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Robin Helm, Laura Hile, Wendi Sotis, and Barbara Cornthwaite, the authors of A Very Austen Christmas, are my guests today. We are spotlighting their new release with blurbs for each story and an excerpt from each story. What a fun way to start getting in the Christmas spirit. From what I hear, many are in the spirit of enjoying this book already. The book is ranked the #1 Amazon Best Seller in its category! Congratulations, ladies. That is awesome! I'm thrilled for you. I cannot wait to read this one myself. I love the holidays and one thing that makes them even better is getting to read a good Christmas story. If it's JAFF and four stories instead of one, well, that's even better! :) All of these ladies are fine authors so I'm confident this book will not disappoint. I'm ready for a little holiday cheer. What about you, Dear Readers?
*****
A Very Austen
Christmas blurbs
Her Christmas Gift
by Robin Helm
Elizabeth Bennet finds herself snowbound at Rosings with two
rejected, but highly eligible, suitors. Does either man have a chance? Will her
childhood friend, Meryton’s golden boy, win her affection, or will she accept
the master of Pemberley? Perhaps she will refuse them both a second time. Her
Christmas Gift deftly combines tension and emotion with humor and
romance.
The Christmas
Matchmaker by Laura Hile
It’s raining; it’s pouring – and what could be better than a
little Christmas matchmaking? So says Emma Woodhouse who is unexpectedly
stranded at Netherfield Park. Mr. Darcy disagrees, for she has someone else in
mind for adorable Elizabeth Bennet. Amid meddling, misunderstanding, and an
unwelcome proposal or two, will True Love find a way?
No Better Gift by
Wendi Sotis
On his way to Derbyshire to spend Christmas with his family,
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy plans to retrieve an item he left behind during his
rushed escape from Netherfield—and the country miss who touched his heart.
Finding Meryton practically deserted, he fears the worst. What fate could have
fallen upon this once-thriving village in only three weeks? More importantly,
was Miss Elizabeth Bennet in danger?
Mistletoe at Thornton
Lacey by Barbara Cornthwaite
When Edmund Bertram realizes that Fanny is the perfect wife
for him, he wants to propose without delay. What better time than at Christmas?
Ah, but the course of true love never does run smooth ...
A Very Austen Christmas excerpts
Her Christmas Gift (excerpt)
by Robin Helm
She turned her head to look up at him
and tripped over a root, sending her sprawling in the snow.
Darcy knelt beside her. “Are you
injured?”
“No, I think not, though I am a bit humiliated.
Will you help me up?” She extended her hand to him.
Darcy tried to help her to her feet,
but she cried out as soon as she put weight on her foot.
Without a word, he picked her up as if
he were cradling a child.
“Mr. Darcy, you must put me down.”
“You cannot so much as stand, and the
sleds are much too far ahead for me to catch them. I see no other solution.”
He began to walk towards Rosings.
“Miss Bennet, ’twould help if you put
your arms about my neck. You are dead weight otherwise, and we have over a mile
before we reach the house.”
She blushed furiously but did as he
asked. “Will you agree to put me down when we are in sight of Rosings?”
“If you are able to walk by leaning on
me, I will. Otherwise, I shall carry you the entire way.”
Elizabeth began to chuckle.
Darcy glanced down at her. “You are
amused?”
“I am. You are covered in snow and look
like a snow beast of some sort.”
“And what are you? My prey?”
She feigned shock. “Do you mean I am in
mortal danger? I thought gentlemen protected young ladies.”
“You said I was a snow beast. I suppose
that means I am not a gentleman.”
In the midst of their banter, Darcy and
Elizabeth had failed to notice the man directly in front of them.
“You will unhand my future wife this
instant!”
Thomas had returned; he was very angry.
*****
The
Christmas Matchmaker (excerpt) by Laura Hile
Mr.
Darcy placed a small table before Elizabeth and then came back with the
backgammon board. “Shall we play a game?” he said pleasantly, moving his chair
to face hers.
“No!”
she whispered urgently. “We shall never hear the end of it.”
His
response was to open the board and begin placing the checkers. “When everyone
sees how thoroughly you are trounced, Miss Elizabeth, speculation of a romance
between us shall cease.”
Trounced?
Elizabeth lifted her chin. “If I do agree to play, I have no intention of
losing, sir.”
Mr.
Darcy’s eyes glittered. “We’ll see about that.”
Elizabeth
discovered that she was smiling. “I’ll have you know that I am rather good at
backgammon.”
“Ah,
but are you good enough?”
Was
he taunting her? Silent, taciturn Mr. Darcy? And there was more. When he
smiled, his cheeks dimpled attractively. Why had she never noticed this?
“I
am not afraid of you, sir,” she countered.
“You
should be,” he said, and he held out her dice. What could she do but take them?
Her
bare fingers brushed against his palm. “En
garde, Miss Elizabeth,” he said softly.
Did
he think to confound her with fencing cant? He would soon discover that she was
no green girl. “Allez, Mr. Darcy,”
she smilingly retorted, and boldly tossed the dice onto the board.
*****
No Better Gift (excerpt) by Wendi Sotis
Growing up, Darcy’s mother had often told him
that love was something to be cherished. It was her fondest wish that he and
his sister would love their marriage partners someday.
At his mother’s graveside, even though
his father was utterly distraught, he
confided that no matter how much pain he experienced at losing her, he would
have done nothing differently. Loving her was the wisest thing he had ever done.
If love was such a glorious thing, why
then had falling in love with Elizabeth
caused him so much pain?
After a quick review of all his past
dealings with Elizabeth, using this new insight into her thought process as a
lens, he now understood he must have affronted her at every turn.
