Jane Austen

Mr Darcy’s Persuasion – Launch Day Fun!

~ Ada ~ 9 Comments
I’d only share this with you guys. Ada being the true nerd she is…

It’s a very different launch day for Cass and I! Normally we are together having a party with our family, friends and closest supporters!

We’ll be having a fab time, though, and will be celebrating from the time Cass gets up in Switzerland until I go to bed in California – an extra LOOOOOOONG day. Look out for posts and a giveaway or six. You can find us hanging out here (when we’re awake in our respective time zones): Facebook – Ada ond Cass and Instagram – @adacakes & @cassgraftonwriter

We’ll be doing some polls and silly interviews and contests in which you win nothing (but there will be giveaways too, lots of them)! Check in on Cass’s blog here to find out about the fab gift bundles we’re offering throughout the day!

We’re going to make it fun, we hope you join us and have some fun as well!

Pre-Order our Newest Novel!!

~ Ada ~ 5 Comments

As you may have seen around social media, Cass and I have our new co written Austen Inspired book up to pre-order. It is called Mr Darcy’s Persuasion and is a crossover between the stories of Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.

(oooooo look at that beautiful cover!!) ——>

Two of Jane Austen’s classics collide in this intriguing tale of pride, prejudice and persuasion, set in England’s beautiful West Country.

In the aftermath of the Netherfield Ball, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are determined to find respite—Darcy from the allure of the lady and the feelings she evokes in him, and Elizabeth from the drama unfolding at Longbourn.

Fate is not done with them, however, as they both—unbeknownst to the other—take refuge on the Kellynch estate in Somersetshire, home to Sir Walter Elliot and two of his daughters.

Whilst Elizabeth takes solace from her friendship with Anne Elliot, Darcy finds little comfort in his reacquaintance with the woman fast taking hold of his heart—or, indeed, in the eldest Miss Elliot’s company, whose fluttering eyelashes make her intentions plain.

As for Anne, it is five long years since she last laid eyes upon Frederick Wentworth, and though her regret lingers, she has found some contentment in life… until distressing news of the captain arrives.

When hints of deep secrets emerge—some recently stolen, others harboured for decades—the mystery begins to wrap tendrils around Darcy as he struggles to free himself from its ever-tightening bonds.

Can Darcy discover the truth before it is too late? Will Elizabeth even care if he does? And just what has become of Captain Wentworth?

If you enjoy Austen-inspired variations, then you’ll love Mr Darcy’s Persuasion—a tale of romance, friendship and mystery from award-winning writing duo, Cass Grafton and Ada Bright.

It will be released online and on paperback March 9, 2021 and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Pre-order HERE!!

(Pre-order is only up for digital copies at the moment).

Audio Anyone?

~ Ada ~ Leave a comment

Hello! Cass and I are so very thrilled to announce that Dreamscape Media is releasing The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen in audio book format TODAY, October 13 (physical CDs released Nov 3) and you can find it here!!!

There are a host of reasons why we are excited about this, but number one is that talented actress, comedienne and author, Alison Larkin, is the artist narrating our comedic tale of time travel and friendship. Alison is a multi-award winning Austen narrator—and the only person to narrate all six of Jane Austen’s novels—and we cannot wait for you to hear her read our characters. 

The audiobook release is also an opportunity to reach a new audience which is always fun, so please feel free to share the news with any friends you think might enjoy the book but read primarily in audiobook form!

Also, did you miss out on attending the annual Jane Austen festivals, notably the one held in Bath in September? Well, this is the perfect opportunity to participate by living through Rose and Morgan’s adventures!

Happy listening, everyone!

PS: The audio of the sequel, The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen, is available for pre-order and will release on November 17. You can pre-order here!

 

It’s Publication Day for The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen!!

~ Ada ~ 3 Comments

Hello! It is a very EXPECTED day for Cass and I and… ok, that was bad. I know.

The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen (SEQUEL to The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen) is officially released (digitally by Canelo Escape and in paperback by good ole’ Tabby Cow Press and you can purchase it in either format here!)

Did we mention that? We have a paperback edition too, and here’s the gorgeous cover:

I know Cass and I have already talked about the fun we have co-writing, but I just want to say that I actually had more fun writing this book than the first. Some of that has to do with the success of the first, I’m sure, but I know we’re both very excited to see if fans of the first enjoy the second as much as we hope you do.

Not sure what it’s about? You can read the full blurb here, but essentially, the story begins barely ten minutes after the end of the first book – for Rose, that is. For Jane, it’s ten years since they last met! Our time-travelling author has come forward from 1813, and as she is no longer living in Bath but in Chawton in Hampshire, much of the story takes place there. Cue lots of research from us both on our recent visit!

This is us at Chawton Cottage and in Jane and Cassandra’s bedroom in Chawton, both of which play a part in The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen, as does Chawton House.

