Category: Sequel Authors

Book Cover Reveal: Love At First Slight by J. Marie Croft

Posted Friday, 30 August, 2013 by jorielov J. Marie Croft, Jane Austen, Love At First Slight, Pride and Prejudice, Rhemalda Publishing 6 Comments

Love at First Slight by J. Marie Croft

Author’s Pin(terest) Boards:
Love At First Slight + Textaisles (Victorian & Regency Lovelies)

Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Historical | Regency | Jane Austen Sequel

Published by: Rhemalda Publishing, 1 October 2013

Available Format: Paperback | Page Count: 342

Synopsis of the story:

“It may not be universally acknowledged,
but the unvarnished truth is that a young widow
in possession of a good fortune is not necessarily in want of another husband.”

In this humorous, topsy-turvy Pride & Prejudice variation, all the gender roles are reversed. It is Mr. Bennet’s greatest wish to see his five sons advantageously married. When the haughty Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield with the Widow Devonport nee Bingley, speculation—and prejudice—runs rampant.

William Bennet, a reluctant and irreverent future reverend, catches Miss Darcy’s eye even though he is beneath her station. However, his opinion of her was fixed when she slighted him at the Meryton Assembly. As her ardour grows, so does his disdain, and when she fully expects to receive an offer of marriage, he gives her something else entirely ….

Biography of the Author:

J. Marie Croft, a Nova Scotia resident and avid reader all her life, discovered Jane Austen’s works later than others but made up for lost time by devouring the six novels and as many adaptations and sequels as she could find. In the midst of reading prodigious amounts of Austen-based fan-fiction, she realized, “Hey, I can do that.” In her spare time, when not working at a music school or on a wooded trail enjoying her geocaching hobby, she listens to the voices in her head and captures their thoughts and words in writing. Her stories are light-hearted; and her motto is Miss Austen’s own quote, “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.” J. Marie Croft is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Canada) and admits to being “excessively attentive” to the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. She can be contacted at her website: J. Marie Croft

Why this particular story perked my interest to participate in the Cover Reveal?

When the email for this Cover Reveal alighted itself into my Inbox, I was immediately drawn into Ms. Croft’s take on Pride and Prejudice, where she single-handedly flipped the tail on the story which has become one of my most beloved reads!! Coincidently or naught, I have been re-reading Pride and Prejudice this month as a way to step back into Austen’s world, as I am a self-declared Janeite! This is the year I decided it was high time I dig into her novels inasmuch as the lovely offerings of re-tellings, spin-offs, sequels, and other such pieces of ‘after the canon’ contributions to the genre! The icing on the cake for me is to have had the opportunity to not only discover a sequel author for Jane Austen, but to find one of my first Canadian authors! I have always been readily intrigued by the literature of my northern neighbour, but I have not oft been able to discover their literary works! It’s quite the exciting proposition, isn’t it!? If Darcy were a woman and the singleton Bennett were a bloke!? What delightfully bewitching and romantically engaging intrigue this story shall reveal! It appeals straight to my adaptable heart, as one of my favourite re-tellings of classical literature are the motion picture adaptations of A Christmas Carol where the gender role is exclusively feminine! An added dimension of tales that wrap around our hearts and endeavour all of us to ask, “What if?” I am most keen on reading this unique spin of Darcy & Bennett!

{*UPDATE: I did not realise she had such a lovely pin(terest) board full of inspirational sayings, clever phrases, Victorian & Regency clothing pieces, and all the lovelies you’d expect from a period sequel author to gravitate towards! I cannot even express how many are my ‘new favourites’ and how delighted I am in having learnt this board exists! I think author pin(terest) boards are warming on me!}

{*NOTE: I volunteered to be a blog stop on the Cover Reveal Tour for Love At First Slight. I was not compensated for this post, and my thoughts are my honest opinion based upon my first impression of having read the synopsis.}

{SOURCES: Cover of Love at First Slight, photograph of author J. Marie Croft, as well as press release information for the book itself were provided by Rhemalda Publishing. Cover Reveal badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. }

*NEWSFLASH*:

In December 2013, I received this lovely book in exchange for an honest review by J. Marie Croft’s new publisher “Meryton Press“. Meryton Press took over the rights for publication when Rhemalda Publishing closed suddenly after this Book Cover Reveal went live. My review for “Love At First Slight” is coming to Jorie Loves A Story the weekend of the 13th of December 2013! Stay tuned!

