The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen by Shannon Winslow

Hello, everyone! I'm glad to be back after taking most of July off to play catch-up. I hope you are all having a good summer, enjoying some time to relax a little and do some reading. If not, get ready because there are some great new books that have just been released and several more about to be released. One of those is The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen by Shannon Winslow. The book will be available at Amazon and B&N on August 11th and an audible edition will follow later.

Today, I am very happy to have Shannon Winslow visit my blog again. Her last visit was in October, 2013, when she entertained us with her path to becoming a novelist. This time she is sharing the blurb and some interesting facts from her upcoming release, The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. Thank you, Shannon, for letting us take part in a 'pre-launch party', if you will! There is a very generous giveaway too! Now dear readers, please welcome back, Shannon Winslow.

Thanks, Janet, for inviting me to stop by today with a preview of my upcoming book. The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen will debut on August 11th. Woohoo! This one’s been a long time in coming, and I’m SO excited to finally have it ready to share! The book is based on Jane Austen’s own life – she gets to be the heroine for a change – but with some minor improvements, shall we say? Here’s the official blurb:

What if the tale Jane Austen told in her last, most poignant novel was actually inspired by momentous events in her own life? Did she in fact intend Persuasion to stand forever in homage to her one true love?

While creating Persuasion, Jane Austen also kept a private journal in which she recorded the story behind the story – her real-life romance with a navy captain of her own. The parallel could only go so far, however. As author of her characters’ lives, but not her own, Jane Austen made sure to fashion a second chance and happy ending for Anne and Captain Wentworth. Then, with her novel complete and her health failing, Jane prepared her simple will and resigned herself to never seeing the love of her life again. Yet fate, it seems, wasn’t quite finished with her. Nor was Captain Devereaux.

The official record says that Jane Austen died at 41, having never been married. But what if that’s only what she wanted people to believe? It’s time she, through her own private journal, revealed the rest of her story.

Intrigued? I hope so!

I dedicated the book to every fan who has wished Jane Austen herself might have enjoyed the romance and happy ending she so carefully crafted for all of her heroines. I’m one of those fans, and that’s what inspired this story.

People have often wondered how Jane Austen managed to write so convincingly about courtship and love when she, apparently, had so little experience with these things herself. Yes, she had various potential suitors and even one marriage proposal. And much has been made of her brief but flagrant flirtation with her “Irish friend,” Tom LeFroy. But that really wasn’t much to go on, not enough to draw from while writing into being such iconic lovers as Darcy and Elizabeth.

So how did she do it? My theory is that there was another man in her life – one she kept carefully concealed from the eyes of the world (with a little help from her friends). As with Anne and Captain Wentworth, they met when they were young, then suffered years of estrangement, and were reunited later on. Although the outcomes of the two cases were different, this was Jane’s one true love. It inspired the story of Persuasion specifically, and influenced all Jane’s other novels as well. It’s due to Captain Devereaux that she knew what it was to love and be loved in return.

Here’s a clip from the book demonstrating the point. Captain Devereaux, a casualty of war, has left Jane with only a letter (but what a letter!) to remember him by. And now she, near the end of her life, has just finished writing Persuasion and her companion memoir (as alluded to in the blurb above).

In all this, Captain Devereaux has had his part, as I have said before. His words, character, and mannerisms have found their way into every book. More significantly, the feelings excited by him in me have informed my writing of the heroine in love, in all of her elations and agonies.

Some might argue that, considering the ultimate outcome, I would have been better off had I never received Captain Devereaux’s letter, that it would have been kinder not to have raised my hopes for a bliss which never came to pass. With such an assertion, I would most strenuously disagree. In fact, I would not be convinced to part with that treasured letter for any price. It is to this day my most cherished possession. Because of it, I know I was once well and truly loved by a man of superior worth. That can never be taken from me.

To Captain Devereaux and to our unconsummated love I hereby dedicate the work of the last year, both this autobiographical account and the novel its events inspired. I am grateful to have been given enough time to complete them. These two now lie alongside one another before me. Their pages are written in the same hand. Their stories merge as almost to form one body. Indeed, they are so fiercely intertwined as to be impossible to cleanly divide. When one is wounded, does not the other bleed? And yet they must now go their separate ways, for the happy twin is destined to venture out into the world… as soon as I and the other have made our escape from it.

What people may hereafter say about my life, I cannot control. My biographers, if any, must do the best they can with the sources available to them. It is necessary that this, my own account – of love lost, found, and lost again – shall remain for some time to come concealed from their eyes. For now, the story belongs to me alone… to me and to that one other.

Sounds like a three-hanky ending, doesn’t it? But what you should know is that this isn’t the end of the book. I’ve cooked up a bit of a surprise for you… and for Jane. I hope you’ll read and enjoy finding out what it is!

