Sophia Rose's Blog - Posts Tagged "austenesque"

An Austenesque Lover’s Reader Problems is a reprisal of a post I did for Meryton Press in December.



From time to time, being a lover of all things Jane Austen can cause some minor difficulties in life. Let me explain what I mean. I’ve listed a few as examples that I've encountered over the years and okay, I might have stretched a few of these to be entertaining.

Problem #1 The Lone Austen lover for miles around.
On the job, I’ve discovered that quoting Jane or sharing my raptures over the book that kept me up until two in the morning gain me really odd looks and people who hang a louie for the closest door.
At home, there is the embarrassed tribe member who shoves my pile of lovelies from Meryton Press under the precarious stack of mags and papers on the coffee table when his friends come by. “And if you love me, don’t talk to my friend about Jane Austen even if there is a question of favorite books which there won’t be if you don’t bring it up.” And to make the agitated one happy I so do swear. Sigh…literary heathens! And this is why I have my on-line support group of other Austen lovers.

Problem #2 Scheduling Family Trips. (This is an exaggeration as my family trips are sacrosanct -LOL)
How is it that the tribe doesn’t get the need to consult the calendar for the regional Jane Austen conventions before purchasing plane tickets to the other side of the country? I ask you? So what if it was the deal of the century and I agreed to the trek for the annual family campout a year ago? JASNA hasn’t been in my neck of the woods for five years. Okay, but at least I’m reading Sunkissed: Effusions of Summer in my beach chair by a breathtaking mountain lake. There are small compensations.

Problem #3 Finding the privacy to read.
Did you know, I can do all my chores without a single person wishing to interact with me? However, the moment I park it in the lounger to read the latest, I get the ‘where is my… or you gotta hear this…’. I really need to work on my stink eye expression because it doesn’t even make the joe interrupting the good part pause for a second thought about the danger to his life if he doesn’t walk away now.

Problem #4 Wishlist Choice Overload.
I have a gift card. Hip hip hoorah and doing the Snoopy Dance! I now have to decide which book/s from my twenty page Amazon wishlist that I’ll be purchasing. Do I get that latest that my GoodReads buddies are all raving over? You know that Then Comes Winter one? Or maybe… But what about… Oh man, I’m starting to crack under the strain. It’s been an hour. For the love of Dove Dark Chocolate, I just need to make a choice. Eenie, Meenie, Minie…

Problem #5 Reading in public places.
I am a compulsive reader. Yep. No cure and trust me it’s been tried. I have a book tucked along for the ride no matter where I’m going. And, see, this leads to issues because I’m a very interactive reader. I laugh, snort, sigh, snarl, groan, bawl, mutter, and make faces that probably would scare the chainsaw guy in that horror show. It definitely has an effect on the folks at the dental office. I had this young buffed dude just get up and move across the room while never taking his eyes off me. How rude! I wasn’t going to do him violence and I certainly wasn’t going to hurt my precious Kindle. Yeesh, Wickham would bring out that response in most readers. This is why I make an effort to choose my public reading book wisely.

Now, tell me I’m not alone on this sort of thing. What type of reader issues have you encountered as an Austen lover or a reader in general?

I am tickled to be sharing with you about a special short story anthology project that I'm absolutely certain lovers of Pride & Prejudice are really going to love. And why is that? Because it's Darcy's story.

Humbled and thrilled to be on this team of writers that creator Christina Boyd brought together. I've already gotten glimpses of my fellow author's stories and I can't wait for you to get your hands on their brilliant and creative tales.

Want to get in on the early excitement? Drop by the blogs hosting our announcement to enjoy an intimate interview with our editor Christina and toss your hat into the ring for one of three fab giveaway prizes.
Leave your calling card at:
My Jane Austen Book Club
So Little Time…
Pemberley to Milton
Babblings of a Bookworm
More Agreeably Engaged
Austenesque Reviews
Margie’s Must Reads
My Vices and Weaknesses
Obsessed With Mr Darcy
Savvy Verse & Wit

The Darcy Monologues edited by Christina Boyd will release in May 2017. Let him tell you his story...

Eleven of Jane Austen's most infamous characters are inviting you into their intimate lives to know their thoughts, their motives, and their actions from their point of view. In essentials they are much the same as they have always been, but in knowing them perhaps you will like at least understand them better (Wickham quit twisting Lizzy's words to suit yourself or was that you Willoughby...).

