Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Random Magic | Book Tour


Video Week: 'Random Magic' (Oct. 21-31, 2012) - You are cordially invited to join us for an entertaining week of cool reviews and creative features from vloggers around the world. We're featuring the book 'Random Magic,' by Sasha Soren. Browse the schedule here.

Enjoy my presentation and find out the answer to my mystery feature:



BONUS: Enter to win a cute prize bundle here!
Offer ends: Nov. 21, 2012

About 'Random Magic': When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes.

Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is.

Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Strüths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse, to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

Random Magic
by Sasha Soren
Book trailer
Print
Kindle

~*~

* image source for raven

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Talk Like Jane Austen Day - 2012

A Rather Lovely Soirée
for
Talk like Jane Austen Day
Event production by
Random Magic Tour
Sasha Soren (Random Magic)
Oct. 30, 2012

WELCOME, dear guests!

You have arrived at a rather lovely soirée in honor of Talk like Jane Austen Day.

Talk Like Jane Austen Day is an annual event, marking the anniversary of the first printing of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Austen's first published novel.

~*~


I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

~*~

Library scene with Jane and Mr. Lefroy from Becoming Jane in which Jane learns a thing or two...


~*~

Tom Lefroy: If you wish to practice the art of fiction, to be the equal of a masculine author, experience is vital.

Jane Austen: I see. And what qualifies you to offer this advice?

Tom Lefroy: I know more of the world.

Jane Austen: A great deal more, I gather.

Tom Lefroy: Enough to know that your horizons must be... widened.

~*~

Something new to add to your library which arrives in stores next month...

Cozy Classics
Pride and Prejudice
Board Book
by Jack Wang and Holman Wang
To be released: November 15, 2012

Classics never go out of style—that’s what makes them classic. Cozy Classics is a new board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+. Every classic in the series will be condensed to 12 baby-friendly words, and each word will appear alongside a photograph of needle felted objects. Pride and Prejudice is a timeless romance about how a bad first impression can turn into love, and one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now this classic can be shared with your youngest children.

Peek inside...


Even a felted Mr. Darcy is irresistible!


And Mr. Bingley - oh, so adorable!

~*~

Please feel free to browse the collection of badges below, as each one of them will feature an interesting topic related to Jane Austen and you're sure to enjoy them all.





Happy Talk like Jane Austen Day!

~*~

* image source women reading, more on cozy classics

* Event production for A Rather Lovely Soirée by Random Magic Tour.
About Random Magic: Trailer | Print | Kindle

* check out my Jane Austen related giveaways on the sidebar

Monday, October 29, 2012

Keep Calm and Carry On: end credits

Keep Calm and Carry On: Zombie Edition
a virtual book event
October 2012

in which zombies leave the blog of vvb32 reads...

for now...

Thank you dear readers for joining me for this virtual book event.

Please note all giveaways end October 31, 2012 unless specified otherwise.

THANKS TO: Authors, Publicists and Publishers for Book Giveaways & Guest posts

Gini Koch - The Night Beat

Rusty Fischer for Detention of the Living Dead

Quirk for Zombie Tarot

Special thanks to fellow bloggers:

Fishmuffins of Doom

Freda's Voice

Mary Ann DeBorde Writes (and Reads!

~*~

* PicMonkey was used for some graphics creations for this event.

=== Keep Calm and Carry On: Zombie Edition schedule ===

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Zompacolypse 2012 Halloween Hop

Zompacolypse HOP
hosted by Paranormal Wastelands
Oct 28 - Oct 31, 2012
complete HOP list here

--~ Book Giveaway ~--


Zombtivities
The Zombie Coloring and Activity Book
by Britnie Drettwan of It's On Random

Zombtivities is filled with zombie-based word puzzles, word searches and coloring pages for the biggest zombie fan!

WIN a copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: October 31, 2012

TO DO: (3 parts)

1. Do ONE of the following...

FOLLOW me (on sidebar).

SUBSCRIBE via email to my blog (on sidebar).

2. TELL me what you did in comments.

3. TELL me if you would be interested in guest posts about zombies for your blog (if you have one)?

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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NOW, on to some hopping...





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* hey, while you're here, check out more zombies on my site on the sidebar!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Winner for October


Here is the winner for the giveaway that
ended October 24, 2012
during the Jane Austen HOP event

Thanks to all contestants!

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley by Stephanie Barron

Winner: SueFitz of Books, Books, the Magical Fruit

~*~

* to see the original giveaway offer, click on the prize title links

* I will email winners for mailing addresses within two weeks.
Winners, feel free to contact me with your info if you don't get my email
or if you are just too darn excited and want to let me know -- like NOW ;-D

* contest policy

* keep in touch with my giveaways and learn about other book giveaways by subscribing via email on my sidebar (you may want to go digest mode)

* if not this time, maybe next time

--> check out the current giveaways and upcoming events on my sidebar


Friday, October 26, 2012

Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat 2012


Welcome to Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat!
On each blog stop from now through Halloween, a blogger or vlogger will have a handpicked Halloween treat to share with you - it might be a video clip, or a feature about great spooky films, a playlist of great, creepy songs, a recipe for treats, or a gallery of witches.

It might be anything! But it's sure to be something fun, so feel free to drop by each day from October 23-31, to pick up some cute treats to put you in the Halloween mood. All the treats will be added into the linky at the end of this post, so feel free to browse.

