Fridays at Nine cover

Fridays at Nine
by Marilyn Brant

Release date: October 1, 2010

Just got this cover and blurb to share from Marilyn.

Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Every woman remembers her firsts: Her first kiss. Her first lover. And her first time contemplating an affair...

Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation...

Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made--and the ones she can unmake--as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara begin to realize how little they know about each other, their marriages and themselves, and how much there is to gain--and lose--when you step outside the rules.

*** Marilyn Brant Book Giveaway ***

If you haven't already enter the giveaway for this book.

~*~

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 7

... “Really, Emma. Take more care next time.”

And Sylvia, who was watching this scene clearly from her position on the tree branch, giggled into the shady atmosphere of the woods, unheard.

There went her Match #3.

the end

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end

* guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source woods

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 6

... The fairy girl smiled at her and gave a small curtsy.

“Emma!” Mr. Knightly called, more insistently this time. “Miss Woodhouse, please show yourself!”

Emma rolled her eyes and grinned one last time at Sylvia. “Goodbye,” she told the fairy before racing out of the woods.

Sylvia could hear Emma replying to her Mr. Knightley with an edge of temper, “I am here, sir. There is no need to shout so. You will frighten the forest creatures.”

“What on earth were you doing walking around in the woods by yourself?” he demanded.

“Just taking a refreshing stroll to clear my head of all the dreary conversations,” Emma said. “Really, Mr. Knightley, you can hardly blame me.”

He huffed. “You are forgetting your responsibility here and your position amongst the guests.” He picked a few leaves off her dress and brushed away a twig that had lodged itself onto the top of her bonnet. “Really, Emma. Take more care next time.”

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end

* guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source of Mr Knightley

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 5

“Oh, right. So, who is your second match?”

Sylvia bobbed her head in the direction of Jane Fairfax. “There is a gentleman here today that is perfect for her. A gentleman with whom she has a secret acquaintance.”

“Really?” Emma cried, most intrigued by this odd turn of circumstances. Had the mysterious man, who was secretly in love with Miss Fairfax despite marrying another (or so Emma had been told!), recently come into the area? Emma’s gaze darted around the lawn in hopes of being the first to spot the elusive Mr. Dixon. She detected, however, only the irritating Mr. Elton, the kind but rather old Mr. Weston and the tall (and, perhaps, a little rugged) Mr. Churchill discussing something in the far distance. She dismissed them from her mind and continued searching for the long-lost love of Miss Bates’s mousy niece, sighing heavily when she could not locate anyone at all who looked remotely like an adulterous stranger.

Just as she was about to implore Sylvia to please point her in the correct direction, Emma heard a familiar voice bellowing, “Miss Woodhouse? Emma? Where are you?”

“Oh, such bad luck!” Emma said, her vexation not able to be contained. “It is Mr. Knightley,” she explained to the fairy, “and he shall be his usual scolding and cross self again if I do not rush out at once.” She glanced regretfully at Sylvia. “However, I very much enjoyed meeting you. Sorry to not be able to stay to hear your final match.”

The fairy girl smiled at her and gave a small curtsy.

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


* guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source from the book Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine by Joan Aiken

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

Friday Mornings at Nine

Friday Mornings at Nine
by Marilyn Brant

Release date: October 1, 2010

Description from author:
A modern fairy tale about three women, three marriages and what happens a decade or two after the Happily Ever After.

*** Giveaway ***

Win this book.

Please note: I won't be able to send this book to the winner until it is released in September.

Open to all.

Offer ends: March 27, 2010

To do:

Visit Marilyn's blog and leave her a comment.

Comment below with your email and tell me --> What is your favorite fairy tale ending (doesn't necessarily have to be a happy one)?


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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* image source is Marilyn's Golden Heart from her website. She is the proud Winner of the 2007 Golden Heart Award for "Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements"

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 4

The little fairy could hardly trump her skill, but it was so adorable that she aspired to similar goals.

Emma waved her hand at a break in the hedges where Sylvia could see the Box Hill picnickers at play. “Make a match for me,” she requested. “Who in this crowd just there—” She pointed. “Who would make a good couple?”

The fairy easily flew to a branch on a nearby tree to garner a better view. She stared with her tiny bluish eyes most intently at the gathering before blinking three times and smiling at Emma. “I will give you more than you wish. Not one pair, but three. As I have now imagined them perfectly in my mind, the matches are bound to happen.”