You are invited to join our excitement by visiting several of the blogs who are posting our announcement where you can also participate in a fabulous giveaway opportunity. Thanks to all who are hosting us

Here are links to a few of the blogs hosting our announcement:
Claudine's JustJane1813: http://justjane1813.com/2017/09/05/24...

Ceri's Babblings of a Bookworm: http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot....

Meredith's Austenesque Reviews: http://austenesquereviews.com/2017/09...

Rita's From Pemberley to Milton: https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

Candy's So Little Time:
http://candy-m.blogspot.com/

Mira's Obsessed with Mr. Darcy: https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

Maria's My Jane Austen Book Club:
http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...

And, just so you know, Dangerous to Know has made itself at home here on GoodReads. We'd love it if you gave it a click and placed it on your 'Want to Read' shelf:

Stay tuned for the cover reveal, blog tour, and November 15th release date!
#RakesandGentlemenRogues

Today, instead of my usual 'chatting' with a guest, I have invited author, Victoria Kincaid to come do a takeover of my couch and share with you about her latest book release, President Darcy.

Victoria is no stranger and was a Sofa Chat guest about a year and a half ago.
Here's the link if you'd like to check our our previous chat: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

Without further introduction, I'll let Victoria give you the low-down on her latest book...

Thank you for having me for a visit, Sophia!

President Darcy is my first modern Pride and Prejudice variation and I’ve been very nervous about whether readers will like it, although so far most of them have (whew!).

One of the things that was very striking to me between President Darcy and the original Regency era Mr. Darcy was the degree to which presidents’ lives are constrained. While Mr. Darcy in P & P is a model of rectitude and responsibility, he didn’t have to be. He could have lived the idle life of Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility or Mr. Crawford or Tom Bertram in Mansfield Park or even Walter Elliott in Persuasion. Since Mr. Darcy didn’t have to work for a living, he could have chosen to amuse himself all day every day.

But President Darcy has to behave. Presidents’ lives are under constant scrutiny from the press, the public, and everyone around them. Even the White House staff leaks uncomplimentary things sometimes. If the president says—or tweets—something inappropriate, it’s instantly headline news on newspaper websites and cable news stations. If a president cares about his reputation, he must be very careful about what he says and does. There’s probably nobody else in the country who is under the same degree of scrutiny; certainly Regency-era Mr. Darcy isn’t subject to that constant examination and judgment of his behavior.
This means that when President Darcy insults Elizabeth upon their first meeting, it’s big news (which Lydia tweets to the world). It means that he needs to hide his growing attraction to Elizabeth from everyone lest someone notice and leak to the press. And, ultimately, media scrutiny plays a big role in what happens to Darcy and Elizabeth as a couple.

Presidents also aren’t free to go where they want to. Not only does a president—unlike Mr. Darcy—have a very serious job with specific and unrelenting duties, but his movements are severely constrained by security concerns. The president can’t stop by a 7-Eleven for a cup of coffee or decide at the last minute to visit a friend for the weekend. Every movement must be planned in advance, and every step of the journey needs to be secured by the Secret Service. When the president goes anywhere, approximately one hundred staffers must travel with him.
These constraints made it much harder for my Darcy and Elizabeth to meet up more or less by chance as they do at Rosings Park, so I had to find a new and plausible way to have them encounter each other at the point in the story when Elizabeth is blaming Darcy for ruining Wickham’s life and breaking Jane and Bingley apart. It also meant that it was impossible for Elizabeth and the Gardiners to drop by Pemberley (now a house in the Hamptons) for a visit or to be unaware of when Darcy would be visiting the house.

I didn’t fully anticipate these difficulties when I started writing a modern P&P, and working around these constraints sometimes left me tearing my figurative authorial hair out. However, a strange truism about writing is that sometimes being boxed in forces the writer to be more creative. What I found was that when I resolved these dilemmas, the story was usually stronger because of it. In other words, President Darcy’s problems became my solutions.

Oh my, yes, I did enjoy this piece of insight into how an author works and particularly on this particular novel. I'm keen to read it now. Thank goodness its already released.



On Goodreads: President Darcy: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/President-Darc...
On B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pres...
On Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pres...

