Sorry for the delay in selecting the winners. I have been without internet more than I have had it do to the nasty winter storms that seem to be unending.
On to the winners….
Winner of the Paperback Copy is:
Patricia Finnega
Winner the E-book Copy is:
Monica
I will be emailing you shortly for your details.
Congrats! & Best Wishes,
Angela
This blog tour has been fun, and I appreciate bloggers like Angela allowing me to share my new novel on their blogs. Alias Thomas Bennet is a Regency romance that follows canon in Pride and Prejudice, while changing the character of Mr. Bennet to make him less indolent and lackadaisical. In no way does that make him boring, though!
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But with a different Mr. Bennet, many things in Pride and Prejudice can change. Different Meryton assembly. Different Hunsford. Different Jane and Elizabeth?
I think this last excerpt will prove to be the most interesting of all. It’s from Chapter 24. Elizabeth is in London, staying with the Gardiners, while she purchases her wedding clothes.
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Elizabeth was full of trepidation. She hoped her disquiet would go unnoticed by Mrs. Younge; she did not want to alarm the other lady.
Silently chastising herself for walking out without Roberts and Jenkins, she considered whether there would be anyone else nearby upon whom she could rely for assistance. She thought of the servant she had seen earlier and wished she had not walked so far. She considered grabbing Mrs. Younge and attempting to run away but discounted that idea since Wickham would surely catch them given their encumbrance of long skirts. At least with the other woman as witness, there could be no accusations of a compromise by Wickham.
“What a pleasure to see you and your companion walking out on such a lovely morning, my lady!” he said as he rounded upon them. “How fortunate you have found a place with such beauty for an early morning promenade. Tell me, do you think the city park measures up to the countryside?”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed, and she gritted her teeth. In spite of her fear, she was angry at Wickham’s gall. She was about to challenge his familiarity with country walks but then reconsidered her manners and dropped her gaze, for she did not want to aggravate him with any impertinence.
“I understand I am to offer you joy on your engagement to Mr. Darcy. He is a very lucky man to have won the hand of such a beauty,” Wickham said almost blithely. “He and I were good friends as children. Perhaps you can speak to him on my behalf since I miss his companionship deeply.”
He then turned his attention to the lady standing beside Elizabeth. “Can you introduce me to your friend?”
~~~~
Mrs. Bertha Younge was an enterprising woman. She had done well in her current occupation, even though it was several steps below her prior work as a lady’s companion. Her only weakness was her obsession with George Wickham.
Claiming he could not live without her nocturnal charms, he had arrived at her doorstep the week before. She knew when she was being taken in; in all likelihood, a new scheme to gain riches or importance was on his mind, and he needed her to take a risk on his behalf. This time, he claimed that he had been ill-used and forced into hiding in the interminable warrens of London.
He did not even try to persuade; rather, he commanded that she discover ways for him to achieve his ends undetected, and to act on his behalf without his exposure. His cocksure nature angered her.
As usual, he promised a share of the proceeds. She hoped rather than believed that he would obtain the riches he claimed were there for the taking. He returned in the dead of night two days ago, demanding a report on her progress.
“There are two enormous footmen consistently attending the ladies when they make their excursions,” Mrs. Younge reported. “They arrive in Gracechurch Street before breakfast and do not return to Darcy House until all the inmates of the Gardiner home have retired.”
“Then it appears I need more than your feminine charms,” he said. “I need muscle. Anyone for hire in Seven Dials will do.” It was clear he was impatient by the way he issued orders to her.
She shook her head. “I cannot convince brutish fellows to help you in your enterprises, at least not without some form of payment beforehand. I promised them a reward once you become successful, but I was laughed at. It seems you have made a few enemies.” She knew he was desperately without funds at the present time, and he was not known for keeping his promises of future payment.
Wickham huffed and looked at the ground. She intentionally left a silence between them for a few moments.
“However, I did see a break in the times the guards were near Elizabeth.” That caught his attention, and he looked at her expectantly.
“Twice, she has walked out alone very early in the morning,” said she, “and returned before Darcy’s brutes arrived. Thus far, she has not yet been caught by any of her family or their servants. She chooses to walk in a park near her relatives’ home in Cheapside.”
She smiled inwardly as he brazenly outlined his strategy. He fancied himself a brilliant tactician, above all others in intelligence, but had no ability to take his own culpability for mistakes seriously and constantly looked for someone to blame.
This time, she would not be held responsible. This time, she would have the upper hand. There might even be a bit of revenge in it for his past history of using her ill.
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I would like to thank Suzan Lauder for allowing me to post an excerpt of her book, Alias Thomas Bennet.
Visit Suzan Lauder at her blog here
About the book
When Fitzwilliam Darcy attends the Meryton assembly, he befriends a quiet, intelligent gentleman. In frequent visits to his friend’s home, he becomes acquainted with the Bennet family of Longbourn. Yet Mr. Darcy is distracted by a strange feeling of having met some of them before.
