The Darcy Monologues: Cover Reveal + Giveaway

Can't get enough of Fitzwilliam Darcy in Austen-themed stories? Do you wish to learn more of the gentleman that captured Elizabeth Bennet and our hearts — be it in Regency era or contemporary setting? Well, you are in luck as editor Christina Boyd has personally invited fifteen well known authors in Austenesque genre to write short stories pertaining to Jane Austen's most popular hero. The result is the upcoming publication of The Darcy Monologues which will be available to purchase from 21 May 2017 onwards. Are you excited to have a peek at the cover? Before revealing it, do read Christina's insights on the design process for the cover.

Guest Post

The amazing cover art is the genius of Shari Ryan of MadHat Books. She took the cover concept and created exactly as I envisioned. Shari professionally, quickly and concisely handled my countless questions, suggestions and "just one more tweak" in the challenging format of the print interior — even had a special script code written to make it happen. And then when the original concept had to be scrapped because of the print-on-demand company's limitations that were beyond our control (long, convoluted story only to be shared over strong cocktails), Shari AGAIN created the present cover and interior for both print and e-book. I could not recommend her expertise more!

Multi-talented author Beau North designed the individual fantastic short story graphics for our social media promotions. I think each gives a lovely overall feel for each story. And the colour concept I think works well with #TheDarcyMonologues branding, too!

Book Blurb

"You must allow me to tell you..."

For over two hundred years, Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy has captivated readers' imaginations as the ultimate catch. Rich. Powerful. Noble. Handsome. And yet, as Miss Austen's Pride and Prejudice is established through Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes, how are we to know his mind? How does Darcy progress from "She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me" to "I thought only of you"?

In this romance anthology, fifteen Austenesque authors assemble to sketch Darcy's character through a series of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times — from faithful narratives to the fanciful. Herein The Darcy Monologues, the man himself reveals his intimate thoughts, his passionate dreams and his journey to love — all told with a previously concealed wit and enduring charm.

Stories by: Susan Adriani ❧ Sara Angelini ❧ J. Marie Croft ❧ Karen M Cox ❧ Jan Hahn ❧ Jenetta James ❧ Lory Lilian ❧ KaraLynne Mackrory ❧ Beau North ❧ Ruth Phillips Oakland ❧ Natalie Richards ❧ Sophia Rose ❧ Joana Starnes ❧ Melanie Stanford ❧ Caitlin Williams

Author Bios

Formally trained as a fine artist and illustrator, Susan Adriani discovered her passion for storytelling over a decade after she graduated from a local art college near her childhood home in New England. Susan is the author of The Truth about Mr. Darcy and Darkness Falls Upon Pemberley.

Sara Angelini is a lawyer living in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, three kids, two dogs, a frog, some fish and a few hundred stick bugs. She never went to veterinary school but if she had, she would have been a true proficient. She enjoys writing from Darcy's point of view in a way that shows his humour and vulnerability. Her first book, The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, was published in 2008. She is the co-founder of Austen Underground, where her other Pride and Prejudice-inspired works can be read.

Karen M Cox is an award-winning author of four novels accented with romance and history: 1932, Find Wonder in All Things, At the Edge of the Sea and Undeceived. She also wrote Northanger Revisited 2015, which appeared in the anthology Sun-Kissed: effusions of summer. Originally from Everett, Washington, Karen now lives in Central Kentucky with her husband, works as a pediatric speech pathologist, encourages her children and spoils her granddaughter. Like Austen's Emma, Karen has many hobbies and projects she doesn't quite finish, but like Elizabeth Bennet, she aspires to be a great reader and an excellent walker.

J. Marie Croft is a self-proclaimed word nerd and adherent of Jane Austen's quote "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery". Bearing witness to her fondness for Pride and Prejudice, wordplay and laughter are Joanne's light-hearted novel, Love at First Slight, a Babblings of a Bookworm Favourite Read of 2014, her humourous short story, Spyglasses and Sunburns, in the Sun-Kissed: effusions of summer anthology, and a playful novella, A Little Whimsical in His Civilities, Just Jane 1813's Favourite JAFF Novella of 2016.

Award-winning writer Jan Hahn is the author of four Austen-inspired novels. She studied music at the University of Texas but discovered her true love was a combination of journalism and literature. Her first book, An Arranged Marriage, was published in 2011, followed by The Journey, The Secret Betrothal and A Peculiar Connection. She agrees with Mr. Darcy's words in Pride and Prejudice: "A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment". She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, lives in Texas, has five children and a gaggle of gorgeous grandchildren.

Jenetta James is a mother, lawyer, writer and taker-on of too much. She grew up in Cambridge and read history at Oxford University where she was a scholar and president of the Oxford University History Society. After graduating, she took to the law and now practices full time as a barrister. Over the years, she has lived in France, Hungary and Trinidad as well as her native England. Jenetta currently lives in London with her husband and children where she enjoys reading, laughing and playing with Lego. She is the author of Suddenly Mrs. Darcy and The Elizabeth Papers.

