Friday, August 17, 2018

And the winners are...

It's announcement time for some book winners! Are you one of those winners? 

The 5 eBook winners for the Cover Reveal for Nicole Clarkston's Nowhere But North, have been randomly selected


The eBook winners are...

JanisB
Leah Pruett
Jen Red
Kaylee
Nestof4

Congratulations to each of you. Thank you for stopping by for the cover reveal and for commenting. We both appreciated your participation. If you were not one of the winners, remember the book is available for pre-order until August 31st. 

Victoria Kincaid offered the winner the choice of eBook or paperback of her latest release, The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy.


Patty Edmisson is the winner and she chose the paperback. Thank you for commenting and congratulations. I hope those of you who did not win will soon have a chance to read this book.

Thanks to everyone who participated at both stops and congratulations to the winners. I hope you enjoy your books. A special thank you to Nicole Clarkston and Victoria Kincaid. I invite you both to visit my blog anytime! I wish you the best with your books.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

What's Past Is Prologue...Ann Galvia

I'm happy to be part of Ann Galvia's blog tour for What's Past Is Prologue. On the first stop of the tour at Savvy Verse & Wit, Ann talked about her Elizabeth. For my stop, she discusses Darcy. Ann delves into the characters and looks deeply at what makes each of them act as they do. That is evident in what she tells us on this stop and on the first one. Ann is building a healthy, stable relationship for her characters, one where they want the same future and are allowed to grow toward it. I think that is evident after reading both posts. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ann. They gave me a new perspective and also gave me food for thought.

The back cover copy or blurb, gives some foreknowledge about the book. I found it intriguing and have posted it following Ann's discussion on Darcy. I hope you enjoy both. Ann, I give the floor to you.
______________________________________________________________________________

I want to thank Janet for hosting this stop on the “What’s Past Is Prologue” blog tour.
Before this past June, I would have said that while I knew of Janet, I didn’t really know her.
Working on the cover and marketing of WPIP has brought us together.
Very quickly, she became a sounding board for all my book related questions and comments.
She also assured me early in the process that she’d definitely be signing up for a slot
on the blog tour and as luck would have it, she landed on the second guest post.


AKA the one where I talk about your favorite guy and mine, Fitzwilliam Darcy.


(This one isn’t a quiz.)


(And if I am being entirely honest, I kinda like Mr. Tilney more…)


(But anyway.)


“What’s Past Is Prologue” is a book about Elizabeth growing up and growing together
with Darcy as they face adversity. It’s a trial by fire. Could they have grown so far so fast
had a flood at Rosings Park not derailed their plans to spend the early weeks of their marriage
playing in London? There’s really no way to know, but I tend to think a challenge is more likely
to bring out your best self than a dance.


And speaking of challenges, I want to talk about a very specific kind of challenge today.
Darcy is a privileged person. The 1% of the 1%. When you have his kind of resources, most
problems in life can be solved by the liberal application of money. But there are some
other problems that are a bit trickier, ones where Darcy doesn’t necessarily have an ace
in his pocket.


And that is interpersonal conflict. Today we are going to examine the patented Fitzwilliam
Darcy approach to when people say things you just don’t agree with, or worse, find offensive.


Responding to a General Statement
Sometimes in life, you find yourself in a group where someone is saying ridiculous things.
What is one to do? Well, one way to approach this issue is to be quietly uncomfortable.


Mr. Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt's ill breeding, and made no answer.


Responding to a Specific Statement
What about a time when someone in your group directs their insupportable comments to you
in particular? You may find that the best tool in your box is some passive-aggression. Done well,
you can sound like you agree with someone even as they understand you are calling them out.


``Eliza Bennet,'' said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, ``is one of those young
ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own, and
with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.''


``Undoubtedly,'' replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, ``there is
meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation.
Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.''


Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.


Responding to People Who Do Not Treat You with Respect
There is no reason in the world to put up with that. Just walk away.


Mr. Darcy was eyeing him with unrestrained wonder, and when at last Mr. Collins
allowed him time to speak, replied with an air of distant civility. Mr. Collins, however,
was not discouraged from speaking again, and Mr. Darcy's contempt seemed abundantly
increasing with the length of his second speech, and at the end of it he only made him
a slight bow, and moved another way.

Responding to Personal Attacks
A strongly worded letter should do the trick. Never engage in person, defending yourself
in the heat of the moment is hard and should not be attempted.


