#HOTCollins Bonus #1: Highlights of the Blog Tour

I’m one of those people that will prepare for something well ahead of time if given the opportunity. Part of the reason for this is that my illness demands I limit my energy stores each day so I don’t over-do it. So if I can perform a portion of a large task ahead of time, I will. I risk doing too much or having a part of the work require a re-do at times, but I’m clever and flexible enough to work with that.

In the case of my blog tour for A Most Handsome Gentleman (aka #HOTCollins) in October-November 2017, I prepared a few too many posts. What to do? Well, I decided to share a blog tour bonus here on road trips with the redhead. It’s too late for the giveaways, but not too late to read the hijinks that went on during the fifteen days of blog posts.

Today’s post is the first of four and consists of a recap of the blog tour for those who missed any posts or want to re-read the hilarity or benefit from the excellent book reviews. Below are direct links to the A Most Handsome Gentleman blog tour posts with a description or quote for each post to entice you to click the link and enjoy the read.

 

A Most Handsome Gentleman aka #HOTCollins Blog Tour Highlights:

10/20   My Jane Austen Book Club: Suzan Lauder interviews Elizabeth Bennet, narrator of the novel A Most Handsome Gentleman, PLUS an excerpt with Elizabeth Bennet and her handsome cousin, Mr. Collins.

10/21   My Love for Jane Austen: Guest Post: A Glimpse into the Family Life at Longbourn.

10/22   Obsessed with Mr. Darcy: Review: “Fantastic dialogue and surreal conversations, which made me laugh out loud numerous times. I liked lots of things in this book, but best, Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s proposal.”—5/5 ice cream bars.

10/23   Austenesque Reviews: “A New Rector for Hunsford, part 1.” This brand new vignette chronicles Mr. Collins’ first job interview with Lady Catherine from the grand lady’s point of view. Part 2 at Laughing with Lizzie (below).

10/24   Tomorrow is Another Day: Review: “…changes in the development of the love story between Darcy and Elizabeth [are] described in a very sweet way (I loved many of the scenes that see them together). Congratulations to the author for having made such a famous masterpiece comic while still keeping Jane Austen’s style.”—Rating: 5/5.

10/25   Babblings of a Bookworm: Guest Post: In Praise of Voluptuous Ladies.

10/26   From Pemberley to Milton: Review: “I had a great time reading A Most Handsome Gentleman and could not recommend it enough for those who want to relax and enjoy a good comedy. It is a highly entertaining book that will make readers laugh out loud from the first page until the last. Suzan Lauder took a risk by venturing into this new subgenre but she nailed it!”—4.5/5 stars.

10/27   Just Jane 1813: Guest Post: The Many Men who Inspired “Hot Collins.”

10/28   Darcyholic Diversions: Saucy Salutations with Suzan: an Interview with Suzan Lauder.

10/29   My Vices and Weaknesses: Meryton Residents speak about Mr. Collins: a modern/Regency mashup interview featuring Katherine Bennet, interviewer.

10/30   Half Agony, Half Hope: Review: “I will be reading this book again as it was funny as hell. I definitely recommend this book if you want something to read that’s fast and funny.”—4/5 stars; Excerpt: Mr. Collins breakfasts with the Bennets.

10/31   Laughing With Lizzie: “A New Rector for Hunsford, part 2.” A continuation from Mr. Collins’ point of view, this brand new vignette chronicles Mr. Collins’ job interview with Lady Catherine. Part 1 at Austenesque Reviews (above).

11/01   Diary of an Eccentric: Review: “Just as Jane Austen herself portrayed the ridiculous in her novels, Lauder does so here. Mr. Collins’s over-the-top speeches and Elizabeth’s first-person narrative, alternately witty and snarky, had me wishing the book wouldn’t end.”—5/5 stars.

11/02   So little time…: Excerpt: Jane Bennet’s pudding PLUS a Guest Post: Recipes from great-Grandma Lauder and an 1823 cookbook.

11/03   Margie’s Must Reads: Review: “Suzan Lauder can write! She writes such wonderful prose, such wonderful dialog and such an exceptional plot it was so hard to put down. Complete with scandal, intrigue and merriment, A Most Handsome Gentleman has so many laughs and so many swoons you will love every single word!” —5/5 hearts.

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A bonus non-blog tour post on November 21, 2017: Obstinate Headstrong Girl: Excerpt: The Bennets meet Mr. Collins for the first time. This filled a gap between the blog tour and my resumption of blog posts on road trips with the redhead.

