Book Launch Give-away

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

Woo hoo! My second novel, For Myself Alone, launched today (on Amazon in paperback and Kindle; other formats coming soon), and to celebrate I’m sponsoring a book give-away.

Once again, I wasn’t organized enough to get any actual “Advance Reader Copies” (ARCs) out ahead of time, so the best I can do is offer what I’m calling “First Reader Copies” (FRCs?) in the hopes that some of you will read fast and take the extra step of leaving reviews for me at Amazon and/or Goodreads. That will really help to get the ball rolling.

So, if you would like to be one of the “First Readers” of For Myself Alone (or would just like to win a book!), you’ll find all the ways to qualify below. Be sure to leave a SEPARATE entry in the comments section (find at bottom of this post) for each way you qualify (“I follow you on Twitter,” “I subscribe to your blog” etc.) so that you will have more than one chance to win. Winners will be determined by random drawing and announced here in a week. Contest closes April 9th.

You are eligible to win if you:

> subscribe to this blog (already, or you’re doing it now)

> follow me on Twitter

> tweet about this book or promotion on Twitter (with appropriate link)

> friend me on Facebook

> post about this book or promotion on Facebook (with appropriate link)

> if you have left a review for me (on The Darcys of Pemberley or Mr. Collins’s Last Supper) on Amazon or Goodreads (one entry for each, and it’s not too late to do it now!).

And unless it’s obvious, be sure to tell me what name you use in any of these places. My sincere thanks to everyone who has helped and supported me, and good luck with the contest!

Mrs. Collins’s pretty friend had moreover caught [Colonel Fitzwilliam’s] fancy very much. He now seated himself by her, and talked so agreeably of Kent and Hertfordshire, of traveling and staying at home, of new books and music, that Elizabeth had never been half so well entertained in that room before. (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 31)

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When a Shortage a is Blessing

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

Supply and demand: that’s what it comes down to. I owe my writing career to the vacuum created by the difference between the high demand for Jane Austen stories and the limited supply. That’s the subject of a guest blog I wrote for my friends at Indie Jane:  

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if somebody discovered a stash of unpublished Jane Austen novels?…It would be like discovering the holy grail of the literary world – a precious find not only because of the author’s genius and her tremendous popularity, but also due to the scarcity of the current supply. The rarer something is… (read the rest here)

“My dear madam, they can only raise the price of consumable articles, by such an extraordinary demand for them and such a diffusion of money among us, as must do us more good than harm.” (chapter 6, from the unfinished fragment known as Sanditon)

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Cover Two

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

Ta da! Here it is, the cover to For Myself Alone, my second (and soon-to-be-released) Austenesque novel. A few weeks ago I showed you the completed painting, which my graphic artist (a very cool and talented guy) has now translated into the finished product above. As you can tell, it’s designed to wrap from front to back, just like the one done for The Darcys of Pemberley. Even though this isn’t my first cover, it still sent a thrill right through me to see it – second only, I expect, to when I soon hold the paperback in my hand.

Dramatization of this imminent event: (or shall we call it Fantasization?)

Best-selling author Shannon Winslow has once again closeted herself away from the world. She’s in her studio, hunched over her computer keyboard, focusing all her considerable mental energies on her current writing project – Return to Longbourn. The muse is with her today; the words flow effortlessly through her fingers and onto the screen before her.

Suddenly the creative process is interrupted by the sounding of two melodic tones. Ding-dong. Dragging herself back to the real world, Shannon glances out the window to see who is there. Her heart skips a beat when she observes the familiar, brown, delivery van parked in the driveway.  Could it be? She races downstairs and opens the door.

There, waiting on the bristly welcome mat, is a small, very ordinary-looking cardboard box. But the contents, she knows from the senders logo, are far from ordinary. To her, at least. This is the moment she’s visualized, the dream that has kept her going through months of work, sweat, and tears. Her hands shake as she rips open the package and carefully extracts the pristine, paperback novel inside. The scrolled lettering nearly leaps off the cover to her anxious eyes. She reads: For Myself Alone, by Shannon Winslow…

…These were thrilling words, and wound up [her] feelings to the highest point of ecstasy. Her gratified heart could hardly restrain its expressions within the language of tolerable calmness. (Northanger Abbey, chapter 17)

Did you enjoy this little scene? And FYI, it’s considered perfectly normal in certain circles to refer to oneself in third person.

(3/23/2012 Update:  My proof copy arrived today, and the scene above played out for real – more or less. I was too excited when I saw the UPS truck to wait for the doorbell to ring!)

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Birds Bloomin’

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

Once upon a time, I thought I had a green thumb. But I have sadly neglected my yard in recent years, and I should only be allowed to own house plants that thrive on neglect. I do have one excuse to brag, however. My giant bird of paradise plant is blooming, as you can see. If that fails to impress, consider the fact that I raised this plant from a seed.

 

A few years ago, my husband came home from a business trip with a package of the most bizarre-looking seeds I’d ever seen. With very low expectations, I planted them in a pot and waited to see if anything would happen. Four of the five grew, much to my surprise, and the largest one is now blooming in our living room!

