This has been a busy week for me and my upcoming release, The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. Yesterday, the cover reveal post , which I’ve reproduced for you below, went live over at Austen Variations. Isn’t the cover lovely? One reader commented, “This is one book that I shall want in print rather than ebook. The cover has that aged look of all my old friends that need held and petted. Just gorgeous.” Many thanks to my designer Micah Hansen!

And today Austenprose is featuring a preview and brand new excerpt from the book – the scene where Jane first meets the intriguing Captain Devereaux. Sparks fly! Drop on over there and take a look. Laurel Ann Nattress, the lovely proprietress at Austenprose, has also offered to host the official launch party for The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen on August 11th, with prizes and books being given away!

…and every one concerned was looking forward with eagerness. There seemed a general diffusion of cheerfulness on the occasion… (Mansfield Park, chapter 18)

So the countdown has officially begun. For me, that means a lot of fun… and a lot of work to be done between now and then (final edits, formatting, promoting). For readers, it hopefully means some building anticipation. You’ve seen the cover. Now, here’s the blurb that goes with it:

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For every fan who has wished Jane Austen herself might have enjoyed the romance and happy ending she so carefully crafted for all of her heroines…

The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen

by Shannon Winslow

What if the tale Jane Austen told in her last, most poignant novel was actually inspired by momentous events in her own life? Did she in fact intend Persuasion to stand forever in homage to her one true love?

While creating Persuasion, Jane Austen also kept a private journal in which she recorded the story behind the story – her real-life romance with a navy captain of her own. The parallel could only go so far, however. As author of her characters’ lives, but not her own, Jane Austen made sure to fashion a second chance and happy ending for Anne and Captain Wentworth. Then, with her novel complete and her health failing, Jane prepared her simple will and resigned herself to never seeing the love of her life again. Yet fate, it seems, wasn’t quite finished with her. Nor was Captain Devereaux.

The official record says that Jane Austen died at 41, having never been married. But what if that’s only what she wanted people to believe? It’s time she, through her own private journal, revealed the rest of her story.

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So there you have it – the cover and the official blurb about my upcoming release! I’m so excited about this new book. It has been a labor of love, spanning the last three years of my life, to prepare this story about our favorite author for you. It’s dedicated to every Jane Austen fan who has ever wished her a better fate, because that truly was my motivation for writing it. I hope you will enjoy discovering this alternate interpretation of the facts!

Remember, The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen officially launches August 11th! Stay tuned for further details. In the meantime, I invite you to brush up on Persuasion itself, read my first chapter  (in an earlier post here at Austen Variations), and peruse the never-before-seen excerpt (Jane meets Captain Devereaux) at Austenprose. Thanks for your continued interest and your patience!