delightful diversions from the heart...

P&P200

2011-11-27T14:46:00.001-06:00

For the few of you who may not have heard about it, austen authors is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice by writing vignettes from Jane Austen's novel through the point of view of a variety of characters. See what happened behind the scenes that she didn't read about. We are posting the vignettes on the 'day' that they would have happened. This weekend was the Netherfield Ball, and yesterday, the day of the ball, November 26, we had vignettes from everyone from Darcy to Darcy's valet. You can read from the beginning by clicking here.

Today is the day after the ball, and is anyone happy? We have three stories for you, including mine, as Caroline Bingley and Mr. Darcy conspire about what to do with Mr. Bingley and his interest in Jane Bennet. Come on by! You won't want to miss a single one!

How to Get the Paperback!

2011-11-22T18:20:00.001-06:00

Compare to get the best deal!

"Pemberley Celebrations: The First Year" is now showing up as a paperback at amazon.com. Here is the link. The retail price is $12.95 and it qualifies for Super Saver shipping on orders over $25. Although it says 'temporarily out of stock' it is self-published and a print on demand book, so they should be able to get it fairly quickly once the orders come in. Eventually, they will carry them in stock, as they do my other self-published books. And they'll probably begin showing up on other online booksellers.

As usual, the paperback is available at lulu.com. Here is the link to my storefront there. I have a permanent discount on the book selling at $10.36, and currently there is a coupon code you can use at lulu to get 25% off your total book order through Dec. 14, up to $50. See which one gives you the best deal before you buy from either. The code is BUYMYBOOK305.

Winners!

2011-11-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the 2 winners of "Pemberley Celebrations: The First Year! Kelli H and Oloore each won a copy. Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get them right off to you. I hope you enjoy it!

Launch of Pemberley Celebrations

2011-11-10T23:30:00.000-06:00

Today is 11/11/11! And if you pay attention, twice today it will be 11/11/11/11:11:11! This happens only once every one hundred years, when the TWO numbers are all the same! It’s an exciting day, isn’t it? (BTW, Jane Austen would have been just one month shy of 36 when it occurred 200 years ago!

Well it’s an exciting day for me for another reason, as it is Launch Day (both here and at Austen Authors) for Pemberley Celebrations: The First Year!

Yes, I am celebrating a new book, but it is very different from my others. First of all, it’s not a novel, but a compilation of short holiday stories. You might be saying to yourself, Not another book of Christmas stories! I’ll respond to that with a definitive “Yes” and “No!”

This is a book of holiday stories in the Darcys’ first year of marriage. So, since they were married before Christmas, I have begun the book with Christmas stories (4 of them, in fact!). But then we follow them through the year with New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter, May Day, Midsummer’s Day, Michaelmas, All Hallows’ Eve, A Birthday, and finally, A First Anniversary (and don't worry, there are 2 birthdays celebrated, but the other is associated with another holiday).

Some of the stories are just sweet stories (in fact, you’d probably say there is very little angst in the Christmas stories – after all, they are just newlyweds). But difficulties eventually do come their way, whether it’s in dealings with other family members, acquaintances, or simply circumstances.
I began writing most of these stories ten years ago as I was working on one of my earlier books. I posted the stories online throughout the year as the holidays came around.

When I broke my ankle earlier this summer and had some time on my hands (because I was off my feet!), I decided to go ahead and clean these stories up, write a few more, and self-publish it. I hope you will enjoy it, whether you read it all at once or read each story at the appropriate time of the year.

Self-publishing gives me the opportunity to be more hands-on with the book. I enjoyed making the cover from a photograph of a friend's daughter who had gone to England. When I saw her photo of the four paned window, I knew that had to be part of my cover! Each pane, of course, shows the grounds of Pemberley in a different season.

The other thing I enjoyed was making the silhouettes of Elizabeth and Darcy. I started with a big black oval and cut away, added to it, hit ‘undo’ several times, over and over, until I was happy with them. Some of you may remember that I have a bookcase which has all my Austen-related items on it, including something special from each of my books. For Pemberley Celebrations I have a little double frame that has their silhouettes in it.

Last Halloween I posted a link to my All Hallows Eve story from this book. This year, since it is November, and I have chosen that to be the month of Mr. Darcy’s birthday, I have included a segment from that story at Austen Authors.

As usual, I will be giving away two copies of Pemberley Celebrations: The First Year here. I will allow one international winner. To be entered in the drawing, please leave a comment and include your email address and where you live (US, Canada, or other country).

I will also be giving away one copy at Austen Authors so stop by there, too. That one will be US and Canada only. You have through next Thursday, November 17, to post a comment to qualify at both sites. I will announce the winner on Sunday, November 20. Good luck!

The iBookstore!

2011-10-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Pemberley Celebrations is now at the iBookstore. But wait! This is not the only news! My other self-published books will soon all be there, as well. Right now you can get Assumed Engagement and Drive and Determination for your iPad. Assumed Obligation has been approved, so it should be showing up shortly. Master Under Good Regulation needed some things to be changed, so I had to resubmit it. That one will take longer to show up.

November 4 - Surprise! Surprise! Just discovered that Sourcebooks has put Darcy's Voyage on iBookstore! Must have done it in the last few days. Now hoping Only Mr. Darcy Will Do shows up.

Paperback and hardback at lulu.com

2011-10-17T16:03:00.002-05:00

Celebrate Pemberley Celebrations! The big news is that not only is the paperback now available on lulu, it is discounted (and always will be at lulu) from $12.95 to $10.96 (there is no guarantee what amazon will do when it shows up there), but also... there is a free ground shipping coupon at lulu good through Oct. 20. If you use it, you can buy my book and any other books you find there for free ground shipping up to $50. This is a great deal! Use the code OCTGROUND305 when you check out.

Also, for those who may want one, I have also made a hardback, which is more money, but I wanted one for myself and others in the past have purchased my other self-published books in that way (only available at lulu.com). It is $18.95.

Here are the two direct links:

paperback: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/pemberley-celebrations---the-first-year/17969475

hardback: http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/pemberley-celebrations---the-first-year/17978656

Again, I'll let you know as others become available. Remember, the kindle format is now available on amazon.com.

It's Starting to Show Up!

2011-10-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

The first version of "Pemberley Celebrations - The First Year" is available on kindle at amazon. It snuck in there sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning. I uploaded it Thursday afternoon and was supposed to wait 24-48 hours before it finished 'publishing.' I wanted to catch it as soon as it went live, so I could buy it for my kindle and see how it looked. So the next morning, which was only about 10 hours later, I was suprised to see I had some sales on it! I went to my kindle 'dashboard,' saw that it still said 'publishing' but went out to the amazon store, found it, and bought it for my kindle. There were a few formatting changes I wanted to make, but while it was in this nebulous publishing stage, I couldn't do a thing to it. I had to wait until this morning, when it was finally finished with publishing, and I was able to upload the new file with the few format changes.

If you purchased a kindle yesterday (or will today, for I don't know when that new version will go into effect), you can always reupload the book to get the current book.

I hope you enjoy the stories in the book. There are 4 Christmas stories, which are basically one long story divided up into 4 events. Nothing traumatic or angsty in these stories - remember, Elizabeth and Darcy are just married! But as you get into the other stories, there will be a little bit of conflict, whether it be between the two of them, acquaintances, family members, or just circumstances.