Victoria's website: https://victoriakincaid.com/
Victoria's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kincaidvictoria

And before she goes, Victoria left us a treat, an excerpt from President Darcy to whet your appetite! Thanks for this and for the visit, Victoria!

As the woman—Elizabeth Bennet— stepped out of the closet, brooms and mops went crashing to the floor. She flinched, and Darcy tightened his grip on her hand, drawing her closer to him as if the cleaning implements represented a serious threat to her safety. It was ridiculous and inappropriate, and Darcy had no idea why he did it.
The woman seemed to provoke unexpected reactions from him. How else could he explain his unwarrantedly casual reaction the potential danger she might represent?
As he double-checked to ensure she was unharmed, Darcy was struck by her eyes—a deep, mossy green he had never seen before on another human being. With such a uniform color…they really were quite fine. He couldn’t look away. No, it would be more accurate to say he didn’t want to look away.
She was about average height for a woman, which meant that she peered up at Darcy, who came in at around six feet. A sweet, heart-shaped face accentuated those marvelous eyes. Lustrous, wavy dark hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. And that dress—a floor-length black silk sheath that skimmed all her curves without revealing too much. In fact, it revealed just the right amount of her creamy skin…
Rather pointedly, she cast her eyes down at her hand. Which he was still holding. He noticed her fingers, delicate and tapered and so small, nestled in his grasp.
The touch of her hand was the single most wonderful sensation he had ever felt.
His fingers caressed her fingers.
Her hand trembled in his.
He had no desire to release her.
The rest of his body also responded to her proximity. Leaning toward her, he scented a vaguely floral fragrance…perfume or shampoo perhaps. He flushed with a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature in the hallway, moisture collecting on his forehead and the back of his neck. His mouth was suddenly parched, and his tongue licked dry lips. Her eyes followed the movement. She is staring at my mouth.
If only I could touch more than her hand. Darcy’s hand rose, needing to learn if her hair was as soft as it appeared. But then the (apparently very small) part of his brain that was still sane reminded him that the woman was a stranger, and he aborted the movement.
I should probably say something. His lips were parted, ready to speak, but all his thoughts appeared to have melted away at her touch.
Bing cleared his throat. “We should get to the dinner.”
The words worked their way through Darcy’s sluggish brain. He understood their import, but the thought of releasing Elizabeth Bennet’s hand horrified him. He desperately needed to touch more of her, not less.
“Just a second, Bing,” he snapped.
Elizabeth blinked, her eyelashes fluttering. Is she as affected by the touch as I am? “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. President,” she said with a note of finality that suggested she preferred he return her hand. Damn. Could she guess he’d been thinking improper thoughts—when he knew literally nothing about her except her name? It seriously had been too long since he’d had a date.
Dropping her hand as if it had burned him, he stepped backward, putting more distance between them and trying to collect thoughts that seemed to have been scattered by a powerful wind.
Why was he reacting this way to this woman? She was pretty—well, more than pretty. Beautiful. And that dress displayed a body he would certainly describe as “hot.” But he saw beautiful, well-dressed women every day.
And she’d been hiding in a closet, he reminded himself. It wasn’t normal behavior. She also didn’t appear capable of assembling coherent sentences. It truly was a shame she wasn’t more …eloquent. Lack of intelligence was always a deal-breaker for Darcy.
Although it was probably a good thing. If she were smart, too, she’d be irresistible.
Bing cleared his throat loudly.
Finally, Darcy tore his eyes from her vivid, dark green ones, but he was still rubbed raw by her proximity. He didn’t know why she affected him like this, but Darcy couldn’t let her—or anyone else—notice the results.
Taking out his handkerchief, he blotted his brow and mopped the back of his neck before discreetly wiping his sweaty hands and returning the handkerchief to his pocket. Elizabeth stared, likely marveling at how profusely the President of the United States could sweat. Bing regarded Darcy warily; he knew how out-of-character this behavior was.
He had embarrassed himself sufficiently; remaining any longer would only produce more shame and more perspiration. It was past time to appear at the dinner and get away from the spacey woman with the lovely eyes.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode down the hallway. Behind him, he heard Bing ask, “Will you join us at the dinner, Ms. Bennet?”
Damn! I should have asked that. She had me too flustered.
“Um…sure,” she said uncertainly.
No regrets, he told himself sternly. The woman couldn’t string two sentences together. Her beauty was nothing but a momentary distraction.
Darcy tugged his cuffs into place and straightened his bow tie. Taking the service hallway was intended to help him make up time after his last meeting ran late, but the encounter with Ms. Bennet had further delayed his schedule. Time to focus on the dinner and his political priorities for the evening.

