Category: book excerpt
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A Letter from Caroline Bingley
Supposing, at the end of Persuasion, Lady Russell decided to find a wife for Sir Walter Elliot, and selected for him the most desperate single woman of her acquaintance? I hinted at such a thing at the end of Much Ado About Persuasion, and this is how I imagine it might go. From Caroline Bingley…
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Meet the Gardiners Part II
Hello, again! So, I might have jinxed myself last month when I mentioned writing more due to avoiding homework. Unfortunately, I slowed down a bit this month, perhaps because I was getting accustomed to a new class/subject. But don’t worry, because I am determined to do better. On another note, it struck me this week…
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Triple Treat: New Release, Relaunch, and a Giveaway You Won’t Want to Miss!
Autumn is nigh, and it’s by far my favorite time of the year. This autumn is especially delightful, as it heralds the release of my new book, Estranged. Here’s an excerpt: Want more? Visit my recently relaunched Patreon page for the enticing conclusion to Estranged, Chapter 1 and an intriguing start of a heart throbbing,…
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Austen Echoes – Writing a Contemporary Series
As I may have mentioned, I’ve been busy over the last few months writing a contemporary series of Austen-influenced novellas for New Zealand-based press Romance Café Publishing. All three stories are now complete, are well into the editing phase, and are getting close to publication. I hope to find out soon exactly what their release…
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Redemption and Forgiveness
C.S. Lewis, in his 1958 lectures on the BBCidentified four types oflove governing positive human interactions:Storge: Empathy BondPhilia: Friend BondEros: Erotic BondAgape: Unconditional Love. *** I have discovered that the Bennet Wardrobeoperates in the service of other Loves:Exagoras Agapis: Redemptive Love.The Fifth Love drives us to become betterversions of ourselves. *** Yet, ’twas Reinhold Niebuhr…
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Do Regency Men “Really” Care for Nothing But Looks?
To begin with, here’s the excerpt from my prizewinning new release, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, which was what first got me thinking about it. (Note: most of the book is from Mr Darcy’s diaries, but I allowed myself the variety of Mary’s notes to self at certain points. Here, she is musing on…
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What Does Mr Knightley see in Emma?
Emma is possibly Jane Austen’s least-liked heroine, vying only with Fanny Price for the title. Readers who dislike her cite her arrogance and busybody tendencies, and some see her as nothing more than a spoiled young adult who hurts innocent characters like Miss Bates and Harriet Smith. Even Jane Austen said she thought no one…
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Meet the Gardiners
Hello! Has another month passed already? I hope everyone is enjoying the remains of summer. Around here, kids have returned to school and we are starting to plan for next year’s travels. I just finished my first college class and am prepping for the next one. Though I feared not having as much time to…
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Happy Sixth Book Birthday to “Mr. Darcy’s Bride(s)”
In my book, MR. DARCY’s BRIDEs, by mistake Elizabeth disrupts Mr. Darcy’s marriage to his cousin, Anne De Bourgh. Our daring heroine is in disguise (NOTE: I drape her with a heavy veil attached to her bonnet, which would not be likely in the Regency era, but it was not forbidden. No one can say for…
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Suspended Pleasures and Other Diversions
Cliffhangers. They’re the bane of many readers’ existence, yet we writers keep using them. So why do we do it? Why do we insist on ending a chapter with a nail-biting cliffhanger? First and foremost, cliffhangers are meant to keep you engaged, creating tension and excitement, and giving you a reason to keep turning the…