This is a different Bennet family from the cleverly crafted one in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. This Mr. Bennet is a responsible gentleman who takes an active role in the education and upbringing of all five of his daughters, manages Longbourn to be prosperous, and displays loving guidance toward Mrs. Bennet—a gentle, caring mother and wife.
There is a mystery lurking at Longbourn—a secret unknown even to Elizabeth Bennet—and Mr. Darcy is entangled in its extraordinary revelations.
Who is Thomas Bennet?
Giveaway Time!
I have 1 paperback copy and 1 e-book to giveaway.
Contest is open internationally
To enter please leave your name and a valid email address
Giveaway ends January 31
Over the years feeding your Jane Austen addiction can get rather expensive, so when a .99 cent e-book sale comes along, I’m over the moon. Especially seeing how extensive this Austen Author sale is.
A few things to remember:
SALE RUNS FROM JANUARY 8 TO JANUARY 11
E-books only available via Amazon or Barnes & Noble
E-books make amazing gifts. Plus you can purchase them now and send them later
Amazon only
Amazon Barnes & Noble
This is only a small sampling of the books available in this brilliant sale. For the entire list, please click HERE
I know that I will be buying a few of these for myself as well as a few for gifts!
Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, the amusingly tongue-in-cheek Mr Darcy’s Guide to Courtship is written from the perspective of Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy and closely based on real Regency advice manuals. It is a hilarious and irreverent picture of the social mores of the period and of how men thought about women – and sheds amusing light on men of the modern age, too! Readers can dip into different sections for Darcy's views on a myriad of issues, including "What Females Want", "The Deceptions of Beautiful Women" and “Winning Their Affections, Flattery, Making Conversation, and Flirting!" Also included are sections written by Pride and Prejudice’s Miss Caroline Bingley and Mr Darcy’s correspondence with famous Regency figures including the Duke of Wellington.
Do you love reading good books? Do you find yourself telling everyone you know about how good (or bad) the last book you read was?
If so, I have some exciting news to share with you. Our sister site Royal Reviews is seeking several new reviewers.
I have 5 permanent positions to fill as well as 8 Ladies in Waiting (guest bloggers) positions to fill. If there is an overwhelming interest in becoming a Royal Reviewer, either permanent or guest, I will consider those and may add more than just the aforementioned 5 permanents and 8 guests.
Here is a bit more about what each position entails:
Permanent Reviewer:
If you'd like to be a permanent reviewer you would be required to contribute four reviews every three months. Each review is to be done the week before it is due. A choice of genres and weeks is sent out well in advance and then you nominate which weeks you'd like to participate in. The reviews are spread out over different weeks and we will be specifically looking for reviewers who love historical fiction. You are also expected to respond to our lovely readers comments (especially when your reviews go up).
Guest Reviewer (Lady in Waiting):
Guest reviewers are required to do one review every three months. I also often call on Guest Reviewers to help out if I am short on reviews or someone is sick. Guest reviews are required to be completed and emailed to me the week before they are due.
To apply, please fill out the form below
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGdEV0lJS09ySXBDZElzeFVPSVlkQ1E6MQ
If you have any questions or are unable to fill out the form, please email me at:
becomearoyalreviewer {at} yahoo {dot} com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
Angela
Hello Lovelies,
I am bit late with posting—I was hoping to have it up last week, although the remodeling with a little awry when the contractors hammer when through the wall in the upstairs bedroom.
As this is Tuesday it’s time for a Tuesday Tea post and although I thought that I would mix it up and do a DIY, or rather a TeaIY, post. So here is a step by step process of how to make a Jane Austen-inspired Tea-dyed scarf.
What you will need:
1 White Scarf
An old pan or bowl
Tea bags
Liquid laundry detergent & softener
Iron-on transfer paper
Printer
First, find an image (or imagines) that you wish to use as well as your favorite Austen-inspired quote (quotes). Make sure to mirror the images and quotes so that when you iron them on they will be correctly positioned.
Print them out on Iron-on transfer paper and cut them out leaving only a small border around them. I found the iron-on transfer paper works the best if you have allowed the print-outs to cure at least over night before ironing them on to the surface.
Wash and scarf according to manufactures directions.
Find the colour of tea that you wish to use. You may want to experiment on a piece of paper before hand to get the colour you desire.
I used three Twinings English Breakfast teabags and steeped them in a gallon and half of boiling water for about an hour.
Add your scarf to the tea. I dyed mine for about an hour, stirring about every ten minutes to make sure the tea dyed evenly.
Remove from tea, hand wash in cold water using a mild detergent then drain sink, refill, and wash using fabric softener to lock in dye.
Dry according to manufactures directions on scarf then iron.
Follow directions according to your selected Iron-on transfer paper packet.
Enjoy!
Have you ever made a Jane Austen-inspired DIY item? I would love to hear about your adventures in crafting.
1 lucky winner will win a copy of Austentatious Crochet
Giveaway is open WORLDWIDE
Ends May 30
Best Wishes & Happy Crafting,
Whilst writing this post I was:
Drinking:
Twinings Pear & Apple Green Tea
Listening to:
Time by Rod Stewart
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