Elaine Jeremiah GIVEAWAY & Guest Post

I don't think it's any secret that I can't get enough JAFF lately (that's Jane Austen fanfiction, fyi); far from confining my Jane Austeny bits to Austen in August, as I usually would, I've reviewed or featured four Austenesque books since then, and have read at least half a dozen more (including two this week!). Even my December pick from Book of the Month YA is Austenesque! I can't seem to get enough.

And neither, it seems, can a lot of you. To that end, today I'm featuring a new release from Austenesque author Elaine Jeremiah, who has stopped by to tell us a bit about growing up in Jane-country, as well as sharing an excerpt of her latest book, and a chance to win the whole series so far!

Check it out below, make sure to leave Elaine some love in the comments, and don't forget to enter to win!

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Thank you to Misty for featuring me on your blog today. I just wanted to share some thoughts about Hampshire, where I grew up.

I do feel very privileged to have grown up in the same county as Jane Austen, although of course Hampshire today is very different from the Hampshire that she grew up in. There are many more people living there for one thing – it’s quite a crowded, busy area of Southern England and yet some of the places that Jane knew haven’t changed a great deal.

But despite the busyness of modern-day Hampshire, there’s still a lot of countryside around to enjoy and I did love going for country walks with my family and our dog when I was growing up. The New Forest, a national park, is not far from where I grew up and is one of the places where we’d go walking as a family. It’s very old and was established in medieval times.

Then there’s Winchester, where Jane Austen died. It’s still a beautiful city even today and the huge, ancient cathedral is stunning. I went to university there and it’s quite an intimate place – it’s not a very big city and there’s so much character to it. There are some lovely old buildings apart from the cathedral, some Regency and some medieval, including the Great Hall which is all that is left of Winchester Castle. I would visit it now and then with my family and funnily enough I once saw an exhibition of costumes from Jane Austen adaptations there.

Of course, I can’t talk about Hampshire without mentioning Chawton, which is of course where Jane Austen’s house is and where she wrote several of her fabulous novels. Chawton is actually less busy now than it was in Jane’s time because the main road to Winchester passed right through the middle of it in her time, just outside her house. It’s now a lot quieter and it’s such a lovely place.

Jane Austen’s house is gorgeous and if you ever get the chance to visit, you should. It’s well worth it. I’ve also visited Chawton House, which belonged to her brother Edward Austen Knight and is now a library of early women’s writing. That is magnificent too and a stone’s throw from Jane’s house.

So those are just a few thoughts about Hampshire. Although it is very urbanised in many areas now, there are still plenty of places of outstanding natural beauty and many historic towns, cities and villages. If you’re an Austen fan, it’s a great holiday destination idea!

******** EXCERPT ********

By Time Divided

I stopped walking and reached for Mia’s hand. ‘There’s nothing wrong with you, Mia. You look lovely as always. But I should warn you that the people we’re about to meet…’

‘Are a bunch of racists?’

I winced. ‘By our standards, yes. But they’re also from a different time, a different society. It’s 1815 here, the slave trade has been abolished, but in Regency England the vast majority of people are white, they’re not used to being around people of different ethnicities so…’

‘I should expect them to treat me like dirt?’

‘I’m not sure they all will,’ I told her. I couldn’t imagine Isabella treating anyone like dirt. ‘Just don’t be surprised if some of them make comments to you or about you that are offensive. We’re not in the twenty-first century any more.’

‘You can say that again,’ Mia replied, wrinkling her nose as she gazed up at the leaden sky, seemingly oblivious to the fat drops of rain falling onto her face. She turned back to me.

‘So if they’re rude to me, I’m supposed to stand there and take it, am I?’

I sighed, giving her a rueful look. ‘No, I don’t expect you to do that, just… don’t be rude back. Find a witty retort to make. I’m sure you’ll think of something. You usually do in similar situations.’

‘Similar situations? Cass, what planet are you on? There’s nothing similar to this situation in… in the whole of the universe.’ She threw her arms out wide to reiterate her point.

It was then, as I took a quick glance over my shoulder, that I caught a glimpse of someone standing at one of the windows of the house which overlooked the lawn. We’d been spotted.

‘Come on, Mia, I think someone’s seen us.’

‘What do you mean, someone’s seen us?’ Mia replied. ‘What are they gonna do to us?’ There was no mistaking the panic in her voice.
‘Don’t worry, they’re not going to throw us in a dungeon,’ I told her as we trudged across the lawn. ‘They know me… well sort of and I as I told you, I became friends with those girls. They’re actually quite nice…’ I realised that Mia had stopped walking. I turned to her, seeing that the usual glow of her skin was gone and her face looked unnaturally pale.

‘But I’m not you, Cass. I don’t know anything about Jane Austen and I’m… well I’m clearly not white.’
My brow furrowed as I laid a hand on her arm. ‘I understand your fears. Just let me do the talking for the moment.’ I squeezed her arm. ‘You haven’t done anything wrong, they’re not going to accuse you of anything, or do anything to harm you.’ They might accuse me of a few things though, I thought grimly.