Emma grinned. This ought to be delightful! “And your first pairing?”

“Your friend, Miss Harriet Smith. I see her with a tall, rugged gentleman who attends to her every word.” Sylvia glanced around. “I do not see him here at present, but I know him from my prior observations back at Highbury.”

Emma very nearly rolled her eyes. The fairy had to be talking about Mr. Churchill, of course. Although he was not precisely a “rugged” man, nor was he wandering about on the lawn as he had been when last she had seen him, Emma knew that she would meet with success once she set her mind toward bringing him together with her sweet friend.

“Well, that is hardly news,” she told Sylvia. “It is obvious Harriet belongs with a tall gentleman. I know just the one you mean, and I have thought so myself.” She nodded knowingly at the fairy. “Were my former governess here today, I would have told her the same thing.” Emma paused. “I made a rather successful match for her just last year, you know.”

“Yes. Miss Taylor and Mr. Weston,” Sylvia replied. “I remember that one. Quite impressive.”

“Why, thank you.” Emma beamed at the fairy girl. “So, then, am I to understand you have been watching us at home in Highbury for some time?”

“Politics are dreadfully boring, Miss Woodhouse. I seek amusement everywhere I can.”

“Oh, right. So, who is your second match?”

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


* guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source the Westons

* image source victorian frame

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

According to Jane giveaway

According to Jane
by Marilyn Brant

Description from amazon:
It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet 'tsk' of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten.

Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own.

Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

*** Giveaway ***

Win this book.

Open to all.

Offer ends: March 27, 2010

To do:

Read and comment on at least one part of Marilyn's story, A Tale of Two Matchmakers.

If you already commented no need to do another - I'm keeping track.

+1 if you comment on the other parts
(earn a total of 7 entries)

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


1+ Read and comment on my review of this book.
(so you could get a total of 8 entries)

Also, comment below with your email.

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic event

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 3

... “Here,” the voice said.

Emma felt the curious sting of surprise (being shocked happened so rarely to her), especially when she discovered that the lilting voice belonged to none other than a fairy girl. One who was perched on the trunk of a chopped-down pine-tree and wearing a rather pretty ivory frock, if Emma did say so. Although it was not as pretty as Emma’s own.

She took a step back, but the little girl creature just crossed her tiny arms and sighed. “You are Miss Woodhouse, I presume?” she said, her tone vaguely bored.

“Indeed, I am,” Emma replied. “And you?”

“Miss Sylvia Grayson, second cousin of the Princess of the Faeries. Well, of the current ruling family, anyway. There’s been a bit of discord over the past two centuries and some say the throne should have gone to Marius of the Westleigh clan. But he has always been a little unstable and displayed appalling taste in social situations, so the Board of the Fates gathered together last July and—”

“What are you doing here?” Emma blurted. “In the woods?”

Sylvia sighed. “Oh. Why, I’m looking for diversion, of course. I truly despise fey politicking and the endless arguments that accompany it. I would much prefer to play at love.”

“You are looking to find a mate?”

The fairy girl laughed. “Dear heavens, certainly not! Why would I want to give up my independence? No, I merely wish to help others come together. I believe I am rather well suited to figuring out who might make a good pair.”

Emma warmed to the diminutive creature and smiled at these words. She prided herself on her own astuteness in matchmaking. The little fairy could hardly trump her skill, but it was so adorable that she aspired to similar goals.

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


* guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source fairy

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 2

... she knew a good opportunity when she saw one.

She slipped into the nearby woods—unseen, thank goodness, by anyone of importance—and she marched around a little in delicious privacy, trying to shake off a most disconcerting feeling. Her irritation began and ended with Mr. Knightley, of course, at least primarily. She found herself muttering aloud, “Why must he always be so very meddlesome, irksome and—”

As she tried to think of another word, she was startled to hear a soft, lilting voice suggest, “Troublesome?”

“Why, yes! Exactly so,” Emma replied, turning around in place but not immediately spotting the owner of the voice. “Er, hello?”

“Here,” the voice said.

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


*guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source Victorian garden

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

A Tale of Two Matchmakers - pt 1

They had just packed away the strawberry tartlets when Emma Woodhouse saw that garish Mrs. Elton headed her way, no doubt intending to jabber more about someone’s excessively decorated barouche or the earthly utopia that was her beloved Maple Grove. Emma grimaced. Thankfully, Harriet—darling Harriet!—intercepted the woman, but Emma suspected the dear girl wouldn’t be able to hold her off for long.