Lory Lilian fell in love with Pride and Prejudice thirty-three years ago and discovered the charm of Jane Austen fan fiction exactly twenty years later. She lives in Bucharest, Romania, is a proud mother of an amazing daughter and addicted to anything Austen. After a career in business, she dedicates her time to reading and writing. Lory is the author of six best-selling books: Rainy Days, Remembrance of the Past, His Uncle's Favorite, The Perfect Match, Sketching Mr. Darcy, The Rainbow Promise and A Man with Faults. JAFF readers call her the "Queen of Hot Mush" and she loves it.

KaraLynne Mackrory is no newbie to the writing world. She made her debut as an author at the tender age of 13 when she wrote her first set of bad poetry. As a young adult, she steered clear of bad prose and achieved a degree in social work. Years later, she has published four Austen-inspired novels so full of romantic sensibilities as to give you a swoon and hopefully a few laughs. Her books turned out better than her poetry and are: Falling for Mr. Darcy, Bluebells in the Mourning, the IPPY award-winning Haunting Mr. Darcy and Yours Forevermore, Darcy.

Beau North is the author of Longbourn's Songbird, The Many Lives of Fitzwilliam Darcy and a contributor to the anthology Then Comes Winter. Beau is a native southerner who now calls Portland, Oregon home with her husband and two cats. She attended the University of South Carolina where she began a lifelong obsession with literature. In her spare time, Beau is the co-host of the podcast Excessively Diverted: Modern Austen Onscreen.

Mild-mannered business woman by day, hopeless romantic by night, Ruth Phillips Oakland was always a fan of the fictional gentleman from Derbyshire, but it was her discovery of Jane Austen fan fiction in 2006 that inspired Ruth to become a writer. Ruth has written dozens of short stories posted online and the published novel entitled, My BFF. Ruth lives in New England with her favourite husband of over thirty years and is thrilled to be included in this anthology with so many of her favourite authors and friends.

Natalie Richards is a writer, blogger and singer. She started her book review blog, Songs & Stories, in late 2010 after falling in love with Jane Austen fan fiction. Her writing can also be found on figment, the Darcy & Lizzy Forum, Teen Ink Magazine and in the Austenesque anthologies Sun-Kissed: effusions of summer and Then Comes Winter. She resides with her family in the Oregon countryside and currently works as a waitress and babysitter.

Sophia Rose is a native Californian currently residing in Michigan. A long-time Jane Austen fan, she is a contributing author to Sun-Kissed: effusions of summer and Then Comes Winter anthologies. Sophia's love for writing began as a teen writing humourous stories submitted for creative writing class and high school writing club. Writing was set aside while Sophia pursued degrees and certificates in education, special education, family history and social work leading to a rewarding career. Health issues led to reduced work hours and an opportunity to read, beta and review books, and return to writing stories that lean toward the humourous side and always end with a happily ever after.

Melanie Stanford reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing and always daydreaming. She would also like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives in Canada with her husband and four kids. She is the author of Sway, a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and the short story Becoming Fanny featured in the anthology Then Comes Winter. Her second novel, Collide, inspired by Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, is coming soon. You can find her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Joana Starnes lives in the south of England with her family. Over the years, she has swapped several hats — physician, lecturer, clinical data analyst — but feels most comfortable in a bonnet. She has been living in Georgian England for decades in her imagination and plans to continue in that vein till she lays hands on a time machine. She is the author of seven Austen-inspired novels: From This Day Forward ~ The Darcys of Pemberley, The Subsequent Proposal, The Second Chance, The Falmouth Connection, The Unthinkable Triangle, Miss Darcy's Companion and Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter. You can connect with Joana through her website and on Facebook via All Roads Lead to Pemberley.

Caitlin Williams is an award-winning author of two novels, Ardently and the best-selling The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet, both of which spin the plot of Pride and Prejudice around but keep the characters just the same. Originally from South London, Caitlin spent thirteen years as a detective in the Metropolitan Police but is currently on a break from Scotland Yard so she can spend more time at home with her two children and write. She now lives in Kent, where she spends a lot of time daydreaming about Mr. Darcy, playing with dinosaurs and trying not to look at the laundry pile.

Christina Boyd wears many hats as she is an editor under her own banner The Quill Ink, a contributor to Austenprose and a ceramicist and proprietor of Stir Crazy Mama's Artworks. A life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Christina lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her dear Mr. B, two busy teenagers and a retriever named BiBi. Visiting Jane Austen's England was made possible by her book boyfriend and star crush Henry Cavill when she won a trip to meet him on the London Eye in the spring of 2017.

Giveaways

In conjunction with the cover reveal, there are two giveaways and open to international readers. Both giveaways will occur from 27 March–21 April 2017 and the two winners will be announced on 22 April 2017. One winner will be selected to win a Kindle Fire with Alexa with a 7" display and entries will be entered through the Rafflecopter links below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second giveaway is for a US$25.00 Etsy gift card. To enter this giveaway, readers will create a Pinterest Board named The Darcy Monologues and post all fifteen story images from the cover reveals, one per each author included in the anthology and tweet the board on Twitter. The Tweet must include the hashtag, #TheDarcyMonolgues.