When your firstborn turns 10, it’s only fitting that you should throw a party, right? That’s what’s happening today. My very first novel – The Darcys of Pemberley – was published exactly ten years ago today, and what a difference that decade has made in my life!
You should know that when I started writing the story in 2004, I had absolutely no idea that such a thing as Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) existed. I just knew that I wanted more Jane Austen – more Pride and Prejudice particularly.
What would happen after the wedding, I wondered. How would Darcy and Elizabeth deal with the first major crisis in their marriage? Did Georgiana have a secret love? What kind of trouble would Wickham cause next? And would Lady Catherine ever get her comeuppance? My inquiring mind needed to know!
So one day I sat down at the computer to try to answer those questions. I hoped to create what I desperately wanted myself: a faithful sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Since I had never attempted to write a novel before, I didn’t know if I could actually do it. And I certainly had no aspirations of publication at the time. I was doing it mostly for my own entertainment.
But I surprised myself. The book turned out so well – at least for my first try – that I thought I might be a legitimate novelist after all! Many hurdles remained, of course, but finally on July 28, 2011, my “darling child” was launched out into the world. Now I have ten novels (and one non-fiction) published, and my “day job” has long since disappeared from my rearview mirror. But it all began with The Darcys of Pemberley – my first, bestselling, and still most popular novel.
I want to tell you that I have got my own darling child from London. On Wednesday I received one copy sent down by Falkener… Miss B. dined with us on the very day of the book’s coming, and in the evening we fairly set at it, and read half the first vol. to her… she really does seem to admire Elizabeth. I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.
I can just imagine how Jane Austen felt when she wrote this about her newly published novel Pride and Prejudice. I felt much the same, I think, when I first held a copy of The Darcys of Pemberley in my hand10 years ago.
So let’s celebrate that big day with some games and prizes!
Game 1: Cover art puzzle. Just for fun, follow this link to do an online jigsaw puzzle of the artwork used for the full, wrap-around paperback cover of The Darcys of Pemberley. (You can adjust the numbers of pieces to make it more or less difficult if you want.)
Game 2: How about a little scavenger hunt through chapter one? (If you don’t own the book, you can read chapter one from the free sample at Amazon). First, discover who has died. Next, find a new character who was never mentioned in Pride and Prejudice. What’s her name and her relation to the deceased? Finally, what’s your favorite line in chapter one – something that made you laugh or smile perhaps?
You don’t have to play the games to win, but If you do play (game 2), you will double your chances by being entered twice in the random drawing! What’s at stake? I’m giving away 5 audio codes, 2 ebooks, and 1 signed paperback – that’s for the runners up. The grand prize winner gets all three, plus a limited-edition Darcys of Pemberley book bead, pictured! (Due to the high cost of international shipping, the physical prizes are offered to US residents only. Electronic alternatives will be substituted for all others.)
To be entered, just leave a comment below: your scavenger hunt answers and/or whatever else you’d like to say. Have you read The Darcys of Pemberley? If so, how long ago, and what did you enjoy about it? If you haven’t read it yet, would you like to? Why? Winners will be announced August 2nd, right here and on our FB page. So be sure to check back.
And thank you for celebrating TDoP’s 10th birthday with me!
UPDATE 8/2/21: CONGRATULATIONS to the WINNERS! Elizabeth Litton (Grand Prize), Katie Jackson, Laura Wiersma, Laura H, Lois, Glynis, Betty Madden, JWGarrett, and Sheila L. Majczan. Please email me at shannon(at)shannonwinslow(dot)com (subject line Happy BirthdayTDoP) to claim your prize. Tell me your preference (what book, what form you would like) and hopefully I will be able to accommodate your requests! You do not need to have an Audible account to use an audio code, btw, but I will need to know which you have access to, Audible US or UK.
47 comments
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Congratulations, Shannon! I enjoyed reading about your writing journey.
Author
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Katie. 🙂
game 1, 10:49
Happy Bookiversary!
Author
Thank you, Denise!
Congratulations on your baby turning 10! I enjoyed the book and I hope you keep writing and loving it.
Author
Thanks, Michelle. I hope so too!
Many congratulations Shannon! Ten years! I myself found JAFF just over seven years ago! Alas I apparently haven’t read this one!
I really enjoyed the jigsaw, thanks so much.
As for part 2:-
Mr Collins died. The new character is his sister, Mrs Sanditon. I think my favourite line (apart from Mr Collins’ death!) is
With private delight she noted that nearly a year of marriage had, if anything, increased rather than diminished his power to affect her in this way.
I’m in the U.K. and don’t have audiobooks so am only eligible for an ebook if I am fortunate enough to be selected.
Happy book birthday again!