~*~

FOLLOW me to Chawton House. Perhaps we will get some treats...


MISTRESS of the house, Jane Austen, opens the door to reveal a Halloween party in progress.


DELIGHTFUL scene of costumed guests!

Angels and Dragons (from Northanger Abbey)!

Luddites (from Persuasion)!

Mummies (from Mansfield Park)!

Sea Monsters (from Sense and Sensibility)!

Werewolves (from Emma)!

Zombies (from Pride and Prejudice)!


AND MR DARCY as a vampyre!

~*~

Lady MAD points excitedly to THAT girl in the crowd...

It is America Singer as a sea monster (from The Selection by Kiera Cass)!


At which point, we are approached by one of Jane's guests, Mr. Lovecraft, who is also in sea monster attire.

He presents a treat for our goody bag...

Necronomicon:
The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft
(Commemorative Edition)

Originally written for the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 1930s, H.P. Lovecraft's astonishing tales blend elements of horror, science fiction, and cosmic terror that are as powerful today as they were when they were first published. This tome brings together all of Lovecraft's harrowing stories, including the complete Cthulhu Mythos cycle, just the way they were first released. It will introduce a whole new generation of readers to Lovecraft's fiction, as well as attract those fans who want all his work in a single, definitive volume.

Sweets for the sweet...

WIN a paperback version of this book!

Open to US only.

Offer ends: November 1, 2012

TO DO:

VISIT at least 3 other Trick or Treat stops from the list below and leave them comments.

TELL me where you went.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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~*~





Happy Halloween!

~*~

* image sources Chawton House, Jane Austen, Mummy, HP Lovecraft, Sealection - special thanks to MAD for sharing her illustration created for a cover contest.

* About Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat!: The first blog hop was a Bookie Brunch special event for Halloween, and it was a lot of fun, so we're just continuing the tradition. Bookie Brunch was a weekly book discussion founded by Sasha Soren, the author of Random Magic. Browse archive.

Also this month - drop by for Video Week: Random Magic, from Oct. 21-31 (come see my vlog on the 31st), featuring an entertaining week of cool reviews and creative features from vloggers around the world. They're featuring the book Random Magic by Sasha Soren. Browse schedule.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Lady Alexa's Tale


Let me pour you one more cup of tea as Lady Alexa captures our attention with a most horrid tale...

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Alexa Adams
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

It was an idea born of nightmare …

See a young bride welcomed to the home of her new husband’s relations. Of all his connections, these are the most exalted, and having been used to better company than those members of the family she had already met provide, most anxious is she to please in this quarter, where so much future comfort might lay. She had dressed with the utmost attention, conscious of those matters of fashion which previously little concerned her, yet did she not perceived her hostess examining her appearance with distaste? Having always lived in the same place amongst the same people, an introduction such as this was foreign to her, and perhaps it was the newness of her circumstances that rendered her sensitive to slight, but she could only think the lady rather cool in her demeanor. No matter; having always known herself widely admired, a little effort was surly all required to overcome this new cousin's reticence.

She began complimenting her surroundings, proceeding from the countryside to the park and house themselves. Feeling the loss of her own elegant home, which she had never thought to leave, she could not but exclaim: “So extremely like Hartfield! And it is not merely the house - the grounds, I assure you, as far as I could observe, are strikingly like. The laurels at Hartfield are in the same profusion as here, and I had a glimpse of a fine large tree, with a bench round it, which put me so exactly in mind! My father would be enchanted with this place.”

There was an awkward pause. Receiving no response, she nervously continued, “You know, as I came in, I observed how very like the staircase was: placed exactly in the same part of the house. I really could not help exclaiming! And this room is the very shape and size of the morning room. Do you not think it astonishingly like, Mr. Elton? I could really almost fancy myself at Hartfield."

She wished she were there, such rhapsodies having utterly failed to impress the lady. Rather she looked uncomfortable with the comparison and soon redirected the conversation. “I do not ask whether you are musical, Mrs. Elton,” she said. “Upon these occasions, a lady's character generally precedes her; it is well-known that you are a superior performer.”

"Oh! No, indeed! I must protest against any such idea. Consider from how partial a quarter your information came. I am fond of music, and while friends credit my taste, I fear I never was diligent enough to earn such praise.”

Her husband exclaimed, but she knew the truth. Jane Fairfax was her notion of a superior performer, and she found herself bringing that lady forward as a subject, heaping upon her the same praises she so used to resent. How her hostess could hold the slightest interest in such an unknown, she knew not, but still she persisted. When they returned to Highbury, she would do something for Miss Fairfax. Her previous neglect had been abominable, and such an elegant companion, after several weeks spent amongst her new family, would be most welcome. Perhaps she might be of assistance in securing her a position …

I woke up in terror. Never could such a fate befall my dear Miss Woodhouse! Never would she accept the proposal of Mr. Elton! Or would she?

In honor of Halloween, I offer a tale most sinister. Be warned, faint-hearted Janeites! For here lies something truly horrid: Emma & Elton.

~end

Guest post created by Alexa Adams, author of Emma & Elton
© 2012. All rights reserved.


Visit Alexa:
Story description
Website

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by Alexa Adams
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READ more about this world...

