Events
May 28-June 2
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Literacy Autographing
July 17
5:30-7:30PM
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Book signing &
Panel Discussion
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History, Romance, & Austen!
P&P: RC
Austen Authors collaborative "round robin" P&P variation with reader input for the plot.
A Must Read!
*click image for link
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Sharon Lathan proudly presents The Passions of Dr. Darcy!
There they are!
THE PASSIONS OF DR. DARCY
My author copies arrived early last week, and talk about excited! There was some happy-dancing going on in the Lathan household, let me tell ya. Shiny, thick, perfectly printed – it is a masterpiece. I may be a wee bit prejudiced, I’ll admit, but so far the consensus from everyone who has seen the finish product is the same as mine. See how fabulous it looks on my office shelf?
For the most part, my work is done. Now I can breathe a deep sigh of relief as I sit back and simply enjoy the satisfaction of a job excellently concluded. I have no control over who will purchase the novel, who will enjoy it or hate it, or who will write a positive review. Individual choice is not up to me. I can only flip through the pages, relive the journey I took with George Darcy, and know without a shred of doubt that I wrote a remarkable story about a remarkable man.
This time around I decided not to kill myself with a plethora of blog stops. I’ll be sharing news flashes on my Facebook page – Sharon Lathan, Novelist – and here on my blog. This is where the best information is anyway! If you haven’t already, scroll down the blog page to read the recent posts about George Darcy, or click the following links–
Meet the Cast of The Passions of Dr. Darcy
The Places Dr. Darcy Travels
Get to know George Darcy
I have additional information at theses links–
Complete Cast of Characters
The Passions of Dr. Darcy Portrait Gallery album
Georgian and Indian Fashion album
Excerpts
Chapter Five on The Writers Block
I may not be dashing hither and yon across the glittering blog-o-sphere, but I am gonna do some partying!
First up is my BIG celebration on Austen Authors. Yippee! Gotta share the joy with my special pals in the Austenesque fiction community. Come on over and join in the fun happening today, and be sure to enter the giveaway contest. I will be handing out 1 signed, print copy of The Passions of Dr. Darcy, and 2 eBook versions. Deadline April 8.
Sharon’s celebration on Austen Authors
Also today, I am honored to be the guest on the blog of fellow Austen Author Colette Saucier – Pulse and Prejudice and All My Tomorrows. She is a peach to have me, and I had lots of fun writing my Top Ten Reasons why The Passions of Dr. Darcy is my favorite. Hopefully you will enjoy learning why too!
Click the image to the left, or the link below–
In other interesting giveaway news, Fresh Fiction is hosting a contest for a copy of my awesome novel. This one is sponsored by my publisher, so the book won’t be signed by me, but a free novel is always worth a shot, right? Click the image or link, and fill in the simple online form. Deadline April 30.
In the days and weeks ahead I will be frequently posting updates, fabulous reviews (I hope), and a number of cool surprises I have up my sleeve. *Hint: Rumor has it that the intrepid reporter for the Derby Chronicle, Miss Austen, has interviewed Dr. Darcy! More than anything, I want to hear from YOU! Tell me what you thought of the novel! Share images of my lovely book sitting on a book store shelf! Alert me to internet chatter! Ask me a question! Anything!!
1 CommentSouthern CA Book Signing & News
Hi all! I have a number of sound bits to report.
Been too busy to post each one individually! Life!
First up, this weekend I am heading to Southern California, specifically Santa Ana just below Anaheim to hang with my writer pals and attend the SoCalRWA Writers Conference. Very much looking forward to that! As part of the fun, I will partake in their BIG book signing event. If you are in the area, stop in to see me!
Here are the details:
Date: Sunday, March 17
Time: 1:00 to 2:30 PM
Where: Doubletree Hilton in Santa Ana, CA at 201 MacArthur Blvd.
Sponsor: Barnes & Noble
Books Signing: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Darcy Falls in Love
*Unfortunately, outside books are not allowed into the signing area. However, I will be bringing my new bookmarks to sign!
Link: http://socalrwa.org/book-signing
The Passions of Dr. Darcy will be released in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS!! Right around the corner! The official release date is April 2. I am very excited! Are you? I sure hope so! I am not conducting an extensive blog tour this time around. That is far too time consuming. I am trusting that my fans will be anxious to by this book. *fingers crossed* I will be celebrating, of course, here and at Austen Authors, as well as a few other places, so be on the lookout for that.
Today I am sharing an excerpt at Austen Authors. A never read wee bit for your reading pleasure! Pop over to read and comment.
An Excerpt from Sharon’s Upcoming Release
The Passions of Dr. Darcy can be pre-ordered, print or eBook editions, so that your copy will arrive right on schedule.
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
Indie Bound
Powells
Books-a-Million
My giveaway for an advanced reader copy has ended. Thank you to ALL who entered! Your entry helped me tremendously with Twitter messages, reviews, Pinterest and Facebook postings, and so much more! I wish I had more ARCs to hand out, but alas I am at the end. Congratulations to the lucky winners. I hope you enjoyed the early peek and would love to see your thoughts shared here.
June Abner
Cherri Trotter
Lori Godey
Christa Vail
Julie Freeman
JoAnne Pintar
Danielle Copeland
Lacey Walters
The Pride and Prejudice Readers Choice project at Austen Authors is going strong. If you haven’t read the story so far, it isn’t too late to catch up! The previous 4 scenes can be read on The Writers Block. Yesterday it was my turn to take the reins! Following the scene written by C. Allyn Pierson, a bandit attack on the way to Pemberley left Mr. Darcy shot. Oh My!! How did I deal with the aftermath, while also weaving in the “readers choice” winning plot option which was that Lizzy found a pocket watch dropped by the bandit who shot Mr. Darcy? Come to the blog and see! I had a blast writing my part. Voting is over, and next up is Marilyn Brant.