Author
Thanks for playing along, Glynis. Glad you had fun! Yes, I’m totally addicted to online jigsaw puzzles. Good luck with the contest. 🙂
Happy 10th Anniversary!
Mr. Collins is,the character who died in chapter one. His sister, Ruth Sanditon, is the new character.
A line that made me smile was when Elizabeth said, that Mr. Collins was “always a most generous correspondent.”
Congrats again!
Author
Thanks, Pam! Hope you enjoyed the games. 😀
I enjoyed doing the jigsaw puzzle. Thank you. Congratulations on the 10th anniversary/birthday of your first “child”. I have enjoyed the 11 stories I have read written by you.
Author
Sounds like you’ve read them all, Sheila! If you win, maybe you’d enjoy rereading with an audio version, or else I can owe you one – a future book. 😉
Happy 10th!! Congratulations! I cannot believe your book, The Darcy’s of Pemberley, has been out for ten years and I have not read it. I would love to read it!! I actually wrote it down to purchase but I recently moved and haven’t had time to read. Unpacking is getting in the way of my reading.
Thank you for the break this morning and fun games. I read the first chapter online.
Poor Mr. Collins had died.
His sister, Ruth was a new character who was never mentioned in Pride and Prejudice.
My favorite line in chapter one, well it was a line that made me laugh was, “In his hurry to finish his meal, he apparently swallowed wrong and chocked in a mouthful of mutton.” This is truly Mr. Collins.
Thank you and congratulations again!! Monica
Author
Well, we need to remedy that situation immediately – anything interfering with your reading time, and not having read TDoP! Then there’s the sequel to the sequel (Return to Longbourn) and Anne’s story and Georgiana’s story and Darcy’s story… I think I can keep you busy for quite a while. Good luck with the contest!
Happy 10th anniversary..looking forward to reading your books..I love the twist and intrigue you bring..I haven’t tried the games yet but I will give it a try 😉 who doesn’t love Mr Darcy!! 😉😉💖💖
Author
Hi, Diana! I’m glad you’re interested in my books, hopefully even the ones that DON’T have Mr. Darcy in them. Haha!
My puzzle time was 4 min. and 30 seconds.
Mr. Collins was the one who died, and we meet his younger sister, Mrs. Ruth Sanditon, who is widowed.
My favorite line/s: “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.”
Author
Haha! I’m glad the subtle humor of that line was not lost on you, Elizabeth. One of my favorites as well. Thanks for playing along!
Congratulations on 10 years!
Looking at my records, this appears to have been one of the first ebooks I purchased for my new Kindle at the time. Time flies!
Author
Lovely to hear I helped break in your Kindle for you, Linda! Perhaps it’s time for a re-read in audio. Good luck on the contest. 🙂
Happy anniversary!! How delightful to celebrate the written word. This is no small feat indeed!
Author
Thanks for celebrating with me, Nicole!
Congratulations on the 10th birthday of your first baby. Wow! How time flies. I loved the puzzle. That was fun. Thanks for including that. Good luck to all in the drawing. I don’t do audio so don’t include me in that, plus I already have the book. Blessings on all your hard work. Everyone stay safe, healthy, and most of all… stay cool. Gosh! Will this heatwave ever end?
Author
Thanks for your good wishes, JW. Glad you enjoyed the puzzle! I’m a bit addicted to online jigsaws. 🙂
Congratulations Shannon. Happy Book Anniversary. I haven’t read this in so long, it really is time for a reread. It goes on my TBR-R list. It can’t be 10 years, can it? Part of me is thinking that’s a big chunk of my life, but maybe that’s because I barely remember my reading life before JAFF. Shannon, when you got started your excellent writing was shared by a couple of handfuls of high caliber writers, and now we have the blessing of so many more really talented people writing for our favorite genre. I cannot keep up! (Poor us, having so many wonderful books to read.) Your story is fascinating in that you say you hadn’t discovered JAFF when you first started writing!
Yes, it was Mr. Collins that died and his sister Mrs. Sanditon is your new character. As for smile-worthy sentences, the entire first paragraph sets up the chapter nicely. It’s a great scene in fiction because the situation happens too often in real life. It’s surely good for our Christian souls to attend a funeral like that at least once in our lives…a reminder that people’s lives can get cut short before trying to atone for our mistakes or try to change our characters for the better.
But I also love!! the last paragraph. This is what we all want for Darcy and Elizabeth. Thank you Shannon, for bringing us so much reading to love over the past ten years. Here’s to many more, and beyond! P.S. Fun puzzle. 🙂
Author
Yes, in some ways it seems like a lifetime ago, and in others, like only yesterday! Thanks so much for reading – this post and my books too. Where would I be without my lovely, loyal readers? True, though, we have an embarrassment of riches now in JAFF. Hope you enjoy revisiting TDoP when it rises to the top of your pile. Blessings and many thanks for your comments and best wishes, Michelle!
