A Very Austen Valentine Launch Party

Today is a special day for me and six lovely authors! It will be a special day for you readers, too! This is launch day for A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2! We have all been excited about today and could hardly wait to show off the lovely cover of this book and let you learn  a bit about what is inside. The book goes on sale today too. It's been available for pre-order and is already the #1 New Release on Amazon! Way to go, ladies! That's amazing! The official release for availability is today, December 29th! 

Isn't the cover gorgeous! The full wrapper is below and it is just as lovely! Everything about it says love, happiness, and Valentine's! I have started reading the stories and am enjoying everything I'm reading! I hope all of you get to read it soon. 

These authors released A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 1 in 2017 and I loved all the stories in the anthology. It earned one of the More Agreeable Engaged Favorite Awards for 2017.

When talking with Robin about this latest book, she told me that their tagline for the anthologies is "The books that friendship built." Isn't that neat! Robin said Jane Austen brought them all together, from the southern, northern, and northwest of the United States to Ireland across the Atlantic ocean. One day, these ladies hope to meet in person.

Wendi and Robin have been really good friends for about nine years, ever since they started writing and publishing their books. They have always helped each other by reading and editing each other's work. Wendi also does all the final formatting for Robin's books. Mandy is Robin's elder daughter. Looks like there are two writers in this family. Laura and Robin became friends, through Robin's sister, Gayle Mills, about seven years ago. Laura has been friends with Barbara and Susan much longer than that. After Laura and Robin became friends, they brought their friends together. The anthologies grew from those friendships. Wendi, Laura, and Robin work closely together on all the aspects of publishing the books, contributing their specialized abilities in different areas.

Isn't it interesting how all this came about!? Jane Austen has brought many of us together. Because of her, friendships have been formed, and our lives made richer. Because of Jane Austen, we are here today celebrating the release of A Very Austen Valentine!

Now let's take a look at the full wrapper!

Six beloved authors deliver romantic Valentine novellas set in Jane Austen's Regency world. Robin Helm, Laura Hile, Wendi Sotis, and Barbara Cornthwaite, together with Susan Kaye and Mandy Cook, share variations of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility, featuring your favorite characters in sequels, adaptations, and spinoffs of Austen's adored novels.

Experience uplifting romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and poignant regret as these authors deftly tug on your heartstrings this Valentine's Day.

Back Cover Copy:

I Dream of You by Robin Helm

Newly-married Elizabeth Darcy has a plan: to charm her too-busy husband into desiring her company as much as he did when he was courting her.  A series of romantic dreams gives her just the push she needs to put that plan into action.

Sir Walter Takes a Wife by Laura Hile

Faced with a lonely future and finding himself strapped for cash, Persuasion’s Sir Walter Elliot manfully decides to marry again. But his careful plans go sadly awry! A lighthearted Valentine mash-up featuring two of Jane Austen's worst snobs. 

My Forever Valentine by Wendi Sotis

Jane and Charles Bingley have married, even though Miss Elizabeth Bennet remains certain Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy gave his best effort to keep them apart. After Mr. Darcy refused to stand up with Bingley and did not attend the wedding, she despises the gentleman more than ever and finds his company intolerable. How will she endure her visit to Kent if Mr. Darcy turns up everywhere she goes?

Pretence and Prejudice by Barbara Cornthwaite

A chance encounter with a handsome stranger forces Elizabeth to resort to subterfuge in order to discover his true intentions.

My Valentine by Mandy H. Cook

Little Charlotte was always determined and independent, traits which served her well as she battled a serious childhood illness and later as she took on Polite Society. Will those traits now deprive her of true love? Or would her lifelong Valentine win her heart?

The Lovers’ Ruse by Susan Kaye

In this Persuasion alteration, Anne is so altered by Wentworth's love in the summer of 1806, she refuses to give him up when both her godmother and father try to persuade her. “The Lovers' Ruse” follows Frederick and Anne through their whirlwind courtship and their secret engagement. When Wentworth returns for his Annie girl, the cat comes out of the bag.

Author Bios:

Robin Helm bio

Robin Helm's books reflect her love of music, as well as her fascination with the paranormal and science fiction.

Previously published works include The Guardian Trilogy: Guardian, SoulFire, and Legacy (a guardian angel protects a supernaturally gifted girl), the Yours by Design series: Accidentally Yours, Sincerely Yours, and Forever Yours (Fitzwilliam Darcy switches places in time with his descendant, Will Darcy), and Understanding Elizabeth (Regency romance).

She contributed to A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 1, an anthology featuring like-minded authors, in 2017. A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2 is available for pre-order and will be released on December 29, 2018. A Very Austen Romance: Austen Anthologies, Book 3 is planned for December 2019.

She lives in sunny South Carolina and adores her one husband, two married daughters, and three grandchildren.    

Laura Hile bio

Readers are loving Laura Hile's joyous Regency novels. Her signature style—with intertwined plots, cliffhangers, laugh-out-loud humor, and romance—keeps them coming back for more.

