Fantastical Austen – Unpublished Excerpt from Mr. Darcy’s Bite by Mary Simonsen

The following is an epilogue that I wrote for Mr. Darcy’s Bite. I thought it was a pretty good ending, but my editor at Sourcebooks disagreed, and it was deleted. (I agree with her now.) As background, Marguerite Ashton was Darcy’s paternal aunt. She knew of her nephew’s condition and provided refuge, when necessary, during …

Continue reading

It’s time for Fantasy!

  It’s October, and here on Austen Variations we’re celebrating the fabulous Halloween season by indulging in some fantasy. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to present a segment from my one and only Pride and Prejudice inspired fantasy novel. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, here’s a little excerpt to …

Continue reading

Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon Ch 3

Today, Darcy meets Mr. Bennet who is less than impressed with Darcy as a Dragon Keeper and the population of dragons at Longbourn doubles!  The book is available for preorder now, as a special price. Don’t miss out, it will go up when the book goes live on 10/31!   Click here to preorder. Jane Austen’s Dragons, …

Continue reading

Fantastical Austen: Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon Ch 2

England is overrun by dragons of all shapes and sizes. Most people are blissfully unaware of them and the Pendragon Treaty that keeps the peace between human and dragon kind.  Only those born with preternatural hearing, like Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are able to hear and converse with dragonkind. When the first firedrake egg …

Continue reading

Fantastical Austen – Excerpt from Pirates and Prejudice

If you enjoy pirates (as I do!), then this is a banner week for you. Jack posted his pirate excerpt on Wednesday, and I’m posting one today from “Pirates and Prejudice.” To give you a brief background on the story and this scene, Darcy is mistaken for an escaped pirate, Lockerly, and arrested, but when …

Continue reading

Pirates! — An Excerpt from PERSUADED TO SAIL

Ahoy, maties—Jack Caldwell is back.  The theme for this month’s blogs at Jane Austen Variations is Fantastical Austen. The only problem is I haven’t written anything that truly fits the bill. Unless y’all have read We Have Mrs. Radcliffe to Thank, Story #9 in my VARIATIONS short story collection (available here.) So I decided to …

Continue reading

Fantastical Austen: Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon Ch 1

Regency England is teeming with dragons, but only a select few are actually aware they are about. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are among the elite members of the Blue Order, charged with maintaining the dragon-human peace established by the Pendragon treaty. A nice simple directive, right? What could go wrong? What indeed… Jane Austen’s …

Continue reading

Who Ya Gonna Call?

If you are ill, injured, or pregnant and live in England during the Regency Era, who do you call for help and what would they do to diagnose and treat you? Except in obstetrics, medical care did not change in any fundamental way during the 150 years between 1700 and 1850. There were inventions, such as …

Continue reading

Launch of Convincing Mr. Darcy, a Novella, by Mary Lydon Simonsen

It’s been awhile since I published anything, and so I am happy to release my e-book novella, Convincing Mr. Darcy. To celebrate the launch, I am giving away threee-books. The winners will be announced on October 4th. All you have to do is to leave a comment about your favorite Jane Austen character(s) (other than …

Continue reading

On Stage at Chawton

One of the most exciting events of my life took place during my trip to England last summer. Any trip to Chawton is an emotional and exciting experience for the Jane Austen lover, of course, whether you visit the Cottage museum on your own, attend a conference at the grandly restored Chawton House Library, or …

Continue reading

Load more