Hello. I hope your summer (or winter, depending on location) is going well and that you are all staying safe and well. My husband and I have started taking some Saturday drives to various places as we like to do during the summer. The photo is of him walking down one of the boardwalks at Lawrencetown beach last weekend. You’ll notice he’s not wearing very summery clothing. 🙂
We had some nice cool days, and it was actually almost cold at the beach that evening. Today, however, has been a very different sort of day. It was HOT. A trip to the beach would have been refreshing, but sadly it was a workday for us.
But enough of that. Let’s get on with all the writing, publishing, and book news you have opened this blog post to find. 🙂
Writing News
Since I the last time I updated you on my writing, I have written a couple more chapters of Her Convenient Forever, and I have done a bit of planning and plotting on a new Sweet Possibilities story while contemplating how the short story sequel to Matching Mr. Darcy is going to go. Both of these stories will be set at Christmas time.
Here’s how the prologue Sweet Possibilities 2, which sets up why Elizabeth and Mary are at the Gardiners for this story, begins:
Mr. Bennet tucked Mr. Gardiner’s letter into his pocket and rose from the breakfast table in anticipation of his wife’s response to the news he had just shared with her.
“What do you mean my brother has requested Elizabeth and Mary to visit him?” Mrs. Bennet demanded just as her husband had expected she would. After all these years, she had yet to surprise him too much with her reactions to various bits of news.
“Come, my dear. We shall discuss this in private.” He took his wife by the elbow, excused them from the breakfast room, and steered her across the hall to the sitting room where he closed and locked the door. Then, he once again took her by the elbow and moved them both as far from the door as possible. He knew that conversations were often listened to trough keyholes.
“Your brother has requested them to visit him because I asked him to take them.”
It was a calculated move. Just two days ago, he had heard his wife discussing the generous olive branch that Mr. Collins presented, and there was no way he was going to give the man an opportunity to propose to Elizabeth.
Mrs. Bennet gasped. “Why would you do that? We have a guest who holds a valuable living and is in need of a wife.”
The match was ridiculous – not in means of wealth or inheritance but in the fact that Mr. Collins was a fool, and Elizabeth was the opposite. As much as he wished to share his amusement at the gentleman’s foibles and follies with his favourite daughter, he could not be party to her being put upon to marry the man. She would refuse, of course, and then, well, that olive branch would become the very fuel used to fan the flames of former displeasure.
“You may present him with Kitty or Lydia.”
“Kitty or Lydia?” Mrs. Bennet fairly cried. “I think not! They are far too lively and pretty to settle for a parson.”
“Then, you shall have to content yourself with none of your daughters marrying my cousin.”
Publishing News
I got my copies of the paperback and my first ever large print edition paperback of Matching Mr. Darcy in the mail this week. They both look really nice. I am pleased with how the large print edition turned out. I hope to make more books available in large print as I have time to do it.
You can find the large print edition at this link on at your local Amazon, and you can find links to everywhere the ebook is sold by clicking the link below.
Find links to the ebook at Apple, Kobo, Nook, Kindle, and more at this link.
Have Your Say on Thursday
On Thursday, I will be posting a link to a survey where you can cast your vote for which Teatime Tale I should extend first. So, be looking for that.
If you would like to read the stories for free online, you can do that here: teatimetales.pressbooks.com
If you wish to pick up a copy at your favourite ebook retailer before the book is unpublished, you can find links to where it is currently available here: https://books2read.com/u/bzKlz3 I expect the book to be unpublished by July 16, 2020.
Book Promos
Whoever said nothing ventured, nothing gained never had her heart on the line…
Addie: To Wager on Her Future is book 5 in my Other Pens, Mansfield Park series. But who is Addie and why is she in a series that has Mansfield Park in the title?
Addie is the Bertrams’ neighbour and a good friend of Susan Price.
Get Addie’s story in your Kindle store here.
Finally Mrs. Darcy is FREE all summer long at all retailers. Just click the image above to find links to all the stores where it is available.