He shuddered to think of how, at
gatherings they had both attended, she must have interpreted his inability to
keep his eyes from following her every move. At the time, he had scolded
himself, thinking she would recognize his attraction, so he tried his best to avoid her. In truth, at the
very least, his behaviour must have left
her confused. Perhaps even unsettled — or worse.
How could he have been so ignorant of
causing her distress?
He glanced over at her, walking beside
him.
Knowing she disliked him — for if she
thought he had done nothing but criticize her in the past, how could she feel
any other way — would it be easier to forget her?
He must decide, and quickly. If he was
to speak to her about this, it had to be
within the next minute or two, for they would soon come upon Baxter. Once at
the house, there would be people all around them. And tomorrow, when Roberts
returned, perhaps he should leave, after all.
His heart faltered. If he left while
they were on these terms … chances were that he would never see her again.
No! He could not just go on with his
life knowing he had insulted her so badly and leave it at that. It was selfish,
but he could not bear to have Elizabeth think ill of him for all eternity.
He swallowed hard and turned to the
lady of his heart. “Miss Elizabeth, I would like to make it perfectly clear that I never meant to insult
you. It was done most unwittingly.”
She kept her gaze directed at the path.
“I hope you accept my sincere apology.”
Perspiration broke out across his brow
as he waited for her answer.
*****
Mistletoe at Thornton Lacey (excerpt) by Barbara Cornthwaite
They
walked on in silence for another minute and then Tom said, “Well, he is settled
and happy in his situation. I suppose the next thing he will do is find a wife.
We must be sure he marries to advantage, Susan. A good wife would complete his
happiness, and a bad one would cut up his peace forever. He is too good a man
to have his soul galled perpetually by an awful woman. The aggravating thing is
that I can’t think of anyone hereabouts who would be suitable. There is a
depressing dearth of young people in the neighbourhood.”
“I often
think the same about Fanny,” said Susan. “She would shine as a wife, but there
is no one that comes to Mansfield, and she never travels further than Thornton
Lacey.”
The same
thought struck both of them at that moment. They turned to each other, Tom’s
mouth slightly agape, and Susan gasped.
“Oh, do
you think we could contrive—?”
“Not for
us to think of it,” said Tom, after a moment’s pause. “Really, none of our
business.”
“No?” said
Susan. “I am persuaded that they would do very well together. And so are you.
You were thinking so just now.”
“If you
are contemplating laying some sort of plot to match the two of them, I beg you
would forget it,” said Tom. “Elaborate plans always misfire, somehow.” He
paused, ruminating. “Not but what a word might be dropped here and there—in
season, of course.
They are
not together as much as they might be,” said Susan. “Edmund is so much at
Thornton Lacey.”
“Perhaps
we could contrive at that, if the opportunity arose.”
At that
moment, Pug emerged from a rhododendron, where, it appeared, he had been
exploring—and perhaps rolling in—some muddy ground. The subject of a match
between Edmund and Fanny was dropped, but not forgotten.
A Very Austen Christmas author bios
Robin Helm's time revolves around music as she dances (as badly as
Mr. Collins), sings (a little better than Mary Bennet), plays (better than
Marianne Dashwood – almost as well as Caroline Bingley), and teaches (channeling
her inner Elinor). Her books reflect that love, as well as her fascination with
the paranormal and science fiction.
Her latest publication is Understanding Elizabeth, in which Darcy
must decide how much he’s willing to pay to have what he wants. Previously
published works include The Guardian
Trilogy (Darcy is Elizabeth’s guardian angel), and the Yours by Design series (Fitzwilliam Darcy switches places in time
with his descendant, Will Darcy).
She lives in South Carolina and
adores her one husband (Mr. Knightley), two married daughters (Elizabeth I and
Elizabeth II), and three grandchildren.
Readers are loving Laura Hile's joyous Regency novels. Her
signature style – intertwined plots, cliffhangers, and laugh-out-loud humor – keep
them coming back for more.
The comedy Laura comes by as a
teacher. There's never a dull moment with teen students!
She recently released Darcy By Any Other Name, a comic 'body
swap' romance based on Jane Austen's Pride
and Prejudice.
Laura lives in the Pacific
Northwest with her husband and sons. Her fiction is for everyone, even teens.
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 an idea for a story
and hasn’t stopped writing since: Promises,
Dreams and Expectations; All Hallows
Eve; The Keys for Love; Safekeeping; The Gypsy Blessing; Foundation
of Love (The Gypsy Blessing 2); and A Lesson Hard Learned.
Some of her works-in-progress
have branched away from JAFF to Regency Romance (The Pact, due to be released in 2018) and Contemporary Romantic
Mysteries (Implicated, working on a
series). Wendi will also continue bringing Darcy and Lizzy together again and
again in an unusual manner.
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.
Barbara is the author of the George Knightley, Esquire series, and A Fine Young Lady.
*****
These stories sound delightful! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting us read a little about your Christmas book, A Very Austen Christmas. It's great that you are sharing the spotlight with Emma and Fanny, not just Darcy and Lizzy. Don't get me wrong, I love reading about Darcy and Lizzy but it was neat to see some of Jane Austen's other characters get some page time, too. This looks to be a fabulous read! I'm thrilled that you visited today. Thank you.
It's international giveaway time! Robin Helm and the authors of this fine book are giving away one Kindle copy to one of you lucky readers! Be sure to leave a comment to be entered. If I don't have your contact info on file, you will need to leave that too. Tell us something you like about Christmas. What did you think of the blurbs and excerpts? Pretty exciting, huh! The giveaway will end at 11:59 P.M. on the 25th of November. Thanks for popping in and Good Luck to all!