I think this book sounds excellent, Shannon, and I can hardly wait to read it. Time, time, time...that's all I need! :) Thank you so much for dropping by and sharing with us a preview of The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen.(and isn't the cover fantastic!) It has been a pleasure to have you visit again. 

Laurel Ann Natress of Austenprose will be hosting the launch party for Shannon's new release on August 11th. Be sure to drop in and share in the fun. Shannon will also be having a blog tour so be watching for more information about dates and giveaways on her website/blog. You can also keep track by following her posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Shannon Winslow is generously offering three books for a giveaway, one trade paperback, US only, and two eBooks for your eReader, international. Thank you, Shannon!  We want to hear your share in the conversation so leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with an (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway ends at midnight on August 4, 2014. Once again, this book will not be available until August 11th. Good luck to all. 

And the winners are...The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth

Congratulations to three lucky winners of three eBooks chosen at random for

Victoria Kincaid's

The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth

The winners are:

gailw15

Sophia Rose

Anonymous (Cat Commons)

Ladies, I hope you will enjoy your book. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. 

Victoria, it was so good to have you as my guest. I hope you will be giving us the pleasure of another book in the near future. Thank you also for your generous giveaway.

And the winners are...Stronger Even Than Pride

We have two lucky winners chosen in the random drawing for Gail McEwen's generous giveaway.

The winners for Stronger Even Than Pride are:

Paperback:  Monica P

eBook:  Kelli H

Congratulations and thank you for commenting! I hope you enjoy your books and I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you, Gail, for being my guest and for daring to write something different. Best wishes on this and future books. I hope you will visit again.

And the winners are...

I have four winners to announce for the giveaway hosted by Brenda Webb.


For Fitzwilliam Darcy, An Honourable Man, the winners are;

Paperback: Anonymous (Marti T)
eBook: Anji

For Mr. Darcy's Forbidden Love, the winners are;

Paperback: J Dawn King
eBook:  Elesha Martin


Congratulations to all of you! Please send me the appropriate contact information as soon as possible.

Brenda, it was such a pleasure to have you visit my blog. I'm glad that we finally got together! :) Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and tell us something about yourself and your love of Jane Austen. I hope you will visit again someday. Thank you also for the lovely giveaway. These are four lucky readers!

The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth...Victoria Kincaid

Victoria Kincaid, author of The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, is my guest today. It is always such a pleasure to have a new author talk to us about how she started writing. Victoria's book has a very unique premise and is one that I found especially fascinating. By the looks of the sheer number of reviews it has garnered on Amazon, it must be a popular novel to many! 

Congratulations, Victoria, and thank you for stopping by today. Thank you also for your generous giveaway. Now, please welcome Victoria Kincaid.

Purchase at Amazon

I didn’t set out to write a Pride & Prejudice variation!  A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon some of the sequels and alternative versions and got addicted to reading them.  But I am writer, so as I was reading different variations I would start to think, “wouldn’t it be neat if…and then….”  Before I knew it, I had the workings of a plot in my head. 

Another inspiration was an interesting moment during the war between France and Britain.  Following the signing of the Treaty of Amiens, there was a brief moment of peace. In 1803, hundreds of English citizens (who were huge fans of French fashion and French wine despite the war) flocked to Paris.  When the war broke out again, these travelers were desperate to escape the country. 

I thought it would be fascinating to put Elizabeth and Darcy among these English citizens. Austen doesn’t deal much with the war or politics, but I liked the idea of complicating their romance with these outside events.  I tried to remain true to Austen’s characters—since I appreciate that kind of fidelity in other variations—while putting them in new situations outside their comfort zones.   

Traditionally, P&P variations have been set in 1813, the year the book was published, but Austen actually wrote the first draft long before 1800, so I didn’t think that changing the setting to 1803 was that big a stretch.

~Blurb~

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, a despondent Darcy travels to Paris in the hopes of forgetting the disastrous proposal at Hunsford. Paris is teeming with English visitors during a brief moment of peace in the Napoleonic Wars, but Darcy’s spirits don’t lift until he attends a ball and unexpectedly encounters…Elizabeth Bennet!  Darcy seizes the opportunity to correct misunderstandings and initiate a courtship.

Their moment of peace is interrupted by the news that England has again declared war on France, and hundreds of English travelers must flee Paris immediately. Circumstances force Darcy and Elizabeth to escape on their own, despite the risk to her reputation. Even as they face dangers from street gangs and French soldiers, romantic feelings blossom during their flight to the coast. But then Elizabeth falls ill, and the French are arresting all the English men they can find….

When Elizabeth and Darcy finally return to England, their relationship has changed, and they face new crises.  However, they have secrets they must conceal—even from their own families.