Posted Friday, 30 August, 2013 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Regency Era, Rhemalda Publishing, Romance Fiction, Sequel Authors

Sunday Showcase #2: Austen, her name is Jane Austen!

Posted Monday, 19 August, 2013 by jorielov Andrea Barrett, Jane Austen 0 Comments

{Official Blurb} Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.

When you find yourself unexpectedly encouraged to seek out Austen, Ms. Jane Austen,…

You see, there is this little blogosphere event called: Austen in August, hosted by Roof Beam Reader, which seeks to encourage and inspire everyone to become caught up in all things *Austen!* for the entire month of *August!* :) It was my full intent to read each book I had selected during the past weeks since August dawned, however, I made a misstep in not realising how quickly the hours would fly right-on past me to the stratosphere as soon as JLAS Launched! Oyy vie!! Clearly, I did not schedule enough hours to fit everything into August that I dearly wanted too! Therefore, after I participate in the Bout [Bout of Books, 8.0], I will resume where I left off with *Pride and Prejudice* which I had been making inroads of finishing ahead of the 18th of August — had power surges + freak lightning storms not intervened!! Sighs. Technologic disadvantages aside, I am plumb fortunate that my local library has such a hearty girth of choice for a Janeite to find herself swimming in a sea of lovelies that come “After the Canon” of Jane Austen’s collective works!! You just never know what you’re going to unearth:

Vanity and Vexation: a novel of Pride & Prejudice by Kate Fenton
Presumption by Julia Barrett
Pemberley by the Sea | renamed: The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, I chose the original! | by Abigail Reynolds
Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor | Being a Jane Austen mystery | by Stephanie Barron
The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz
Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson

Pride, Prejudice, and Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
Sandition and Other Stories by Jane Austen
Dancing with Mr. Darcy: stories inspired by Jane Austen & Chawton House by Sarah Waters

Ontop of which, when you discover an author such as Andrea Barrett,… You never fathom that it would take such a long time to read her lovely books, and yet, that is what I am finding right now! I remember when I came across her book “The Voyage of the Narwhal”, and I was immediately slipped into her world!! There was something rather tangible and honest about how she writes her novels. I could only pin it to the thought of the writing process that I always respected learning from Ms. Natalie Goldberg; Ms. Barrett clearly knew exactly how to impart her heart into her narratives by ‘writing down the bones’ and soul of what she wanted to express. She transitions you out of your reality and into her perceptional sphere if only for the briefest of moments; long enough to know you want to go back and short enough to realise how special you were to stumble across a writer who takes her time to allow her muse to fully develop and envelope inside her. She’s prolific in a league of her own. I decided that being that I’m into my early thirties now, its high time I ‘stop’ awaiting the ‘perfect’ season to read Ms. Barrett’s novels nor stop hoping for the time to collect them!! The time is now, and now is the time I have chosen to read her collective works!! A small collection of the following are available locally, however, the rest I am ILL’ing:

Lucid Stars
Secret Harmonies
The Middle Kingdom
The Forms of Water
The Voyage of the Narwhal
The Air We Breathe
| Ship Fever
| Servants of the Map
| Archangel

*titles in bold came in through ILL; | titles represent story collections

I remember that I was 18 years of age when I first discovered Andrea Barrett, because I was in the thick of writing three manuscripts before a full-stop occurred that fateful December. A writer’s block ensued which was not broken until Nanowrimo 2008. I remember that I felt like I was on the edge of a brilliant discovery,… a new piece of literature that would open new horizons and new doors of literary enlightenment. Isn’t it fitting then, that I am picking up her books during the next adventure I am undertaking in my writing life!? Who knows what inspirations I shall draw out of her words and breathe back into my own writing pursuits!! For that is why I am a book blogger,… seeking literary enlightenment first, and a resurgence of my muse secondarily.