She paused, and saw with no slight indignation that he was listening with an air which
proved him wholly unmoved by any feeling of remorse. He even looked at her with a smile
of affected incredulity.


``Can you deny that you have done it?'' she repeated.


With assumed tranquillity he then replied, ``I have no wish of denying that I did every thing
in my power to separate my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in my success.
Towards him I have been kinder than towards myself.''


You are digging that hole deeper, Darce. Stop while you still can!


``Who that knows what his misfortunes have been, can help feeling an interest in him?''


``His misfortunes!'' repeated Darcy contemptuously; ``yes, his misfortunes have been great
indeed.''
``And of your infliction,'' cried Elizabeth with energy. ``You have reduced him to his present
state of poverty, comparative poverty. You have withheld the advantages, which you must
know to have been designed for him. You have deprived the best years of his life, of that
independence which was no less his due than his desert. You have done all this! and yet
you can treat the mention of his misfortunes with contempt and ridicule.''


``And this,'' cried Darcy, as he walked with quick steps across the room, ``is your opinion
of me! This is the estimation in which you hold me! I thank you for explaining it so fully.
My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed! But perhaps,'' added he, stopping
in his walk, and turning towards her, ``these offences might have been overlooked, had not
your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that had long prevented my
forming any serious design. These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I
with greater policy concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being
impelled by unqualified, unalloyed inclination -- by reason, by reflection, by every thing.
But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the feelings I related.
They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your
connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life
is so decidedly beneath my own?''


Did you really blow right passed her concerns about your treatment of other people to justify
insulting her? Wow. Just...wow.


With respect to that other, more weighty accusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham,
I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family.
Of what he has particularly accused me, I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall
relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity.


This is why we stick to letters! Staying on topic! Being polite! Making yourself sound good instead of a bigger jerk with every word!

Responding to Personal Attacks Made on Someone You Care About
Don’t speak to the person at all until your significant other makes you.

Lady Catherine was extremely indignant on the marriage of her nephew; and as she gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character in her reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth, that for some time all intercourse was at an end. But at length, by Elizabeth's persuasion, he was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation; and, after a little farther resistance on the part of his aunt, her resentment gave way, either to her affection for him, or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself; and she condescended to wait on them at Pemberley, in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city.

As you read “What’s Past Is Prologue,” it is my hope that you see Darcy’s patented response to interpersonal conflict as he deals with difficult people at Rosings Park. Methods such as silence. Passive-aggression. Some different flavors of silence. And most of all, not saying a word.

Every body was surprised; and Darcy, after looking at her for a moment, turned silently away.


______________________________________________________________________________

I really enjoyed reading the phrases from P&P that you used to illustrate Darcy's approach to people and interpersonal conflict. I must say, it definitely put things in a different light. As I mentioned above, you made me think, and you made both characters real. Thank you for such an insightful post. 

When Ann first visited my blog, it was May, 2016, with her release, Side by Side, Apart. I can remember thinking her cover was one of the prettiest I had ever seen. I loved it and still do. You had great ideas for the cover of What's Past Is Prologue, Ann, and I had fun being a part of it. It's been a pleasure getting to work with you.


Thank you for stopping by More Agreeably Engaged. I'm glad to have you back for another visit, Ann. I wish you the best with What's Past Is Prologue. I noticed that it is holding steady in the Amazon sales ranks. Congratulations. Thanks also to Claudine Pepe for organizing the blog tour.
______________________________________________________________________________

Purchase link: Amazon


Book Description

Elizabeth Darcy has her eye on the future. Before her marriage, she saw herself making the best possible choice. Her husband saved her family from ruin. All he asked in return was her hand. Secure in his good opinion, Elizabeth married him. Only with hindsight and his cryptic warnings that passion is not immutable does Elizabeth question her decision. Her solution? Give him a son as soon as possible. Once his lust for her has been slaked, this service she has rendered him will ensure her value. The newlyweds are summoned to Rosings Park almost the moment they are married. Though the estate can boast of beautiful grounds, Elizabeth and Darcy arrive to find devastation. A flood has swept away Lady Catherine’s last hopes of hiding debt and years of mismanagement. She expects Darcy to shoulder the recovery efforts.
The effort to save Rosings strains the already tense relationship between Elizabeth and her husband. To make matters worse, her presence is met with disdain and disinterest from the family. As the days in the besieged estate drag on, Elizabeth slowly untangles the histories and secrets of her new relations. Like Elizabeth’s marriage, the crisis at Rosings is the culmination of past events. Disaster need not be the result of only bad choices; good principles have led them astray as well. As for Elizabeth, she barely knows her husband, and loving him might be impossible. Yet, she is determined to save all that she can—her marriage and the estate—and somehow, create the future she longs for.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Author Biography
Ann started writing sometime before she knew how letters functioned. Her first books were drawings of circus poodles heavily annotated with scribbles meant to tell a story. Upon learning how letters were combined to represent words, she started doing that instead. This has proven to be much more successful. Sometime after that, she decided she wanted to study Anthropology and sometime after that, she decided she liked cats more than dogs. And sometime after that, she decided to become an educator and teach a new generation of kids how to combine letters to represent words, and use those words express ideas. And sometime after that, she realized all she really wanted to do was write, which probably should have been evident from the beginning. Connect with Ann at the following places Ann: Twitter | Facebook | Blog


