enduring tropes in JAFF is the unfeeling, slightly cruel, and stupid Mrs. Bennet. Taking a bit from the novel and a lot from the P&P 1995 adaptation, there is a belief that Mrs. Bennet hates her second daughter and is ignorant about everything.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Remember, Mrs. Bennet disliked Mr. Darcy, a gentleman at least twice Mr. Bingley’s significance, because he snubbed he...

P&P The Untold Stories: Lady Catherine Interviews Mr. Collins

Lady Catherine conducts a job interview with Mr. Collins…

September 19, 1811

Mr. Whitaker, the clergyman of Hunsford, was dead. Lady Catherine, however, could not bring herself to regret it. “Certainly,” she said, “I shall mourn as much as is proper; that is, I shall wish him every mercy at the seat of Judgment, but that, of course, is no more than what is due to us all. In my own judgment however, his life on earth was peculiarly dissatisfying.”

“He was a good clergyman, was he not, ma’am?” Mr...