I know that everyone will want to read all the stories when you first get the book. But feel free to go back on the different holidays throughout the year and read them again. I hope you will.

New Book Getting Closer!

2011-09-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

I am in the final edits of the "Pemberley Celebrations" book, a compilation of short holiday stories in Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy's first year of marriage. It's not just a book of Christmas stories. You will also find New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, May Day, Midsummer's Day, Michaelmas, All Hallow's Eve, Birthdays, and First Anniversary. It should be available this fall - I will let you know when it becomes available.

To whet your appetite, here is the cover:

A Couple Things

2011-09-16T06:24:00.001-05:00

Update on my broken ankle status: I went to the doctor yesterday (Thursday), got an x-ray, and was told I can now walk on my foot without the boot! Yeah! The only problem I have is that it still swells easily and I can't get any of my shoes on it. They adjusted the boot so it has a full range of motion, whereas for 5 weeks it's been at a 90 degree angle. It felt odd walking out with my ankle actually moving - almost disconcerting! Anyway, I can now begin to drive again, and once I figure out the shoe situation, things will almost be back to normal. (I do have some little pain and odd feeling issues, but nothing too annoying.)

Secondly, today (Friday) was my post on Austen Authors. Stop by for some "Serendipitous Inspiration."

Thoughts about 911 and Jane Austen

2011-09-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

I debated writing anything today about 911, as there has been so much going on today to remind us of that day ten years ago. Of course I remember what I was doing when I first heard about it: I was driving to work and heard on the news how a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Like many others, I first assumed it was an accident, but they were saying they thought it was a commercial plane, and that just didn’t seem right. But a few minutes later, when they announced that a second plane, a commercial plane, had hit the second tower, I knew the world we lived in had instantly changed.

Like many of you, I was glued to the tv for the remainder of the day. Shock, fear, grief, and a complete sense of the unreal are descriptions of how I felt.

But I also struggled with something else.

The week before, I had just posted the first chapter of my first book, “Assumed Engagement” on two Jane Austen sites. My second chapter was ready, and I had intended to post it that day. Now, it seemed to me as though posting a chapter of a Jane Austen variation seemed frivolous! I just about decided to forget the whole thing. But I began to notice something.

People online were posting about their grief and shock. We were all going through the same thing. But for the next few days, they expressed how they found that reading Jane Austen inspired stories online was actually helping them get through the intense feelings of that day.

I waited a few days, but I did go ahead and post my next chapter. That was 10 years ago, and while we still live in a very different world (different from before that fateful day and very different from Jane Austen’s day), those stories she penned continue to soothe and calm us, giving us a little bit of an escape.

I think it’s interesting that Jane didn’t refer to the wars going on with France in her books. I am sure that there were many who lived in fear of what might happen. Perhaps she knew that her readers would get more enjoyment from stories about people in simple country neighbourhoods so they could step away from those difficult things they faced in their own life. And we all face them at one time or another.

I started out today by going to church, as I do every Sunday, and we talked about God being our refuge and strength, and that He never changes. I am also grateful that He is my rock, a sure foundation, even (or should I say especially) in times of trouble. I didn't want to watch any of the specials that aired, as I do tend to feel the depth of what went on that day, even though I was so far away. For those of you who were more intimately affected, I hope and pray that this day has been a source of healing and comfort to you.

Kara Louise

September Musings

2011-09-02T08:19:00.000-05:00

Summer is almost over! We just broke a record in Wichita for the number of days over 100 degrees. Normally we have around 4. The record was 50. We broke the record on Wednesday, and it looks like there will be a few more thrown in for good measure. It has been pretty difficult, but since I broke my ankle in June and don't do much except go from the air conditioned house to our car to work and back, I haven't really been as affected by it as others.

Of course, the adventure with my broken ankle has been much fun, either! I am getting around pretty welll on crutches, but it is tiring. I just went with my husband to the store and had to sit down a few times. It was also so hot outside, that this was the first time I was really affected by it. But cool temps are on the way! The first full week of September is going to be all in the 80s! Hallelujah!

I go to the doctor on Sept. 15, and hopefully he will tell me I can take the boot off and being walking without it! I am so looking forward to that!

So what else is happening in September other than cooler temperatures and putting away this whole broken ankle escapade? The Austen Authors One-Year Anniversary! We began on Sept. 6, 2010, and this year, as a way of celebrating, we will be offering 6 days of fun and games and prizes for you! So be sure to stop by!

In other news, my next book, "Pemberley Celebrations - the first year," should be done and ready for self-publishing. I have the cover ready and am just going through the edits of each 'holiday' story. If you read it years ago when it was online, I have added several stories and cleaned it up! It will start with Christmas, and have New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, May Day, and several others. I'll keep you updated on it.

Exciting Month of August!

2011-07-21T18:33:00.007-05:00

Austenesque is having an Extravaganza during the month of August! Head on over to her site here. Every day of the week will be something new with guest posts and lots of giveaways! I will be giving away a copy of Darcy's Voyage, but you should see the list of participants she has! I know it will be lots of fun, so put it in your calendar and set a reminder for August 1! You won't want to miss it!

And coming in September, Austen Authors will be celebrating their one-year anniversary! More details on that to follow! I'll be giving away a copy of "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" on the day of my blog. Again, there will be posts and giveaways galore!

Darcy's Voyage discounted

2011-07-17T17:54:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, and I don't know for how long, but the paperback version of Darcy's Voyage is currently only $6.00 at Amazon! That's $8.99 off the retail price, lower than even the kindle version! So if you have wanted the book, now would be a great time to go and buy it! I also checked Barnes and Noble, and it still only the regular discount of $10.95, so it must just be an Amazon thing. I think I might even buy some for myself! :)

A Change of Plans

2011-06-13T15:57:00.001-05:00

For those of you who had not heard, I fell and broke my ankle a little over a week ago. It was nothing exciting, like travelling down a zip line and crashing into a pole at the end, or going water skiing and coming down hard. No, I was merely stepping down one step outside our house, and stepped down wrong. I knew by the feel of it that it was bad. But oddly enough, it didn't hurt.

I yelled at my husband, who was fortunately at home and within hearing distance. I often have wondered if I would be able to yell if I needed to. Well, now I know I can. We live out in the country, and I wondered if any of the neighbors heard. (If they did, they didn't check on the situation.)

My husband backed the car up to where I was sprawled out, and helped me into the back seat. I could tell by the way it was flopping and grinding that I wouldn't be going to Arizona, as I had planned the following Wednesday. I would no longer be going out to see my mom and sister.

In the ER, the doctor looked at it and decided without too much consideration to call in the orthopedic surgeon who was on call. She looked to see who it was and told me she was glad it was this particular doctor. Apparently he is good and I needed someone good. All in all, from everyone who either saw my foot or the x-rays, I got 2 "Wow!"s, 2 "That's Impressive"s and 1 "You did it good!" All of which meant that it was not good for me.

I broke the ankle in 2 places and dislocated it. I would need surgery, but because of swelling and a wound that was caused by the bone trying to poke out, it would need to wait. They put a hard splint on it and wrapped it, and sent me home with the admonition to not put ANY pressure on that ankle, make an appointment with the doctor's office on Thursday, and plan for surgery on Friday.

When I got home, we had crutches waiting for us. We had called some friends from the hospital and they picked up a pair from another mutual friend. Try using crutches when you've been through that much trauma and you can only use one foot! Yeah, right!