A conundrum of a muddlement: August’s hours are dwindling down and twinkling with fading light, and I find myself betwixt knowing if I want to ‘let go’ of Austen!! I was sitting here contemplating this very thing just the other day, noting that my heart had already made up its own mind as how to proceed! Of course, the simple resolution would be to table the notion of reading the books I selected this year for Austen in August, and re-attempt them 12 months from now, when Austen in August comes back into view!! Honestly, that’s as ridiculous as asking Elizabeth to wait at home whilst Jane was ill at Netherfield! :( And, then, *lightbulb!* Who says I cannot continue onward with my list!? I may only finish Pride in time to qualify as a participant this year,… but even that, is one book closer to my goal and of my intent to read Austen alongside other Austenites & Janeites! :)

My new reading plan is simply this: After Austen, [inspired by Austen in August] I will proceed to read and every book from my Austen in August Reading List, by which I shall archive my updates on my original post with a footnote explanation of what I am doing! In this way, I can accomplish what I wanted to do: spend time soaking into the books that followed the canon, introduce myself to characters other authors created based on Pride & Prejudice, and read two books past Pride: Persuasion & Sandition and Other Stories!

What about you!? If you were faced with the same tragic ending, would you re-write a happier ever after OR await the next year to follow your heart’s desire!?

Be sure to visit, Showcase Sunday’s Link Up Page for this week’s Meme, in order to scope out what everyone else is reading!

{SOURCES: Jane Austen image was provided by Zemanta, and inserted directly to the post via the related content widget. (content which is in either the public domain or available through Wikimedia Commons) Thus providing the related content with appropriate attribution and sourcing. I did update the attribution on Jane Austen to reflect the University of Texas Library! Showcase Sunday badge provided by for participants to use to promote the weekly meme by Books, Biscuits, & Tea.}

Posted Monday, 19 August, 2013 by jorielov in Inspired by Stories, Library Find, Literary Fiction, Re-Told Tales, Regency Era, Sequel Authors, Showcase Sunday, Spin-Off Authors

Austen in August 2013: A Reading Challenge!

Posted Thursday, 1 August, 2013 by jorielov Jane Austen, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sanditon and Other Stories 0 Comments

Austen in August: is an annual reading challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader. The goal is to read as many Jane Austen novels, stories, and unfinished manuscripts as you can whilst encompassing the spin-offs, sequels, re-tellings, and biographies that also exist about this wickedly dynamic author who is still able to captivate an audience 196 years after her death! Meanwhile, Austenprose is hosting a Bicentenary Pride & Prejudice Challenge which expired to join on 1 July 2013! Therefore, I am quite thankful I made it under the wire to join this one! As I want to have a main focus on *Pride and Prejudice*, yet wander into other stories as well! Sign-Up Page for Austen in August; Master Post to Link your Reflections on Austen.

Books I Want to Focus On:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Vanity and Vexation: a novel of Pride and Prejudice {original UK title: Lions and Liquorice} by Kate Fenton; Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor {Being a Jane Austen mystery} by Stephanie Barron; Pride and Prescience or A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris; Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson; Two Shall Become One: Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Sharon Lathan; The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater; The Independance of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough; Pemberley by the Sea {alternative title: The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice} and Mr. Darcy’s Obsesssion by Abigail Reynolds; Pride, Prejudice, and Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan; Dancing with Mr. Darcy: stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House {anthology} by Sarah Waters; Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (inspired by); Persuasion by Jane Austen; The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz (re-telling of Persuasion); and Sanditon and Other Stories by Jane Austen.

An extra addition: I was Jane Austen’s Best Friend by Cora Harrison*

{*} a random find whilst at the library!

Reasons I Want to Take on the Challenge:

Even before I first picked up “Pride and Prejudice”, I instinctively knew that I would be a life-long appreciator of Jane Austen! There was a drawing towards her works, her life, and her styling of writing that I cannot quite pin-point yet altogether know was threaded throughout my growing years and adulthood. I still remember for one of my birthdays {in my twenties} I purchased the “Jane Austen Library” out of one of the mail-order book clubs I was a member of at the time! I cannot recall directly if it was the Book-of-the-Month club OR another one, yet the books were hardback and had the most beautiful cover art I had then come across attributed to her collective works!

