Mistletoe is coming!

I’m a slow writer, as my long-time readers know. I usually manage about a book a year, and I look with amazement and envy on authors who can put one out every few months. I don’t see that ever changing, especially when I’m writing long, complex books like the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mage series. That said, I do have a new release coming out next month!

It’s not a novel, though. It’s a short novella of 20,000 words, a bit of happy fluff I scribbled last spring when I was under a lot of stress and couldn’t manage to focus on the multiple plot lines of The Guardians of Pemberley. Before this little tale decided to grow up to be a novella, it was supposed to be a short story for the Christmas Celebrations anthology. What can I say – my Muse doesn’t do really short stories!

It’s an old-fashioned Pride & Prejudice variation of the sort many of us wrote years ago. There’s nothing dramatic in it. If you want a Bad Jane or kidnappings or Elizabeth is not a Bennet, this won’t be your cup of tea. No angst, no dragons, no nothing. It’s Darcy, Elizabeth, and mistletoe, very much in Jane Austen’s world. Darcy is struggling with his pride, and Elizabeth is learning to rethink her first impressions. But they get there a little faster than in P&P. In short, it’s an undemanding bit of fluff to cheer your holiday season. 🙂

I probably won’t ever write something like this again, since I really do prefer writing stories with more heft to them. My main goal right now is to finish Triumph at Pemberley, the conclusion to the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mage series. It’s in pretty good shape. Over half of it is written and there’s a pretty solid outline for the rest. I’m excited for where it’s going, and I can’t wait for you to see it!

In the meantime, Under the Netherfield Mistletoe is coming out November 17, and it’s available for pre-order now. There will be a slim paperback version, and the amazing Harry Frost will narrate the audiobook, probably available in March 2026.

When Elizabeth Bennet stumbles upon a rare clump of mistletoe at Netherfield, she knows exactly how to use it…

Not for herself, of course. She isn’t looking for love. Instead, she hopes her discovery will lift her sister Jane’s spirits after her recent heartbreak. Everyone says that mistletoe grown at Netherfield was special. That’s why so many matches were always announced after Christmas balls at Netherfield. But Elizabeth’s plans take an unexpected turn when a sad, mysterious young lady catches her in the act of plucking a sprig of mistletoe. Her simple wish to bring joy to both her sister and the stranger puts her in the path of the brooding Mr. Darcy once more.

Darcy has struggled to stay away from Elizabeth, but her liveliness and wit have haunted his dreams. Now, as he discovers her deep kindness and generosity to his sister, it is even harder to resist her. Between the festive season and a Twelfth Night celebration in London, secrets unravel, and true priorities emerge. Will a kiss under the legendary Netherfield mistletoe kindle a connection between them, or will pride and misunderstanding yet again stand in their way?

Celebrate the Christmas season with Darcy and Elizabeth in a sparkling holiday journey of unexpected romance and heartfelt revelations!

A small portion of this novella appears in a different form in the anthology Christmas Celebrations 2025, whose royalties support Jane Austen’s House.

I hope you enjoy my bit of fluff!

 

 

 

 

3 comments

    • Sabrina on October 28, 2025 at 2:15 am
    • Reply

    Undemanding fluff sounds great, especially at this time of the year! I’m looking forward to read it. Congrats on the new release!

    1. Sometimes we all need undemanding fluff!

    • Glory on November 2, 2025 at 7:43 pm
    • Reply

    I agree we all need fluff at times & this looks good!

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