--~ Online Free Reading courtesy of author ~--


AVAILABLE here October 24-31, 2012.

~*~

* image source

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Home for Halloween Giveaway



The Home
by Scott Nicholson

Enter the Rafflecopter to win your choice of a Kindle Fire, Nook HD, or Kobo Glo, as well as signed books and audiobooks in the Home for Halloween giveaway from author Scott Nicholson.

The giveaway celebrates the launch of paranormal thriller The Home. Experiments at a group home for troubled children lead to paranormal activity—and the ghosts are from the home’s dark past as an insane asylum. In development as a feature film, it’s available in ebook at...

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords


EXCERPT: THE HOME
By Scott Nicholson
(From Chapter 21)
 
They took it by hook and by crook.

The words were there, inside Starlene’s head like voice-over edited into a movie soundtrack. The woman’s lips hadn’t moved, but Starlene was sure the words had been the woman’s.

I got half a mind to tell somebody about it, what they did.

But I only got half a mind.

Maybe Freeman had been telling the truth. He’d exhibited some remarkable guess work during his session with her. But mind-reading was a little too loopy, a little too unnatural, a little too much like something God would never allow. Yet so were old men who walked on water and disappeared. And shadowy secret agent types making deals with doctors. And expensive equipment hidden in an underfunded children’s home.

“Who are you?” Starlene asked the woman.

The woman said nothing, just turned her stooped body and shuffled back towards the shadows. It was only after she’d reached the throat of the widest corridor that Starlene’s legs obeyed her brain enough to follow.

“You don’t want to go back there,” Bondurant said.

“She needs help,” Starlene said, angry. “How could you stand it, knowing she was living down here in this filth?”

Bondurant’s drunken laughter bounced off the stone walls. “I don’t think ‘living’ is the right word.”

Starlene paused in mid-stride, and stood breathless in the center of the metal cylinders. Ahead of her, the woman had faded to nothing.

The woman’s final words reverberated inside the bone cave of Starlene’s skull: Got half a mind. Off to find the other half.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday, October 22, 2012

Dreaming of France - 1


Dreaming of France
a new meme
created by An Accidental Blog
join this week's round and add your link here

Being a bit (a BIT - ahem) partial to things French, I just HAD to participate in this new Monday meme created by Paulita of An Accidental Blog.

Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to my blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it
Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.


I have been listening wonderful tunes of the movie soundtrack from Chocolat.

Loved the book by Joanne Harris and the movie version.


Listen to Caravan performed by Johnny Depp...



Saturday, October 20, 2012

Jane Austen HOP extra!

Jane Austen HOP
hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
and vvb32 reads
complete HOP list

The book Random Magic includes a celestial party for a number of writers. Jane Austen isn't included in the party, but plenty of other writers are, with lots of stories.

to tell - Lord Byron, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, and many others.

So, for this Jane Austen hop, we'd like to offer a light, fun anthology of short stories by writers, a series of tasty tales taking place in Jane Austen's world.


In Dancing with Mr. Darcy: Stories Inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House, edited by novelist Sarah Waters, you'll find all sorts of stories to please the most avid Austenian.

About: Two hundred years ago, Jane Austen - traumatized by her parents’ decision to give up the rectory in Hampshire where she grew up, and unable to write for a decade - accepted her brother

Edward’s offer of a permanent home in his Chawton House estate. It was there that she picked up her pen once again...and gave the world some of the most beloved and enduring stories ever written.

The Jane Austen Short Story Competition celebrates this immortal author and her works, and the blessed home that afforded her the peace and security to create them. Judged and chosen by Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, Dancing with Mr. Darcy includes the winning selection and nineteen runners-up, as well as introductions from Waters and Rebecca Smith, the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen. Anthology of the winning entries for the Jane Austen Short Story Award. Trade paperback. 8 x 5.4 inches (20.32 x 13.71 centimeters). 256 pages. - Manufacturer description

a Rafflecopter giveaway


How to enter: Just pick out the items you'd like to complete, then check them off in the Rafflecopter.

Available ways to enter: YouTube, Twitter, commenting

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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More about Random Magic


Shown above: Book trailer, Random Magic

You might also enjoy...


Shown above: Preview of the booktubers you'l meet during Video Week: Random Magic (Oct. 21-31, 2012) ---> (did you see me? vvb32 reads)

Shown above: If you love books, magic, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,, feel free to enter to win a cute prize bundle during Video Week: Random Magic

Browse prizes: What can I win?

You might also enjoy...


Please feel free to join us for the Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat HOP, from October 23-31, 2012.

A group of cool bloggers will be posting together - each blogger will have a Halloween treat for visitors to enjoy, with a new treat posting each day.

There are some giveaways planned, too, so feel free to join us for sweets and treats this Halloween. Have a cool Halloween link to share? Feel free to add it to the Halloween linky! Browse schedule | Add a Halloween link
You might also enjoy...


Please feel free to join us for A Rather Lovely Soiree for Talk Like Jane Austen Day (Oct. 30).

More details: What's this about?

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Friday, October 19, 2012

Jane Austen Blog HOP

Jane Austen HOP
hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
and vvb32 reads
another HOP offer from me here
complete HOP list

Something for the Halloween season...