Blog Tour Schedule

August 1 / Savvy Verse & Wit / Guest Post & Giveaway
August 2 / Of Pens & Pages / Book Review & Giveaway
August 3 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Book Review & Giveaway
August 4 / Just Jane 1813 / Book Excerpt & Giveaway
August 5 / Liz’s Reading Life / Author Interview & Giveaway
August 6 / From Pemberley to Milton / Book Review & Giveaway
August 7 / More Agreeably Engaged / Guest Post & Giveaway
August 8 / My Vices and Weaknesses / Book Review & Giveaway
August 9 / Diary of an Eccentric / Book Review & Giveaway
August 10 / Austenesque Reviews / Book Excerpt & Giveaway
August 11 / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review & Giveaway
August 12 / My Love for Jane Austen / Book Excerpt & Giveaway
August 13 / So Little Time… / Guest Post & Giveaway

______________________________________________________________________________

Giveaways


Meryton Press is offering eight eBooks of What’s Past is Prologue for your readers.
The giveaway runs until midnight, August 17, 2018.

Terms and Conditions:
Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post
or a review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name
of the blog where they commented. If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified. 
One winner will be selected per contest. Each winner will be randomly selected
by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, August 4, 2018

The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy...Victoria Kincaid

Available at Amazon
Victoria Kincaid, an author whose stories I love, is my guest today. Her latest book, The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy, is the spotlight for this post. Ms. Kincaid shares an excerpt with us, and it has made me ready to read the book. I was already eager, but now I'm even more so. I hope each of you enjoy the excerpt as much as I did. There is a giveaway too, so be sure to leave a comment.

Victoria, I turn it over to you.

*****


Hello, Janet, and thank you for having me to visit!  The plot for The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy has been rattling around in my head for years, and I’m so happy I can finally share it with readers.  This scene is set shortly after Elizabeth awakens and discovers she has amnesia.  I hope you enjoy it.


When she next awakened, William sat in the armchair reading a book.  He sprang to his feet the moment she stirred. 
“How do you feel?  Should I get the doctor? What do you need?  Whatever you want, I shall obtain it for you.”
Sitting up in the bed, Elizabeth tapped her lips thoughtfully.  “Whatever I want?  Hmm…I would like a strawberry and apple tart.”
William took a step toward the door and then stopped, turning to her with a crestfallen expression.  “I do not believe strawberries and apples are in season.”
Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips indignantly.  “No strawberries?” William’s eyes widened with near panic until Elizabeth ruined the effect by laughing.
A slow smile broke out over William’s face.  “I should have known that even a blow to the head and lung fever would not quell your mischievous sense of humor.”
Elizabeth grimaced.  “At this moment I would happily trade it for a lifetime’s memories.”
Her husband’s expression darkened.  “Do not say so.  I would not alter one thing about you.” 
She suppressed a shudder.  Such sentiments were disconcerting when spoken by someone who essentially was a stranger. Elizabeth cleared her throat.  “Would you pour me some water?”
“Of course.”  William poured a glass from which she drank greedily.  “Have you remembered anything at all?”
“No.” Trying to remember anything was like visiting a house that should be full of people and activity, only to find nothing but empty echoing chambers.  Something of what she was feeling must have shown on her face.  William took the glass gently from her hand.  “It is early yet.  You have barely started to recover.”
Elizabeth wished she shared his optimism.  William poured more water into the glass. “The doctor wishes you to drink.  You have not drunk nearly enough over the past days.”  
Finding she was quite thirsty, Elizabeth eagerly drank and then held out her glass for more “Would you like some soup?” William asked.  “You have not eaten a proper meal in days.”
At the mention of food, Elizabeth’s stomach rumbled.  “I believe that is your answer,” she said with a smile.  “Soup would be welcome—and bread if they have it.  And tea.  Tea would be lovely.”  She could focus her attention on food and forget the agitation over her missing memories.
He left the room briefly to speak with the maid.  Upon his return he hovered about the bed, observing her intently.  “What else do you need?”
“I do not require such scrutiny, sir.  I suspect my most interesting activity today will be falling asleep.  And I am unlikely to injure myself doing so.” 
He shook his head.  “You can always make me laugh at myself.”
Was she indeed this sort of person?  How strange not to even be aware of her own nature. William knew her better than she knew herself.  A tight panicked feeling fluttered in her chest. What would she do if she never recovered those memories? 