So what does any of this have to do with my twin themes of Jane Austen and writing? I could say that Miss Austen was an avid gardener. Although references like the one below show she had some interest, “avid” would probably be an exaggeration. Or I could tell you how every novel begins with a tiny seed of an idea that, with time and a lot of effort, has the potential to grow and bloom into a thing of beauty. True, but I have another post about that. Basically, I just love flowers of every description, and wanted to show off my pride and joy. Hope you don’t mind.

Some of the flower seeds are coming up very well… Our young piony at the foot of the fir-tree has just blown and looks very handsome, and the whole of the shrubbery border will soon be very gay with pinks and sweet-williams, in addition to the columbines already in bloom. (letter from Jane to her sister, dated May 29, 1811)

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Hues of the Sea

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

The day was uncommonly lovely. It was really March; but it was April in its mild air, brisk soft wind, and bright sun, occasionally clouded for a minute; and everything looked so beautiful under the influence of such a sky…with the ever-varying hues of the sea, now at high water, dancing in its glee and dashing against the ramparts with so fine a sound, produced altogether such a combination of charms for Fanny, as made her gradually almost careless of the circumstances under which she felt them.

Normally, Jane Austen is not big on flowery descriptions. So, when I read this passage in chapter 42 of Mansfield Park, I was a little surprised.  The extravagant imagery hardly sounded like Austen at all. I’m guessing she was inspired to wax poetical by her own experiences at the seaside.

I can’t blame her. I spent this past weekend at the coast (Longbeach, WA), at a writer’s retreat, and I came away inspired as well. The weather wasn’t perfect, but it did clear enough to allow a walk on the beach, where the sun sparkled off the water and the waves indeed seemed to dance with glee.

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Anagrams Analogous

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

A friend forwarded me an e-mail containing some creative anagrams that I’d like to share. I thought the subject fit with the scrambled-word theme of some of my other popular posts. Plus there’s a legitimate Jane Austen connection.

By rearranging the letters in the following words, you can construct something surprisingly apropos:

Presbyterian = best in prayer

Astronomer(s) = moon starer  (or = no more stars)

Desperation = a rope ends it

The eyes = they see

Dormitory = dirty room

Slot Machines = cash lost in me

Snooze alarms = Alas! No more Zs

Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one

In the novel Emma, Frank Churchill decides to liven up a dull evening with a game of anagrams, giving his secret fiance (Jane Fairfax) two words to unscramble in turn. Through the first, they share a private joke. But with the second, he teases her unmercifully.

Frank Churchill placed a word before Miss Fairfax. She gave a slight glance round the table, and applied herself to it… The word was blunder; and as Harriet exultingly proclaimed it, there was a blush on Jane’s cheek which gave it a meaning not otherwise ostensible. As Mr. Knightley quickly surmises, These letters were but the vehicle for gallantry and trick. It was a child’s play, chosen to conceal a deeper game on Frank Churchill’s part. 

Not Mr. Churchill’s finest moment.

I thought it would be great to finish this post with some clever rearrangement of the letters in Jane Austen’s name. Couldn’t find one. The name of one of her books, then? Not much luck there either. This is the best I could come up with:

Persuasion = rue passion.  

I suppose that is appropriate, because for years both Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth must have regretted their love for each other that, so far, had only brought them pain. Fortunately, they had a second chance and made the most of it.

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Free Sample

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everybody likes to get something for nothing. And it’s equally true that it is more blessed to give than to receive, right? So I figured it would be fun all the way around to offer my Pride and Prejudice inspired short story Mr. Collins’s Last Supper free for three days!

Here’s what to do. If you have a Kindle (or a Kindle ap on another device) you will be able to download the story from Amazon at no charge this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb 24, 25, & 26 of 2012). Follow this link to the page or shop directly from your Kindle. I hope you enjoy your free sample, and tell your friends about the give-away too!

Lest you feel too sad about Mr. Collins’s unhappy fate, I’ll leave you with a little reminder of his true character. Here’s what he considers kind condolence – a portion of the letter he sent to Mr. Bennet upon the traumatic elopement of his daughter Lydia with Mr. Wickham (without benefit of marriage, that is).

“Mrs. Collins and myself sincerely sympathize with you…in your present distress, which must be of the bitterest kind, because proceeding from a cause which no time can remove… The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this. And it is the more to be lamented because there is reason to suppose..that this licentiousness of behaviour in your daughter has proceeded from a faulty degree of indulgence, though..I am inclined to think that her own disposition must be naturally bad… Howsoever that may be, you are grievously to be pitied, in which opinion I am not only joined by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and her daughter, to whom I have related the affair… Let me advise you then, my dear Sir, to console yourself as much as possible, to throw off your unworthy child from your affection forever, and leave her to reap the fruits of her own heinous offence.”  (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 48)

What grieving parent wouldn’t be comforted to receive such a letter? Hallmark really should have hired this guy to write sympathy cards, don’t you think?

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Cover Art Reveal

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

I’ve been promising that the cover art for my second novel, For Myself Alone, was coming. So now here it is!