Mia still looked anxious. ‘All right, I’ll just follow your lead, but I don’t think I’m gonna be any good at this Regency thing.’

‘Well hopefully we won’t be here that long,’ I replied. ‘For now, though, we need to get out of this awful rain.’
Mia nodded and we continued on, soon reaching the steps which led to the great house. The door to the breakfast room was thrown open as we approached. But it wasn’t my friends standing there. It was a middle-aged woman who I’d never seen before.

****GIVEAWAY****

Elaine has generously offered up an ebook prize pack of her Love Without Time series, 'Love Without Time' and 'By Time Divided' to one lucky winner!
This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!
Giveaway ends Fri December 27th at 11:59pm EST.
To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below.
No "giveaway" or spam social media accounts.
Please do not leave any sensitive info (mailing or email addresses, etc.) in the comments section!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


ABOUT THE LATEST BOOK:

Having accidentally time travelled to Regency England, Jane Austen fan Cassie Taylor finds herself unexpectedly back in the twenty-first century. But everything has changed. She’s been missing for three weeks and her parents are upset and disbelieving when she tells them where she’s been. The police aren’t too pleased either.


Cassie’s best friend Mia doubts the story, yet stands by her friend. And then the unthinkable happens when both of them end up in Regency England. Now Cassie has an even bigger problem: Mia is mixed race and they’re stuck in an era where the slave trade has only just been abolished. Cassie must somehow explain herself to her Regency friends – why she vanished and who her friend is. She also needs to find Ted, the love of her life.

How will Cassie manage to protect Mia from the insults of Regency people who see her as worthless? And how will she ever find a way for her and Ted and Mia to finally return home?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elaine lives in Bristol, South West England with her husband and their golden retriever, Dug. But she was privileged enough to grow up in Jane Austen country, in Hampshire.

Writing has always been a passion of hers, but it’s only been in recent years that she’s been able to devote more time to it. She decided to self-publish with the help of her wonderful husband who’s very tech-savvy! In 2013 she self-published her first novel, but it was only with her fourth, her novel ‘Love Without Time’, that she felt she finally found her niche: Jane Austen Fan Fiction!

She’s always loved Jane Austen’s writing and the Regency era, so this felt like a natural thing for her to do. ‘Love Without Time’ is the first in a trilogy best described as a Jane Austen-inspired time travel romance. ‘By Time Divided’ is the second book in the trilogy.

If you want to connect with Elaine online, her Facebook page can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/elainejeremiahauthor/

Her Twitter handle is: @ElaineJeremiah

Her website is here: https://elainejeremiah.co.uk/

‘Love Without Time’ is available from Amazon.com here: http://amzn.to/2DxRPHO
It’s also available from Amazon UK here: http://amzn.to/2Dywq0y
‘By Time Divided’ is on Amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/2YEKzzH
It’s on Amazon UK here: https://amzn.to/2KokZtv

Why Writing Modern Jane Austen Fiction Is So Hard + Yuletide Mini Review!

Disclaimer: a review copy of this book was provided by the editor for review purposes. Affiliate links are not used in this post, but are used on this site. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
Edited to add: as you can see in the banner below, this post was supposed to be up yesterday, but I apparently don't know how to 'days of the week'... That is entirely MY BAD, sorry about that, internet!

You may have already seen me talking about this book online, as I listened to it while I was decorating for Christmas, but today -- before we dive into a guest post from one of the book's authors, Amy D'Orazio -- I'm going to dig a little deeper into why I loved Yuletide, an anthology of Christmas-oriented Jane Austen stories. And love it, I did!

Generally when I read short story anthologies, I skip around to whichever story is calling my name most, with little care for the flow of one into the next. I also tend to only read them in bits and pieces, fits and starts, and never cover to cover. But because I was listening to Yuletide on audiobook*, and because I was flitting around the house, clipping evergreens that were politely pilfered from my neighborhood (ahem) and working them into wreaths and such, I just hit play and went along for whatever was in store.
*it is still possible to skip around to stories in an audio anthology, btw. Chapters still exist.

And man, I enjoyed this. The first story in the book actually gave me butterflies, but even when stories hit a flat note (which was rare), the immersive experience of listening to someone tell me Christmas stories about characters I love (who at this point feel almost like family, I've sent so much time with them), while working on Christmas myself? SWOON, it was so enjoyable. Harry Frost's narration was excellent, as well, even if I did occasionally chuckle at his "American" accent. ;)

I'm not going to give you my whole spiel about how short story anthologies are great for discovering new authors, or as palate cleansers between books, our any of that (except I kinda just did), but as Austen anthologies go, this is one of the stronger ones. Each story felt entirely unique from the others, while still cohesive in context of the theme, and the different approaches mean that there's likely to be a story here to suit most Janeites. The book feels tightly and thoughtfully curated, and I did, in fact, discover some authors whose JAFF I now want to look into! And the best part of all? Proceeds from sales of the e-book and paperback go to benefit Chawton House!