Prior to this, my Mum found the “Sense and Sensibility” screenplay {in hardback} which was directed by Emma Thompson. She also gave me a copy of the novel, in order to read and cross reference both texts. I remember beginning both quite eagerly, but I never properly became engaged into either! Around the time of the Keira Knightley adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”, I felt that perhaps the stars were aligning and I could once again dig my heels into a book that had left me museful for most of my life! Especially with all the references being made in motion pictures {ie: “You’ve Got Mail”} making me ever the more curious,… I finally picked up a pocket hardback edition at Barnes & Noble! My greatest Austen moment thus far was being able to soak up the narrative during the opening week of the film and seeing it before it left the theaters! Quite chuffed I pulled that off, I must say!

When a friend of mine suggested reading Persuasion together, I thought that that would be a swell idea, except to say, my heart was not into it at the time, and this is one book that I simply added to my shelf! Which is why I have included as part of my August readings!

As homage to my quest to understand Jane Austen, and to make a nodding at the first book that enticed me to her works, I decided to focus on “Pride and Prejudice” and the books that were spun into life out of respect of her canon and out of the inspirations that the story led other authors to create.

Austen As I Read Her:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My Favourite Resources for Jane Austen:

Jane Austen Knits – despite being aware of this lovely zine which drops once or twice a year into our lives, I have not yet had the proper chance to collect the volumes! Each visit I make to Barnes & Noble, I find myself properly flushed with excitement over what the issue will contain! One day!
Austenprose –
? perhaps I shall find new ones ?

The books I had intended to read during this reading challenge have been re-directed and absorbed into: Classics Re-Told: 19th Century & Gothic Classics. Please re-direct your attention to the new post all about the details of this challenge, by which, I have the opportunity to carry-on with my goals as I had originally conceived them! My first post for Austen in August serves a dual-purpose, as it will also mark the first contribution piece for Classics Re-told! Therein I discuss the wrap-up for Austen in August as well.

{SOURCE: August in August badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo credit: Carli Jean (Public Domain : Unsplash).}

Posted Thursday, 1 August, 2013 by jorielov in Austen in August, Inspired by Stories, Re-Told Tales, Reading Challenges, Sequel Authors, Spin-Off Authors

Books of Eyre Challenge 2013: Let us re-discover, Ms. Jane Eyre!

Posted Thursday, 1 August, 2013 by jorielov Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre 4 Comments

Books of Eyre Reading Challenge badge created by Jorie in Canva Photo Credit: Daniel Ruswick (Public Domain : Unsplash)

I have been a supporter of Jane Eyre since I first learnt of her story! To uncover a self-directed / self-motivating reading challenge to consume not only the original “Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte” but to be encouraged to read sequel authors as well, is quite a smashing idea! One that I dare not pass up on the ability to undertake, as “Books of Eyre Challenge 2013” hosted by The Musings of ALMYBNENR, began on 1 January and concludes 31 December! Plenty o’ time for me to dig into this wicked sweet reading challenge and make a bit of headway!

Level Three: Governess {Read 15 Books} Ideally this is my goal!

My Declaration of Participation is thus: To start off by reading *Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte, by which, I have yet to actually do! I have always had the very best of intentions, without a lot of positive results! After I conclude her original masterpiece, I will move onwards forward through the list I have populated below as the books that appeal to my literary wanderings,… seeking out books whose stories not only pay homage to the canon left behind by Ms. Bronte but take on a unique charted course of their own, delving into the same structure of characters and story. I have set my goal to read Eyre books lower than the number of Eyre books I have sought out. I did this as a calming balm not to worry if my intentions at the on-set differ towards the ending hours of 2013!

PERSONAL GOALS & MOTIVATIONS: for Books of Eyre 2013: To consume one Eyre book at a time, opine my impressions afterwards, and link my post to the Books of Eyre monthly list To seek out other participants entries as the months slide forward To seek out other book bloggers that might not realise this Challenge is underway, and to encourage their participation To attempt to listen to the musical versions of Jane Eyre To attempt to watch each motion picture adaptation of Jane Eyre

The Appealment of an “Eyre” Reading Challenge: I always had a sense of knowing that Jane Eyre would not only become a story and a {classic} novel that I would be wholly endeared too, but it would spark a curiosity to seek out stories and novels that were inspired into being due to Ms. Bronte’s canon! In this way, stumbling across a reading challenge to uncover and absorb into re-tellings, spin-offs, and sequels of the enduring Ms. Eyre was rather happenstance! There is such a breadth of heart woven into her story, bold determination, and a survival instinct to make do and make good no matter how your circumstances try to define you. It’s a powerful story of overcoming and never surrending who you are whilst defining how you will live and how you will thrive.