Jane and the Ghosts of Netley
by Stephanie Barron

In her seventh captivating adventure, Jane Austen finds her crime-solving mettle put to the test in a confounding case of intrigue, murder, and high treason. Among the haunted ruins of an ancient abbey, Jane is drawn into a shadow world of dangerous secrets and traitorous hearts where not only her life is at stake—but the fate of England.

As Jane Austen stands before the abandoned ruins of Netley Abbey, she imagines that ghosts really do haunt the centuries-old monastery. But the green-cloaked figure who startles her is all too human and he bears an unexpected missive from Lord Harold Trowbridge, one of the British government’s most trusted advisers—and a man who holds a high place in Jane’s life.Trowbridge tells Jane about a suspected traitor in their midst—and the disastrous consequences if she succeeds. But is Sophia Challoner, a beautiful widow with rumored ties to Emperor Bonaparte, really an agent of the enemy?

Dispatched to Netley Lodge, Jane sets about gaining the confidence of the mysterious and intriguing lady even as Trowbridge’s grim prediction bears fruit: a British frigate is set afire and its shipwright found with his throat cut.It’s clear that someone is waging a clandestine war of terror and murder. But before Jane can follow the trail of conspiracy to its source and unmask a calculating killer, the cold hand of murder will fall mercilessly yet again—and suddenly Jane may find herself dying for her country.

Elegantly intriguing, Jane and the Ghosts of Netley is a beautifully crafted novel of wit, character, and suspense that transports Jane and her many fans into a mystery of truly historical proportions—and a case that will test the amateur sleuth’s true colors under fire.


TO DO:

1. Do ONE of the following...

FOLLOW me (on sidebar).

SUBSCRIBE via email to my blog (on sidebar).

TWEET or FACEBOOK about this giveaway

2. TELL me what you did in comments.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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NOW, on to some hopping...





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* if you are so inclined, there are a few more Jane Austen related giveaways on the sidebar



Thursday, October 18, 2012

Something Amiss at Pemberley: end credits

Something Amiss at Pemberley
a virtual book event
October 14-18, 2012

Thank you dear readers for joining me for this virtual book event.

Although we leave Pemberley today, Jane Austen's presence continues at vvb32 reads a few more times this month.

Please note all giveaways end October 31, 2011 unless specified otherwise.

THANKS TO: Authors, Publicists and Publishers for Book Giveaways & Guest posts

Alexa Adams

Enid Wilson

Sally Smith O'Rourke

Special thanks to sponsor:

MAD of Mary Ann DeBorde Writes (and Reads!)

Special thanks to fellow bloggers:

Freda of Freda's Voice

Giada of of Dr. Stravagante’s Traveling Book Circus


~*~

* PicMonkey was used for some graphics creations for this event.

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~





Mr. Darcy's News

ahh... ahem... ahh...

Greetings dear ladies,

I must interrupt your tea with a bit of grave news.

Something was amiss here in Pemberley not so long ago that you may or may not have heard about.

If not, I implore you to read about the matter. It may shed some light as to why my dear wife, Elizabeth, is not able to attend this event.

And now, please continue to enjoy refreshments and walks through the Pemberley gardens during your visit.

I am just now called away for a meeting of the most extreme urgency with Mr. Bingley.

My dear sister, Georgiana, will continue to share your company.

Fare thee well.

~*~

Find out more about this mystery...

--~ Book Giveaway ~--

Death Comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.


WIN a copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: October 31, 2012

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. EXCLAIM - what would you say to Mr. Darcy upon hearing this news?

2. SPREAD the word - tweet, facebook, blog, etc about this giveaway

In comments make sure to tell me what you did.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)


Participant exclamations:

Lady Vee: Oh, dear!

Lady Diana: Careful, this could be a trick!

Lady Giada: Was it you?! O__O And then Well done!

Lady MAD: Harumph! Knowing Wickham, I am mildly astounded his murder has taken this long to materialize!

Lady Mystica: rendered speechless - Just overwhelmed!

Princess Lúthien: I don't buy it. That sly thing... murdered. Are you jesting?

Lady Sophia Rose: *rendered speechless* (I'm always speechless when someone says something shocking)

Lady Vicki: That scoundrel? Never! It's probably a hoax to wriggle out of paying his debts...

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* image source Mr. Darcy, couple dancing

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Lady Sally's Tale


Lady Sally clears her throat to share her story about a certain Miss Jane Austen...

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Sally Smith O'Rourke
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

Excerpt from: Chapter 5 from
Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen
by Sally Smith O'Rourke

Although the sun was fully up in the Virginia summer sky, it was not yet hot. Fitz found jumping exhilarating; the cool morning air caressing his face, and Lord Nelson, so strong and graceful, took all the jumps with no effort.

Heritage Week was over so things could get back to normal. He shrugged. Whatever normal is. He realized there was a very good chance that his normal was about to change radically. Eliza’s letter—the one she had found written to him from Jane—had ended his search for the truth of his Regency encounter. But Eliza did much more than give him the letter.

He had been merely surviving, not living, in the years since his mother’s death. He’d thrown himself into the business of Pemberley Farms to the exclusion of almost everything else. Eliza’s arrival had heralded an acute awareness of that fact. It was as though a light was suddenly shining so he could see the world around him. She made him want to live again. And she had given him the letter… Jane’s letter.