This mini review was turned out to be less mini and more review, but basically, I recommend this book, and I especially recommend reading it in the wintertime, when there's snow on the ground and the days are short, when your brain has turned towards Christmas but you're out of new Hallmark movies to watch... 10/10 experience, would recommend.

And now, a piece from our special guest, Amy D'Orazio!

Eight Reasons Why Writing Modern JAFF Adaptations is so Much Harder than Writing Regencies 

by Amy D’Orazio (contributing author to YULETIDE “The Wishing Ball”)

The Yuletide anthology [collection of five Regency era and two modern holiday stories] explored some new ground for me — it is the first time I have published a modern adaptation rather than the regency-based stories I typically write. Part of that was because this story was originally part of a Christmas challenge at A Happy Assembly. The idea for it came from fellow author Pamela Lynne who challenged me to write something to do with Christmas ornaments.

I know many people believe writing a modern adaptation is easier than a Regency. Both have their challenges but of the two…? Writing moderns is harder, in my opinion, and here are my reasons why:

1. Prejudice. Okay so this is a big one and often one I find takes a good modern and makes it shaky. Heaven knows there are plenty of things people are prejudiced about in this day and age but translating that into a feasible Darcy & Elizabeth-type situation isn’t easy. Elizabeth Bennet wasn’t poor—yet— in P&P. She was part of the upper echelon of wealth in England, but Darcy was, by comparison, stratospheric. So, a story about someone wealthy marrying someone else who is uber-wealthy? —not really anything notable today

2. Location, location, location. The first challenge any modern author faces is where to put their main characters. Jane Austen put hers in various spots around England, and when I am writing a Regency, I feel comfortable enough with my research to do likewise. But modern day? I’ve been to London a few times but that’s about it—I would have to do a LOT of research to find the exact restaurant on the exact street or the specific house with the certain features I need for my characters. The chances of getting it wrong are so much higher! In my story in this anthology I placed Darcy and Elizabeth in New York City (gasp… they’re American!)

3. Show of hands—who has had a family member voice an expectation that you should marry your cousin? But it was an important custom then and had super important implications for bloodlines and fortunes and etc. So, it’s sort of a hard issue to translate into a modern circumstance even though it was an important part of many of Austen’s books.

4. Or for that matter —who has really allowed their family members to have much say into their marriage at all? I mean, sure, I wanted my family to like my husband but if Aunt Martha didn’t…well…I guess we’d have just cut her off the Christmas card list.

5. The whole Lydia-Wickham and Georgiana-Wickham thing. Let’s be honest, in modern times, the only proper place for the likes of George Wickham (age 26/27) is jail for being a sex predator on teenagers. Would the military even take him? Let’s hope no one would force one of his victims to marry him! It’s storyline that is very tricky to translate to the modern era!

6. Modern life changes fast which brings with it another pitfall of books set in modern eras (not just for JAFF but any modern story)—when you have your hero check email on his Blackberry, or your heroine snap her Razor phone closed, you automatically dated your story. If you mention a song, a book, a news event, or a particular celebrity, five or ten years from now someone reading your book might not get what it is you’re talking about. Horse technology, on the other hand, rarely changed throughout the Regency period and the main forms of communication—writing a letter or walking to your neighbors house to talk about it—were the same.

7. By far, I think the most difficult thing about modern translations is how the characteristics of the our main characters are when placed into a modern setting. I’ve seen some intriguing takes on this — Elizabeth’s wit becomes almost supernatural intelligence, Mrs Bennet’s illiberality becomes racism or homophobia, Emma’s tendency to matchmake turns into a wedding planning business. To me, this is where writing moderns can really be tricky—in a Regency you don’t have to decide all of this but in a modern, you need to decide how you’ll bring it all into a modern era.

8. Marriage. By far the trickiest part of creating a modern is the aspects of marriage. In modern times, there are dates, there are non-monogamous relationships, there are engagements that end with no dreadful outcome to either party—in short there are many complexities to modern relationships that didn’t exist back then (for better or worse). If you’re writing a Regency and your hero and heroine dance twice, have a whispered conversation behind a potted plant and then decide to marry— sure! True love! But a modern couple? I think most of your readers would think it was a bit unrealistic! So, there you have it! It should be noted of course that all the opinions expressed herein are solely those of me, the author! Love to hear your thoughts on the subject below!

