Shannon Winslow claims she was minding her own business – raising two sons and pursuing a very sensible career – when an ordinary trip to Costco about a dozen years ago changed her life. That was the day a copy of the ’95 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice fairly leapt off the shelf and into her oversized shopping cart. After watching the mini-series, Shannon was hopelessly hooked on the story, Colin Firth’s Darcy, and all things Jane Austen. One may guess what followed – compulsive reading, late-night trips to the library and video store, secret rendezvous with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley. Finally, only one thing remained. Her dedication (or obsession, as it could more rightly be described) ultimately inspired her to begin writing her own stories a la Austen.

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Author's posts

Celebrating the Audiobook of “Colonel Brandon in His Own Words” with a Giveaway!

The past six weeks were busy ones for me, launching Colonel Brandon in His Own Words and then tagging along with him on a whirlwind, 10-stop book tour. If  you missed any of the festivities, look here for more book info, an excerpt, and a full list of tour stops with links. But now for …

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Book Launch! “Colonel Brandon in His Own Words”

It’s launch day, and I’m so excited to introduce you to my brand new book! Colonel Brandon has arrived and is now ready to tell his story in His Own Words . “I was just going to tell you of our agreeable surprize in seeing him arrive…” (Jane Austen, Emma)   What kind of book …

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Cover Reveal for “Colonel Brandon in His Own Words”!

Next to the actual book debut, I think the cover reveal is the most exciting! I’m very involved in the design of my book covers, so for me, it’s another enjoyable aspect of the creative process. Even though this is my 12th book, it  never gets old. Anyway, I hope you like what we came …

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One Read Leads to Another…

We’re always getting book recommendations from our friends. (In fact, here are a few of mine for you!) Sometimes from online lists – “50 Must-Read Books”,  Goodreads, etc.  But have you ever taken a book recommendation from another book or a movie? I’m not talking about when you see a great movie, which motivates you …

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(April) Fool for Love

This month’s theme is “Fool for Love,” partly inspired by April Fools’ Day.  And since I’m first up, I thought I’d start with a bit about April Fools’ Day itself, including a few infamous hoaxes. Then I have a fun excerpt for you that fits the theme! According to history.com, the exact origins of April …

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Merriment: It’s not always what you expect!

If “March Merriment” is our theme this month, what does Jane Austen have to say on the subject? Plus an update on my WIP!

From High Sensibility to Having More Sense

In case you haven’t heard, I’m working on a Sense and Sensibility book: Colonel Brandon in His Own Words. From the title (or if you read Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words), you will have guessed that this novel will be told completely from the hero’s point of view, covering the scope of the original …

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Great (Christmas) Expectations

Christmas image

It starts when we’re kids: all the build-up to Christmas (or what ever holiday you celebrate this time of year): the decorations, the wish lists, the family traditions, the idea that magic can happen!  But the higher our unreasonable expectations, the more likely they are to be disappointed. On the other hand, sometimes what happens …

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Catherine and Henry Tilney’s “Comfortable Coze”

I know that “a comfortable coze” (this month’s theme here at the blog) comes from Mansfield Park and refers to a confab between Fanny Price and Mary Crawford. (Read more about that in Diana Birchall’s post.) But I admit that the phrase conjured up something a little different in my mind. First, you should know …

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Colonel Brandon in His Own Words

  Sometimes starting is the hardest part of writing a novel (read more about that subject here). That was the case for me this time. I knew I wanted to write a Sense and Sensibility novel, and I settled on telling Colonel Brandon’s story. (Proposed title: Colonel Brandon in His Own Words.) I will delve a little deeper into …

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