Fitz reined Lord Nelson to a walk as they entered the cool shade of the woods on the edge of his property.

Jane. He had spent more than three years seeking proof of his meeting with her and of her feelings for him. Almost as if he’d been transported again back to Chawton in 1810, the image of Jane’s sweet face flooded his mind. He thought back to that morning and his inauspicious entrance into Jane Austen’s life.

The combination of his head injury and the laudanum prescribed by Mr. Hudson, the Austen family physician, caused Darcy to slip in and out of consciousness. He tried to sit up, the effort making him dizzy.

Jane gently laid a hand on his chest. “Please, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Hudson wants you to remain still.”

Through a cotton mouth, his head spinning, Darcy asked, “Mr. Hudson?”

“The doctor,” Jane said. “You must rest now Mr. Darcy.” The American looked at her face. Her curiosity was palpable even in his drugged state. Unable to think clearly, never mind responding to questions he wasn’t sure he could answer, he closed his eyes completely and turned his head away.

Jane returned to her vanity table where she continued to write; a single candle and the flames in the fireplace her only light. Interrupted in her writing by a low murmur from Darcy, she took the candle and quietly approached the bed. He was tossing back and forth, his face flushed and contorted; he was speaking in quiet tones, a hodgepodge of words that meant nothing to her. He spoke what she could only suppose were the nonsensical ramblings of a sick brain; she attributed words like television and jet to his head injury and delirium. She placed her hand softly on his cheek and was distressed by the heat radiating from him. Using fresh linen soaked in water from the pitcher on her wash stand, Jane swabbed his face and neck, then laid it across his forehead. It seemed to calm him and she went back to her writing.

Each time he grew restless Jane stopped writing and went to the bed to refresh the linen with cool water. After three episodes in close succession she remained on the edge of the bed so she was at hand, and each time he started to toss and turn she would caress his face and neck with the cool, damp linen in hopes that it would, in time, reduce his fever.

She stayed there until Darcy’s features turned placid and he was breathing more evenly. He finally seemed to be sleeping comfortably. She laid her small, soft hand on his cheek. The fever was broken. She dropped the cloth into the basin. Stiff from sitting in one position for so long without support, she stood up and stretched. She was not particularly tired but needed to get some rest.

Quietly she crossed the wooden floor and slipped the small pages of writing she was working on into the drawer of the vanity, then took a nightgown from the closet next to the fireplace. Glancing back at the bed she stepped behind the screen.

He opened his eyes just enough to see her slender, full-breasted figure silhouetted on the muslin screen, back-lit by the remnants of the fire as the light fabric of her nightgown floated down to envelope her.

Jane stopped at the bed before making her way to Cassandra’s room for a few hours of sleep. As she stood over him he watched surreptitiously through the veil of his eyelashes. She leaned down and whispered, “Good night, Mr. Darcy,” almost brushing his lips with her own. In spite of his continuing laudanum haze, he could see that her eyes were filled with a tenderness that caused him to grab her hand as she straightened up; he didn’t want her to go.

Without opening his eyes or letting go of her hand he said, “Please don’t leave me.”

Unsure whether this was further evidence of the delirium or whether he was actually requesting her presence, she pulled her hand away. He did not move to take it again but said, “Please, stay.”

Cognizant of Mr. Hudson’s admonition of keeping the injured American calm and concerned her leaving might agitate him, Jane sat once again on the edge of the bed. Darcy smiled in the flickering flame of the dying fire. He said nothing more but gently took her hand. He did not relinquish it again until she rose to move to a chair by the side of the bed where she finally slept.

The movement woke him. His mind finally clear of drugs, he scanned the room in the dim, pre-dawn light. There were no electrical outlets or switches, no lamps, television or telephone, and the only clock appeared to be pendulum driven. Everyone he’d seen wore costumes similar to the ones people wore to the Rose Ball. Those things and the medical treatment he had received led him to the inexplicable conclusion that somehow he’d fallen into another time—a time when Jane Austen was alive.

And there she sat, serene in what had to be an uncomfortable position for sleep; his nurse, his savior and much prettier than she was depicted in the only portrait of her to survive to the twenty-first century. She was not the brazen hussy of Darcy family lore but a sweet and loving woman who took care of him without concern for her own safety or expecting anything in return. His mother would have said she was a true Christian.

As he watched her in the pale light of the dying embers his head started to throb as though a nail was being driven through it. He closed his eyes and blessed sleep overtook him.

Jane was an incredibly strong, intelligent, willful and virtuous woman who followed the propriety of the day… mostly. During the last three years he’d often wondered what might have happened between them if he’d been forced to stay in early nineteenth-century England. Of course with the way her brothers felt about him, he probably wouldn’t have seen her again.

If the circumstances had been different would he have married her? He could have been happy with her, he supposed, but over the years he’d come to realize that the love he felt for her was based on who she was, the awe in which he held her, caring for him when she certainly didn’t have to, loving him. Then again, did she love him? She had never said it and the letter Eliza had found and given him showed obvious affection but she urged him to find his true love. Apparently she didn’t think she was it. Had they ever loved each other or had it just been a fling across the ages?

He laughed. What difference did any of it make? Jane Austen had been dead for almost two hundred years. Still, the undisputed icon of witty English romance had kissed him whether she loved him or not. He still had to pinch himself to believe it had ever happened.