AMY D’ORAZIO is a former scientist and current stay-at-home mom who is addicted to Austen and Starbucks in equal measure. While she adores Mr. Darcy, she is married to Mr. Bingley, and their Pemberley is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has two daughters devoted to sports with long practices and began writing stories as a way to pass the time spent at their various gyms and studios. She firmly believes that all stories should have long looks, stolen kisses, and happily-ever-afters. Like her favorite heroine, she dearly loves a laugh and considers herself an excellent walker. She is the author of The Best Part of Love, A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity, A Lady’s Reputation and various anthologies.

Below you'll find an except of Amy's story in Yuletide; find samples from the rest of the anthology here! 



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Yuletide: A Jane Austen-inspired Collection Of Stories, edited by Christina Boyd 
190 pages / audio 5 hrs and 50 mins Published November 26th 2018 by The Quill Ink, LLC
BUY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPBZSFB
ttps://www.audible.com/pd/B07ZP9R3QW?

“I went up to the Great House between three and four, and dawdled away an hour very comfortably...” –Jane Austen

 A holiday short story anthology with some favorite Austenesque authors, YULETIDE is inspired by Jane Austen, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and the spirit of the season. Regency and contemporary alike, each romance was dreamt to spark love, humor, and wonder while you dawdle over a hot cup of tea this Christmas. 

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams * J. Marie Croft * Amy D’Orazio * Lona Manning * Anngela Schroeder * Joana Starnes * Caitlin Williams Edited by: Christina Boyd

 All proceeds from e-book and paperback sales to benefit Chawton Great House in Hampshire, former manor of Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight and now the Centre for the Study of Early Women’s Writing, 1600-1830.

MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY MASKS from Odd Dot | review

Note: a review copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes; all opinions are honest and my own. Affiliate links used in this post.

I was a concoctions kid. I was perpetually mixing something up, making conditioner cocktails* in the shower and checking out books from the library about how various herbs were used in medicine and beauty throughout history.
You think I'm joking, but no, I was precisely that much of a nerd.

And for a long, long time, I've been meaning to test out more homemade beauty treatments and find some really good ones to work into my rotation. I love a good pampering sesh, and there's something about measuring and mixing and selecting and seeing every stage that makes the whole thing more soothing.

But, of course, meaning to doesn't mean actually doing. I've got a list a mile long of "meaning to." MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY MASKS from Macmillan's new DIY imprint, Odd Dot, features more than 3 dozen diy skincare masks, made from things you likely have very easy access to, if they aren't in your pantry or fridge already. The accessibility of the ingredients as well as the ease of the recipes and simplicity of the book's presentation make DIY seemed totally doable. The recipes generally only have three steps (mix, paste on your face, wait and wash), and just as often, only 3 ingredients (some more, some less, but all manageable). There are also sections on how to prep your skin for masking, and what each ingredient does for you, so you can target specific things.

It also comes with 10 cutesy printed sheet masks, which you can use in combo with many of the masks to help keep everything in place while you go about your important business of watching The Office on Netflix for the seventh time. (No judgment here.) (You can also apply straight to your face, no sheet mask needed.)

MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY MASKS is exactly the reminder to myself that I need to mask more consistently and satisfy my inner Concoction Kid. The recipes include some of my favorite ingredients for skincare (honey, pumpkin, yogurt, oats) and more I want to try (papaya, turmeric, blueberries, seaweed), and the mask designs are super cute (and could easily be used with serums and other face masks/creams). I've tried a few of the recipes, including this "Let's Go Avo-Coco-Nuts" mask, which tbh, I should have used a sheet mask with, because coconut oil melts on skin contact, DUH MISTY, and it was slip-sliding all over my face and shirt and bathroom floor.

But the recipes are easy to whip together (this took, like, 45 seconds) and adapt (I made a 1/2 batch because I wanted guacamole, so win win), and the overall design of the set is appealing to seasoned maskers and skincare beginners alike. The book itself is removable from the solidly-designed book-box it comes in, so once you're finished with the sheet masks, or if you just need shelf space, you can pop the slim volume right out and recycle the rest!

I know we're heading into Super Commercialized Buy All The Things time of year, and you're probably already seeing gift guides pop up, but if not, consider this us dipping our toes in: This set would be a GREAT gift for the teenaged Concoction Kid in your own life, or for a fun Girls Night In get-together. Definitely one to consider picking up as a gift or a Treat Yo'Self moment to de-stress this holiday season.


*for my hair, not to drink, DO NOT DRINK CONDITIONER, silly internet

Preview here!

MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY MASKS:
38 Simple, All-Natural Recipes for Healthy Skin
Odd Dot; illustrated by Emma Trithart

Make Your Own Beauty Masks: 38 Simple, All-Natural Recipes for Healthy Skin is a glam and gifty book of more than thirty all-natural beauty mask recipes.

Luxuriating! Refreshing! Renewing!

This book has simple and fun recipes that feature wholesome ingredients you can find in your fridge or pantry. Whether you are dry-skinned, oily, or just want refreshing "me-time," find a recipe that best suits your needs. Mix the ingredients together in a blender or a bowl and apply the mask for ten to twenty minutes. You'll finish with gorgeous, fresh skin!