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If you missed the giveaway of eight e-copies of A Most Handsome Gentleman courtesy of Meryton Press, I encourage you to go out and purchase and review this funny book. Authors love reviews of all types! Or, read on for a chance to win a signed hard copy.

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The future three posts for this series will be two excerpts from the book and a Learning from My Mistakes related post about the point of view I utilized in A Most Handsome Gentleman. Look for them on Tuesdays over the next few weeks.

The Learning from My Mistakes series will resume after this break with a few additional posts before the draw for the prize. Blog followers and all commenters during the Learning from My Mistakes series are entered in a draw for a gift package including a signed paperback copy of A Most Handsome Gentleman, an A Most Handsome Gentleman book bead to hang on your purse or backpack, and the winner’s choice of a handmade Thrift Shop Regency Costume Experiment item by Suzan Lauder (pineapple reticule or “grown-up lady’s” lace cap).

Best of luck, blog followers and commenters!

Another road trip! A Letter from Ramsgate Blog Tour, to be exact!

mary_poppins13-free-to-use-or-share-even-commercially-from-wikiThat’s me, on my way around the world with my parasol, now that Letter from Ramsgate is live on Amazon! Yes! It’s on its way up the rankings, and you can buy it now!

Don’t let the serviceable bag fool you. The boots are thigh-high, and the ribbons and feathers for the hat are inside that bag, ready for any occasion!

Come on! Grab your parasols and let’s get this show on the road! Elizabeth and Georgiana are waiting for us!
lfrhorizontalbannerLetter from Ramsgate Blog Tour Schedule:

2016 October 17   The Spotlight is on new character Lady Edwina: a guest post, excerpt, and the first chance at the giveaway with Maria Grazia at My Jane Austen Book Club.
2016 October 18   Guess who’s coming to tea? George Wickham never misses an opportunity when he sees one, and I share the excerpt with Margie at Margie’s Must Reads!  A giveaway opportunity is included in this stop too! Does Wickham enter?
2016 October 19   Parasol on a honeymoon–an LfR cutting room floor vignette and giveaway stop with huge JAFF author supporter Claudine at Just Jane 1813.
2016 October 20   Rita reviews Letter from Ramsgate! Yes, my first blog tour review is from the lady who’s been asking for this book ever since the first excerpt from the AHA version showed on my blog. From Pemberley to Milton is the place to hear how she liked my second published novel.
2016 October 21   Another road trip vignette featuring Elizabeth Bennet is featured at Babblings of a Bookworm with host, Ceri, and another chance at that fantastic giveaway!
2016 October 22   Liz hosts an excerpt and giveaway: three ladies Hunsfordize an un-gentleman-like gentleman, and none is Elizabeth Bennet! Liz’s Reading Life.
2016 October 23   Rita gets her just desserts, or, “what did she like best about Letter from Ramsgate, and how did Suzan translate than into a perfect guest post/vignette?” She interviews new character, Mrs. Younge! Stay for the giveaway at From Pemberley to Milton.
2016 October 24   Another book review of Letter from Ramsgate by Loren at Tomorrow is Another Day. I hope she likes it like Baci.
2016 October 25   There’s a new lady in the LfR mix, and she’s not Candy. Blogger interview, excerpt, and chance at the giveaway at So little time…so much to read!
2016 October 26   Nasty Lady Cecilia got cut from LfR, but Meredith at Austenesque Reviews is hosting her, Lady Saye, and a few others, along with our Meryton Press giveaway.
2016 October 27   Not only does Tina review Letter from Ramsgate, she hosts a setdown (excerpt) at Half Agony, Half Hope.
2016 October 28   Anna loved my breakout novel, Alias Thomas Bennet. What will she say about Letter from Ramsgate? She shares her review on Diary of an Eccentric.
2016 October 29   Bum Scratching in the Regency was the topic of my last guest post at A Covent Garden Gilflurt’s Guide to Life. What hijinks could she have in mind for this visit?
2016 October 30   As a former flight attendant, blog tour hostess Janet once made a career of caring for travelers, and she’s certain to comfort this tired author/blogger on her way home with a final stop at More Agreeably Engaged for a surprise and another chance at that great giveaway of Letter from Ramsgate.

2016 October 31   A lagniappe right here!

The Letter from Ramsgate Blog Tour proves to be one of the most exciting of the road trips with the redhead yet!

Don’t forget to comment on the blog tour posts and enter the giveaway for a copy of Letter from Ramsgate. There are 4 paperbacks available for US entrants and 4 e-copies for international entrants. Be sure to click on the little arrows to get to your choice.

Rafflecopter Link

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Bonus: During the blog tour, I’m a Featured Beau Monde Author!