He had no such questions about Eliza. Everything felt right when he was with her. This was no fling. He had no idea where they were headed, but for the first time in years he was looking forward to the rest of his life. As long as Eliza was with him he didn’t care where they were headed.

Fitz and Lord Nelson crossed the bridge at a leisurely gait; the ground fog was burning off in the warm morning sun. Had it really been only two days since he and the great stallion were galloping across the bridge before the fog had lifted and run Eliza off the road and into a muddy drainage ditch? He hadn’t even realized she was there until it had happened. When he did, he brought Nelson to a stop and, without questioning who she was or why she was walking along a road on his property, he had lifted her onto Lord Nelson’s back and then swung up behind her. She was slightly light headed from the sudden fall, and once on the horse she had leaned against his chest and he’d had to control a strong desire to kiss the top of her head. He still didn’t understand how a complete stranger could make him feel that way, but he didn’t really care. From the first moment, being with her felt right and wonderful and that was all that mattered.

She had touched something in him that no one else ever had, including Jane, even before he knew her. At the Austen exhibit at the New York Public Library he had found himself staring at her. He laughed remembering that he had thought of her as a raven-haired beauty. Then two days ago she had come out of the fog and into his life.

He had told her his story about jumping through a rift in time and meeting Jane Austen. It had been very difficult at first, but once he started it tumbled out and had been a relief that he wasn’t carrying it around anymore. It was as though a weight had been lifted and this slight, feisty New Yorker had done the lifting. She had listened to him with an intensity that had made her a part of the story. She had been kind and compassionate—he had seen real grief when she asked him about leaving Jane—and she had given him the letter that answered his questions about whether he’d actually met Jane Austen and how Jane felt about him.

Jane would always hold a special place in his heart, but Eliza held his heart. Maybe it was too early to take it all for love, but it certainly felt the way he'd always thought love is supposed to feel.

Horse and rider stepped out from the cool canopy of the woods and into the warm summer sun. Spurring his favorite horse to a full gallop Fitz guided him over every fence and stream on their way back to the barn.

~end

Guest post by Sally Smith O'Rourke author of Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen
© 2012. All rights reserved.

Visit Sally:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Shelfari
Austen Authors - contributor
Twitter

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by Sally Smith O'Rourke
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Read more about this world...

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of author ~--

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen
by Sally Smith O'Rourke
Just released: September 2012

Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel possible?

January 2013 will see the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, making this the perfect time to explore just who Elizabeth Bennet’s Mr. Darcy really was. In tribute to the beloved author and in answer to those questions I offer; Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen. As the follow up to the successful The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen delves into the complex nature of the man who became one of the most romantic characters in English literature.

Researching a letter she found from Jane Austen to Fitzwilliam Darcy takes Eliza Knight to the centuries old Virginia estate of Fitz Darcy, Pemberley Farms. His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that he is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?

Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the esteemed author become the wedge that divides Eliza and Fitz or the tie that binds them?


WIN a copy of this print or ebook! -- winner gets to pick

Open to all.

Offer ends: October 31, 2012

TO DO:

VISIT the author, Sally.

RETURN here and tell me something you found of interest there.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* image source

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Lady Giada's Review

Lady Giada raises her hand to share a bit of news...

My Jane Austen Summer
A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy Jones

Description from Amazon:
Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.

There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.


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by Giada
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Review:
This novel is not what I expected it to be and, sometimes, it was hard to digest. Forget “Happily Ever After”, forget “Fairy Tale Love Stories” and be ready for a realistic story, believable characters and a journey of self-discovery.

Lily Berry is a character desperate for a change. Her love life ruined, her family upside-down, she seeks refuge in the only things that give her solace… Jane Austen’s books.

I have to be honest...I didn’t like Lily and could not relate to her. Even if living in a novel would be an amazing experience (it depends on “what” novel though… I wouldn’t particularly like to find myself in It by Stephen King), I always believed that problems are something to be faced with courage and not something to escape from.

Nevertheless My Jane Austen Summer is a story I grew to love page after page. I admired Lily’s determination to change her life and rooted for her in her quest for happiness. Life is not easy, but eventually Lily manages to overcome her problems and fears and, most important of all, she comes to understand that happiness doesn’t just fall into your lap. Happiness is the fruit of hard work.

" True happiness involves the full use of one's power and talents." (John W. Gardner)

Baci!

Giada

~end

Guest post created by by Giada of Dr. Stravagante’s Traveling Book Circus
© 2012. All rights reserved.

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by Giada
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* image source tea cups

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Tea in the Garden


Much laughter and cheery gossip goes around the table this day.

Tea cups clatter.

Scones are slathered with clotted cream.

Lady Vee's story causes much interest.

Voices are hushed.

...and so at this auspicious occasion, Lady J.K. proceeded to tell Lady Ann that she is not immune to our dashing Mr. Darcy!

Smiles and knowing looks.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--

The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
Just released: September 27, 2012

WIN a copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: October 31, 2012

TO DO:

VISIT the Jane Austen Tea Series at Bingley's Tea.

RETURN here and tell me which tea you would fancy a taste of.

ALSO, tell me if you plan on reading this latest J.K. creation.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* Lady Vee's gossip is based on Book Passage's Webcast Screening: J. K. Rowling In Conversation With Ann Patchett in NYC, October 16, 2012.

