Today is the official launch of Dying to Write, a Patrick Shea mystery. (My unofficial launch was in May before I went on a six-thousand-mile road trip.) Dying to Write is the fourth in the Patrick Shea mystery series. Ordinarily, a British police procedural would not be a good fit for an Austen-centered blog. However, …
I’ve Been Everywhere, Man Crossed the deserts bare, man, I’ve breathed the mountain air, man, Of travel I’ve had my share, man, I’ve been everywhere!” The above is Johnny’s Cash’s ode to travel. In May and June, I think my husband and I gave Johnny a run for his money when we traveled from Arizona to New York …
Now that the lease has been signed and the Crofts are to take possession of Kellynch, plans are being made for the Elliots to decamp for Bath. But what of Anne? On most Sundays, with the Elliot pew comfortably sitting only four, that is, Sir Walter, Elizabeth, Mary Musgrove, and Lady Russell, Anne found herself …
With Anne deliberately absent from the manor house, Admiral and Mrs. Croft had toured Kellynch Hall with Mr. Shepherd, the leasing agent, and Sir Walter. Afterwards, the Crofts discuss their reaction. For a man who made his living by waging war, Mrs. Croft counted her blessings in that her husband possessed a most amiable disposition. During his …
Because the Elliots had exceeded the income generated by their estate, it became necessary to retrench. Part of the retrenchment required the leasing of Kellynch Hall. To that end, Sir Walter employed the services of an agent, Mr. Shepherd. Mr. Shepherd scanned the list of applicants under consideration as tenants for Kellynch Hall, most of whom were former …
Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage. “Do read it again, Elizabeth,” Sir Walter said to his eldest daughter as she cradled her father’s favorite book in her hands. “John Walter Elliot, born April 6, 1730. Married, June …
Initially, Anne held out hope of a relationship with Commander Wentworth, but reality is setting in. Her availability prompts a proposal from her neighbor. When Anne went into the breakfast room, she found her father and sister discussing the contents of a weeks-old newspaper that a family friend had sent on to Kellynch Hall from …
Commander Wentworth is gone, and the secret is out! “And where were you, missy?” Molly asked Nancy as she fiddled with the bed covers in their shared attic bedroom. “Talking to Tom.” Nancy, the fourteen-year-old kitchen maid, explained that while emptying the kitchen slop buckets, the junior footman had shared news about the family. “You …
Remember that old saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry?” And so it is with the launch of Dying to Write, the fourth book in the Patrick Shea mystery series, but one with a Jane Austen twist. From the back jacket: In need of a break from his job at …
The scene below takes place shortly after Commander Wentworth (he isn’t a captain yet) starts paying particular attention to the middle Elliot daughter. “My, my, my! He’s a handsome one,” Molly, the kitchen maid said, collapsing into her bed in the attic of Kellynch Hall. “Who’s handsome?” the scullery maid asked as she undressed for …
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