The Countdown for THE PURLOINED PORTRAIT is on!

Book Five in the Hapgoods of Bramleigh series drops Friday, March 18, 2022, a day when I will be distracting myself by going on a little road trip with my mom down to pick up my son for his spring break! If you would like to pre-order your Kindle copy, please click here. Paper copies will be up around the same date, but there isn't any pre-order option for paper, unfortunately.

The Purloined Portrait tells the story of Edith Hapgood's journey to becoming an artist, with the devoted support of her family, including her cousin Lionel. Like the course of true love, the course of becoming an artist doesn't run smoothly either, but that makes for all the fun.

Speaking of art, take a moment to admire my cover designer Kathy Campbell's work. She has taken up portrait painting(!) and offered to do some hand-painting on Lionel's coat here, because the original painting was rather flat. I am so, so amazed by and grateful for her work.

I am drawing near the end of this series I've loved writing. I know I've lived with these characters in my head for the past several years, but a couple readers mentioned wishing there were a family tree or character list in the last book Matchless Margaret. Readers, I have listened! In The Purloined Portrait I've included a couple family trees. This one of the squire's family, for example:

There will be one more book in the series, cousin Hetty's story (of which I'm currently on Chapter 4), and then I'm already kicking around ideas for the next.

In researching Edith's story, I plunged into her contemporary art scene and would love to do a little art viewing as a book launch. Stay tuned. In the meantime, here is one very famous portrait of Napoleon that gets mentioned in the book as a resemblance to one of the main characters:

David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801)

Who knew marauding conquerors with dreams of empire could sometimes be dishy? (The ones we have today don't have the option of controlling and projecting their desired image with the help of talented artists like Jacques-Louis David.) 

Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose encouraged me to make more efforts to market and reach readers, so I've been experimenting with Amazon ads and such. All marketers seem to agree email lists are key, so I can tell readers about launches and giveaways and promotions and such. Message received! If you'd like to join my email list, sign up with this QR code. My first book promotion is coming end of March!

Sticking Up for Nice Guys and Other Writing Endeavors

The reviews for A Very Plain Young Man continue to trickle in, but at least the trickle is made up of drops of glacier-pure watery goodness filtered for thousands of years until all the impurities are gone. Both Austenprose.com and Austenesque Reviews gave the book 5 stars, to my utter delight, and there all the excitement peaked.

Although Meredith of Austenesque urged one of the commenters to "hurry, catch up before Book 3 comes out," I'm sorry to report I'm only on Chapter 7 of said WIP because of TWO MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS which I'll get to...

Hugh Hapgood, rocking the plot twists [pic from NYTimes.com]

I will say that there were a few reviewers who were glad that Elfrida chose Frederick (hope that wasn't a spoiler--this is the Romance genre, after all, not known for pulling the rug out under readers!) because Cousin Hugh was "old" and "boring." "Old"!!! "Boring"???!!!! The very idea. I happen to like Hugh Hapgood, and it's not his fault he's not as youthful or playful as Frederick Tierney, and how could he be, when he couldn't help his age and we were not able to hear the story from his POV?

Nor was Hugh Hapgood the first of my fictional rejected suitors to be criticized. In my debut novel Mourning Becomes Cassandra, similar comments were made about Cass's co-worker James, whom I absolutely loved. What was not to love about a kind, persistent, impulsive ex-nerd who was employed and didn't live in his parents' basement? Were Hugh and James too nice, in a world where nice=bland?

Having always liked nice guys myself, I'm letting Hugh Hapgood have his revenge because Hugh Hapgood is the love interest in Book 3 of the Hapgoods of Bramleigh series. Poor widowed Hugh with his three motherless children! If ever a fellow needed a romance-writer to take charge of his life, it's him. And I have picked him out the loveliest wife...

But, as I was saying, the writing is proceeding slowly because of those TWO MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS.

Development Numero Uno:
I got a job. Part-time, three days a week, assistant to a private career coach in Seattle. If you're trying to figure out what to do with your life, or how to get back into the workforce, or how to switch career gears, Elizabeth is the person you want to talk to. I love hearing people's stories, and tomorrow I even get to participate in one of her Tools for Transition Career Workshops!