* image source tea party

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Quantum Leap with Mr. Darcy from Enid Wilson


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by Enid Wilson
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Excerpt from: Honor and Integrity: A Collection of Pride and Prejudice-Inspired Short Stories
by Aimee Avery, June Williams, Enid Wilson

“Come, Elizabeth Bennet, I have 98.6945% of yearning to show you my birth chamber.” Wickham grinned as he pulled Elizabeth along some unknown corridors in Pemberley Corporation.

“Wait, George, you’re going too fast! And what are you talking about? Birth chamber?” Elizabeth shook her head at the enthusiasm of the strange, handsome man. She had worked at Pemberley Corporation for the past two months as a public relations Vice President. The job put her in daily contact with Darcy and Bingley. She didn’t like the overbearing and arrogant Mr. Darcy one iota. He stared at her all the time, to find fault most probably, and kept trying to separate the charming George from her. Wickham might have strange vocabulary and manner, but he was polite, gentlemanly and had the hots for her, the exact opposite of Mr. Darcy’s treatment of her. She teased her CEO verbally whenever she had the chance, which seemed to be a lot of time, as Bingley was dating Jane, and they usually invited Darcy and her to tag along.

“There!” George stretched out his hand, gesturing to Elizabeth to admire the magnificent setup in front of their eyes.

Elizabeth’s mouth gaped open. Inside the room was an enormous circular structure, the size of a football field and height of 7-storey building, resembling the interior of a spaceship from a science-fiction movie, with countless computers, electronic devices and monitors. While the machines blinked and processed data busily, the room was devoid of occupants.

She stepped outside the corridor to make sure it wasn't her imagination. No, it was real: from the Pemberley Corporation corridor, this was just an ordinary room, but once she stepped through the door, it was a huge structure. Lizzy was reminded of a British television show about an alien who traveled inside a police call box that was really a spaceship.

“What is this place?” She cranked her head, trying to read the nonsensical content on the wall-to-ceiling computers as she moved into the room.

“You enquired about my birthplace yesterday.” George brushed an unruly curl from his forehead in front of a monitor and said, “This is the Quantum Chamber, where Joshua Wick and Robert Hamm, what did you call them, yes, my parents procreated me.”

Elizabeth whirled around to stare at George, from a distance. While her feet had taken her deep into the chamber, George was still stationed by the door. “You meant your parents conceived you here? But that can’t be true! Pemberley Corporation only moved here two months ago. And Joshua and Robert couldn’t conceive you. They are men. Did you mean they adopted you?”

“I’m an honourable man! I tell the absolute truth. My parents worked for Darcy.”

“I know that.”

“I was procreated from a minute small portion of Darcy's tissue using quantum acceleration inside the crystal palace in Derbyshire in 1821.”

“Crystal palace?”

George turned to press a few buttons on the wall by the door, and the banks of computers on Elizabeth’s right hand side parted open to reveal an inner chamber with a sparkling pagoda-shaped structure, larger than her entire house, in crystals. A high-back reclining chair, fit for a king, also made in eye-blinding crystals, occupied the center of the pagoda.

A palace inside a chamber? Did Mr. Darcy name them? Strange choice, she thought.
With mouth gaped open again and feet seemingly moved by magnets, Elizabeth walked inside the crystal palace. She had never seen so many crystals in her life, and every one of them looked to be perfection under the spot lights. Tracing her fingertips along the surface of the wall, she thought about what George had just said.

Did he mean he was not human? He was apparently created by G.E.O.R.G.E., the Genetically Engineered Organic Robot Growth experiment her father spoke a lot about. Darcy in 1821? From Derbyshire? Did George mean Mr. Darcy was a man from nineteenth century England who funded G.E.O.R.G.E. and time travel? That couldn’t be true. Elizabeth was speechless, and sat heavily onto the chair.

“No!” Darcy’s high-pitched voice startled her. He charged towards her like a raging bull. Elizabeth swirled the chair to avoid the flying man, but he knocked the breath out of her. She felt dizzy and in great pain. What had Mr. Darcy done to her? Did he kill her with his sheer masculine weight because she had discovered his crystal palace? She could feel his virile body pressed hard against her. Her eyes flashed with sparks, but she saw nothing. Her body felt like it was splitting up, disintegrating into millions of particles, yet she could feel every inch of Mr. Darcy’s skin in her mind. After what felt like hours or days, the faintness stopped.

“This shouldn’t be happening.”

Mr. Darcy’s husky voice made Elizabeth pry open her eyes. They were nose to nose. His mouth was inches from hers. Their bodies were pressed together, with her lying on top of him. He was holding on to her for dear life.

“This can’t be happening,” he murmured.

She scrambled off his body and fell to the ground. The unfeeling man with no manners left her there and walked out of the crystal palace and stood in front of some computers.

“Computer, how did Elizabeth travel through time, intact, without pre-programming?”
She stood up, followed him and looked around. Was he crazy too? And where was George? The other man was no longer in the Quantum Chamber, unless he was hidden somewhere behind those banks of computers and high-tech pieces of equipment.