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Update: Who or what is on the LfR cover?

Remember Imagining Mr. Darcy: The Faceless Man and the Book Cover from May 2016? Suffice it to say that Mr. Darcy is never a “given” on a book cover, and many surprises are in store for a writer who has no idea what their book cover will look like.

Zorylee Diaz-Lupitou was the cover designer for Letter from Ramsgate, and she does a strategic-type analysis with an author to discover the true themes of the novel in order to know where to start looking for cover ideas. Friendship, trust, and romance figured high for my latest novel, and I was stunned with happiness when I saw her cover design for my book!

On Wednesday, you’ll get to see why! The cover reveal for Letter from Ramsgate will be on Austenesque Reviews on September 28, 2016!

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American artist George Catlin (1796-1872) Self-portrait, 1824.

American artist George Catlin (1796-1872) Self-portrait, 1824. Public domain.

Sadly, our handsome Mr. George Catlin from the May post is not on the LfR cover. Don’t be dismayed! We can still admire him as we sit by the fire! Click on the thumbnail for the larger version!

What caused the Escalating Interest in Austen-Inspired Novels?

51B0ZBnqzlL._SX363_BO1,204,203,200_The latest JAFF fuss is about some kind of “bubble” and suggestions that soon, the “meteoric” trend of Austen-inspired novel sales will reverse itself. The belief is that the 200th anniversaries and the adaptations drive the market. I’m not the only blogger who disagrees, but I propose a different reason for the escalation in Austen-inspired books.

The oldest JAFF novel listed on Austenesque Reviews is Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil G. Brinton from 1914. It’s fairly well documented that P&P ’95 was a big influence on the proliferation of unpublished JAFF. Several web sites started for that purpose, and at one time, there were a good dozen multiple-author forum sites. But it wasn’t easy to get it published back then.

damask_wallpaper_seamless_background_pinkFrom Austenesque Reviews‘ lists, between 1995 and 2005, the total number of JAFF books published was less than in a month today, which according to Meredith Esparza at Austenesque Reviews is around 30. That’s in 10 years! They were mostly paper, as the attitude towards e-books was “Why pay when you can read on your computer for free?” Vanity publishers like Lulu charged around $60-$100 to convert and host your e-book.

First Generation Amazon Kindle, 2007

First Generation Amazon Kindle, 2007

 

E-readers hit the market in late 2007, but didn’t become popular immediately, as they cost $299 and were only available in the US.

In each of 2008 and 2009, the number of Austen-inspired novels published was similar to that published in a month today. Sourcebooks published a few JAFF novels each year, and starting in 2009, so did Meryton Press. The odd book was published by various other publishers, just as they are today. The number published slowly increased so in 2012, 62 books were published.

The biggest boost to published JAFF came when Kindle changed its input format for self-publishing. In 2011, Rafe Carlson had to program An Unpleasant Walk into Kindle format herself to publish the JAFF novel as an e-book on Amazon in September of that year. By the same time in 2012, I could put my formatted MS Word document of Alias Thomas Bennet directly into Kindle and have it pop out an e-book, complete with interactive TOC. In 2013, the number of JAFF books published nearly tripled from the previous year. When I scan Amazon, it appears that most Austen-inspired novels are self-published.

Now for my original point—is this about to end any time soon? From reading blogs of romance authors talking about how to set their price points, I discovered that a JAFF novel is a cash cow. An unknown JAFF author can sell more copies of their first Austen-inspired novel in the first month, with no marketing, than most newbie self-published romance writers sell in a year. JAFF novel sales are no longer the best-kept secret held by a handful of authors, but by no means will the market be saturated any time soon!

References:

  1. A Comprehensive Guide to Austenesque Novels on Austenesque Reviews.
  2. Amazon Kindle, Wikipedia.

 

December 18, 2013: Outtake from Alias Thomas Bennet at Austenesque Reviews

I never knew Alias Thomas Bennet was so full of hints and spoilers until I tried to figure out what text I could present as an excerpt for a blog post. I love to tease readers about what might come next, but I’d also like them to have a chance to feel the excitement as each little thing is exposed and their suspicions are confirmed, and it wouldn’t be fun if you already knew everything before you read the book. So for today’s guest blog at Austenesque Reviews, I offered to write an outtake, something brand new and unique, to give the flavour of ATB without giving too much away. Meredith liked the idea, and I hope you do, too.

Austenesque Reviews

I didn’t bug my editor, Gail, to check this scene out (she’s on the road again!), but my friend Maria had a look and confirmed it wouldn’t embarrass me technically.