Includes ten sheet masks!

The Bride of Northanger by Diana Birchall | Blog Tour

Note: a review copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes; all opinions are honest and my own. Affiliate links used in this post.

The Bride of Northanger by Diana Birchall
Publisher: White Soup Press (September 19, 2019)
Length: 230 pages
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-0981654300

A happier heroine than Catherine Morland does not exist in England, for she is about to marry her beloved, the handsome, witty Henry Tilney. The night before the wedding, Henry reluctantly tells Catherine and her horrified parents a secret he has dreaded to share - that there is a terrible curse on his family and their home, Northanger Abbey. Henry is a clergyman, educated and rational, and after her year’s engagement Catherine is no longer the silly young girl who delighted in reading “horrid novels”; she has improved in both reading and rationality. This sensible young couple cannot believe curses are real...until a murder at the Abbey triggers events as horrid and Gothic as Jane Austen ever parodied - events that shake the young Tilneys’ certainties, but never their love for each other ...

It is a truth universally disregarded, unfortunately, that Northanger Abbey is a criminally underrated book. It was truly a shock to me to discover, upon finding the Janeite community, that many (if not most) readers rank NA so low as to not rank it at all. They dismiss it entirely as silly fluff. But ever the contrarian, Northanger Abbey was my favorite of Austen's novels for some years, and still ranks in my top 3. I won't launch into a full defense of it here, but suffice it to say, I've been very disappointed with the lack of retellings and continuations Northanger gets in the JAFF community.

I'm also always a little trepidatious of the few retellings that do make it to market, because they have a lot to live up to, both to my Northanger-loving heart, and in convincing all of the many P & P-exclusive readers to branch out and give little Catherine and Henry a chance.

Added to the fact that do many readers just don't show the enthusiasm for Northanger as they do for Pride & Prejudice, Northanger is just a very different book than the rest of Austen work. In it, more of her satirical, playful side comes to the fore than in any of her works other than her juvenalia. The tone and style are so different that an additional layer of challenge is added for authors who want to mimic Austen's style; yet another is added in the need to be familiar and comfortable with the gothic literature it both embraces and satirizes. For a "light, frothy, silly" book, it's not the easiest story to take on.

I was very curious to see what direction Diana Birchall would take, and how much she'd lean into the Gothic Romance of it all. . . And boy, did she ever lean in.

This book is bananas. Truly, it is bonkers. Northanger Abbey itself is a bit on the bonkers-side, and I read The Bride of Northanger in one marathon sitting, so calling it bananas-bonkers (bonkernanas?) is not the insult you may think it is. It's just that, at literally no point* in this book did I know what crazy thing was going to happen next. In this — and in the body count — it is very, very much a gothic romance. The Bride of Northanger is the type of book Catherine Morland would give herself giddy shivers with at night. It's dramatic, shocking, abrupt, and oddly, utterly enthralling. It takes Catherine's many imagined horrors and uses the actual bad behaviors Austen laid out in her text, and uses them to vindicate Catherine's "flights of fancy," turning the conceit of Northanger Abbey on its head. Catherine — now married and doing her best to be rational and mature — does her best to keep her head while all of her wildest imaginings are realized, and then some. All the worst of man and monastery are thrown her way in quick succession, and the level-headed way she handles things feels surprisingly realistic; Catherine's growth feels realistic, making her a dynamic and engaging character, whose roots still feel firmly planted in Austen.

Other characters, however, feel less realistic offshoots of Austen. Where Catherine has become rational, the rest have gone much in the opposite direction, becoming more extreme, over the top, dramatic, reactionary... In an odd way, it works, subverting the reader's expectations and bolstering Catherine and her capabilities. There is occasional effort made to capture Henry Tilney's sarcasm and wit (one of the highlights of NA for me), but I could have done with a great deal more of Tilney's humor, as well as a bit more complexity of feeling for him. He suffers loss, scandal, and terror in this continuation, but his reactions remain somewhat callous and unrealistic.

It's an interesting book to try to discuss, because while I think there are some major flaws in it, none of them really made me like it less. Though she may not have always captured Henry's voice, Birchall (mostly) nailed Austen's mechanics, and very often, her tone. It's funny on a few levels, it's surprising almost continuously, and so fully embracing the gothicness of it all feels like a fulfillment of Catherine's character, in such an unexpected way. I don't know that it'll be the book to convince JAFF readers to embrace more Northanger Abbey retellings, necessarily, but it certainly was a fun one, and unlike any other Austen retelling I've read.


*except for one crucial one, which I saw coming a mile away, and which left a really bad taste in my mouth.

There's Something About Darcy by Gabrielle Malcolm | blog tour

Today I'm hopping into the There's Something About Darcy blog tour with a quick, poorly-shot video of my thoughts on this non-fic examination of everyone's favorite rude, socially awkward, condescending, rich, gorgeous, dynamic romantic lead: Fitzwilliam M.* Darcy.

