Guess Whose Book Just Joined Club 1000!

Celebrate with me! I’ve joined Club 1000!

Never heard of it? I’m not surprised, since I just made it up.  But I hope you’ll agree that it’s a prestigious honor nonetheless. The Club is for books that have been purchased, read, and enjoyed by enough people to collect at least 1000 ratings/reviews on Amazon, and The Darcys of Pemberley, my bestseller, has just qualified! I said people had “enjoyed” it, because that’s what the ratings reflect: an average of 4.4 stars.

Not bad for the debut novel of a previously unknown author in an obscure niche market, especially since it was independently published and never offered on Kindle Unlimited. Thank you, all you lovely readers who invested your time and a few dollars to read and review!

I’ve been hearing back from a few of you, too, with comments such as… Wow, I remember when this came out… Loved this book! I should read it again… This is one of my most favorite books ever!.. Love all your books!!!.. That was the very first JAFF book I ever read!..  Wow! That is quiet a milestone, Shannon, but I am not surprised. You are such a gifted writer. I am glad your readers think so as well.

Very kind and encouraging words.

Suffice to say that I’m tickled pink by TDoP’s success, and I’m in the mood to celebrate! So I’m giving away eight copies of The Darcys of Pemberley in audio form. If you’ve already ready the book, I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting it. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s your chance to join the party! And to give you a head start, here’s how chapter one begins:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that even the most ignoble person on the face of the earth appears more praiseworthy after death.  Thus, as the news of Mr. Collins’s odd and untimely passing spread far and wide, the reputed quality of his character improved accordingly.  The significant defects of his disposition, so recently impossible to overlook, were all but forgot, and the general consensus developed that he had been a fine clergyman, and a kind and generous human being.

As his relations, the Bennets of Longbourn were amongst the first to hear of the sad event.  Although they had not been especially close to their cousin, his death could not help but make some impression on them.  Mr. Bennet felt the loss most acutely.  Having come to regard Mr. Collins’s correspondence as a priceless source of amusement, he would not have given up the association on any grounds less consequential than those supplied by the present impediment.  Mrs. Bennet, though not ordinarily quick-witted, on this occasion immediately perceived how insupportable it would be to keep the burden of this tragedy to herself.  Hence, she made haste to publish the tale abroad, beginning in Meryton with her sister, Mrs. Phillips, who was always anxious for the latest news.

“Sister, Sister, have you heard?”  Mrs. Bennet paused to enjoy Mrs. Phillips’s admission that she was yet in ignorance of whatever it was to which her sister was privy.  “You will never guess what has happened – I can scarce believe it myself – so I will keep you in suspense no longer.  Mr. Collins has met a premature end!”

“No!  Are you certain?  How did it happen?  Tell me everything,” begged Mrs. Phillips.

“It is true, indeed, for I have just had it from Lady Lucas who got the story straight from Charlotte.  I will tell you all, but you must prepare yourself.  It is quite a shocking and distasteful business.”  Mrs. Phillips leaned a little closer as Mrs. Bennet continued in a hushed tone.  “It seems that Mr. Collins was having his dinner when he realized that he was in danger of being late for an appointment with his esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.  She is a very grand lady, you know, and Mr. Collins never dared to keep her waiting.  Well then, in his hurry to finish his meal, he apparently swallowed wrong and choked on a mouthful of mutton.”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh yes, Sister.  Can you imagine?  It must have been an awful sight to behold.  Anyway, no one could do a thing for him, and within minutes Mr. Collins expired right there on the dining room floor!”

“How perfectly ghastly!  I wonder if he suffered much,” said Mrs. Phillips with a mixture of pity and excited curiosity.  “It sounds to me to be a very dreadful way to go.”

“Yes, I quite agree.  In fact, I shudder every time I think of it.”

The sisters took a moment to do just that.  

“He was such a fine, sensible young man, and so particularly attached to our family,” mourned Mrs. Bennet.  “Despite our small differences, I really was quite fond of him, as you will doubtless remember.”

“I must say that I always liked him myself.”

“Indeed, it is a tragedy, especially when I consider that it might have all turned out so differently had he married one of my girls instead.  Mary, I think, could have been persuaded, and I am sure she would have taken much better care of poor Mr. Collins,” Mrs. Bennet concluded sorrowfully.

Another related topic followed exceedingly quick upon the heels of these heartfelt lamentations.  As was common knowledge, Mr. Collins, until his demise, stood to inherit the Longbourn estate upon the death of Mr. Bennet according to the terms of the entail.  This fact had not endeared him to the family in life but had been forgiven him most magnanimously the instant he was no longer in a position to take advantage of it.  So Mrs. Phillips, very delicately and with the utmost tact, inquired what this unexpected event might mean for the ultimate disposal of the Bennet estate.  A lengthy speculation ensued, but Mrs. Bennet, who never fully comprehended the former arrangement, could not begin to fathom how it needs must be altered now.

Unfortunate as the clergyman’s passing may have been, it did serve the useful purpose of gathering together family and friends as only a wedding or funeral can. Mr. Collins’s relations had often been mortified by the connection, owing to his pompous style and social blunders, but they could not in good conscience refuse to wait upon him one last time. At least no one had need to worry about his behavior on this occasion…

So you’re already off and running! Could you almost hear the voices of Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Phillips in your head? If you need a little help, you should definitely read it in audio. The narrator, Marian Hussey, does a wonderful job. In fact, her take on Mrs. Bennet won her the job!

To enter to win an audio copy of the book, just leave a comment below about The Darcys of Pemberley. (Have you read it? What did you like about it? Why do you want to read it? – again or for the first time?) Then check back here or on our Facebook page on the 26th to see if you’ve won! (You don’t need to have a subscription to redeem the audio code, just have access to either Audible US or UK where you live.) Good luck!

UPDATE: And the official winners are Adele, Lois, Jeannine, Sharon Bailey, Char, Sarah B, Eva E, Tara Erickson, and Leslie Wertin. (But I don’t want anybody to miss out. So if you are one of the original commenters but didn’t win, contact me anyway!) Congratulations! To receive your audio code for The Darcys of Pemberley, contact me by email at shannon (at) shannonwinslow (dot) com.  Be sure to put Austen Variations Winner in the subject box and specify which Audible market you have access to: US or UK. Happy listening!