With a sense of urgency, Emma glanced around for both an escape route and, if possible, the opportunity to push Harriet more directly into the path of Mr. Frank Churchill. Later, perhaps, in appreciation for Harriet’s sacrifice now, she could finally succeed in that task. Harriet and Mr. Churchill would suit perfectly. (Emma just knew it!) They just needed a little…nudge.

However, neither of these objectives seemed attainable at the moment, as Mr. Knightley had been keeping a rather watchful eye on her all afternoon. What an irritating gentleman he could be! Always parading his civility about like some other man would display a showy riding horse or a fancy waistcoat, and his relentless firmness with her was almost as tiresome as one of Miss Bates’s speeches.

But, oh, look!

Mrs. Elton had managed to snag Mr. Knightley as well as poor Harriet into her discussion. Emma took a quick breath. Still, as unfortunate as that was for her dear friend and her scolding neighbor, she knew a good opportunity when she saw one.

to be continued

~*~

A Tale of Two Matchmakers
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7 - end


*guest post from Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane

* image source Mr Knightley and Harriet - Emma BBC 1996

* part of Mr Knightley's Picnic

According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

According to Jane
by Marilyn Brant

Just released: October 1, 2009
Genre: Romance
Paperback: 352 pages
Rating: 5

Inspiration: for my Everything Austen challenge hosted by Stephanie's Written Word

Description from amazon:
It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet 'tsk' of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten.

Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own.

Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

My thoughts:
In-a-word: soulmate

I found this to be a coming of age kind of novel. But the growth being in the department of love and relationships. The story flashbacks into Ellie's, the main character, YA dating life which takes place in the 80's. Being of the Generation X, I was immediately hooked to this book because of the references to music and culture of those times.  Woo-hoo for Spandau Ballet! Martin was my favorite at the time. He's the bloke with the red kerchief.

Of course, the other draw to this book is Jane Austen's presence. Along with Jane's advice, you'll get some parallels with the Pride and Prejudice story.

The end of the story takes an unusual paranormal twist that makes the story more than what you initially think it to be. hmmmm, yeah, you'll have to read it to find out what the heck!

After the end of the story is a delightful Q&A session between characters, Ellie, Sam and Marilyn (the author). Great feature!

Loved this beautiful passage:

In one sense, I knew I was finally becoming the monarch I'd dreamed of. I'd emerged from my cocoon of adolescense, transitioned into young adulthood and was incredibly close to being able to float around the world of grown-ups in my butterfly costume. Inside, however, I remained much the confused caterpillar I'd always been.
-ARC page 48

According to Wikipedia:

Jane Austen's House Museum is a small private museum in the village of Chawton near Alton in Hampshire. It occupies the 17th century house (informally known as Chawton Cottage) in which novelist Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life and where she wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion.

In the story, Ellie spent a vacation visiting all of Jane Austen's haunts in England. If ever I find myself in England, the Jane Austen House Museum is one place set on my agenda of sites to visit. Have you visited any of Jane's haunts - Bath, Lyme, etc?

*image source of house

According to Jane book release

Happy book release day Marilyn!

According to Jane
by Marilyn Brant

Description from author site:
According To Jane is the story of a modern young woman who receives romantic advice--some good, some not so good--from the spirit of Jane Austen. This manuscript won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart® Award in 2007 for "Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements."


Where has the time gone?

I've got to get a move on in reading my copy which was part of a contest I won from Marilyn's Starbucks taste test contest back in August.

Have you read this or plan to?

Would you like to have my ARC copy after I read it? (let me know in comments)

*** special note from Marilyn (excerpt from my email) ***

Happy Fall, Everyone!

It took nine years of fiction writing, several completed but unpublished manuscripts and hundreds of agent & editorial rejectionletters... but I'm delighted to announce that my Golden Heartaward-winning debut, ACCORDING TO JANE, has made the long trek from story idea through to published novel. And I can't tell you how thrilled I am that today (!!) it'll be arriving at a bookstore near you!

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ACCORDING TO JANE is now on the shelves!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reggie of the Undercover Booklover

has won my easter egg giveaway
and will receive my ARC copy
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*** updated 10.5.09 ***