Development Numero Due:
I've been hired as a ghostwriter. I'm not kidding. I suppose, after having written a ghost story, it's only fitting that I try my hand at ghostwriting. While I've only committed to trying out a chapter or two (20ish pages), if it works for both of us I may go the distance. I'm pretty excited about both the story and the challenge. The freeing thing about already having a few books with your name on them (however obscure they may be), is that you don't much care if the next thing you write has somebody else's name on it!

But I'll finish Book 3 in any case, in the little nooks and crannies of life. And then get to Book 4, of course, because how could I not tell Miss Margaret Hapgood's story? Although I might pull a switcheroo and make Book 4 Miss Edith Hapgood's story because that idea is firmer in my mind. Maybe Margaret might marry last...And then I'm already thinking about some of those cousins, Hugh Hapgood's children.

Thank you for your readership and patience, all 100 or so of you. I'll keep you in the loop!

Setting Up My 1-800-Psychic Number

So I was reading Paula Byrne's wonderful new biography of Jane Austen, The Real Jane Austen: a Life in Small Things, and received the startling reminder that l'aimable Jane once penned a piece of juvenalia entitled "Frederic and Elfrida." Not that startling to you, perhaps, but since the lovers in my forthcoming Regency romance bear the names Frederick (with a K, mind you) and Elfrida, I was delighted with the cosmic connection. I hadn't read any Austen juvenalia since college, so I wonder if I tucked that morsel away deep in my subconscious! And here I thought I named my Elfrida after the Elfride in Thomas Hardy's A Pair of Blue Eyes.

I must be guilty of a lot of Austen-related morsel-tucking because I made a similar discovery after launching my Austen-retelling The Beresfords on the world. It turns out there is a Colonel Beresford in her unfinished novel The Watsons.

No matter where I go, clearly, it all comes back to Jane. Yikes. But not a bad thing, by any means. Better than discovering all my writing derives from V. C. Andrews or Sweet Valley High books. Oh--wait--my character Caroline Grant in The Beresfords references Sweet Valley High. Scratch that literary dig.

Speaking of my newest venture, A Very Plain Young Man, second in the Hapgoods of Bramleigh series, is heading to production! Check back for cover art, when fabulous Kathy Campbell works her magic. (Seriously--click on that link, and you'll see two of my covers! She's done them ALL.) So Frederick and Elfrida's tale will launch in early May, perhaps?

In the meantime, I am thrilled to announce Austenprose's review of The Naturalist, the first book in the series.

Recognize those eyes from Austenprose's header?

Austen aficionado and published editor Laurel Ann Nattress declares it "a literary feast for any Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer fan" and urges, "If you read one Traditional Regency this year let it be The Naturalist," citing its "original, quirky characters, witty repartee, layered secrets, blundering misunderstandings, and laugh-out-loud humor."

Aahh...music to the author's ears. Really, that's all any writer wants--to tell a story to someone and have them be entertained, moved, amused. Funny that Austenprose suggested a fifth book in the series about a "pedantic Hapgood cousin." He isn't too pedantic, I hope, but I was thinking a new cousin character I introduce in A Very Plain Young Man might deserve his own book before I move on to third sister Margaret...

Austensibly an Author

Meredith's Sunflowers

Whew. Just when you thought I would never break radio silence again, I had an Author Adventure. Austen blogger extraordinaire Meredith Esparza came to town and suggested I join her and several other Austenesque authors at a luncheon. Now you all know I only have one Austenesque book, lovingly based on Jane Austen's least popular novel, and all those folks who lo-o-o-o-o-oved Pride and Prejudice (and Colin Firth) did not by any means transfer that love to Mansfield Park.

But Meredith was one Fanny Price fan, and fellow mega-blogger Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose another. The two of them were gracious enough to read (or send for review) my little adaptation The Beresfords and to post their reviews, Meredith here and Austenprose here. Which meant, when everyone got together, I got to sit among the gen-u-ine authors of Austenesque books that had sold more than a piddly several hundred copies! Susan Mason-Milks opened her lovely home to us, and we shared a potluck lunch and happy discussion of (1) when we fell in love with Austen and, (2) what we had written or were writing.

"That took four hours?" asked my husband, when I finally returned. Well, no. It was so fun to hear snippets of everyone's story: children and marriages, illnesses and careers (yes, I group them together), (mis)adventures in the publishing world. And then there was plenty of talk about various adaptations--I was happy to learn I wasn't the only one who disliked the recent BBC production of Persuasion with Sally Hawkins running steeplechase through Bath.