I'd love to hear in the comments which fictional character you'd like to see get the book-length analytical treatment! But for now, There's Something About Darcy is available today!

*Motherfluffing.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
There's Something About Darcy
by Gabrielle Malcolm

For some, Colin Firth emerging from a lake in that clinging wet shirt is one of the most iconic moments in television. But what is it about the two-hundred-year-old hero that we so ardently admire and love?

Dr Gabrielle Malcolm examines Jane Austen’s influences in creating Darcy’s potent mix of brooding Gothic hero, aristocratic elitist and romantic Regency man of action. She investigates how he paved the way for later characters like Heathcliff, Rochester and even Dracula, and what his impact has been on popular culture over the past two centuries. For twenty-first century readers the world over have their idea of the ‘perfect’ Darcy in mind when they read the novel, and will defend their choice passionately.

In this insightful and entertaining study, every variety of Darcy jostles for attention: vampire Darcy, digital Darcy, Mormon Darcy and gay Darcy. Who does it best and how did a clergyman’s daughter from Hampshire create such an enduring character?

A must-read for every Darcy and Jane Austen fan.

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Dr. Gabrielle Malcolm lectures and writes about Jane Austen in popular culture and the global fan phenomena surrounding Austen’s work. She is the author of Fan Phenomena: Jane Austen and is a regular speaker at the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath, and the Jane Austen Regency Week in Chawton. She lives in Bath.

Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot | Blog Tour

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Affiliate links used in this post.

I want to start by saying, I'm really loving the trend of popular YA authors taking on well-known and -loved comic book characters for reboots, prequels and the like. I think they bring a freshness to the series', along with a honed talent (generally) for piecing a story together and layering it with richness and subtext, without a lot of the serious, self-congratulatory heavy-handedness that we sometimes see with reboots and "reexaminations."

I -- never having been a gatekeeper of media that I love, but rather someone who actively wants to pull people in -- also think that having these authors (Kami Garcia, Danielle Paige, Lauren Myracle, et all) is a great way to attract a new young audience, who are discovering these masked heroes and vigilantes sometimes for the first time. And none (so far) is as likely to pull them in as Meg Cabot.

Black Canary: Ignite, with its relatable storyline (even in the midst of superpowers) and bright, vibrant art & coloring — from Cara McGee and Caitlin Quirk, respectively — is very likely to win over that young audience. It has an ease and youthful appeal that is almost certain to hit the mark with its target audience.

That said, I think it is a highly targeted audience. I may be in the minority on this (goodreads ratings for the book are remarkably high), but I think the story is likely to lose a bit of its shine the further a reader gets from the targeted demographic. Where younger readers will find it relatable and inviting, I think older readers may find it cloying and overly simplistic. It was a little too light on story (and impact), and a little too heavy on... handedness for my tastes, and while it was cute, it was equal-measures cheesy. It would have benefited from a slower buildup into Black Canary status, Big Bad Villain reveal, and the all-around getting-to-know-you phase of the characters and their motivations/interactions. A little too much was crammed in and rushed through to get us to the origin of this origin story.

But the messaging is strong and the tone welcoming, and as I said, I think it will most certainly find its target audience.
I just may be a bit too far off the bullseye for this one.

Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot (Author), Cara McGee (Illustrator, Artist)

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diariescomes Black Canary: Ignite, Meg Cabot's first graphic novel! With expressive and energetic art by Cara McGee to match the trademark attitude and spunk of Meg Cabot's characters and dialogue, this mother-daughter story embraces the highs and lows of growing up without growing out of what makes us unique.

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she's going. First, she'll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she'll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock star group of friends may even save the world, but first they'll need to agree on a band name.

When a mysterious figure keeps getting in the way of Dinah's goals and threatens her friends and family, she'll learn more about herself, her mother's secret past, and navigating the various power chords of life.

Black Canary: Ignite is an inspirational song that encourages readers to find their own special voices to sing along with Black Canary!

Miss Price's Decision Blog Tour & GIVEAWAY!

Many of you will recognize the name Eliza Shearer from her appearances in Austen in August, including this year's discussion of the darkness that permeates Mansfield Park. Eliza's latest release delves into that same novel, and today, she's dropping by to give you two things: some insight into her protagonist, Susan Price, and a chance to a copy of Miss Darcy's Decision!

Click through to read the post and enter to win!

Miss Price’s Decision: Character Interview & Giveaway

Thanks for having me on your blog again, Misty! I am delighted to be here today to present my second novel in the Austeniana series after Miss Darcy’s Beaux: Miss Price’s Decision, a Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice crossover.

The book tells the story of Susan Price, Fanny’s younger sister in Mansfield Park. Of late, I have grown increasingly more interested in Jane Austen’s darkest novel; I suppose it was natural for my second Austeniana protagonist to stem from there.