My husband brought home a wheelchair from church the next day, which made the situation much better! I survived the 5 days until the doctor's appt. without putting any weight on the broken foot.

But, alas, at the doctor's appt. he was not happy with the wound, so he pushed surgery out another week. Heavens! Not another week of this! (The reason being he didn't want to put a permanent cast over the wound and risk infection.)

So here I am waiting, now, until this Friday, June 17 to have surgery. I have to go in Thursday again, to have him look at it, but am pretty sure they'll go ahead with it. If I do have it, you won't hear from me for a day or 2 afterwards, but I'll be sure to update you.

I miss not being able to visit my mom and sister now (despite it being over 100 there!), but I am so grateful for so many things: that my husband was home and heard me yell; that I didn't break anything else going down; that I have literally had no pain; that I was able to get a portion of my airline ticket fare applied to a future flight; and that since I had planned to be gone from work, I already had a gal ready to fill in for me (and I've actually been able to go in and work a little each day!).

This is certainly not how I planned to spend the past 2 weeks and probably at least the next 6 weeks, but maybe I'll get some good writing in. My hubby and I had been talking about me getting a new laptop, and he went ahead and ordered it, and it came last Friday. We have had some internet issues with it, but it's pretty much up and running now, and I'm using it now to write this.

In Darcy's Voyage, Elizabeth is recovering from a sprained ankle and encounters Mr. Darcy. While I already have my Mr. Darcy, maybe I can have another sort of encounter that will make this all worth it!

And the Winner is...

2011-04-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Michelle! She wins a copy of "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do." I really can't choose a winner by your stories, I had to draw to make it fair and unbiased! I will be emailing each of you, though!
Congratulations!

Win a Copy of "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do"

2011-04-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

My month-long blog tour has come to an end, but it was so much fun. I enjoyed reading people's comments who were following me around, as well as those who were hearing about me and my book for the first time. There were several blogs offering giveaways, and I congratulate each one of you that won a free copy.

But... I want to offer just one more! Tell me in the comments here why you would love a free, signed copy of "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" and I will select a winner. (And yes, this will be open to international addresses, too.) So, bring out those sob stories and tell me why you should win. This giveaway is only for those who do not already have the book, whether you bought it or won it. And Please... please... please include your email address so I can contact you.

You have one week to present your case. I will announce the winner next Saturday, April 8. Good luck!

A Treasure Hunt!

2011-03-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

I only have a few blogs left to do, but I thought the one today (Wednesday, March 23) was quite fun. I hope you can stop by the LoveRomancePassion blog to participate. In addition to the normal giveaway of the book Only Mr. Darcy Will Do, there is a treasure hunt. I was asked to put together a treasure hunt much like Mr. Darcy does in OMDWD, but instead of being on the grounds of Pemberley, it is on the internet. There are ways to get more than one chance at the drawing, so be sure to stop by and give it a go! The questions are related to Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice, so you don't have to have read OMDWD to do well.

If you already have the book, if you win you can always give it to a friend. :)

Congratulations to the Winners!

2011-03-06T23:01:00.008-06:00

Yep! I am giving away 2 books (one is international), and the winners are:
Jeannette and Aurelie! Congratulations!

Jeannette, please email me with your address info: karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com.

Aurelie, I'll be sending you an email to get your mailing address.

Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Only Mr. Darcy Will Do

2011-02-28T14:43:00.006-06:00

March 1 is the 'official' release date of Only Mr. Darcy Will Do! I have a book launch at Austen Authors and an interview at Austenprose (posting about noon PST Tuesday).

It is also the first day of a month-long blog tour that will be hosting giveaways, and I've included the schedule below. There may be changes and updates, so please check back. Here is the rest of the schedule:

Friday, March 4 - Royal Reviews

Monday, March 7 - Jane Austen Examiner

Wednesday, March 9 – Historical Hussies

Friday, March 11 – Deb's Book Bag

Monday, March 14 – Books Like Breathing

Wednesday, March 16 – Books For Life

Friday, March 18 - My Jane Austen Book Club

Monday, March 21 - Diary of an Eccentric

Wednesday, March 23 – Love Romance Passion
Friday, March 25 - Linda Banche Romance Author

Monday, March 28 - Austenesque Reviews
Wednesday, March 30 - Psychotic State

Also, if you comment on this blog, you'll be entered to win a free signed copy of Only Mr. Darcy Will Do. I will send it anywhere in the world as long as you have postal delivery. :) Leave a comment by Sunday, March 6, and I will post the winner's name here on Monday, March 7.

I would love to hear if you see the book in a bookstore, and where that is. So if you see one, drop by with a comment. But all comments will be entered in the drawing.

Exciting Days!

2011-02-16T07:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, which was Tuesday, Feb. 15, I received in the mail a copy of the review of "Darcy's Voyage" which is in the current issue of Jane Austen Regency World Mazagine. Then I came home and discovered I had my first review for "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" and got 5 stars. (Have since got another.) Amazon has it listed 'in stock' so they should be shipping out soon! Then!!! the doorbell rang and it was UPS delivering my case of "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" books. What a thrill!

Today, at Austen Authors, we are unveiling our new story board, The Writer's Block, where we will post snippets, short stories, deleted scenes, missing scenes, etc. for you to enjoy. Head on over! I have a missing scene from "Darcy's Voyage" and the prologue from "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do." And remember, authors love feedback! :)

Now I'm off to Arizona to visit my mom and 2 sisters.

Celebrating Valentine's Weekend!

2011-02-12T07:48:00.000-06:00

Stop on over at Austen Authors blog each day through Monday for a delightful heaping of romantic stories, poems, trivia, videos, and other assorted chocolates (I mean delectables) for your enjoyment! Today, Saturday, the authors have posted their favorite romantic scene from one of their books plus some other special heartfelt offerings. Stop on by!

My blog day on Austen Authors!

2011-02-05T10:21:00.000-06:00

Hop on over (or should I say 'click' on over) to Austen Authors, where I am blogging today about 'Weathering the Storm.' We've had quite a week of bitterly cold and snow, and I'm sure many of you did as well. Once there, I've included a link back to an excerpt from "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" which comes out March 1. For those of you who read 'Something Like Regret,' it is the same book but now published by Sourcebooks.

Welcoming in 2011!

2010-12-31T13:45:00.000-06:00

As I write this, I imagine that some of you might already be well into the New Year. With the ability for instantaneous communication, one can virtually celebrate the arrival of 2011 with others around the world for 24 hours. I know that one of my facebook friends greeted the new year hours ago. I would like to take the time to wish all of you a very happy and safe 2011. I pray that you and your loved ones would have a wonderful, blessed year, and that any trials you encounter will be small.

I said to my husband the other day, "What happened to the past 10 years? Weren't we just in the 1990s?"

I think it's true that the older we get, the fast time flies. But I believe it's also due to how fast our lives are now. I hope that any difficult times you encounter will pass quickly for you, but that the times of delight will pass ever so slowly to allow you to truly savor them.

Have a very Happy 2011!

Kara Louise

E-Books Available!

2010-12-27T14:08:00.000-06:00

If you're one of the lucky ones who received a Kindle or Nook this Christmas, most of my books are available for you to put on it! I've had my self-published books in Kindle form for quite a long time, but just yesterday, I worked to get them put out for Barnes and Noble's Nook. They are now available.