The comedy Laura comes by as a teacher. There's never a dull moment with teen students!

Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a collection of antique clocks.

Her fiction is for everyone, even teens.

Wendi Sotis bio

Wendi Sotis lives on Long Island, NY, with her husband and triplets. While searching for Pride and Prejudice from Darcy’s point of view, she became thoroughly enamored with Jane Austen Fan Fiction or JAFF. In early 2010, she dreamed of an idea for a story and hasn’t stopped writing since: Promises, Dreams and Expectations; All Hallows Eve; The Keys for Love; Safekeeping (with just a dash of Austen); The Gypsy Blessing; Foundation of Love (The Gypsy Blessing 2); and A Lesson Hard Learned.

The Marriage Pact, and some of Wendi’s works-in-progress, have branched away from JAFF to Regency Romance (the Loving an Aldridge Series) and Contemporary Romantic Mysteries (the Implicated series). Wendi will also continue bringing Darcy and Elizabeth together again and again in an unusual manner.

Barbara Cornthwaite bio

Barbara Cornthwaite lives in the middle of Ireland with her husband and children. She taught college English before "retiring" to do something she loves far more; her days are now filled with homeschooling her six children, trying to keep the house tidy (a losing battle), and trying to stay warm in the damp Irish climate (also a losing battle). She is surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque flocks of sheep, and ancient stone monuments. These things are unappreciated by her children, who are more impressed by traffic jams, skyscrapers, and hot weather.

Susan Kaye bio

Susan Kaye discovered Jane Austen and writing at about the same time. She leads a quiet life with her husband and dog, Harley. "I don't know a lot, but I do know I've probably spent more time with Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot than just about anybody else."

Mandy Helm Cook bio

Mandy Cook was an RN for over ten years, half of which she served in the Navy, living in far-flung places, enjoying experiencing the world while following her calling. Just before she and her handsome Marine were both deployed to different places, they married. They now have three children, ages four and younger.

She previously published The Gifted, using her nursing experience to lend accuracy to her story about an ER nurse who is handed a gift that changes her life forever. Adversity, and a long history of secrets, constantly battle against her natural instinct for truth and justice, but will the truth be worth the dare?

Contact Information:

Robin Helm

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Helm/e/B005MLFMTG

Website:  BeyondAusten.com https://www.beyondausten.com/ 

Twitter: @rmhelm 

Facebook: Robin Helm https://www.facebook.com/RobinHelmAuthor/

Facebook: Austen Anthologies https://www.facebook.com/AustenAnthologies/?modal=admin_todo_tour 

Instagram: @jrhelm  or @AustenAnthologies

Goodreads: Robin_M_Helm https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5210675.Robin_M_Helm 

Blogging: Robin M. Helm https://robinmhelm.com/

Laura Hile

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Hile/e/B003UT6VDS/

Blogging: Laura Hile https://laurahile.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @LauraHile
Facebook: LauraHileAuthor https://www.facebook.com/LauraHileWriter/
Forum: BeyondAusten.com https://www.beyondausten.com/
Goodreads: Laura Hile https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2967234.Laura_Hile

Wendi Sotis

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Sotis/e/B005CSBVFS/
Website: http://wendisotis.com
Facebook: Wendi Sotis, Author https://www.facebook.com/author.wendi.sotis/
Twitter: @WendiSotis
Forum: BeyondAusten.com http://BeyondAusten.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5009020.Wendi_Sotis

Barbara Cornthwaite

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Cornthwaite/e/B00J47TTZM/

Website: Jane Started It! https://crownhillwriters.wordpress.com/barbara-cornthwaite/

Mandy Cook

Facebook: Mandy Helm Cook https://www.facebook.com/mandy.helm.7

Instagram: @hisloved1s
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mandy-Helm/e/B07KND3K8R/

Susan Kaye

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Kaye/e/B001JRVMYQ/ ]

Website: Jane Started It! https://crownhillwriters.wordpress.com/susan-kaye/
Facebook: Susan Kaye  https://www.facebook.com/susan.kaye2

Giveaway:

1 eBook of A Very Austen Valentine - International
1 Paperback of A Very Austen Valentine - US only

This is such a nice giveaway for two lucky winners. Leave a comment below and tell us what you think about A Very Austen Valentine. I think it's an excellent book. As soon as I read the back cover copy, I could hardly wait to start reading the book. Did you read the first one, A Very Austen Christmas? If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. Somewhere in your comment, be sure to leave me some way to contact you should you be one of the winners. The giveaway will end at 11:59 P.M. January 3, 2019. The blog tour for A Very Austen Valentine will begin on January 6th and run through the 21st of January. We hope to see you all! 

Thank you, ladies, for allowing me to host the launch party for your book. (Too bad we couldn't have had cake, hot chocolate and tea! :)) I have been eagerly waiting for today and the honor you afforded me! I know your book will do well, since it has already hit #1. I'm anxious to see where it goes from here! Congratulations to all of you!