P.S. You might want to watch my Current Book Promotion page on my blog for another sale that will happen in two weeks’ time and for another book that I plan to make free everywhere for part of the summer.
Book Review
Matching Mr. Darcy has several lovely reviews so far. This is one of those lovely reviews from an early reviewer on Goodreads.
Thank you, Kim, for reading and review this book. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it!
Something Extra
Addie: To Wager on Her Future involves a few bets. One of those bets is not of a grave nature (spoiler alert: it results in a kiss), but a couple of them pose some real danger. Below is a screenshot from just one article which I read while researching for Addie’s story. You can read the full article here.
In this excerpt from Addie: To Wager on Her Future, Addie is discovering the dangerous nature of her brother’s foolish wager with a man who is not known for kindness. It is this wager that sets the course of the action in this book.
Addie was certain her eyes were about to pop out of her head and roll across the floor. She blinked just to ensure they stayed inside her head. “How did you become involved with a man like that?”
James ran a hand through his hair. “It was not purposefully done. I thought I could win. I had never been to this place before but had heard from Willet that it was the place to make a fortune in one night.”
How stupid was he? “And you believed that?”
He shrugged. “I had been drinking.”
Of course, he had! “James.”
“I know. I know. I have been attempting to get the money together to give to Camden, but I simply could not get enough. So, I offered him a prize gelding.” He crossed and took Addie by the shoulders. “I know it was not right to promise him your horse. I know that you might forever hate me, but I had heard him talking to someone who mentioned to him that I had a sister. He seemed quite interested in that fact in a way in which I would not care to share with you.”
Horror thick as molasses on a cold winter’s day settled in Addie’s chest. Did her brother ever think things all the way through before acting?
“And you brought him here?”
James nodded. “To see the horse. He seemed interested in it and said he was willing to strike a deal if the horse was to his liking.”
“And if it is not?”
The fear Addie felt finally registered in her brother’s eyes. “I will see him to an inn by pleading Father’s illness as the reason.”
“Will that not offend him?” She could go to Mansfield. She would be safe there. However, she would also be away from her father, and she could not leave him. Not now.
“I will attempt it. What else can I do?”
“Oh, James, you can start contemplating the ramifications of your actions before you find yourself in such a quandary as this.”
Her brother released his grip on her shoulders and, turning away, ran his hand through his hair again. “I have made a grand mess of things, have I not?” He shook his head. “I have been attempting to right things for months. I assure you, Addie, that I am not the same fool I was. I am a slightly wiser one.”
Addie sighed. Arguing with him over his amount of stupidity was not going to change a thing. Damon had to be sold in order to keep both herself and her brother safe.
Have a good weekend! Be safe and well. (And maybe read a book 🙂 ) Remember, the Sweet Tuesday story is continuing, and there is a poll to participate in on Thursday. (I also slipped in an extra Wednesday picture post this coming week, too.)
~*~
The next Saturday Broadsheet post will be on August 8, 2020.
MAILING LIST | PATREON | SOCIETY6
Glad to see that you and your husband were able to receive some relief and go to the beach.
It has been really nice to get back out and do a few things again. 🙂 We took a drive yesterday, too, but it was foggy so a bit boring. 🙂
I’m happy that you are able to enjoy the beach (even if it’s not as often as you would like!)
I like the Mr Bennet in the excerpt! Getting Elizabeth and Mary away from Mr Collins and Mrs Bennet’s machinations! Good for him!
Mr. Bennet was rather clever there, was he not? I thought it might be an interesting twist to how the story usually goes.
So glad you were able to get away. That was pretty sneaky of Mr. Bennet to ask Gardiner to wish the girls to London to avoid Mrs. Bennet matchmaking them to Collins. Her response was shocking… of course her Kitty and Lydia were too good for Collins. Wow! What a mother. Mr. Bennet has his hands full… plus, he has locked her in his book room. Unfortunately, it is with him, poor man. Stay healthy and safe.
Well, he only had her locked in with him until she could see the brilliance of his plan. 😉 One mustn’t do anything to drive Mr. Bingley away from Jane, you know. teehee.