Teacup winners and a new giveaway!

Hellooooo, everybody!
 I love being able to announce a winner but what's better is being able to announce FOUR WINNERS!

 Are you all ready??

BECKY CHERRINGTON
ANNA KERNS
SAGAN CHILDS
LYNDA EDWARDS

 Rafflecopter loves ALL OF YOU and wants you to have a pretty tea cup! Thank you to everyone who entered and never fear, there are many more prizes to come!

 Now, all giveaways have been sent or ordered at this point so if you haven't received your goodies, just be patient a little while longer. The teacups will need some tender loving care, so they won't be mailed until later this week (because I need to find the perfect little boxes to ensure their survival through the postal system).


  NOW, for the next giveaway! (You thought I was kidding when I said I had oodles and oodles of Austen gifts, didn't you? HA!)
As a foodie (or as the French say, une gastronome) I horde cookbooks like a film buff collects movies. I love them vintage, modern, ethnic, short, oversized, sassy, serious, and everything in between. Why? Because I like to cook! (I hope there's not another 'why' waiting, because that should be obvious: I love to EAT.)

  This next giveaway is a dozen Jane Austen recipe cards on heavy notepaper. I have a set of these and they're just darling, but yours will come straight from Dorothy Jane, which a wonderful little etsy shop. (I'm currently smitten with her  blue bird nest tags but have absolutely no reason to buy them. Note to self: find purpose for delightful gift tags even though all upcoming birthdays are for males over the age of 10.)

 Now, these recipe cards might just come in very handy with the NEXT few rounds of giveaways. *hint hint*

Oh, forget about the hinting! Here's a sneak peak at what we have in store!

WHOOHOOO! Look at all those fun books: Southern Cakes, Southern Pies, A Jane Austen Cookbook and Pride and Prejudice paper dolls!

 All right, my friends. Enter early and often- and good luck!
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Winner of the Bingley's Tea!!! And the chance to win a Darcy Proposal Mug

Hellloooo, everybody!

 Rafflecopter has chosen a winner

for the wonderful Bingley's Teas sampler and it is SHARI .

Whoohooo!

Now, because I've been hoarding Austen goodies for MONTHS, I need to have another giveaway before my friends and family stage an intervention. This time, it's a Darcy Proposal mug!

 *swoon*

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Winners!! We have winners!! (****and ANOTHER giveaway****)

Is there anything better than spreading the love of Jane Austen?  Ok, maybe a few things, but STILL, I'm so excited to be handing out Austen movie!

 In my last post I announced that the fantabulous Beth Adams at Howard Books has taken over the heavy lifting with my Austen Takes the South series. To celebrate, I decided we all needed a big fluffy blanket, a big bowl of popcorn and some Austen movies. (We readers can't read ALL the time. We need to break up the monotony.)

SO, without further ado:

Christalee, rafflecopter loves you and wants you to have PERSUASION.

Linda M., rafflecopter loves you and wants you to have PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 2005.

Aleena, rafflecopter loves you and wants you to have EMMA, 2009.

And last, but not least, Wendy! Rafflecopter loves you and wants you to have PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 1995!

Thank you ALL for coming over to celebrate with me! I have many Austen items left, so....

Here's the next wonderful bit of Austen love...

A  Pride and Prejudice Anniversary Notions Sampler

 from Bingley's Teas!

Description:
For the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, we are happy to fulfill a longtime request to have a sampler edition of teas.
Included in each "Notions" box, 15 grams each of Mr. Darcy and Longbourn Wedding Tea; and 20 grams each of Miss Elizabeth and Sweet Jane (Bennet).
Enough for you to discover which tea or teas might be your favorite. Find a cozy corner, steep and re-read one of the most famous classics ever written by Jane Austen!

Ok, everybody, have fun entering and get those mugs ready!

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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! *and some itty bitty prizes*

Helloooooo, everybody! 
I'm so sorry I haven't been in here for a while. As per my last post, I've been... busy. Writing, learning, writing, revising, napping, writing, eating, writing. (Ok, that got old fast. Wow, nothing more depressing than seeing your life spelled out in gerunds.)

 Christmas happened and my own group of little lovelies were on hand to celebrate. This is our table topper. I wish I could have left it up all year, but it started to get a little dry by Jan 15th.

 Some mod podge and paper punch snowflakes and I finally escaped from the land of Pinterest fails.

 Of course, there were cookies. Lots of cookies.

As for writing, I've been immersed in another Austen Takes the South story.

Getting lost in history...

                                                    
Pausing to revel in Southern beauty and grandeur...
                                                
 And emerging to take a breath of Southern style...

(Oh, wait. Rupert Penry-Jones has come to pay us a visit!)
Can you guess which Austen story I'm working on now? Yes?

Well, before we go there, I need to tell you something very exciting. In October, Beth Adams of Howard Books contacted me, wanting to know if I was open to selling this self published series.

                                                 (This is me. A happy writer, pecking away at my keyboard and dropping books into Kindle land. Awwww....)


  As a contented little indie author, it certainly gave me pause. What would it mean to have a traditional house heading this project? What kind of changes would there be? Were there limits to my story lines now? It was a big decision and we talked it over thoroughly. I knew this series needed serious editorial help. I also have always known that self publishing on Kindle doesn't reach the majority of readers. Some authors have successfully sold print on demand books in large quantities, but my earnings in paper were modest. I also knew my paper books weren't as polished as they could be, but I wasn't sure how to make them better. I knew it could be done, but I just didn't have the knowledge, or the time to invest in learning how to make it happen.

