You may have heard around the interwebz, but there’s a new Austenesque anthology coming in May called THE DARCY MONOLOGUES. Fifteen stories, both modern and Regency, and all from Darcy’s point of view! *swoon*
Why do I mention it? Well, two of the stories are by Austen Variation’s own Caitlin Williams and yep, me!
Caitlin’s story is called DEATH OF A BACHELOR. Here’s what she has to say about it:
This story is made up of snippets of ideas that have I been playing with for some time. It’s a short sequel of sorts to Pride and Prejudice and deals with Mr Darcy’s thoughts on becoming a married man. We follow him as he visits Longbourn to call on Elizabeth a few days before their wedding. I wanted to portray Darcy in a realistic light, and describe 
the doubts and fears that would have been natural to a man born of that time. He adores Elizabeth, but taking on a wife also meant taking on her family, and that was a big responsibility.
I also wanted to touch on how difficult the subject of marriage was for women, and have Darcy realize what a strong, bold move it was for Elizabeth to turn him down on the first occasion, and to appreciate her courage. I am sure most women would have snapped him up, and she is extraordinary because she doesn’t, even though her future at that time was so uncertain. The story moves on to describe their wedding night through Darcy’s exasperated eyes – when nothing goes to plan.
Sounds awesome! I love the teaser photo on the right, and I can’t wait to read how nothing goes to plan on their wedding night! 😉
My story is called THE BEAST OF PEMBERLEY. It’s a fantastical/Regency mashup of PRIDE & PREJUDICE and
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
After the wizard Wickham puts a curse on Darcy and all of Pemberley, Darcy hides away from the world. But then he sees Elizabeth in his enchanted mirror and falls in love with her. He persuades her father to make her his bride, but she’s angry and resentful at being forced to marry a man who won’t even show her his face. Darcy must learn to put aside his temper and his pride and show Elizabeth that he is not the beast he appears to be.
THE DARCY MONOLOGUES comes out May 21st, but it’s already up for pre-order! You can check it out here.
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The whole precise if this book sounds so intriguing and I can’t wait to read it!
Right? All from Darcy’s POV is just amazing.
Thanks Mary. It really is an amazing collection. The sort of book you can dip in and out of – ideal for when you need a quick Darcy/ Elizabeth romance fix.
Thanks Melanie. I now have more of an understanding about Elizabeth’s feelings but I still feel so sorry for Darcy. And I’m loving the sound of Caitlin’s story as well. I can’t wait to see how he copes with Elizabeth’s family and the messed up wedding night 😊. I think you are all mean posting all these tempting excerpts, quotes and book blurbs when there are still nearly 7 weeks to go before I get my copy! 😞 (but thanks anyway 😊)
Lol, sorry Glynis. 7 weeks is a long time but it’ll go by fast!
Thanks Glynis. Seven weeks a long time, I know, but it’s worth the wait, I promise.
I cannot wait to read this. I just placed my pre-order. Thank you.
Thank you! So excited to hear how you like it!
Awesome! Hope you love it! 🙂
The thing about editing is reading, reviewing, noticing, and reading the work again and again. And the repetition can become quite tiresome. But even after this last, recent FINAL LOOK, I can honestly say, “I love all these stories.” Each has a fresh angle but maybe even more importantly, the writing is excellent. I have been very lucky to have worked with these talented authors and am proud of this project–it’s been a labor of love. Thank you, ladies, for saying “Yes.”
And I count myself incredibly lucky to be part of such a fantastic project. Christina talks about dream authors but she’s a dream editor!
This collection looks absolutely amazing!! I love stories from Darcy’s POV, so I am definitely looking forward to this gem!! Thanks for sharing about your and Caitlin’s contributions to this wonderful Darcy anthology!!
Adding it to my Wish List now…. 😉
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
So glad it’s made your wish list, Susanne. Hope you love the stories.
Thanks so much Susanne! Hope you enjoy!
What? A book full of tales all from Darcy’s POV? Never heard of it!!! Says she who’s been stalking everyone around all of the blogs featuring, well, any mention of this amazing-sounding book. I love all of the individual graphics that Beau North created for these stories and I think the one she did for yours is my favourite Melanie, though they’re all absolutely fantastic! I saw the snippet of your story that you shared yesterday at the start of the blog tour and Beau’s thoughts on it. Sounds intriguing and even slightly scary but then I guess the tale of Beauty and the Beast is exactly that.
Launch day still seem a long way away!
Launch day does seem totally far away. And yes, Beau North’s graphics are all incredible and I’m probably biased but I think the one for my story is gorgeous!
Looking forward to the release ladies! Everything looks just wonderful!
Loved your stories, Caitlin and Melanie. Witty – funny – deeply moving – absolute treats. Christina’s idea was totally amazing and it’s so wonderful to see it taking shape! Thanks for a dream-come-true, ladies 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Joana, and for the kind words.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book. I posted a review on Goodreads. There is so much there and I read it through quickly in order to post a review BUT now I will have to read it again slowly. So many favorite authors brought together and Christina has a lovely Introduction. I also liked reading each author’s background quip in the beginning and then at the end of each story. 5 stars from me.
5 stars Sheila! I’m thrilled. I have recently finished my arc copy, and loved all my fellow authors stories, they were all so unique
5 stars is so well desired. I am thinking of buying the paperback as I love the cover, also.
When the “The Darcy Monologues” was announced in January, I was very excited as I love every authors of these short-story anthologies!!
And after reading this brief introduction, I go to pre-order the book at once!! How can I resist the stories through the eyes of our beloved Mr Darcy? And there’s a mash-up of” Pride and Prejudice” and “Beauty and the Beast”!! Can’t wait!
Sounds great. I’m looking forward to reading this.