If you're like me, you love being able to instantly download the books you want to read and begin reading right away! And the best thing is that you can take your whole library with you wherever you go without lugging a ton of books!

If you have the IPad, Assumed Engagement is available for that in ebook form, but the others aren't. One thing you can do, however, is get the free Kindle app for it and then you can get the books from Amazon.
Either way you do it, I hope you will enjoy being able to read these books electronically. I know there is nothing like a real book, but ebook readers make it a little more convenient!

Enjoy!

The Joys of Christmas!

2010-12-21T16:24:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas.

I love the red and green of holly and berries in garlands (I string it up everywhere and anywhere), wreaths, and trees. (Unfortunately, we have to have all fake ones because of my husband’s allergies.) I love the smell of fresh evergeens, though, and enjoy walking along our hedgerow of Blue Cedar trees to get a whiff of the scent, since we can't have it in our house.

I love the red and white candycanes so much that I decorate one of my bathrooms with that theme. I have red and white towels and a variety of candycane ornaments that hang from the 'aforementioned' garland strung atop the mirror. I change out all my bathroom accessories to the candycane red and white stripe.

I love Christmas carols and am eager to put on my Mannheim Steamroller, George Winston, and classic Christmas songs as early as others will tolerate it. (I hate to say this and admit my age, but I have fond memories of the Goodyear albums that used to come out every year with our favorite Christmas songs sung by popular artists on it.)

I also love bells. I have collected bells for about 30 years, and at Christmas I bring out my special and favorite bells to display them.

I love the time spent with family, the food and goodies we are blessed with (I don’t bother to do any baking because we are given so many goodies!), and the lights that add warmth and gaiety to the inside and outside of our homes.

But the one thing I appreciate most of all is the “Reason for the Season.” I cannot help but consider that God sent his Son, Jesus, not just to be born in a sweet Christmas story, but to bring us joy, hope, and peace of God and peace with God. As you find yourself basking in all the joys of Christmas this season, the decorations, the family gatherings, food, and gifts, I hope you will not forget the gift God has given to us.

May all of you have a very blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Kara Louise

Happy Birthday Dear Jane

2010-12-15T23:01:00.005-06:00

Today is Jane Austen's birthday and there are celebrations going on all over the place! I even heard that Google was honoring her on their home page with a special illustration! At Austen Authors we are honoring her birthday with a baby picture guessing contest of the authors from the site who were brave enough to submit a picture. Plus - we have Austen Authors' Secrets that are all holiday related. (It's not just Jane's birthday, but we are having a month long holiday celebration over there.) So be sure to stop by. There are lots of prizes to win this month, and just posting a comment enters you into the drawing. So, Happy Birthday Jane, and a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, and I hope you have a great day! (Don't forget the freebees that Sourcebooks is offering on ebooks. See my post below!)

Jane Austen's Birthday Giveaway!

2010-12-14T18:47:00.000-06:00

Get ready to celebrate Jane Austen's birthday on December 16th! You won't want to miss this great giveaway! See the details below!

From Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks:
December 16 is Jane Austen’s birthday and as the world’s leading Jane Austen publisher, Sourcebooks, is throwing a huge one-day-only birthday book bash. We’ll be offering special ebook pricing on 10 of the best Austen-inspired novels – and what better pricing could there be than free?

On December 16 only, the following bestselling ebooks will be available free through our retail partners (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc):

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, by Sharon Lathan
Eliza’s Daughter, by Joan Aiken
The Darcy’s and the Bingley’s, by Marsha Altman
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, by Linda Berdoll
What Would Jane Austen Do?, by Laurie Brown
The Pemberley Chronicles, by Rebecca Collins
The Other Mr. Darcy, by Monica Fairview
Mr. Darcy’s Diary, by Amanda Grange
Lydia Bennet’s Story, by Jane Odiwe
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Abigail Reynolds

But the party doesn’t stop there, because also for one day only, we are offering free illustrated ebook editions of all 6 of Austen’s novels. These special editions include the full novels plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.

What a great gift to us in honor of Jane! Get on out there and take advantage of this great, generous offer!

"Darcy's Voyage" bookmarks

2010-12-02T18:31:00.001-06:00

I had some nice bookmarks made especially for Darcy's Voyage. If you purchased the book (or plan on purchasing it) and would like a signed bookmark (or 3 or 4) to go along with it, please comment below and include your email address (you can write it all out so spammers don't get it). I'll email you back with an address to send a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope that I will then mail the bookmark in to you. Unless you want more than 1, a 44 cent stamp should do it (unless you're outside the US).

Or... you can email me directly at karalouise (dot) ahhhs (at) gmail (dot) com. (remove spaces and replace (dot) with . and (at) with @ of course) and let me know you are interested and I'll email you back the address.

Enjoy! And Happy Reading!

Kara Louise

Coincidence?

2010-11-29T06:55:00.000-06:00

My blog on Austen Authors this month is on coincidences ~ both in life and Jane Austen's novels. Have you had coincidences happen in your life that are awesome! Have you noticed the coincidences in Jane Austen's novels that keep her stories going? Go to Austen Authors to find out what I have to say about it and how others are commenting about theirs or Jane's coincidences.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T23:10:00.018-06:00

On our Austen Authors blog today, the authors took the time to write a brief message on what they are thankful for. This is what I wrote:

I am thankful to God to be blessed with a wonderful husband who encourages me, supports me, loves me, and makes me laugh, a wonderful son and his wife who make us proud, an 'office' job where I can be creative and an 'at home' job (writing) where I can be creative (thanks to Jane Austen for jump-starting that!), and wonderful friends - from years past to those surrounding me now to those with whom I mingle online in the Jane Austen community.

I truly am thankful and feel truly blessed. Even though the past few days brought us a scare with my mom (she fell and broke her hip), I can praise God that He is taking us (and her!) through this. She has had surgery, came through that OK, and now will have rehab. Did I mention that she is going to be 92 in less than a month? I have 2 sisters who are a great support, but one, my oldest, has the burden of dealing with all of this, because she's the only one who lives near her. She will be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital with my mom, yet I know she feels blessed, as well.

Take time today to express your appreciation for your family. You never know how long you will have them. Don't let the pressures and stress of the day get in the way of your thankfulness.

I hope you feel truly blessed and thankful this Thanksgiving.

To read the Austen Author's Thanksgiving messages, click here.

Finally ~ A Cover!

2010-11-15T19:43:00.000-06:00

I am pleased to finally have a cover for Only Mr. Darcy Will Do, which is being released in March, 2011, by Sourcebooks. I have been waiting expectantly for 5 months to see this cover, and have had some humorous and frustrating things happen. Around September I knew I should be getting my first glimpse of one, so I was thrilled when I had an email from my editor titled, 'New Cover." But unfortunately, she sent me someone else's book cover. (I won't say who's.) Then, about a month later, Amazon suddenly started showing a cover that I had never seen. No one knows how that happened, and I wasn't exactly thrilled 1) with the cover and 2) that I had not been given a chance to see it. But they pulled it right away and reassured me that that cover was not the final cover. Finally, just about a week ago, I got a preliminary look at a cover, which I was told was not the final cover, but was what they were going to put as the cover in the catalogs, which had to be printed up. Finally, I got a look at the final cover - it was basically the one I had just seen, but with some color changes. So was that the end? No! Suddenly that other cover was back on Amazon, I emailed Deb, but that was on the weekend, so nothing got done until today (Monday). It was changed to the new right cover, and since they're showing the new cover, I guess I'll show it too! There is some discussion about some changes, but I think this is how it's going to end up. I think it looks real nice. What about you?