  In the end, I realized that I wanted to partner with an editor who loved Austen and understood this series. After much thought and prayer, I felt sure that Beth and Howard Books would bring new life to my quirky little romances. I loved them and wanted the best for them... and I took a chance.

And has it been an amazing journey! In just a few months we've edited both Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits AND Emma, Mr. Knightley and Chili-Slaw Dogs. The second of the series had some holes in plot and character motivation that needed to be filled, and it was a blast to dive back into that story. Beth Adams has an amazing gift for seeing a story from several different directions. Her questions always set me thinking on ways to bring the characters into tighter focus. I loved the stories before, but I'm very proud of them now.

The new ebooks became available on Amazon on the 14th. So far, more than ten people have contacted me to say they love the new edition more than the original, saying the story truly shines now. I agree!

So, all of this is to announce that this series is now part of Simon and Schuster/ Howard Books! And to celebrate, we're going to have to give away prizes. Since Rupert Penry-Jones was not available as a rafflecopter prize, I've had to settle for Austen movies. I tried to buy several different editions because I KNOW there is that tiny disagreement between fans over the 1995 and the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movies. (I would tell you which one I love the most, but I don't want to start a food fight on my first day back on the blog.)
                                        
I WILL tell you that Persuasion is my next book in the series! Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread has been a thrill and a half to write.

Here's a peek at the (brand new, of course, since I have my own copies) movies I'm giving away. There are four, so enter often! Tell your friends and family!
Or not. If you can keep the entries down, you might just win THEM ALL.

And the typewriter is not for sale. She's my lovely baby and comes with me to book signings. Also, she weighs approximately a hundred pounds and I would be poor if I tried to ship her anywhere.
The giveaway ends on the 27th. Good luck!


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New covers!!!

Ok, everybody, it was wayyyy past due but I finally got some real covers made for these two books out now.

 First off, my baby....

My first....

My New Year's Eve moment of insanity....

All grown up. :)

 

 Of course, what comes next? Paper copies! yes, for all of you who eschew the Kindle and embrace the ancient art of paper publishing, this little (mercy, actually about 368 pages) book will be in paper soon! Until then, you all can buy it here on Kindle.

 

 

All right, ready for the next one???? Now, my historical always had a cover I hated. It was slapped together (ok, it took me 4 hours) on Powerpoint and it admittedly... sucked the big Kahuna.

But it still sold better (five thousand copies so far!) than quirky Southern Jane Austen. Everybody loves a historical, right? But not everybody loves a crapalicious cover. Here's the old one...

Yikes. What can I say? It had to go.

Much better!! And since she's a portrait painter, I really like the model's position. Isn't that SO much better??? And I think the covers are helping sales, too. (I mean, duh, of course they would but it's nice to see it for realz.)

  Ok, that's about it. Remember you can find me on facebook here and here, depending on what series you want to follow. :)

  Now, back to the AA's for Season of Hope (releasing Nov 2012) and tonight, digging back into 'Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs', which I'm absolutely loving!

  I've always loved Emma and Mr. Knightley. But as Southerners, I just have to love them a bit more.

  Take care and be good and get out into the sunshine!!

 

 

Wheeee! Give away time! Pride and Prejudice DVD!

Okay, so I recently logged the 3,000th sale of my wacky little Southern Jane Austen book and I'd like to celebrate!

(See, Calvin and Hobbes know how to celebrate... with a giveaway!)
My little baby is growing up! Through the good times (five star reviews!), the bad times (one star review because... well, you can read it), and the very best of times (hitting the top of the Christian romance lists!).

I almost missed the big day because I was working on that synopsis for the new contract (arg! SYNOPSIS!) and didn't check my sales for a few days. But I saw it, just in time, and savored the moment.... with a big cookie. 'Cause that's how I roll.
If you missed the contract announcement, it was on Yankee Belle Cafe with Mercer Meyer.

  If you haven't head how it came to be, there's a fun little interview about it on Inkwell Inspirations here. 

Or you can read another interview about it on the My Jane Austen Book Club blog here.

 Anyway! Here's what we'll do... Anyone who likes the facebook page (right here) or leaves a comment there or leaves a comment here, will be entered into the nifty drawing. Make sure you like or comment on the giveaway post, because if you like one of those pretty pictures from way back, I may not catch it.

And what are we giving away??? Of course copies of the beautiful baby girl book. AND the Kiera Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice DVD, delivered directly from Amazon.

Those who know me wil wonder aloud WHY the 2005 version, since I think Kiera has a chicken neck and walks as if there's a ruler duct-taped to her back. But I know she's popular. So, Kiera it is.

Thanks for celebrating with me! I'm going to make this cheesecake tomorrow!!

And if you've read Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits be sure to leave a review. (Not a one star. One stars are for books that make you cry yourself to sleep.)

SMALL PRINT IN BIG PRINT SO YOU WILL NOTICE AND READ IT: Feel free to comment for the chance at the digital copy (of any of my books, actually) but the DVD will be sent to a winner in the US only. Please and thank you.