We hope you’ll join us in following Jane and Rose on their latest adventure! As for today, celebrate with us! Raise a glass to welcome the new arrival, whether it be wine or whiskey, chocolate milk or coffee!

Show us a picture of you joining us in a toast in the comments. Cass and I may be eight hours apart today, but we”ll post our own pictures in the comments when each of us gets to have a drink. Cheers!

GIVEAWAY Winners Announced!

~ Cass ~ 4 Comments

We are delighted to announce the three winners of a paperback copy of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen!

There were 31 entries in the draw, and the winners are:

kneyda

Ashley

Carmen

Many congratulations to all 3 of you, and thank you so much to everyone who entered. We really enjoyed reading your responses.

Please can the winners email me on cass {dot} grafton at yahoo {dot} com with your mailing address, and I’ll get your book out to you as soon as possible!

 

 

 

Dressing the Part

~ Ada ~ 6 Comments

BP Soldiers

If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know Cass and I were set to appear at the Jane Austen Festival’s Pre-Festival Get Together on Friday, September 13 in Bath!

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that my little traveling party (my 16 year old daughter, Abby, and my mother-in-law) decided to take advantage of the opportunity to walk in the famous Grand Regency Promenade during the Festival.

This is a costumed event that is always popular and… if I can just say it – AWESOME.

Cass had walked the Promenade before, but this year she decided to watch and was therefore designated as photographer. As for the rest of us, we needed to start from scratch.

BP Sarah
Beautifully dressed promenaders!!

First thing was to pick fabric.

I was pretty nervous about this part. I’m not great at visualizing a finished product. The last time I picked fabric for something it was an armchair and I regretted it and continue to regret it 18 years later.

I also know that a lot of the wonderful people who dress Regency for this type of event choose beautiful era appropriate fabric and patterns, so I went into the fabric store stressed by the entire idea.

Luckily, when I get like that my family knows well enough to ignore me and get on with the task at hand!

IMG_8148And sure enough, Abby was the one who caught sight of a pretty cream fabric with little flowers that looked right enough. And it happened to have a darker, sister fabric that I thought would compliment my complexion better as well. Sold!

It just so happens that my mother and my mother-in-law both know their way around a needle and thread. So my mother-in-law chose to make her own dress, and my mother got stuck with doing the other two.

They got to work on the measuring, cutting, sewing, and my mom twisted our ears until we made time to try on the dresses during the different stages. In fact, my mother-in-law ended up making not one but TWO dresses. Both very cute.

(Yes, never fear, I am aware I hit the mother AND mother-in-law jackpot. How often does that happen?)

Meanwhile I went hunting on Etsy for bonnets.  This is my daughter and I in ours:

 

The next worry was packing them!

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This is the bonnets in their own special box on the airport bus!

And then, after a flight, a few days of all sorts of fun, and a quick iron, we were dressed ready for the Promenade!

Have you ever walked the Grand Regency Promenade through the streets of beautiful Bath? We highly recommend it!

Charmed at the Festival! Our book launches at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath

~ Ada ~ 3 Comments

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen
The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen

Cass and I were honored to be invited to launch our new release through Canelo Escape,  The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen, at the Pre-Festival Get Together for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath last month, and it was a fantastic night!

The book is, after all, set during this very Festival in the beautiful city of Bath, so what could be more fitting?

EERH9911
Outside St Swithin’s Church

The sell-out event took place at St Swithin’s Church (where Jane Austen’s parents were married), and we arrived to find the lovely Festival volunteers had readied everything. All we had to do was set out our books and publicity material and wait nervously for people to arrive (Cass felt a lot better once she had a glass of wine in her hand)!

IMG_9731
Sneak peak at goody bag contents!

We’d had posters made up for both The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen and the sequel, The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen (releasing 7th November but already up for pre-order!), along with the blurb – which you can read here for the first book in the Austen Adventures series, and here for the second. This enabled us to have some lovely conversations with people attending the event, and we were delighted with the interest in our stories.

We’d made up some goody bags for the first 30 people to buy signed books, which proved very popular, especially the Californian candy and the Swiss chocolate!

IMG_0083
Ada and Cass with Q&A host, Dr Gaby Malcolm

We were honored to have Dr. Gabrielle Malcolm (amongst other things, an Austen scholar and author of the upcoming non-fiction book, There’s Something About Darcy – releasing on 11th November) introducing us and moderating a Q&A, which was a lot of fun.

Afterwards, there was time for more conversation as we signed books and handed out the goody bags, during which we met some lovely people from across the globe.

We were also touched and thrilled to see several friends there, who had all travelled some distance to support us.