I’m pleased with the way it turned out, but the early returns weren’t promising. When the painting was underway, my darling husband came into my studio – normally my exclusive, sacrosanct domain – and braved a comment. “You already painted that!” he said, referring to the general similarity to the artwork I did for The Darcys of Pemberley. I decided to forgive him, primarily because the resemblance was intentional. 

This is “Fairfield.” It’s not as grand as Pemberley, but it is another manor house set in the English countryside, with lots of green and blue (my favorite colors) and a sky big enough to write the title of a book across.

Now I will turn the picture over to my graphic designer and let him work his magic – filtering, cropping to the right proportions, and placing all the text items in just the right places so that it will wrap around and form the front and back cover. When he’s done, and my story is tucked inside, book #2 should look like it belongs on your bookshelf right next to book #1 – a semi-matched set. Or perhaps, noticing that the book (which is, of course, prominently displayed on your coffee table) has caught the eye of a visiting friend or relative, you will say to her…

“I think you must like For Myself Alone, if you were to read it; it is so very interesting.”

“Not I, faith! No if I read any, it shall be Ms. Winslow’s; her novels are amusing enough; they are worth reading; some fun and nature in them.” 

“For Myself Alone was written by Ms. Winslow!”

Then you will both laugh, and you will no doubt continue by telling your friend where she can buy a copy for her very own. 

Oops! There I go, fantasizing again. Occupational hazard of a fiction writer.

(JA quote taken from Northanger Abbey, chapter 7, with minor modifications, my apologies to Udolpho and Mrs. Radcliffe)

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A Stitch in Time

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

 

Today, I was pleased to provide a guest blog post for a friend I met on Twitter. Rebecca Jane is a big Jane Austen fan (yay!) as well as a fan of my novel The Darcys of Pemberley (double yay!). Her blog, called “Sewing in the Past,” combines an eclectic mix of subjects, but for my guest spot, I went with the theme in the title. 
 
So, what does Jane Austen have to say about sewing? 

As a reliable source of timeless wisdom, I naturally started my research by asking her opinion on the subject, expecting to find dozens of references in answer. After all, learning needlework was part of every girl’s upbringing in Austen’s day (1775 – 1817), and I was sure I remembered it being mentioned in her writings. But when I did a search for “sew,” I came up completely empty! The term wasn’t used even once in any of her novels or preserved letters. How was that possible? A little more digging and I had my answer… (read the rest here)
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Word Search

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Shannon Winslow

Here’s a word-search puzzle I designed a few years back for my original website. Not surprisingly, it’s made up of all Jane Austen related words, the clues (with the first letter) for which are below. And if you’re still stumped, you’ll find the answers in the comment section. (Print the page if you’d rather work on paper.)

Although I’d solved a lot of word searches before, I’d never created one myself. But I discovered it was fun to do, and not really that hard. I just began with the longest word on a grid, and then started packing all the others in around it in as tight a space as possible, finishing with a few shorties just to fill up space. Pick a subject and try it yourself.

Unable, of course, to repress your curiosity in so favourable a moment for indulging it, you will instantly arise, and throwing your dressing-gown around you, proceed to examine this mystery. (Northanger Abbey, chapter 20)

N      O      I      S      A      U      S      R      E      P      F      T      H      D

P      R       I      D      E      N      E      T      S      U      A      Z      A      L

R      E      G      Y      A      N     N      E      R      O      N      I       L      E

E      D      M     E      M      E      S      I       R      Y      C      U      L       I

J      W      F      B      M      C      I      E       Z      C      E      I       L       F

U      A      K      B      E       I      B       P      A      R      Z      K       I      R

D      R      N      A      V      R      I       K      N      A      R      F      H      E

I       D      M      E      A      P      L      N      B      D       J      A      C      H

C      M      A      N      S      F       I      E       L      D      P      N      R      T

E       J       D      N      A      L      T      G      Y      V      A      N      U      E

P      O       C      A      T      H      Y       I      M      A      R      Y      H      N

N      O      R      T      H      A      N      G       E      R      K      U      C      H

CLUES:

  1. Author Jane A_____
  2. Her six novels: E____,  P_________,  S____& S__________,  P____ & P________,  M________ P___,  N_________ A____
  3. The two eldest Miss Bennets,  J___ and  E________
  4. Home of Mr. Bingley, N__________
  5. Master of Delaford, Colonel B______
  6. The finest estate in Derbyshire,  P________
  7. Heroine of MansfieldPark,  F____  P____
  8. The eldest Miss Dashwood,  E______
  9. S__ Walter Elliot
  10. Miss C____  Morland (inform.)
  11. Mr. Weston’s son,  F____  C________
  12. Elizabeth Elliot’s two sisters,  A___  and  M___
  13. Captain Wentworth’s branch of military service, the Royal N___
  14. Mr.  E______  Ferrars
  15. The mischievous Miss L___  Steele
  16. The Dashwood Estate in Sussex, NorL____
  17. A modest equipage, a g__
  18. The Elliot estate, Kellynch  H___
  19. Scene of Louisa Musgrove’s accident, the seaside town of L____
  20. The handsome proprietor of Pemberley, Mr. Fitzwilliam D____
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