My initial introduction to Ms. Jane Eyre: Came during the early hours of a morning wretched by the plight of the sickly girl frustrated beyond hilt and despite to do something that could advert her misery! She plucked the remote control up off the nightstand and dared the tv to illuminate a movie that could curtail sleep and cast aside her anguish! She had to flip through several channels before stumbling across a seemingly British teleplay with gothic underpinnings! A few scenes in, she was not only hooked but she had abandoned the remote! A few scenes more and she deduced she was watching an adaptation of Jane Eyre! She felt betwixt with herself for even considering to watch this film knowing full and well that she had intended always to read this particular novel ahead of seeing its adaptation,… her eyes veered back to the discarded remote and her heart leapt out a response to qualm her furrowed brow. Her tired eyes moved back to the screen and she became fully entranced with Thornfield Hall!

Book Choices of Mine: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (original); Thornfield Hall: Adele: Jane Eyre’s Hidden Story by Emma Tennant (sequel); Rochester: A Novel inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre by J.L. Niemann (sequel); Rochester: Consummation: The Continuing Story Inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre by J.L. Niemann (sequel); Jane Eyre’s Daughter by Elizabeth Newark (sequel); Death of a School Girl & Death of a Dowager{Jane Eyre Chronicles: 1 & 2} by Joanna Campbell Slan (spin-off); Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler (spin-off); Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (prequel); Adele, Grace, and Celine: The Other Woman of Jane Eyre by Claire Moise (sequel); Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (re-telling); The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart (re-telling); Jeanna Starborn by Sharon Shinn (re-telling); Jane Eyre’s Husband: The Life of Edward Rochester by Tara Bradley (re-telling); The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (spin-off); A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (sequel); Jane: A Modern Re-Telling of Jane Eyre by April Lindner; Jane Eyre’s Rival: The Real Mrs. Rochester by Clair Holland; Mrs. Rochester by Hilary Bailey (sequel); Jane Rochester by Kimberly A. Bennet (sequel); Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick (spin-off); Mrs. Rochester: the surprising sequel to Jane Eyre by Warwick Blanchett; The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (re-telling) – 23 books found!

Plus, one musical score: Jane Eyre: the Musical: Original Broadway Cast Recording by Paul Gordon (composer); as well as film adaptations for *Jane Eyre* {1943; 1996; A&E, 1997; Masterpiece, 2006; 2011}, *Wide Sargasso Sea* {BBC, 2006; 1993}; an opera directed by Brendan Maher and a song by Stevie Nicks on her ablum “In Your Dreams”, and *Rebecca* {1940; 1997}!

{*UPDATE: 10 August 2013: According to this list featured over on Bookish Whimsy, as a personal accounting of all novels spun-out of the canon she wishes to read, I daresay, I will be participating next year, if Books of Eyre goes into a third year! I barely broached the surface, apparently! I’m still proud of myself for what I was able to find, but ooh! Look at all the books left to read!!}

Books of Eyre: by order of reading

Book One: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (2013) via Septemb-Eyre! (Chapters I-XI)
Book Two: Keeping Kate by Lauren Winder Farnsworth (re-telling) (2015) (review)
Book Three: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (prequel) (2016) (review)
Book Four: All Hallows at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray (sequel) (2016) (review)
Book Five: Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray (sequel) (2016) (review)

This began as a month-long event I was participating, and I decided to expand it to become inclusive of my first Classics Club experience; thus making this a self-directed challenge and not limited to the constraints of it’s original event.

{SOURCES: Books of Eyre Reading Challenge badge created by Jorie in Canva Photo Credit: Daniel Ruswick (Public Domain : Unsplash). It took me half a second to realise her blog name is really stating her name: ALMYBNENR! And, at a third glance it reads: Amber Lynn I used to know what this is called but forgive me, I have forgotten! Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

Posted Thursday, 1 August, 2013 by jorielov in Bookish Whimsy, Books of Eyre, Inspired by Stories, Re-Told Tales, Reading Challenges, Sequel Authors, Spin-Off Authors