A mechanical voice spoke out. “Mr. Darcy, your feelings will not be repressed, despite your concern of the inferiority of Miss Bennet’s connections and total want of propriety of her family. You love and admire her ardently. You plan to ask her to become your wife today. Your constant thoughts of Miss Bennet and regular body contact with her in the last 59 days 8 hours 39 minutes 11 seconds means that the time travel program recognizes a majority of her genetic makeup that you specified in 1821. Also, your body was present during her quantum leap. Your tight grip on Miss Bennet’s body ensured her body particles regrouped successfully in present time, even without pre-programming.”

He turned to stare at her, his face bright red.

“But who activated the time travel?” he said to the computer again.

“George.”

Darcy tightened his jaw. “Why?”

“He was just playing with the controls.”

His lips thinned. “What is the present time?”

“Year 2820.”

“And where are we?”

“Planet Austen.”

~end

Guest post created by Enid Wilson one of the authors of Honor and Integrity: A Collection of Pride and Prejudice-Inspired Short Stories
© 2012. All rights reserved.

Visit Enid:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Enid Wilson
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READ more about this world...

--~ eBook Giveaway courtesy of author ~--

WIN a copy of this ebook!

Honor and Integrity
A Collection of Pride and Prejudice-Inspired Short Stories
by Aimee Avery, June Williams, Enid Wilson

What if Mr. Darcy’s mother was still alive? What if the Bennet sisters had suitors who were unacceptable? What if Elizabeth didn't realize Darcy's identity? And what if three authors of Jane Austen-inspired stories put their heads together and challenged each other with creating stories which contain the words ‘honor’ or ‘integrity’?

This collection of nine short stories contains sweet, romantic and intriguing stories across Regency, fantasy and modern genres.

You can find steampunk, deception, manipulation, theft, murder, love, marriage, coffee and many more themes in this volume.


Open to all.

Offer ends: October 31, 2012

TO DO:

SPREAD the word - tweet, facebook, blog, etc about this giveaway

OR post Pemberley badge event on your blog sidebar with link to this site (for at least a day)

In comments make sure to tell me what you did.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~

Monday, October 15, 2012

Reticules

Ahhh, welcome dears!

So glad you could attend our tea despite the late hour.

Things have been amiss here at Pemberley due to some mysterious events.

But, come. Come in and let us take tea in the garden and we shall discuss.

Please check into this event and you will be eligible to win...

The Darcys of Pemberley
The Continuing Story of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
by Shannon Winslow

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

Layers of seemingly innocent deception are building between Darcy and Elizabeth, threatening their relationship. He is conducting some covert business dealings that he’s unwilling to share with his wife, and she likewise begins keeping things from him against her own better judgment.

The couple also becomes embroiled in the tribulations of Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, and his friend and cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Fitzwilliam falls victim to their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as the object of her latest scheme to make a noble match for her daughter. The arrangement satisfies the ambitions of the couple’s parents, but appears to hold little prospect of happiness for Anne and Fitzwilliam, who each harbor other romantic interests.

During this same period, Georgiana runs the gamut of emotions as she comes of age. Her elation at her birthday ball soon crumbles when she learns the man she secretly admires is engaged to another. The excitement of a London season and the attention of two other eligible suitors cannot make her forget her disappointment over her lost first love.

As the story progresses, the menacing shadow of Mr. Darcy’s life-long nemesis looms ever-larger. By carelessness and design, Mr. Wickham and Lydia painfully intrude into the lives of the Darcys and the Bingleys, with disastrous results.

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

Ms. Winslow carries on the saga much as Jane Austen herself might have – true to her style, her sensibilities, and the delightful characters she created.


TO DO:

SEND me a link to a picture of the reticule you have brought with you to this event.

TELL me one item you would carry in your reticule.

AND leave your Pemberley guest name with your email if I don't already have it.

Participant reticules:

Lady Vee:
This Pineapple shaped reticule resides in the Kyoto Museum’s 1800-1810 collection. In describing this bag, the museum comments,

This small bag (called “reticule” at that time) was elaborately and three-dimensionally knitted into the shape of a pineapple. Motifs of pineapples and other exotic articles associated with the tropics became popular because of the influence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Joséphine, the then fashion leader, who was from the Island of Martinique. - find out more about this reticule and how to make it here


Lady Alexa:
contents include - In my reticule I am keeping Something Truly Horrid: a little seasonal story I have been toying with called Emma & Elton. Tea is always better with polite entertainment (see teaser).

Lady Faith:
contents include - my love's handkerchief embroidered with his initial - a memento cherished and present with me at all times...

Lady Freda:
contents include - handy dandy napkin for you never know when you need to wipe something

Princess Lúthien:
contents include: a tiny bottle of perfume as I would not know when I might need it, compact mirror and a pretty shawl in case of cold

Lady MAD:
contents include - Legs (pet mechanical spider) and tiniest flask of Elixir

Lady Mary:
contents include - a very sharp hat pin to deter unwanted advances

Lady True:
contents include - a small book...one never knows when the need for a book may arise

Lady Vicki:
contents include - handkerchief, a compact mirror, and a vial of smelling salts, for one never knows what may happen at these parties!

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* reticule - (Clothing & Fashion) (in the 18th and 19th centuries) a woman's small bag or purse, usually in the form of a pouch with a drawstring and made of net, beading, brocade, etc.

* image source for reticule, participant reticules are sourced in comments

~~! Something Amiss at Pemberley schedule ~!~


 
Imagination Designs
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