Wow! This month promises some wonderful things that I just had to share with everyone.



First up, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo 2017. This is the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write a novel or 50,000 words in 30 days. I find this sort of pressure a great way to get busy on my writing. Its a big rush and I'm looking forward to working on a story I've had brewing for over five years. Here's the link if you think this might be something you're interested in doing: https://nanowrimo.org/





Secondly, I'm participating in a fun week-long reading challenge. The Ho Ho Ho Read-a-thon hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviews blog. My goal is to read five holiday/winter-themed books. Here's the link if you're interested in checking it out for yourself (and you don't have to be a blogger to participate. I do it with just a GoodReads shelf set up to link to): https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2...



And finally, drum roll please, we begin our blog tour for the stories of some devastatingly handsome rascals in Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues. The tour begins on November 6th.

We'd love to have you stop by along the tour and say hey. My own particular stop is for Nov 24th when my book pal Anna is going to interrogate interview me.



Between you, me and the lamppost... you are probably going to want to hit every stop for the opportunity to get snatchy-hands on those two fabulous prize packages.

Here's the schedule:
Dangerous to Know Blog Tour:
💗Monday, Nov6: REVIEW: Margie's Must Reads, https://margiesmustreads.com

💗Thursday, Nov9: REVIEW, Obsessed with Mr. Darcy, https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

💗Monday, Nov13: REVIEW, Austenesque Reviews, http://austenesquereviews.com

💗Tuesday, Nov14: REVIEW, Olga, ROSIE AMBER team, http://www.authortranslatorolga.com/

💗Wednesday, Nov15: (release day) REVIEW, Just Jane 1813, http://justjane1813.com

💗Thursday, Nov16: REVIEW, Diary of an Eccentric, https://diaryofaneccentric.wordpress.com

🎩Monday, Nov20: FEATURE w/Kathy Toigo (Wickham), From Pemberley to Milton, https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

🎩Wednesday, Nov22: FEATURE w/Joana Starnes (Willoughby), Babblings of a Bookworm, http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot.com

🎩Friday, Nov24: FEATURE w/Sophia Rose, (GenTilney), Herding Cats & Burning Soup, http://www.herdingcats-burningsoup.com

🎩Monday, Nov27: FEATURE w/Amy D'Orazio (CaptTilney), My Jane Austen Book Club, http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...

🎩Wednesday, Nov29: FEATURE w/Brooke West (Crawford), VVB32 Reads, https://vvb32reads.blogspot.com

🎩Thursday, Nov30: FEATURE w/Lona Manning (Tom Bertram), Lit 4 Ladies, http://lit4ladies.com

💗Friday, Dec1: REVIEW, Lit 4 Ladies, http://lit4ladies.com

🎩Monday, Dec4: FEATURE w/Beau North (Fitzwilliam), Obssesed with Darcy, https://obsessedwithmrdarcy.wordpress...

🎩Thursday, Dec7: FEATURE w/ J Marie Croft (Thorpe), Harry Rodell blog/ROSIE AMBER team, https://harryrodell.wordpress.com/aut...

💗Friday, Dec8: REVIEW, From Pemberley to Milton, https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...

🎩Monday, Dec11: FEATURE w/Jenetta James (William Elliot), Austenesque Reviews, http://austenesquereviews.com

🎩Thursday, Dec14: FEATURE w/ Karen M Cox (Churchill), Darcyholic Diversions, http://darcyholic.blogspot.com

🎩Monday, Dec17: FEATURE w/ Christina Morland (Sir Walter Elliot), Of Pens & Pages, http://www.ofpensandpages.com


Oh, and we must not forget my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love spending the day with family and friends, but also reflecting on the good that has come into my life and how I can do good in other's lives.

So, that's November. How's this month shaping up for you?

This was an exciting debut week for Dangerous to Know.

Our first stop on the blog tour happened at Margie's Must Reads blog with her delightful thoughts on our handsome, flawed gentlemen.
https://margiesmustreads.com/2017/11/...
Hope you can drop by and don't forget there are a couple of fabulous prize packs to tempt you.