The Unveiling is Getting Close

2010-11-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

I've turned in the final copy edits for "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" and have seen a cover or 2 (or 3). I've made a request on the cover and they will get back to me soon. I am really looking forward to revealing it so that it can be official -- and so the online copies that are available for pre-order will have more than just a generic book! I'm hoping the release date is still March 1, 2011, but I know "Darcy's Voyage" got pushed back a week about 2 months before the date, so we'll have to wait and see.

Remember, "Only Mr. Darcy Will Do" is the same book as "Something Like Regret."

Once that comes out, we'll have to see whether they pick up my other self-published books to publish themselves. Let's hope and pray that will happen!

I hope you're a regular visitor to the Austen Authors blog. It's jam-packed full of daily offerings!

Read my blog today at Austen Authors!

2010-10-24T23:15:00.009-05:00

Today is my day to blog on Austen Authors. Rather than post the full blog here, I'll post the link to it and give you a few hints as to what it is about and what you'll find there. I would summarize the post as about 'surprises' and 'variations' of Jane Austen's novels. I talk about a surprise that my husband did, a surprise that Darcy and Elizabeth have in "Darcy's Voyage," and talk a little bit about what a variation is. But there is also a surprise for the Austen Author readers in that I tell them that Mr. Darcy actually told his own variation on how he and Elizabeth met. You will find the link to that on the post. Oh, and I forgot, this week is full of extra Halloween stuff, and that little variation that Mr. Darcy told? Well, it has a Halloween flavor to it, as well!

Go to my Austen Authors blog to read all about it!

Why can't I find Something Like Regret?

2010-10-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may have been looking for a copy of Something Like Regret, or a kindle copy of it, I had to pull the listing because of the new published version of the book coming out in March. It has been re-titled Only Mr. Darcy Will Do, in case you've been wondering what that book is that doesn't show a cover yet! :) If you have not read Something Like Regret and were hoping to do so, it's only a little over 4 months that you'll have to wait. Very little has changed, so don't worry about that. And like you, I'm anxious to see the cover! Sourcebooks did such a great job with the cover for Darcy's Voyage, and I'm sure they will do just as good a job on this new book. So be patient, and wait for the new book's arrival.

Same Book but Different Title?

2010-09-28T14:46:00.000-05:00

Many people have commented on the fact that numerous books (particularly of the Jane Austen genre) are being published under a new title and they attribute it to the author wanting to trick people into buying the book again for more sales. That couldn't be further from the truth. Most of the authors would be perfectly happy to keep their old titles, but the publishers want to change it to something that has a better tie-in to the book. That is why you'll see Darcy's name in so many titles. People know who Darcy is and will stop and investigate a book with his name on the title. And I hope you do just that! Investigate! Check the copyright page to see if it was previously published. Check the author's website or blog - or the author page here on amazon. There is also a discussion for each book on the product page. If there is no comment there, ask the question if you're not sure. Make sure you read the synopsis before you buy, and if it sounds familiar, it could very well be one you've already read. Amazon has no way of knowing a book with a different title is the same as another book. So please do your homework before you buy so you won't end up with a book with a beautiful new cover and wonderful title, but be frustrated to find it's something you've already read on the inside. Darcy's Voyage and Only Mr. Darcy Will Do (March, 2011) are the re-titled books that I had self-published as Pemberley's Promise and Something Like Regret.

My Blog Day on Austen Authors!

2010-09-27T01:00:00.007-05:00

I hope you stop over to the Austen Authors blog today to read my post about how I was introduced to Jane Austen. This is our final week of our month-long launch, and there are some awesome gifts being given away including a signed copy of Darcy's Voyage and bookmark. We will draw the winners from everyone who has commented on any post there this week. Please be sure to stop by and say hello!

New Release of Previously Published Book

2010-09-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

Something Like Regret is being published by Sourcebooks in March, 2011, and has been retitled Only Mr. Darcy Will Do. I do want to let people know that this is not a new book, but one I had self-published in 2009. I'm excited that a publisher picked it up, but want to make it perfectly clear to as many people as possible, that this is not a new book. I had hoped to have a picture of the cover to announce at the same time, but since it's already on pre-order on Amazon, I felt I needed to let you know.  

Thanks!  Kara Louise

More Winners...

2010-09-20T18:33:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the winners of a copy of Darcy's Voyage from my launch party at Austen Authors!

Nancy wins a signed copy courtesy of me!
Melissa A wins an unsigned copy courtesy of Sourcebooks
Melanie wins an unsigned copy courtesy of Sourcebooks

Melissa A and Melanie, please contact me at karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com to give me your mailing address within 4 days (Nancy already did). If I do not hear back from you in 4 days I will announce an alternate. Thanks to everyone for entering! There will be another chance to win on Monday, Sept. 27, when I have my personal blog day.

And the winners are...

2010-09-13T06:52:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to my 2 winners of a copy of Darcy's Voyage! They are Luthien84 (and yes, I will send out my book to you in Malaysia! It just might take a while to get there!) and to Tisa. Please email me with your complete name and address to:
karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com. If I don't hear from you in 2 days, I will pick an alternate winner. Congratulations!

Darcy's Voyage Release!

2010-09-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Today is the day that Darcy's Voyage is being released! I hope that those of you who pre-ordered it will be happy with it. I have a copy in my hands and I think the cover is exquisite! While the story is the same as the self-published book, Pemberley's Promise, I do hope you might see fit to purchase this one. It's much cleaner with (hopefully) errors gone, but the story is the same. If you don't want to buy one but want to try to win one in a free giveaway, stop by any of the bloggers from the schedule in the post before this one that are offering giveaways and leave a comment per their contest rules. Or...

As I said in the earlier post, I will be giving away to 2 people a signed Darcy's Voyage book and bookmark. Leave a comment here telling me where you saw the book (name of book store and location -- city and state), or you can visit the austen authors blog and post a comment here telling me what you thought of it. It's that easy! The contest will begin now and go through Sept. 12 at midnight EST. I will announce the winners on Monday, Sept. 13. I will draw the winners randomly, and will allow one international address. (If the first winner I draw is a foreign address, the 2nd winner will be the next one I draw from the U.S. and Canada.) Please make sure you include your email so I can get in touch with you. I will use random.org to pick the winners. Good luck!

I hope you check out the other blogs from my month-long blog tour if only to get to know a little more about me and my book. There are interviews and blogs that I've written, so I hope to see you here and there! Don't forget to go to austen authors on Monday, Sept. 13 for a celebration of the book's release there, and you can enter to win a copy there, as well!

The Excitement Begins!

2010-08-31T08:51:00.002-05:00

Beginning Thursday, September 2, my one-month blog tour begins. I have included a schedule below. In addition to all that, austenauthor.com launches its new blog on Monday, September 6, the release of Darcy's Voyage is September 7, and my first book signing is Saturday, September 18 at the Barnes and Noble at the Plaza in Kansas City. Stop by the different blogs as many will have giveaways of the book.