*****

Thank you for stopping by More Agreeably Engaged and letting me share in your new release. I have been excited and looking forward to today ever since receiving your email. The excerpt was touching and heartrending and I'm eager to get started on the novel. I loved your first book, The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, that had Darcy and Elizabeth in France. That makes this one all the more intriguing to me.

Another book by Victoria Kincaid, Mr. Darcy to the Rescue, was a MAE 2015 award favorite. To read my review of it, click here. When Mary Met the Colonel, also by Victoria Kincaid, was a MAE 2016 Awards winner.

Victoria Kincaid is offering one eBook or one Paperback, winner's choice of The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy, and the giveaway is international. Isn't that wonderful! Thank you, Victoria. My readers and I appreciate your generosity. To be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment. Be sure to include your contact info, unless you know I already have it on file. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Good luck to everyone. The giveaway will end at 11:59 P.M. on the 9th of August.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Nowhere but North Cover Reveal...Nicole Clarkston

Hello to everyone! Can you believe it is already August? I cannot. I don't know where the summer is, just that it is going. 

On this first day of August, I have the awesome privilege of revealing a cover for a soon to be released novel, Nowhere but North, by Nicole Clarkston.  It is a North & South Variation, and it will be released on August 31st. Today, in preparation for her preorder event on Amazon, we are going to reveal the cover for this excellent story. I do hope you will have the opportunity to read it when it becomes available. If you are a fan of John and Margaret, you will love their story in this novel. Even if you have never read North & South, I still think you will love this story. It is poignant and well-written, as are all by Nicole Clarkston. 

Before revealing the cover, let's take at look at the back cover copy.


Book Blurb:

Can the pieces of a broken past be enough to build a solid future?

Haunted by sorrow and regret, Margaret Hale stands at the precipice of an uncertain destiny. Fiercely determined but unsure of her path, she risks the little she has left on a heart she once shattered—hoping somehow to win back his respect, if not his love.

Since he was a boy, John Thornton has battled the consequences of his father’s mistakes. Resolved to overcome past failings and the disdain of the world, he has striven for wealth, respect, and personal honour, but he is denied love.  Now, all he had previously gained is slipping away, but he cannot resist a second chance with the woman he once lost. All he has to offer the one who needs him most is a home, and a heart that aches for her.

Can a struggling manufacturer ever be enough for a woman who deserves the world? Can a grieving, inexperienced young woman learn to look beyond her Southern past to appreciate her Northern man? When sorrow and fear threaten to conquer them both, they must overcome the odds to find the strength to forge a better life ahead.

This dramatic tale delves into the wonderful world of Elizabeth Gaskell’s epic North & South.


What do you think? Doesn't that sound intriguing and make you want to grab it and read it? If you want to pre-order, here is the link.

Author Bio:

Nicole Clarkston is a book lover and a happily married mom of three. Originally from Idaho, she now lives in Oregon with her own romantic hero, several horses, and one very fat dog. She has loved crafting alternate stories and sequels since she was a child watching Disney’s Robin Hood, and she is never found sitting quietly without a book of some sort.

Nicole discovered Jane Austen rather by guilt in her early thirties―how does any book worm really live that long without a little P&P? She has never looked back. A year or so later, during a major house renovation project, she discovered Elizabeth Gaskell and fell completely in love. Her need for more time with these characters led her to simultaneously write Rumours & Recklessness, a P&P inspired novel, and No Such Thing as Luck, a N&S inspired novel. Both immediately became best selling books. The success she had with her first attempt at writing led her to write three other novels that are her pitiful homage to two authors who have so deeply inspired her.