The puzzle was fun! The book cover is beautiful.
Mr. Collins choked on mutton, poor man. His sister, Mrs. Ruth Sanditon, was the new character, attending her brother’s funeral.
It wasn’t a line, but what made me chuckle was Mrs. Bennet rushing to share the latest gossip with Mrs, Phillips, ”Sister! Sister!…”😂
I want to read more ❤️🎉!
Thank you 💛.
Author
Yes, Mrs. Bennet is always good for a few laughs, isn’t she? Thanks for stopping by to celebrate with me, Laura!
Congratulations on 10 years and thank you for devoting hours and hours to our amusement with all of your wonderful books. I first read The Darcys of Pemberley in 2015. I think I’m due for a reread.
Author
Thank you, Kim. I’m so delighted to hear I’ve given you hours of reading pleasure over the years. Enjoy that reread!
Congratulations!
Mr. Collins died and his sister, Mrs. Sanditon is introduced at the funeral. I loved the whole first chapter and now need to read the whole thing but my favorite part was the description of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth in the last paragraph. It’s wonderful to see them settled, happy, and still in love.
Author
Hi, Vicki. Thanks for playing along, and I’m glad you enjoyed the first chapter. Yes, I hope you will continue reading! After we revel in D&E’s happiness for a little while, I will have to throw some trouble their way. But don’t worry; all will turn out well!
Happy Anniversary! I enjoyed reading the first chapter and found the paragraph about Mrs. Bennet sharing the news of Mr. Collins’ death with Mrs. Philips most amusing. Interesting how you used Sanditon for the last name of Mr. Collins’ sister, Ruth, as a new character introduced in this book. She seems like quite the opposite of her brother William.
I would love to read the rest of the story and would enjoy any of the prizes you have in the drawing.
Thanks again!
Author
Yes, I named her Mrs. Sanditon as sort of an inside joke. That was long before the Sanditon series made that name so well known! Thanks for playing along and for celebrating with me, Laura. Good luck on the contest!
I have not yet had the pleasure of reading your novel. I look forward to doing so. Thank you.
Author
Nice to meet you, Lily, and I hope you will give The Darcys of Pemberley (or one of my 10 other books) a try!
Congratulations on the 10th anniversary! I re-read “The Darcys” earlier this year. It was my first Kindle purchase made in December 2015.
Mr Collins is the character who meets his demise in Ch 1. The new character is Mrs Ruth Sanditon – Mr Collins’ sister. There are many lines which made me smile – one is “At least no one had need to worry about his behavior on this occasion.”
Thanks for sharing the celebration with a giveaway to your readers.
Author
Wow! I’m honored that you made TDoP your first Kindle purchase, Mary. Thanks for playing along in celebration of my anniversary, and good luck on the contest. 😀
Glad to see that it was Mr. Collins who died – only Wickham would have been as acceptable :). Mrs. Sanditon seems like “a good sort of woman,” and I enjoyed the line about Mr. Collins being a “generous” correspondent.
I haven’t read this book yet & would love to win a copy.
Author
Glad you don’t mind about Mr. Collins, Lois, and there’s always a chance for Wickham later on in the book! 😉
I have been reading your stories since the release of the first one. Thank you for all the pleasure you have given me.
Author
My pleasure and honor, Betty!
I can tell from that first chapter, that I will truly enjoy the book. I look forward to reading it. (I also enjoyed the puzzle!) I like the idea of the Mr. Collins’ sister, Ruth Sanditon (good nod to another of Jane Austen’s works). There were several lines that made me smile and even chuckle, because they were so much what you would expect if Jane Austen’s characters lived and breathed. For instance: “Mr. Bennet felt the loss most acutely. Having come to regard Mr. Collins’ 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.” I will definitely be reading this. Thank you!
Author
I have to admit that that is one of my favorite lines too, Cynthia, because it sounds to me like something JA herself might have written (or as you said, what we expect from her characters). It delights me when I succeed at that. 😀 Good to hear you want to read the rest!
Congratulations on the book’s anniversary, I am fortunate to own a signed paperback of it. Thanks for the giveaway, here’s my answers—
First, discover who has died. — Mr Collins
Next, find a new character who was never mentioned in Pride and Prejudice. What’s her name and her relation to the deceased? — Mrs Ruth Sanditon, Mr Collins sister
Finally, what’s your favorite line in chapter one — “It is a truth universally acknowledged that even the most ignoble person on the face of the earth appears more praiseworthy after death.”
Author
If you win, we’ll add another book to your collection. 😀
Shannon, a belated congratulations on your book’s 10th birthday! I loved reading about your first foray into JAFF. Thanks so much for sharing!