And our handsome DTK is now live at on-line merchant sites in electronic or paperback editions.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Know...
***pro tip, did you know that if you buy a papercopy then Amazon will offer you a matchbook $.99 price for the ebook? So... you could buy a friend the PB for their stocking and snag the ebook version for a little pressie for moi.
Or if you'd rather just have the ebook, it's on sale for $2.99 through the release season before it goes back up to regular price.
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dang...

It has been euphoric to see the reviews starting to come in and know that our beloved bad boys are providing an engaging read for folks. Thank you, profoundly, to all those who have taken the time to leave us a review on Amazon and GoodReads. It is a true gift back to our editorial and author team. Muah!

Starting yesterday with author, Christina Morland visiting at My Jane Austen Book Club blog, Rational Creatures began her grand tour here: https://thesecretunderstandingofthehe...


Book Description

“But I hate to hear you talking so, like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” —Persuasion
Jane Austen: True romantic or rational creature? Her novels transport us back to the Regency, a time when well-mannered gentlemen and finely-bred ladies fell in love as they danced at balls and rode in carriages. Yet her heroines, such as Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Elliot, and Elinor Dashwood, were no swooning, fainthearted damsels in distress. Austen’s novels have become timeless classics because of their biting wit, honest social commentary, and because she wrote of strong women who were ahead of their day. True to their principles and beliefs, they fought through hypocrisy and broke social boundaries to find their happily-ever-after.
In the third romance anthology of The Quill Collective series, sixteen celebrated Austenesque authors write the untold histories of Austen’s brave adventuresses, her shy maidens, her talkative spinsters, and her naughty matrons. Peek around the curtain and discover what made Lady Susan so wicked, Mary Crawford so capricious, and Hettie Bates so in need of Emma Woodhouse’s pity.
Rational Creatures is a collection of humorous, poignant, and engaging short stories set in Georgian England that complement and pay homage to Austen’s great works and great ladies who were, perhaps, the first feminists in an era that was not quite ready for feminism.
“Make women rational creatures, and free citizens, and they will become good wives; —that is, if men do not neglect the duties of husbands and fathers.” —Mary Wollstonecraft

Stories by Elizabeth Adams * Nicole Clarkston * Karen M Cox * J. Marie Croft * Amy D’Orazio * Jenetta James * Jessie Lewis * KaraLynne Mackrory * Lona Manning * Christina Morland * Beau North * Sophia Rose * Anngela Schroeder * Joana Starnes * Caitlin Williams * Edited by Christina Boyd * Foreword by Devoney Looser

You don't want to miss this:
Rational Creature SUPER Giveaway

The Random Name Picker winner review all blog comments and select one winner from these blog stop comments during the tour for all 21 prizes: Winner’s choice of one title from each authors’ backlist (that’s 16 books, ebooks, or audiobooks), our bespoke t-shirt/soap/candle; #20, a brick in winner’s name to benefit #BuyABrick for Chawton House; and #21, the Quill Collective anthologies in ebook or audiobook

Blog Tour Schedule
Rational Creatures Blog Tour Schedule

September 18 / My Jane Austen Book Club / Guest Post

September 20 / Long and Short Reviews / Guest Post

September 25 / Books & Wine are Lovely Playlist

September 27 / Fangs, Wands and Fairydust / Guest Post ***This is me and my Austen lady*** Do stop by and give us some comment loving if you have a minute: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/

October 2 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Guest Post

October 4 / From Pemberley to Milton / Guest Post

October 9 / Austenesque Reviews / Guest Post

October 11 / Silver Petticoat / Guest Post

October 15 / Just Jane 1813 / Book Review

October 16 / My Love for Jane Austen / Guest Post

October 18 / Rosie’s Review Team / Book Review

October 23 / More Agreeably Engaged / Guest Post

October 25 / The Book Rat / Guest Post

October 30 / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review

November 1 / My Vices and Weaknesses / Guest Post

November 6 / Diary of an Eccentric / Book Review

November 8 / Of Pens and Pages / Book Review

November 13 / Let Us Talk of Many Things / Guest Post


Rational Creatures will dip her curtsey at retailers starting Oct 15th. Meanwhile, feel free to mark her as a 'want to read' here on Good Reads for your wish list.