Here is the schedule:

~~Thursday,~~ ~~Sept. 2~~ postponed to Friday, Sept. 3- http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/ guest blogger

Friday, Sept. 3 - http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/ interview

Saturday, Sept. 4 - http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/ interview

Monday, Sept. 6 - launch of http://www.austenauthors.com

Tuesday, Sept. 7 - release of Darcy's Voyage and http://www.examiner.com/jane-austen-sequel-in-national/kelly-yanke-deltener interview

Wednesday, Sept. 8 - http://tbfreviews.net guest blogger

Friday, Sept. 10 - http://www.savvyverseandwit.com guest blogger

Monday, Sept. 13 - austenauthors.com celebration of Darcy's Voyage release, http://historicalhussies.blogspot.com guest blogger, AND my son's birthday (Happy Birthday Ryan!)

Wednesday, Sept. 15 - http://debsbookbag.blogspot.com/ interview

Saturday, Sept. 18 - book signing in Kansas City

Tuesday, Sept. 21 - http://lindabanche.blogspot.com/ guest blogger

Thursday, Sept. 23 - http://psychoticstate.blogspot.com/ interview

Monday, Sept. 27 - http://www.austenauthors.com my blog AND http://diaryofaneccentric.wordpress.com/ interview

Thursday, Sept. 30 - http://thebooktree.blogspot.com/ guest blogger

I hope you will stop by!

Kara Louise ~ delightful diversions from the heart... ♥

New Austen Authors Blog

2010-08-25T18:40:00.000-05:00

Watch for the launch of a new blog made up entirely of authors who write Jane Austen-realted fiction books. On Monday, September 6, visit the austen authors blog to find out what will take place during our month-long celebration. You will be able to find out more about your favorite authors and possibly discover a few more! There will be author blogs, contests, games, and prizes, prizes, and more prizes! Stop by now to take a look, and then make sure to stop by when things really get going.

Austen authors will be celebrating the release of several books, including my book, Darcy's Voyage. Watch for those celebrations and join in the fun. The celebration of my book release is Monday, September 13, and I will be giving away an autographed copy of the book along with a bookmark that day, and another will be included in a giveaway at the end of the week. Don't forget that the release of Darcy's Voyage is Tuesday, September 7. Watch for it in your favorite store.

And speaking of prizes and stores: I will be giving away a book to those of you who respond here with a comment. You will either need to tell me the name of the store where you saw it on a shelf (with city and state), or you can tell me what you think of the new austen authors blog. The contest will begin September 7 and run through Sept. 13. I will randomly draw a winner and announce it the 13th. That should give you something to look forward to.

September 13 ought to be a great day! (Besides all this book stuff, it's my son's birthday!)

Guest Reviewer at Austenprose

2010-08-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

Drop on over to Laurel Ann's Austenprose, where you can read my review of Georgette Heyer's Arabella. This was a fun book that has moved into one of my top favorites. When Laurel Ann asked me if I'd do a review on one of Heyer's novels as part of a month-long celebration of her writings, I was more than willing! I told her the books I had read, and that I was currently reading Arabella, although I was only on chapter 2. When she asked me to review that book, I hoped I would like it. And I certainly did. I don't read too many books that I want to read again, but this was certainly one. If you haven't read any Georgette Heyer novels, you might want to start with this one, or head on over to Austenprose to read the other reviews. There are many to choose from (a whole month's worth!) and those reviews will help you decide which ones to read. I'm making my list!

Celebrating Georgette Heyer at Austenprose

2010-07-26T08:13:00.000-05:00

Austenprose is celebrating novelist Georgette Heyer with a month-long review of her 34 Regency books in honor of her birthday on August 16. Between August 1 and 31 there will be guest blogs, interviews of Heyer enthusiasts from the blog-o-sphere, academia, and publishing, and tons of great giveaways.

Very special guests will be Heyer expert Vic Sanborn of Jane Austen's World and Deb Werksman, acquiring editor of Sourcebook Casablanca and the catalyst in re-introducing Heyer to a new generation of readers.

Thirty fellow Heyer enthusiasts (including me!) will be joining in the festivities graciously contributing book reviews of all her romance novels.

I began reading her books about a year ago, and absolutely love them. I was thrilled to be asked to participate, especially as I am in the process of reading through her novels. I find them highly entertaining with great plots and characters. I will be a guest reviewer on August 15 of Heyer's book, "Arabella."

If you have not read any of her books, I would encourage you to begin now. Go on over to Austenprose and take a look at the schedule. You might want to begin reading one of her books now so you can comment on the reviews herself. You may just find yourself as enchanted as I have been with the delightful characters, well-devised plots, and sometimes hilarious antics that take place in her stories.

My Computer Room, Facebook, and Other News

2010-06-17T19:20:00.000-05:00

First of all, I wanted to include a picture for you of the bookcase in my computer room. It has a trove of special mementos that reflect my books and Jane Austen. I'm sure some of you will recognize from the picture here some of those things. I absolutely love it and it makes writing in there so special. Next month I'll tell you what everything is if you can't guess, and I'll also post a picture of my second favorite spot to work on my computer. :)

Now, just a heads up that I am on Facebook. I have a 'fan' page listed as Kara Lousie, Author, which is the easiest way to find me, as there are several Kara Louise profiles out there. Once you find that, I do have a post that will take you to my personal page, if you want to befriend me. You don't have to do anything to view the Kara Louise, Author page, but you can "like it" if you want to receive posts in your news feed. On the fan page, I will post news about publishing. On my personal page, I will post stuff going on in my life. So it's up to you.

Speaking of what's going on in my life - in the publishing realm - I am doing the final edits for "Darcy's Voyage" (formerly "Pemberley's Promise"), the ARCs (Advance Readers Copies) have been sent out in the hopes of getting some reviews. I also just heard from my publicist who just finished reading "Something Like Regret" and her comment: "I love this book! You have such a knack for creating that tension that the best romances do--I know the hero and heroine will get together in the end, but I can't see HOW they can possibly overcome their difficulties. It's a real pageturner!"

I was really please she liked it! She did make some suggestions that I will need to address and then send it back to her, but it shouldn't alter the book that much. More on the publishing of that book next time!

Until then,
God Bless!
Kara Louise

Free summer shipping at LULU

2010-06-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

There may be some of you who have visited lulu.com to look at the books that have been self-published, but have cringed at the shipping charges. I have too! There is a summer special going on at lulu, and although I don't know when it specifically ends, I think it's a pretty good deal, especially if you want to buy some books that are only available there. (For instance, my books in hardcover are only available there.) You have to spend at least $19.95 on books, and the shipping is free up to $19.95 (ground shipping and only to US). There are many Austen related books there that aren't on amazon (yet). Go to the Austen related fiction group to see the books that are available. It's a great deal that I would hate for you to miss!

A side note - you can play with the quantity to see how many books you can get for the free shipping. I ordered 13 paperback books and it came to $18.99, so that's how many I could get sent free.

Meet Author Juliet Gael

2010-04-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had the privilege of meeting Juliet Gael, a local author who has a newly released fictional biography, "Romancing Miss Brontë", the story of the Brontë family, sisters, and particularly Charlotte, author of the great novel, "Jane Eyre." Since most my blog readers read Jane Austen related books, please allow me to also recommend this one. I am sure you will also love this book. Juliet spent years researching the Brontë's lives before even beginning this book, and she was captivated by their story. Juliet read a portion of her book describing Charlotte going off to boarding school. You can vividly picture what she had to endure, and how her experience gave life to the beginning of Jane Eyre when she was sent off to a similar school as a young girl. I have the book in my hands and hope to read it and give you a better review when I am done.

