Melanie Stanford didn’t get into Jane Austen until, as a teenager, she walked in on her older sister watching Pride & Prejudice right in the moment where Elizabeth first sees Mr. Darcy’s beautiful grounds at Pemberley. She was hooked on all things Austen then and there. Her first novel, SWAY, is a modern-day retelling of Persuasion and was shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Sway, Clash, Collide, and an as yet untitled work-in-progress are all part of her Romance Revisited series.
Melanie also writes YA of different genres, reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing, and always daydreaming. She would like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her husband, four kids, and ridiculous amounts of snow.
Visit Melanie’s website at melaniestanfordbooks.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @MelMStanford
Melanie’s books ~
Sway
She’d be happy to forget…if the past would just stop hitting “replay.”
Ava Elliot never thought she’d become a couch surfer. But with a freshly minted—and worthless—degree from Julliard, and her dad squandering the family fortune, what choice does she have?
Living with her old high school friends, though, has its own drawbacks. Especially when her ex-fiancé Eric Wentworth drops back into her life. Eight years ago, she was too young, too scared of being poor, and too scared of her dad’s disapproval. Dumping him was a big mistake.
In the most ironic of role reversals, Eric is rolling in musical success, and Ava’s starting at the bottom to build her career. Worse, every song Eric sings is an arrow aimed straight for her regrets.
One encounter, one song too many, and Ava can’t go on like this. It’s time to tell Eric the truth, and make a choice. Finally let go of the past, or risk her heart for a second chance with her first love. If he can forgive her…and she can forgive herself.
Clash
Planning a party is easy, falling in love is hard.
No longer content to be a Los Angeles socialite, Elizabeth Elliot starts her own party planning business: Excessively Diverted, making dreams come true one party at a time. She even knows how to handle those unruly party guests, like Antonio Reyes, the man who drank too much, insulted the décor, and didn’t know the difference between crudités and canapés. The nerve.
So when this same Tony Reyes demands she plan his daughter’s Sweet Sixteen, Elizabeth refuses, no matter how many dollar signs are attached to his name. That is until Elizabeth discovers her new business is in trouble. She must suck up her pride and work with Tony, despite how much she hates the man.
As Elizabeth gets to know Tony and his daughter, her clear-cut hatred starts to get muddled with feelings—the kind that could screw up the job, and her life, completely. She must decide whether risking her heart is worth it… but who has time for all that when there’s a party to be planned?
Collide
When their worlds collide, neither will be left unscarred.
Suffocated by her small-town life, Maggie Hale runs away to Las Vegas to pursue her dream as a contemporary dancer. But Vegas doesn’t turn out like she imagined. She doesn’t make it into Essence Dance Theater and the only job she can find is working in a greasy diner—again.
Jay Thornton wants to quit enforcing and own his own boxing gym one day. But his loan shark boss saved him from the streets as a kid and he owes the man everything. Cutting ties isn’t so simple.
When Maggie pledges to pay back a friend’s loan, she becomes Jay’s next mark. Sparks fly between them, but choosing each other could mean the end of both their dreams.
Inspired by Elizabeth Gaskell’s NORTH & SOUTH
The Beast of Pemberley
A Pride & Prejudice/Beauty and the Beast mashup featured in THE DARCY MONOLOGUES.
“You must allow me to tell you…”
For over two hundred years, Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy has captivated readers’ imaginations as the ultimate catch. Rich. Powerful. Noble. Handsome. And yet, as Miss Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” is established through Elizabeth Bennet’s fine eyes, how are we to know what his tortured soul is indeed thinking? How does Darcy progress from “She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me” to “I thought only of you”?
In this romance anthology, fifteen Austen-inspired authors assemble to sketch Darcy’s character through a series of re-imaginings set in the Regency through contemporary times—from faithful narratives to the fanciful. Herein “The Darcy Monologues”, the man himself reveals his intimate thoughts, his passionate dreams, and his journey to love—all told with a previously concealed wit and enduring charm.
Becoming Fanny
A short story that’s MANSFIELD PARK meets HOLIDAY INN, featured in THEN COMES WINTER.
If you long for a toasty snuggle on a cold winter’s night, this collection of original short stories inspired by the magic of the holiday season—and more than a nod to Jane Austen—was fancied as a sublime wintertime treat. On the heels of the summer anthology, “Sun-kissed: Effusions of Summer,” and in concert with some of Meryton Press’s most popular authors, this romantic anthology introduces several promising writers. With a robust mix of contemporary and Regency musings, “Next Comes Winter,” rekindles the romantic fires with equal wit, wonder, and admiration.
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