A huge thank you to everyone involved. We had a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen – Book Two of The Austen Adventures Series

~ Cass ~ 12 Comments

We’re excited to formally reveal the cover for the upcoming sequel to The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen!  Billed as ‘a page-turning story of adventure, friendship and family’, it’s now up for pre-order here.
 It’s Isn’t it pretty? And here’s the cover blurb:

Rose Wallace thought her time-travelling adventures were over. Jane Austen is about to prove her wrong.

After becoming trapped in present-day Bath due to a mishap with her time-travelling charm, Jane Austen is safe and sound back in the 1800s thanks to Rose’s help. Now, Rose is ready to focus on her fledgling romance with dreamy Dr Aiden Trevellyan.

But when Jane reappears in the present, it looks like Rose and Aiden have no choice but to follow her back to 1813…

Staying in the Austen household, Rose and Aiden are introduced to a number of interesting figures from the past, including Jane’s eccentric – and surprisingly modern – neighbour. Suddenly Rose’s life is in need of a re-write as she discovers some unexpected ties to Jane Austen’s world and her past.

The sequel to The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen will be released on 7th November 2019.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, you can obtain it here:

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen – eBook

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen – paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy reading!!

Giveaway Winners Announced!!

~ Cass ~ 5 Comments

Hello! We’re back!

It’s been a whirlwind of a week, with us both flying to the UK for the launch event of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, but now we’re back home and able to announce the winners of our paperback giveaway (from the earlier post, Don’t judge a book by it’s… wait! Go on, then!)

There were three copies up for grabs (signed by both authors), and here are the winners:

rp73fr

Vesper

Jeannie

Please email me on cassandra (dot) grafton (at) gmail (dot) com with the address you’d like your book sent to, and we’ll make sure they wing their way to you directly! 😉

Thank you to everyone who entered into the spirit of the draw and many congratulations to our winners!

More news coming soon about the upcoming sequel to The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen (official cover reveal tomorrow from Canelo) and some insights into our adventures in Bath this last weekend!

 

 

 

Don’t judge a book by it’s… wait! Go on, then!

~ Ada ~ 30 Comments

Hello again everyone!

If you follow Cass or I on any social media platforms you probably already know our biggest news (also mentioned in my last post): the eBook of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen… AND it’s sequel (I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you the title yet) were acquired by Canelo Digital Publishing at the end of last year.

One of the many things we were excited about on entering the traditionally published world was that there would be real artists and professionals creating our covers!

Our first cover will always be near and dear to us, but at the end of the day it didn’t reflect the light hearted nature of our writing and so… drumroll please… HERE is what the professionals came up with:

I love the color and the whimsy of it. I love the animals and the little Royal Crescent at the top. Hopefully it will grab readers that our first cover might have put off.

But wait! There’s more!

We did edit the manuscript before submitting to Canelo, and with the interior updated to reflect this, it seemed the perfect time to brighten up the paperback cover as well.  

Of course we couldn’t step on the publisher’s toes as far as making the two too similar, but we found something refined and pretty (just like main character Rose).

So HERE is what we came up with:

This means that if you have a book with this new cover, then you have the new and revised version of our book, which we are immensely proud of.

Whereas if you have this cover:

Print

Congratulations! You have the OG (this is apparently a reference no one is going to get based on asking several peers – basically I just mean ‘the original’) version of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen.

Regardless of the covers, it might be sensible to tell you a little about the inside of the book, for those who haven’t yet read it!

Here we go:

When a time travelling Jane Austen gets stuck in modern-day Bath it’s up to avid Janeite Rose Wallace to save her… because she’s the only one who knows that Jane exists!

Rose Wallace’s world revolves around all things Austen, and with the annual festival in Bath – and the arrival of dishy archaeologist, Dr Aiden Trevellyan – just around the corner, all is well with the world…

But then a mysterious woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to the great author moves in upstairs, and things take a disastrous turn. Rose’s new neighbour is Jane Austen, whose time travel adventure has been sabotaged by a mischievous dog, trapping her in the twenty-first century.

Rose’s life is instantly changed – new home, new job, new friends – but she’s the only one who seems to have noticed! To right the world around her, she will have to do whatever it takes to help Jane get back home to write Rose’s beloved novels. Because a world without Mr Darcy? It’s not worth living in!

~o0o~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

As we approach the release date for the eBook (12th September – it’s available for pre-order here!), we’ve decided to give away a few copies of the new, revised paperback! What’s more, these will be signed by both authors (not a thing that happens very often with the distance between us!)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, letting us know your thoughts on any of the covers (do you have a favourite, anything you love, anything you don’t), and then we’ll enter your name in the draw, which will be made on Sunday, 15th September in Bath!

Draw open internationally! Closing date for entries is 12th September 2019.

Thank you for bearing with us! We hope you enjoy the next few months where we should be posting here more regularly!