Yay! I’ve finished the artwork for Return to Longbourn, and it has now gone off to my talented graphic designer to be turned into a brand new book cover for my darling child, due out next month. (To view the work in progress, see House and Garden.) It’s an artist’s interpretation of Luckington Court – Longbourn in the ’95 film version of Pride and Prejudice.
The Colonel, though disclaiming all pretensions of connoisseurship, warmly admired the screens, as he would have done anything painted by Miss Dashwood… and after they had received gratifying testimony of Lady Middletons’s approbation, Fanny presented them to her mother… “Hum” said Mrs. Ferrars, “very pretty,” without regarding them at all. (Sense and Sensibility, chapter 34)
It’s one painting, but designed in two halves because, like my two previous covers, this one will wrap around the book – the right half on the front and the left half on back. (See my other wrap-around covers here: The Darcys of Pemberley and For Myself Alone.)
Envision the title emblazoned in fancy script across the sky above the house, and my name printed across the bottom, on the gravel sweep. The spine will run top to bottom down the middle, about where the two stone walls intersect. Then, on the left side, the back cover copy will be framed in a text box and superimposed over the picture. Soon, you won’t have to imagine it; I’ll share the completed cover with you when it’s done. In the meantime, here’s a preview of the proposed back cover copy:
Return to Longbourn
The Next Chapter in the Continuing Story of Jane Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice
What will happen to the Bennet females, now that Mr. Bennet has died?
With Mr. Tristan Collins on his way from America to claim his property, Mrs. Bennet hatches her plan. The new heir to Longbourn simply must marry one of her daughters. Nothing else will do. Will it be Mary or Kitty singled out for this dubious honor? When the gentleman in question turns out to be quite a catch after all, the contest between the sisters is on. Who will be the next mistress of Longbourn?
Darcy, Elizabeth, and the rest of the Pride and Prejudice cast are back as the socially awkward Mary emerges from the shadows to take center stage in Shannon Winslow’s long-awaited sequel to her best-selling novel, The Darcys of Pemberley.
“I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Mary, and I secretly believed she might have the hidden makings of a heroine. Now, in Return to Longbourn, we learn what really makes her tick. Find out if Mary is destined to be a governess forever, or if she overcomes the misfortune of being ‘plain’ to discover love and her own happy ending.” – Shannon Winslow
What do you think? Does it make you want to read this book?
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Shannon Winslow's "Jane Austen Says..." 
Hi Shannon. Yes, that teaser works and I am super excited to read your book. I love your writing style and I think I have read everything you have written that I can get my hands on. I have not been able to find anyone who writes like you, so guess I gotta just be patient:) Do you have a recommendation for someone who writes like you? I have checked out Austen Authors but no luck so far. Love your new cover art, by the way. It is perfect!
Oh, Bess, that’s a delightful compliment! I only wish I could write faster so that I could keep you supplied with fresh stories! At least with “Return to Longbourn” coming out soon, you have an excuse to reread “The Darcys of Pemberley” in preparation for its sequel.
As for who writes like me… Beyond the obvious (Jane Austen) teehee, that’s difficult to say. I just had someone tell me that my writing was similar to Diana Birchall (another Austen Author), but I haven’t read her work myself. Have you tried Julie Klassen and Georgette Heyer? Those are authors I admire.
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