Nicole was recently invited to join Austenvariations.com, a group of talented authors in the Jane Austen Fiction genre. In addition to her work with the Austen Variations blog, Nicole can be reached through Facebook at http://fb.me/NicoleClarkstonAuthor, Twitter @N_Clarkston, her blog at Goodreads.com, or her personal blog and website, NicoleClarkson.com.

Contact Info: 


Would you like to read a little more about this wonderful story? I thought so. Here to intrigue you further is an excerpt and a few words from Nicole! Enjoy!


*****

The idea for Nowhere But North started two years ago during the blog tour for Northern Rain. I had written a couple of blog post vignettes that framed some of John Thornton’s early years, and both Janet Taylor and Rita Deodato planted the idea that I should do more with them.

I didn’t like the idea of writing a strict prequel (such as I did with The Courtship of Edward Gardiner) because the fun happens when we see Margaret and John together. I started thinking how much of their struggles had grown out of their different life experiences. The story of Nowhere But North is prequel, sequel, and variation, all wrapped up together, because we see the cycle of the characters’ former lives played out again in their life together. Woven through the main plot of their married life are key incidents that had shaped them in some way.

This excerpt is from early in the book. It takes place about twenty years before the main story, and here, we get our first glimpse of the man who had more to do with sending John Thornton down his rocky path than any other: his father, George.


Milton-Northern, 1835

“Did you break something, John? What in thunder are you doing up here?” The voice made its way up the hall and into the room long before its owner did.

Twelve-year-old John glanced up shamefacedly from the odd-shaped contraption in his hands. “I was trying to make it work, Father.”

George Thornton lowered himself to the nearest chair. He was a tall, well-built man of five and thirty, with keen dark eyes and a ready smile. “May I?” He held out his hand, and his son passed him the apparatus which had befuddled him.

“Oh, yes!” the father enthused when he recognised it. “Is it not Barlow’s wheel I brought home from London? My partner wished me to show this next week to a group of investors. But why is it not working? Was this the crash I heard?”

John reddened. “I dropped it. I am sorry, Father. Now it is misaligned, and I lost some of the mercury.”

Thornton fixed his son with a serious expression. “That is rather wasteful, my son. This was quite costly. You must find some way to repair it.”

Young John straightened. “I have some money set aside. I will go tomorrow to buy more mercury, Father, and I am certain I will have it good as new!”

The elder Thornton returned the wheel with a cheerful grin. “See that you do. I ought to discipline you—what will Wright say if he hears the model was destroyed before the investors even saw it? However,” he eyed his boy with a look that made him squirm, “I doubt you will make that same mistake again. Have you thought how to repair the frame?”

John turned it about, then pointed to a weak joint in the design. “If I heat it here, I think I can bend it to allow the wheel to spin easily again without compromising the strength of the metal.”

Thornton nodded in curt satisfaction. “That should work. It is a remarkable discovery, is it not?”

The boy’s eyes lit. “Father, only think what technology like this can achieve! If it were large enough, we could power anything. We would not need horses to pull our carriages, and perhaps even the steam engine itself will be replaced!”

“That will be a long way off, John, if it ever happens at all. Nothing else could ever produce so much power.”

John looked back to the marvel in his hands, unconvinced by his father’s scepticism. “I should still like to see it tried.”

George Thornton shrugged with an easy grin. “Perhaps someday it will be. Wright, my partner, seems to think as you do. Now, set that aside. I have something of rather great import to discuss with you. Tell me, John, how are you getting on with your studies?”

The boy shuffled in his chair, suddenly looking anywhere but at his father. “Well enough.”

“Would you still claim that, if I told you I had spoken with your master?” Thornton queried, his expression searching and hard. Jovial though he could be, his temper was not to be tried, and John knew it.

The lad dared to meet his father’s eyes. “I expect that I should not, Father.”

Thornton’s face revealed nothing; waiting, as he was, for his son to confess all.

“I did not complete my report on Constantine. And I did not memorise the third declension irregular nouns.”

“Yet your master claims you are the ablest boy in his schoolroom. Your scores in mathematics are perfect, and the master says that even with half the effort applied by the other boys, you excel in your Latin and Greek. Why is it, John, that my son should not be giving his very best, when he is capable of far more than he achieves?”

John stared at the floor, swallowing. He had already grown ashamed of himself, but it needed the convicting humiliation of his father’s discovery to galvanise his resolve to improve himself. “I shall do better.”