A midget among giants

It was a lovely afternoon and encouraging to all--and I got to add some books to my to-read pile! So if you're looking for some more Austen-y books to read, let me introduce you to some new authors.

(L to R: Susan Mason-Milks, Yours Truly, Meredith Esparza, Katherine Reay, Laurel Ann Nattress, Shannon Winslow)

 Our hostess Susan penned Mr. Darcy's Proposal.

(Gorgeous cover and blurb courtesy of Goodreads)

This retelling of Pride and Prejudice asks “what if” events prevented Fitzwilliam Darcy from proposing to Elizabeth Bennet that day at Hunsford parsonage? Darcy arrives with marriage on his mind, only to find that Elizabeth has just received news her father is critically ill and probably dying. In the process of offering his help to her in traveling home, he discovers what she really thinks of him—and it’s not good. Should Darcy deliver Elizabeth home to be with her family and then disappear from her life, or will he propose another kind of help? Will Elizabeth be willing to sacrifice her future happiness to save her family from financial ruin? Or, do she and Darcy, two very stubborn people, have a chance of finding happiness together?

Meredith reads and reads and reads all manner of Austenesque books and reviews them thoughtfully on her site. She was kind enough to do two posts related to The Beresfords and to choose it as her "Favorite Modern Adaptation" of 2012. She also kindly reminded me that I had toyed with the notion of a Northanger Abbey re-do...

Laurel Ann Nattress not only blogs, but will also be leading a Jane Austen tour with author Syrie James in September, and is herself the editor of

Stories by: Lauren Willig • Adriana Trigiani • Jo Beverley • Alexandra Potter • Laurie Viera Rigler • Frank Delaney & Diane Meier • Syrie James • Stephanie Barron • Amanda Grange • Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Carrie Bebris • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley
“My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen—her novels, her life, her wit, her world.

In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger,” a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting” captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane” imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat,” our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales” based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity” finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; and in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,” a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise.

Regency or contemporary, romantic or fantastical, each of these marvelous stories reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors.

Katherine Reay's book Dear Mr. Knightley is actually forthcoming in November 2013:

Dear Mr. Knightley is a contemporary epistolary novel with a delightful dash of Jane Austen.
Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.
After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.
As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

 (Ooh! Sounds a little like Daddy Long-Legs meets my favorite Austen and Bronte books!)

And then there was Shannon Winslow, author of several books, of which she says The Darcys of Pemberley is her "cash cow." (What must that be like??? My former cash cow, Mourning Becomes Cassandra, died eons ago of hoof-and-mouth disease, I suspect.)

A sequel true to Jane Austen’s beloved masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have been married for almost a year, and their heated arguments are a thing of the past. All that passion is now directed into more satisfying pursuits. But how long can the honeymoon last? The couple’s idyllic life together at Pemberley is jeopardized by secrets they begin keeping from each other, the troubles of their closest friends, and the threat of a villain in their midst.

Layers of seemingly innocent deception are building between Darcy and Elizabeth, threatening their relationship. He is conducting some covert business dealings that he’s unwilling to share with his wife, and she likewise begins keeping things from him against her own better judgment. The couple also becomes embroiled in the tribulations of Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, and his friend and cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Fitzwilliam falls victim to their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as the object of her latest scheme to make a noble match for her daughter. Georgiana runs the gamut of emotions as she comes of age and learns the pain of unrequited love. Meanwhile, the menacing shadow of Mr. Darcy’s life-long nemesis, Mr. Wickham, looms ever larger.

The Darcys of Pemberley is the tale of two romances: the continuation of Darcy and Elizabeth’s story, and the courtship of Miss Georgiana. For those who didn’t want Pride and Prejudice to end, this novel gives the opportunity to learn what happens after the wedding, to revisit old friends and foes, and to share the next chapter of their lives.

Shannon and I actually met once years ago, when we were both at the PNWA Literary Conference reception for award winners, she for her romance For Myself Alone and me for Mia and the Magic Cupcakes. Since then we both went the self-publishing route.

Coming home rejuvenated, I am hereby sending my Regency romance manuscript The Naturalist to two more members of my critique group, and, once I get the kids off to school this week, I'm going to knuckle down and write. Yay! (For today. Ha ha.) Happy reading to you all.