Taking a Deep Breath...

2010-04-20T16:23:00.000-05:00

Things are really taking off now, with the September release of "Darcy's Voyage," the Sourcebooks publication of what was formerly "Pemberley's Promise." With a new cover and talk now of promotional ideas, I am beginning to get butterflies in my stomach! For those of you on facebook, I have created a facebook 'page' under Kara Louise, Author. Stop by and check it out if you like. You don't need to join or wait to be accepted; all you have to do is click "Like it!"

I also have news on the new title for "Something Like Regret," but I think I'll wait a little before announcing that, as it has changed twice. Its release is set for Spring, 2011. That seems so far away, but I know it will be here before I know it.

New Title... New Look...

2010-02-22T17:54:00.001-06:00

What an exciting day this has been! I received a copy of the cover art for (what used to be called Pemberley's Promise) my book, Darcy's Voyage, which is being published by Sourcebooks and due out in September. If you can't see it in the picture, I'll tell you what it says. I am really happy with the wording. At the top in the blue it says, "Praise for Kara Louise" and then below that, "Unique and fun. I couldn't put it down." Above the title it says, "A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas." Below the title it says, "Pride and Prejudice retold." Needless to say, it's started to really sink in today that soon my book will be for sale not only online, but in real brick and mortar stores!

What about the inside? What changes are there? No plot changes at all. The only big cuts were in repeating dialogue from "Pride and Prejudice" except what changed because of the events in the book. There was also some good editing where I tend to get too wordy or parts that didn't add in any way to the story. So if you already own "Pemberley's Promise" you won't miss out on anything from "Darcy's Voyage" if you don't buy it. But then, I certainly won't stop you if you want to buy this one, too!

Whether you own the "original" or decide to buy this one, I hope you like the cover, the title, but most of all, the story of Elizabeth and Darcy meeting aboard the ship, Pemberley's Promise.

This Month's Winner and a Change in plans

2010-01-31T06:30:00.000-06:00

This month's winner of the book "Drive and Determination" and a Pemberleo mug is kelcee, who put a review on Barnes and Noble. Congratulations! Since I have a contract with Sourcebooks for them to publish "Pemberley's Promise" and "Something Like Regret", I have decided to wait until they are published and have some mega contests for those books in their new form!

Now some news on the publishing front. Sourcebooks has delayed the publishing of "Something Like Regret" until Spring, 2011. But we're still on for "Pemberley's Promise" this fall. They thought it would be best to not have 2 books by the same author come out at once. I'll let you know about free giveaways as the time gets closer.

Thanks to everyone who entered by putting a review out there. I appreciate it!

Happy New Year - and January Contest!

2010-01-01T12:30:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe it's already 2010. Wasn't it just yesterday we were celebrating the new millennium and worrying about Y2K? Time goes by so fast. It's also hard to believe that I had not even begun writing 10 years ago. So much has happened since then! I wonder if the perception of time going by faster and faster has always been the result of getting older, or is it because there is so much in our lives now that allow us to do so much in a quicker and easier manner. Did the slow, simple pace of those in Jane Austen's time contribute to time passing slowly throughout their life? I wonder.

In any case, I hope and pray that 2010 will be peaceful and joyful for you.

I want to congratulate Kimberly on winning "Master Under Good Regulation" and a Webkinz Springer Spaniel dog in December's contest. Congratulations! She put a couple of reviews at Barnes and Noble. This month I will be giving away my only modern novel based on "Pride and Prejudice" called "Drive and Determination." You will also receive a special "Pemberleo Coffee" mug. (I'll post a picture next week.) Place a review during the month of January anywhere, on any of my books, and let me know at karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com to enter.

Again, Happy 2010 to all and God Bless!

Kara Louise

This month's prizes

2009-12-01T18:54:00.000-06:00

Here is the adorable "Reggie" dog by Webkinz. He is a Springer Spaniel (can you see the resemblance to the picture on the book?) and just came out in July. He is sooooo soft, cuddly, and cute! Keep him yourself or give him away to a special youngster!

November's Winner - December's Contest!

2009-11-30T12:05:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Tanya, who is the winner in November's contest! She will be receiving a copy of "Assumed Obligation" and a prism.

Thanks to those who posted reviews!

Now....

I am so excited about December's contest I can barely stand it! (That's why I'm announcing this a day early!) The book is "Master Under Good Regulation" and the gift is... a Webkinz Springer Spaniel stuffed dog. These dogs just came out in July, and when I saw them, I absolutely fell in love with them! You can go to amazon.com and do a search for him and see for yourself how cute he is! When you get a Webkinz stuffed animal, you can go online and register him. Of course I did it with mine and named him Reggie, the name of the dog in the book.

Also, I would like to say that "Master Under Good Regulation" is one of my favorite books (if I am allowed to have favorites of the ones I have written), but it is actually one of the least purchased. If you aren't sure about this book, let me tell you that it is the actually story of Pride and Prejudice written from Reggie's point of view. Reggie is the English Springer Spaniel the young Darcy gets at age 15. So we get to see some of the early years of Darcy, as well as some behind the scenes events in Pride and Prejudice that Jane Austen did not write. We also see just how much influence Reggie had in bringing about the events in the story.

So, to refresh you about the rules, write a review in December anywhere on any of my books and let me know! You can email me at karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com or place a comment here. Let me know where you posted it and which book it was.

Again, congratulations to Tanya, and good luck everyone else! I will post a picture of my Reggie later!

Thanks!

Kara Louise

November Prize

2009-11-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of this month's prizes - a copy of "Assumed Obligation" and a prism. If you have read the story, you know the prism has some significance. Hopefully from the picture you can see how big the prism is -- and it really does reflect rainbows on the wall when held up to sunlight! The base is about 3 inches wide and overall is about 2 inches in length. And you will have a choice of your autographed book to be in paperback or hardback. You have all of November to write a review, but remember, you must notify me to be entered. You can simply post a comment here with your name, email address, and where you posted the review (and what book) or email me. Good luck!

The Winner is... and November Contest

2009-11-01T14:15:00.000-06:00

We had 5 entrants in October's contest and I am happy to announce that the winner is Jan, who posted a review on Barnes and Noble for "Something Like Regret." She actually came in just under the wire. So I will be contacting her and finding out whether she wants a paperback or hardback copy of "Assumed Engagement" and whether she wants the white or green gardenia candle.

The November contest is now open and the rules are the same. Post a review anywhere this month on any book and let me know by commenting here or by emailing me at karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com. The winner will receive "Assumed Obligation" and a prism that is pretty large and does send rainbows throughout the room if held up to the sun. I will post a picture soon.

Good luck!

Kara Louise

Final Day!

2009-10-31T13:04:00.001-05:00

This is your last day to enter the contest. Write a review anywhere on any of my books today and let me know!!! (that's the important part - there have been a few reviews done this month but I was not notified, so if one of these is you, let me know!) I only have 4 people entered, so if you never win anything, the odds are pretty good! To enter, post as a comment with your name and email address, or email me at karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com.

Good luck!

October's Prize

2009-10-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

I thought I would post a picture of this month's prizes. Of course, the book is "Assumed Engagement" and you have your choice of hardback or paperback. The other is a gardenia scented candle by Aromatique. You will have your choice of the green one or the white one. Make sure you let me know if you post a review and where you posted it! Read the previous post for complete details.

