Monica Fairview's Blog, page 73
November 9, 2021
A Comfortable Coze with Mary Crawford by Diana Birchall
Jane Austen’s felicitious phrase, “a comfortable coze,” which we use as our banner theme for November (a month in need of a coze or two), comes from Mansfield Park. Fanny, preparing for her first ball, is perplexed about how to wear the cross given her by her sailor brother William, for she has no chain. She goes to ask Mary Crawford for advice, and finds Mary on her way to see her, wanting to speak about that very matter:
“[Miss Crawford] proposed their going up into her room, where they might...
November 7, 2021
An overdue update
Do you ever feel overwhelmed sending an overdue email to a friend because there’s just so much to tell them, so you procrastinate until it gets even worse? Especially when there’s something you really want to avoid saying? Well, that’s the spiral I’ve been in on blog posts, so I’m going to bite the bullet and cram this with lots of news, and hope that gets me back on track!
Snickerdoodle looking innocent
When last heard from in May, I was trying to finish Pride & Paleontology, my new short novel...
November 5, 2021
Christmas at Blackthorn Manor–Excerpt
Hello everyone!
What a year for holiday JAFF! Do you suppose it is because of how challenging the last year and a half has been?
Today, I am sharing an excerpt from my new Christmas novella, Christmas at Blackthorn Manor. It came out in e-book format (and through Kindle Unlimited) on 25 October, and is available in the compilation ‘Tis the Season (which also feature’s Amy’s novella, Heart Enough, which she posted about on Monday). The audiobook will be released soon.
Christmas 2020 was a diffic...
November 3, 2021
The Dragon Keepers’ Cotillion-excerpt
A bit of dragon-y goodness to share from the new book:
Draogn Keeper’s Cotillion.
In which Anne and Wentworth settle in for the coming adventury with the Darcys.March 21, 1815, Thames House, London
Anne squinted at the notes scrawled in pale pencil scratchings in the tiny notebook, sized to fit in a lady’s reticule, almost too small to be useful. There had to be some reason she had tried to write that down—whatever that was. She closed her eyes, leaned back and stretched, nearly knocking over...
November 1, 2021
An excerpt from Heart Enough
Its been so exciting to see so many wonderful holiday tales coming out this year. I am never one for the scary stuff, and I love American Thanksgiving and the December holidays so I welcome November with open arms! So to kick things off, here is an excerpt from my recently released holiday novella Heart Enough for you… hope you enjoy! Its available at amazon in kindle and KU or as part of the ‘Tis the Season paperback!
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It was an exceedingly wintry ...
October 28, 2021
Reading by the Fire: Fanny and the Geraniums by Diana Birchall
Geraniums by Mary Delany (1700-1788)
It had been an exceptionally wet October with winds and gales blowing around Mansfield Park almost daily, and Fanny was thankful to have recourse to her own dear East Room. This had been the Bertram sisters’ former school-room, now Fanny’s own refuge; but it was a chilly refuge in the inclement weather, for Fanny was not allowed a fire, by decree of her Aunt Norris, who lost no opportunity to treat her meanly in emphasis of her lowly status. It took some cons...
Dragon Keepers’ Cotillion
Book 8 of Jane Austen’s DragonsTerritory challenges. Dragon battles. Baby dragon debutantes. When will the chaos end?
Dragon Sage Elizabeth Darcy longs for life to return to normal, at least as normal as it could be for a Blue Order officer who lives with more household dragons than most small villages. Having two sisters and an infant dragon to present as debutantes to the Order, make ‘normal’ difficult. The fine la...
October 25, 2021
Comfort and Joy- Excerpt and Cover Reveal
Don’t you think our Jane would agree that there’s nothing like reading a wonderful holiday story for real comfort? Curling up with a cup of warm tea or hot cocoa, snuggling under a blanket and getting lost in the world of Darcy and Elizabeth without overt interference by Mr. Wickham is how I long to spend my winter. To make these dreams of mine a reality, I’ve decided to put out another holiday novella starring not only our dear couple, but also the favorite darlings of my first novella, Miss...
October 21, 2021
His Perfect Gift Launch Party
His Perfect Gift is live!! If you’ve started reading, I can’t wait for to know what you think of it. If you love it, please think of stopping by Amazon or Goodreads and leaving a review or rating. I may not know it’s you (usernames and all that), but I do thank you for doing so. Reviews help us so much!
Any day now I expect to start proofing chapters for the audiobook, and if I know Stevie, once she starts, she’ll finish it faster than it takes Audible to review it 
I’ve decided to give you chap...
October 20, 2021
The Dragons of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it over and over again, when one starts looking at the history of England, one runs into dragons. Everywhere. There are dragons everywhere. Including a royal residence.
Brighton’s iconic Royal Pavilion features unique, stunning architecture and décor, fit for a royal prince. But when one looks closely at the décor, a surprising feature jumps out—dragons!
History of Brighton Pavilion
Exterior view, Royal Pavilion from John Nash’s Views of the Royal Pavili...