Aesthetic: FIREBORNE by Rosaria Munda

I'm always on the hunt for ways to shake up my coverage of books, and have been wanting for awhile to start doing more pictorial and photographic features (I have so many plans, y'all! And so much broken technology!*). So the opportunity to do a moodboard / aesthetic of a book that was high on my 2019 wishlist wasn't something to pass up.

That book is Fireborne, and it is one of the many things I'm currently in the middle of reading. It's a dragon fantasy, which I've become more and more infatuated with, but the thing I'm most excited for is that it has quickly become known for its deft philosophical threads (it's based on Plato's Republic!) and actual consequences for the characters decisions.
And also, dragons. Win, win, win.

For my aesthetic, I chose to represent Annie, one of the book's two main characters: her fiery hair and freckles, her amber dragon and the special fireproof armor she must wear, and most importantly, the silver and gold band she wears, a rare combination indicating her dual talents...

Fireborne hit stores yesterday, and is also one of this month's Book of the Month YA club picks!

Is Fireborne on your list of books to read? I've yet to hear a bad thing about it, and I'm enjoying it so far. Let me know in the comments!


*yes, my computer keyboard is still only half-working. Yes, both of my phone cameras are broken. WHY. 😓)


FIREBORNE by Rosaria Munda

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone--even the lowborn--a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn't be more different. Annie's lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee's aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.

With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he's come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.

From debut author Rosaria Munda comes a gripping adventure that calls into question which matters most: the family you were born into, or the one you've chosen.


AUTHOR BIO
Rosaria grew up in rural North Carolina, where she climbed trees, read Harry Potter fanfiction, and taught herself Latin. She studied political theory at Princeton and lives in Chicago with her husband and cat.

Image credits:
red braid / metal band / leather armor / reins / dragon / scales

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Last Dragon by James Riley

Thoughts on The Last Dragon by James Riley!
If you have requests of books you'd like o see me do first impressions or reviews of please let me know in the comments!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Buy: https://amzn.to/2VoHG69
Add: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44414139

Fort Fitzgerald is determined to uncover the truth, but a new student at school and the secrets he has to keep complicate matters in this second novel in a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!

Fort Fitzgerald can’t stop having nightmares about the day his father was taken from him in an attack on Washington, DC. In these dreams, an Old One, an evil beyond comprehension, demands the location of the last dragon. But other than some dragon skeletons dug up with the books of magic on Discovery Day, Fort has never seen a dragon before. Could there still be one left alive?

And weirdly, Fort’s not the only one at the Oppenheimer School having these nightmares. His new roommate, Gabriel, seems to know more than he’s letting on about this dragon as well. And why does everyone at the school seem to do whatever Gabriel says? What’s his secret?

Fort’s going to need the help of his friends Cyrus, Jia, and Rachel, if he’s going to have any chance of keeping the Old Ones from returning to Earth. Unless, the Old Ones offer something Fort could never turn down…

AUSTEN IN AUGUST Winners!

Whew! Last month really flew by, didn't it?
And with it, the time to enter ALL THE GIVEAWAYS. And man, they were plentiful! I seriously cannot say thank you enough to all of the many authors that made Austen in August so great, and all of you for showing up and chiming in.

Below you'll find the complete* list of giveaways and winners. All winners have been contacted except for TWO who didn't provide a valid way to contact them, so if you think it's you mentioned on this list, check your email or email me! If any winners don't respond to claim their prize, I will choose a new winner or winners, and I will contact them -- I'm not one of those people who makes you tie yourself to a blog post in the hopes of winning something; I will seek you out. I will find you, and I will give you things.
*at least, i think it's the complete list. there were a lot of giveaways to keep track of this year, guys! i might have missed something.

But before I get into the list of winners, I have one final piece of Austen homework for you. Well, two. The first is, I want you to go out into the world and just JANEITE all over the place. Just, everywhere. Spread that Austen love around. And then come back here and tell me when you find something amazingly Austenesque out there, so I can help you share it!
The second is; Let me know in the comments what you'd like to see more of (or less of), and any authors or books you think should be on my radar for next year! I normally do an end-of-event survey, but I think the comments section has more potential for conversation, so let me know.

Now. Onto what you're really here for!

THE WINNERS

all winners are listed as they are in Rafflecopter, 

not according to email addresses or blog/social media usernames

Austen in August Mega Prize Pack 1

Edel W!

Austen in August Mega Prize Pack 2

Kate B!

Austen in August Mega Prize Pack 3

Jan D!

Austen in August Mega Prize Pack 4

Patricia L!

Rational Creatures audiobook from Christina Boyd

Suzannah Clark ( I don't have an email address for you, Suzannah, please contact me!)

Kai C!

$15 gift card from Christina Boyd

Emmaline Lavender Fields (I do not have an email address for you, either, please contact me!!)

