Maybe it’s because it was snowing this morning. But, when I thought about what “View” I might choose for this post (to go along with my cleverly themed title), my thoughts drifted to a warmer climate. This is a photo my husband took when we went to Maui a few years ago. I thought it so delightfully picturesque that I later did a painting from it. Looking at it now, I can almost feel the warm breeze blowing through my hair again, hear the crash of the surf below, and smell the salt air and plumeria blossoms. Ahhh. Lovely!

They were three days on their journey… [Marianne] sat in silence almost all the way, wrapt in her own meditations, and scarcely ever voluntarily speaking, except when any object of picturesque beauty within their view drew from her an exclamation of delight… (Sense and Sensibility, chapter 26)

How surprised (and delighted) Marianne Dashwood would have been to see this tropical view out her carriage window! – especially since she was on her way to London, not traveling the road to Hana.

Hope you enjoyed the “View.” Now it’s on to the “reView” – in this case the first high-profile review of my new book, Return to Longbourn. Book maven Kimberly Denny-Ryder uses superlatives such as “beautiful…astounding…best.” *blushing profusely* Modesty prevents me from continuing. Please read it for yourself:

Ever since Shannon Winslow debuted with The Darcys of Pemberley (DoP) in 2011, she’s been an Austen fan-fiction author that I’ve kept on my radar. In the two years since she published DoP I’ve not only read everything else she’s written, For Myself Alone (2012) and Mr. Collins’s Last Supper (2012), but have shared countless conversations with her about life, Austen, and everything in between. She is a woman that truly understands people and deep feelings. It’s easy to understand this without knowing her when you read her latest novel Return to Longbourn. The depth of feeling that the characters go through by the end of the novel is nothing short of (continue here)

Lastly, as part of my current blog tour, I gave and “interView” this past week for Maria Grace at “Random Bits of Fascination.” She asked about how I got my start and the challenges of writing historical fiction:

Please join me this morning in getting to know fellow Austen Author, Shannon Winslow!

Writing is such a challenging endeavor. What got you started on it and what keeps you doing it?

I’ve always loved books and reading, but I had no clue that I was a writer at heart until about ten years ago… (continue reading here)

My sincere appreciation to both Laurel Ann Nattress (Austenprose) and Maria Grace (Random Bits of Fascination) for featuring me and my books. And thank YOU for following my progress – view, review, and interview.