“John—” George leaned back in his chair—“I know you would rather be building machines like this—” he gestured to the wheel—“or working as other boys already do, but I would see you take the opportunity to improve yourself while you are yet young. It is a chance few have had, and I confess, I am envious of you.”

A reluctant sigh rose from the lad. “Yes, Father.”

“John…” Thornton hesitated, glancing at his son’s downturned face, and continued. “I have decided to send you to London for school.”

The boy’s face jerked up in horror. “Father, I promise I will work harder!”

“It is more than that. I speak of your future advantages. I am afraid it will not be a prestigious school, but Mr Wright’s family in Bentinck Street has offered to sponsor you, along with their own boys. With them, you will learn a great deal more than you can here. Many things are within Wright’s reach which are beyond mine, and you may even establish some connections which will be useful in your future.”

John forced himself to look up from the floor, his incredulous gaze seeking his father’s. “Will Mother be very unhappy that I am to go?”

Thornton gave a short, wry laugh. “It has taken me two years to persuade her to it. I wanted to send you to a public college, but she was firmly set against it—even could I have afforded it. At least with the Wrights, she has the comfort that you will be looked after by someone she knows, and people of our own class.”

Regret dimmed the boy’s features. “I will be sorry to leave her, though, Father.”

“Your mother is most occupied with Fanny at present. She is not strong, you know, and your mother fears….” The man’s voice trailed off as his cheek flinched in pain.

“She fears losing Fanny as she did Elizabeth,” John finished in a hushed tone. “Father, if… if the worst happens, may I return?”

“I expect your mother will insist upon it. She will miss you terribly, John, but I am convinced this is for the best.”

The boy lowered his head, then with a firm jaw and a determined glint in his eyes, met his father’s gaze once more. “I will not disappoint you, Father.”

George Thornton stood, and John followed. He placed a strong, work-hardened hand on his boy’s shoulder. “I know you will not. I am already proud of you—although, I do have hopes that your new physical education lessons in London will help you at last become master of this lanky frame of yours! I cannot afford for you to keep dropping my models.”

A sheepish smile grew on the adolescent face. “I am sorry, Father. I ought not to have touched it, but….”

“But you found it too intriguing to ignore? That’s the Thornton blood, John. We cannot help but dream of the future. Industry needs men like us, and who is to say? Perhaps someday you will turn this mechanical fascination of yours into something truly remarkable. You might even grow to be one of the greatest men in Milton, with a fine house and a business of your own.”

John turned adoring eyes to his father. None understood his ambitions quite so well! “Perhaps,” he grinned.


“Come,” Thornton ruffled his son’s hair. “Your mother is waiting for us to join her at breakfast.”

*****

Wasn't that a touching and heartrending scene. It broke my heart for the adolescent John Thornton. It also shows the intelligence of the man to be, with a slight hint to the future. 

Without further delay, I give you the front cover for Nowhere but North. We would love to hear your thoughts. 


What are your thoughts when you look at John and Margaret?

Now that you've seen the front cover, let's take a look at the full wrapper. 


The back cover hints at and gives you a taste of, some things to come.
Are you intrigued? We hope so!



Giveaway:

Nicole Clarkston is giving away 5 eBooks of Nowhere but North, to be delivered after release day, August 31st. Isn't that great! Thank you, Nicole, for hosting such a generous giveaway for my readers. I know they are as appreciative as I am. The giveaway will end on the 7th of August at 11:59 P.M. Good luck to all.

As a special treat to all, Nicole Clarkston is offering her first North & South variation, No Such Thing as Luck, for FREE! You read right! This book will be free, worldwide, for five days, starting today, August 1st and will be free through August 5th. Isn't that awesome! If you don't have it, now is the time to pick it up. You can get it on Amazon US, Amazon UK, and all other Amazons.



Nicole's second North & South variation, Northern Rain, will be offered on a Kindle Countdown Deal. The deal begins on August 6th and runs through August 11th.
The starting price is $.99 and will increase every 40 hours. This deal is US and UK only.
You will have forty hours to get this for $.99. Don't pass it up.


Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the excerpt, loved the cover,
and are extremely excited about the giveaways and special deals.
I know you will love Nowhere but North!

A special thanks to you, Nicole Clarkston, for your generosity. Best wishes on your new book.
I look forward to its release on August 31st. I want to personally thank you for the honor
of designing your cover. As always, it is a joy to work with you.