~ ~ ~

To read more about Victoria Kincaid and her book, please visit her blog;

Victoria Kincaid Blog

Book may be purchased at Amazon

Victoria Kincaid is allowing me to host a lovely giveaway of three electronic books of  The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, and the giveaway is international. Thank you, Victoria.  To be entered leave a comment below as I always love reading your 'share in the conversation'!  Good luck to all. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway will end at midnight, July 1, 2014.   

And the winners are...'Leaving Bennet Behind: Chosen'

Congratulations to the winners 

of Leaving Bennet Behind: Chosen

by Sarah Johnson

Signed Paperback  BeckyC

eBook  J Dawn King

eBook Luthien84

Congratulations, ladies. Thanks for your support of More Agreeably Engaged.

Thank you, Sarah Johnson, for being my guest and for having this fantastic giveaway.

What a Piece of Work is a Man...or Woman with Gail McEwen

Today I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Gail McEwen's new book Stronger Even Than Pride. Gail is here to tell us something about her book, about reading and writing JAFF and a little about the characters we love and those we love to hate! Thanks so much for being my guest, Gail. Best wishes with your new release, and readers...there is a giveaway! YAY!

Thank you so much Janet, for the opportunity to share a little bit about my new book.

What a Piece of Work is a Man… or Woman

I’m sure most of us are familiar with Jane Austen’s famous line: “Pictures of perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked.” It is my favorite Austen quote and the moment I heard it, it made me love her even more. She said this in response to a reader’s opinion that the young ladies in her books ought to be better behaved. And to me, that brings up a surprising paradox in regards to the modern reader and JAFF fan.

Jane hated perfection. Her novels were peopled with decidedly flawed and imperfect beings. Yet, she wrote them so well, we sometimes forget that they are not, nor were they meant to be, without fault. Elizabeth Bennet is impulsive, quick to judge and a little too pleased with her own opinions. Fitzwilliam Darcy does not hesitate to look down upon, ridicule and think meanly of those he feels are beneath him. I think because we are so in love with Jane Austen’s world, her wit, the stories she weaves, and her very real and identifiable characters, we tend to idealize them. In the process, I’m afraid we simplify them and, in doing so, maybe do the author an injustice.

But He / She / They Would Never Do That…

I think that’s the statement I have heard most often from those who have taken exception to the premise of Stronger Even Than Pride and it has always taken me by surprise because when writing it, I was sure that Elizabeth/Darcy/Wickham/Mr Bennet/Jane and Bingley would do exactly that… whatever that was.

The JAFF world has built up its own lore: Colonel Fitzwilliam as the devilishly handsome rake; Carolyn Bingley as the orange wearing harpy; and Darcy, the painfully shy 28-year old who has consciously been saving himself for Elizabeth, the only woman he could ever love, though he has not met her yet. And I knew this… but it didn’t really hit home until I started posting (then subsequently published) Stronger Even Than Pride – a book that denies the main characters their “Hunsford Awakening” and therefore leaves them to continue in their folly and imperfection.

I wanted to explore what could happen if I removed the original impetus for change for both Elizabeth and Darcy. How would these two, who are destined to be together, find their way to each other through circumstances vastly more difficult than mistaken first impressions? What would that journey look like?

Some readers take delight in the angst, loving the trials I have taken these ‘un-Hunsfordised’ characters through. Other readers are appalled, viewing my unconventional ‘what if’ as something bordering on sacrilege.

And that’s okay because it’s all rooted in love for Jane Austen. It’s the reason we are here on these blogs, websites and Facebook pages. The reason why we read and write these books. I hope you love my book, but it’s okay if you don’t. I hope if you’re on the fence about trying it, you’ll give it a chance. But wherever you fall, I invite you to ask any question that might be on your mind about why I had one of the characters do “this” or “that.” Like you, I love to dig in, dig around, dissect and discuss everything to do with Miss Austen’s very real creations!

So true, Gail. It is all rooted in love for Jane Austen and why we are all here doing what we do, whether reading, writing, drawing, creating or reviewing. We cannot seem to get enough of Jane Austen and her characters. Dear Readers, please take Gail up on her invitation and feel free to ask any questions on your mind about her book and/or why she had her characters do what they did. What a wonderful opportunity for a great discussion! Thank you, Gail McEwen.

Michele Reed at Meryton Press is generously offering two books for the giveaway. One trade paperback and an eBook for your eReader. Both are international. Good luck to all. Be sure and leave a comment to be entered. We want to hear your say in the conversation. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with an (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway ends at midnight of Midsummer's Day, June 24, 2014. 

Stronger Even Than Pride may be purchased at Amazon and B&N.