Hearts, Strings & Other Breakable Things from Jacqueline Firkins

Megan S!

Maria Grace audiobook prize pack

Darcy Bennet!

The Jane Austen Society from Natalie Jenner

Mary E!

True Love Never Fails from Debra-Ann Kummoung

Laura H!

Falling for Elizabeth Bennet from Debra-Ann Kummoung

Danya!

$10 Amazon gift card from Debra-Ann Kummoung

Bailey C!
Renee G!

Regina Jeffers prize pack

Regina decided to add some extra prizes, so the following people 

were chosen and already gifted with their prize(s):

Danielle C

Eva E 

Marsha B 

Peggy K 

Luthien84 

Debbie F

His Choice of a Wife from Heather Moll

Edel W.

The Flight Path Less Traveled from Leigh Dreyer

Sophia R!

Colleen L!

Darcy in Hollywood from Victoria Kincaid

Talia S!

Jane Austen Made Me Do It from Laurel Ann Nattress

Kelly W!

Cassandra D!

Amy D'Orazio book of choice

bn100!

Holidays with Jane prize pack from Jessica Grey

Buturot!

Janeite Swag Pack from Me!

Jessica C!

Custom Janeite bookmarks from Me!

Darcy B!

John S!

Nancy P!

Congratulations, winners!!

Didn't win anything? Don't forget, I made sure there was something for everybody!

BIG THANKS to the following people for contributing prizes, posts, and/or time this Austen in August:

Alexa Adams, Jennifer Altman, Christina Boyd, Marilyn Brant,  Cara at Wilde Book Garden, Jennieke Cohen, Courtney at The Green Mockingbird, Karen M. Cox, Amy D'Orazio, Riana Everly, Leigh Dreyer, Monica Fairview, Jacqueline Firkins, Alyssa Goodnight, Maria Grace, Cecilia Gray, Jessica Grey, Regina Jeffers, Natalie Jenner, Nancy Kelley, Kerri the Book Belle, Victoria Kincaid, Debra-Ann Kummoung, Kara Louise, Heather Moll, MyNameIsMarines, Laurel Ann Nattress, Nikki Payne, Lisa Pliscou, Abigail Reynolds, Sophia Rose, Eliza Shearer, Joana Starnes, Shannon Winslow, Deborah Yaffe, and YOU!

And if I forgot anyone, I am sincerely sorry, but from the bottom of my lil' Janeite heart, THANK YOU!

Click here to return to the master list of Austen in August posts!

September TBR!

I'm probably getting too big for my britches* in thinking I can read all of these PHYSICAL books when all I've been doing for 11 months is reading quick romances on my phone in the dead of night.
ANYWAY.

The Janeites Play Austen MASH

Before we get into today's Janeite Conversation, I just want to take a moment to give a

BIG THANK YOU

to all of the authors who participated in this year's silly discussions, and in Austen in August, in general. And to all of you who gave your own answers and opinions in the comments. You all brought such insight and personality and general interestingness to this year's event, and Austen in August would be nothing without you.
Thank you!!

For our final roundtable of the year, I want you to get a little silly — Play a game of Austen MASH!
MASH is a childhood fate-telling game, and if you've never played, yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. I have a post about it here, which tells you how to play and even includes a print-out if you want to use it (though I encourage hand-written instead! It's easy!) Basically, sit down with a piece of paper and a pen, give yourself some options both good and bad, then find out what fate has in store for you. Snap a pic if you'd like and send it to me, along with your reaction to your fate!

MISTY: Here's how things worked out for me last time, as a refresher:

ABIGAIL: I'll skip Austen MASH, since I don't want to live in the Regency. ;)

MISTY: Honestly, can't say I really blame you.

GIVEAWAY: Janeite Swag Pack

In case you missed it, a couple of days ago, I offered up a set of free printables, because even though there are a ton of giveaways in Austen in August, I'd hate for any Janeites to walk away empty-handed.
In that post, I mentioned that you'd be seeing some of the printables artwork again — and today is the day!

Oooh, shiny...

****GIVEAWAY****

For our last giveaway of Austen in August 2019, I'm giving away the original watercolor pieces that were used in this year's printables!
One US Austen in August reader will receive:

•  a 5x7 blue floral piece with the quote "her heart did whisper..." in gilded lettering 
• an "obstinate, headstrong girl!"  pink floral bookmark, also with gilded lettering 
• and a set of Emma-inspired earrings*!

Additionally, 3 more Austen in August readers (from anywhere in the world) will receive a customized Jane Austen bookmark, in shades of their choosing, similar to the "Janeite" bookmarks featured in this year's Mega Prize Packs!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below. Full terms in the Rafflecopter.
Ends September 5th, 2019, at 11:59pm EST

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Please note, the final earrings may look different, as I'm still fiddling with them!

Click here to return to the master list of Austen in August posts!