Good luck!

New Contest!

2009-09-30T15:46:00.000-05:00

I am excited to announce a contest that will begin October 1 in celebration of my contract with Sourcebooks. Each of my books, as I published them, have special meaning to me, so I will be offering 1 a month to the winner. But in addition to getting a signed copy of either a paperback or hardback (your choice), you will receive a gift that corresponds to something of significance in the story. For example for the month of October, the winner will receive a signed copy of "Assumed Engagement" and a gardenia scented candle from Aromatique. The gardenias and gardenia scents were significant in the story, and so I will send out both to the winner. (As a teaser, the prize for November will be "Assumed Obligation" with a beautiful 3 inch prism, which when held up to a window that gets direct sunlight, will cast rainbows all over the wall. Remember that in the story?) So how do you enter? It's very easy.

1. During October, put a review of any of my books out on one of the online booksellers, blogs, your blog, an online book review site, or you can even comment on someone else's review on any of these. It must be done during October. If you've already put a review for all of my books on Amazon, then perhaps you can go to Barnes and Noble or lulu.com, where the reviews are sparse. Be creative! Oh, and one other thing. It doesn't have to be a glowing review. I don't like to beg for people to put up good reviews, in fact, I've learned a few things from the ones that have good constructive criticism. So whatever you write, you will be entered.

2. Let me know! You can either place a comment here (make sure you have your email address) or send me an email to karalouise.ahhhs@gmail.com. I want to know when you put out the review, where it was, and what book it was for. Remember it can be for any of my books, but the winner will win "Assumed Engagement" and gift. If you don't let me know, you won't be entered. So don't forget that part.

3. I'll announce the winner in the beginning of November, when the next contest will start. I will do this for each of my books.

4. But... and I hate to have to do this, but I must limit this to people with Canadian or US mailing addresses. The cost of just mailing a book is exorbitant overseas, and to add a gift will make it much higher. If you live overseas and still want to enter, I will offer to send you the pdf of the book by email.

Remember, you can put out reviews the whole month of October. For each review you write, I will add your name to the hat, but once you win one book, you will not be eligible for winning again. Sorry, let's spread the chances around.

Remember - the winner in October will receive "Assumed Engagement" and a gardenia scented candle by Aromatique.

Good luck!

A Summer of Austen

2009-08-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

This summer I was part of a Jane Austen discussion group at a locally owned book store here. It ended this past week. We met 7 times to discuss each of her novels. The first meeting was to get to know Jane, herself. It was a packed session, with chairs being continually added as more and more people showed up. I would guess there was about 80 people. Jane Austen sparks a lot of interest. By the last meeting, however, there was only about 25, but still a lot of ideas expressed.

It was good to go back and read her novels for this and then come ready to discuss the array of characters that pepper each book and express our thoughts about the story.

I really appreciated our moderator, Mark, who confessed to never having read any of her novels prior to this. He supplemented our discussions with facts he discovered about our Jane, the publishing process she encountered with each of her books, and enlightened each session with his never ending puns. He added great humor to our time.

In the midst of these gatherings, I was offered a publishing contract, so I was allowed to share with the group one week how that came about, as well as share some of the books and websites I used in research. I appreciated this opportunity and also thank the book store for carrying my books.

I think that "Pride and Prejudice" seemed to be everyone's favorite, but at the last session, when we discussed "Persuasion," Mark admitted that his favorite book was always the particular book he was reading. I think that probably sums it up for a lot of people. She had a gift for writing that has carried on for 2 centuries. Six novels. One simple young lady living a simple life.

At the end of our time, I felt more strongly how much I would love to have another Jane Austen novel. Not by this person or that person, or even me, but by Jane herself. Did her mind swirl with ideas that never stopped coming? Had she possibly even formulated in her mind what her next story would have been about. I can only wonder.

Something Old! Something New!

2009-08-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

I have actually had a blog on Amazon for quite some time on my author's page. Many of you may not have even known that. While I could not access all my blogs, I posted 2 "older" blogs that are somewhat still relevant, and will now post here on my own blog, "Delightful Diversions!"

For those of you who have read "Pemberley's Promise," you might recognize that phrase from the book. (It has major significance in part of the plot!)

This first "new" blog deals with my excitement over my books being published by Sourcebooks. While it thrills me, it also prompts some nervous flutterings within. It means people are going to be devouring my books who know what a good book should be. I join some of the other authors who have had their Jane Austen works published by them, such as Abigail Reynolds, Sharon Lathan, and Amanda Grange. I am proud to join these esteemed authors.

While I don't want you all to have to go out and buy these books once they are published ("Pemberley's Promise" and "Something Like Regret" in Fall, 2010, and the others following), I will let you know any major changes that take place to help you decide. I hope that the changes will be only minor and will involve merely grammatical corrections.

So that's where things stand. I hope the musings I write will be a "delightful diversion" to you!

Delightfully Yours,
Kara Louise

Spring is Here

2009-08-06T16:14:00.000-05:00

Excerpts from Amazon blog April 25, 2009 -

I think Spring is finally here. After having some mild temperatures in February and then surprised by snow and ice in early April, I think I can finally put away my winter clothes. How nice it was, though, to know one day, when it was 70 degrees, that the next day would bring back freezing temperatures. We live in an age of modern technology that we often take for granted. I am thankful for local news and weather forecasts. Living in Kansas, the weather can change drastically and quite quickly. As I write stories that take place in the Regency era, I often find myself pondering what it must have been like for them and how I would have managed.
In my new book, "Something Like Regret," weather does play a role in some of the events. Knowing the next day's forecast would have been impossible in Elizabeth Bennet's day and age. Determining the conditions of roads after a heavy rain would not be something that could be done by turning on the radio and listening for the traffic update.

As with all my books, I hope they compliment the story Jane Austen wrote and are true to the characters she developed.

Delightfully Yours,
Kara Louise

A Trip to Guatemala...

2009-08-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

From my Amazon blog - August 11, 2008

Blame it on a trip to Guatemala. I never really intended to write a modern story based on "Pride and Prejudice." I love the regency aspect of the story, and always thought a modern would not be able to do it justice. But while I was in Guatemala, a story came to me so vividly and completely, that I had to write it. That story was "Drive and Determination." Initially, it wasn't going to be based on Jane Austen's novel. There were too many differences - major differences! But as I mused over the storyline, I realized it could be done and I decided to give it a try. The story came as I saw incredible sights and experienced some incredible adventures. I visited Antigua and walked along the cobblestone streets, visited a preschool one block from the huge city dump, where children were loved and made to feel like "treasures." I went to beautiful Lake Atitlan, which is surrounded by three volcanoes, experienced a sudden and unexpected downpour, and actually rode standing up in a cattle truck up a mountain that had at least 30 hairpin turns. It was quite an adventure and all those experiences became a part of the book. I can only hope I captured the beauty and diversity of Guatemala as well as the spirit of Jane Austen in my story.

Added August 6, 2009 - If you have read "Drive and Determination," you know it is definitely not a modernized "Pride and Prejudice." It is truly a story in its own right, but one in which I made an attempt to evoke the same feeling and develop similar characters as P&P, as well as capture the exotic lure of Guatemala.

Delightfully Yours,
Kara Louise