Austen Author’s ad in Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine
I am thrilled to share the wonderful ad the Austen Authors placed in
Jane Austen’s Regency World. As the official magazine issued by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, UK, Jane Austen’s Regency World is a fabulous magazine chock full of news, reviews, history, Austen-related events worldwide, and so much more. For the true Austen lover, JARW is the magazine to subscribe to! Just look at the current issue’s cover—
I, of course, would have had the image of Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy as the largest one, but that is a minor quibble. LOL! The true amazement for me is what is on the back cover. For the first three issues of 2013 – January/February, March/April, and May/June – the full back cover is an ad placed by Austen Authors! Designed by our own Jane Odiwe’s husband Romanus (He is brilliant and did a fabulous job!) the ad is a perfect showcase for our novels and our blog. See for yourself–
Thank you everyone at JARW for working so well with us on this project. Super-duper thanks to Rominus Odiwe for volunteering to do the tough work, gratis, I must add! And thanks to all my fellow Austen Authors who continue, on a daily basis, to enhance my experiences as an Austenesque writer and enhance my life as friends.
It isn’t too late to grab your copy. Information on subscribing can be found on the JARW website: HERE
1 CommentPride & Prejudice: Reader’s Choice at Austen Authors
I am very excited to announce the latest collaborative writing project that the Austen Authors are beginning! After the success of Pride and Prejudice 200, we had to embark on a new project. All the details are on Austen Authors, so I will direct all my readers over there. YOUR help is needed! Pride and Prejudice: Reader’s Choice depends on the input from our fans! There are 3 beginning story scenarios we will choose from, and YOU need to vote for your favorite! The deadline to vote in this Friday, January 18. The first installment of the story – written by either Abigail Reynolds or me – will be posted on Wednesday, January 30.
Help us out and join in the fun!
Announcing ~ Pride and Prejudice: Reader’s Choice on Austen Authors
Get my novella for .99 cents!
A late discovery on my part since my publisher did not tell me this interesting tidbit, but I found out that my novella A Darcy Christmas can now be purchase as a separate eBook. Nice!
Originally a part of the anthology A Darcy Christmas that was released for the holiday season of 2010, my novella accompanied two other wonderful holiday-themed stories by Amanda Grange and Carolyn Eberhart. The book is awesome, if I say so myself. However, it is nice that each novella can now be purchased individually on Kindle and Nook. For only 0.99 cents too!
Here are the links–
A Darcy Christmas at Amazon for Kindle
A Darcy Christmas at B&N for Nook
Based on the Darcy Saga series by Sharon Lathan, this novella takes the reader down the passage of time with ten individual snippets of the evolving Darcy family celebrating. Beginning on the Christmas Eve after meeting Lizzy Bennet, Mr. Darcy is a man tortured by visions and emotions he is unable – or unwilling – to deal with. Thereafter follows a succession of Christmas Eves and Days with Mr. Darcy as a happily married man surrounded by his wife and an ever-increasing family, giving glimpses of their future.
For more information on my novella, and the anthology, visit the
A Darcy Christmas page.
Don’t forget that for the entire month of November Miss Darcy Falls in Love is also on sale! At B&N and Amazon, search for my most recent release and get the eBook/digital version while you can for $1.99. Great savings! On Amazon HERE.
BIG month of fun at Austen Authors!
November is going to be a very special month at Austen Authors!
We’re celebrating the 200th anniversary of the wedding of
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Charles Bingley to Jane Bennet!
Naturally, this means LOTS and LOTS of P&P200 vignettes – so many that during the entire month of November we’re cancelling our regular daily post to make room for daily P&P200 and wedding-related posts. THIS is the event we have been working toward since our inaugural P&P200 post on September 18, 2011!
In case you have not been following P&P200, or do not even know what I am talking about, for over a year we have been writing original, behind-the-scenes and character point-of-view mini-stories in “real-time” to coincide with the events in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Our ultimate goal was to enhance the classic novel and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the joint Darcy and Bingley wedding.
As of today, there have been 117 P&P200 behind-the-scenes vignettes posted at Austen Authors! All of them can be read, in order, either by clicking the P&P200 icon (start on the last page), or on The Writer’s Block P&P200 Board. This month alone we have over 40 additional P&P200 blogs planned surrounding the November 16 nuptials. WOW! You won’t want to miss a single day!
Here is a mere sampling of what is in store for your reading pleasure–
Colonel Fitzwilliam learns of Darcy’s engagement
Lydia complains that she can’t come to the wedding
Mrs. Bennet’s advice for the wedding night
Mr. and Mrs. Collins marriage
The Longbourn ladies go shopping in London
Lady Catherine & Anne de Bourgh talk about the wedding
Caroline Bingley explains it all
Darcy & Elizabeth’s last walk before the wedding
The wedding!
The wedding nights of the Bingleys & the Darcys
Numerous reflections of the wedding
~~and so much more~~
Additionally, several Austen Authors will be presenting historical pieces on Regency wedding customs. I have written several pieces, including the wedding and wedding night. Ooh-la-la! Inspired by my Darcy Saga, some contain small portions of “flashback” moments I wrote within my sequel. However, most of them are altered to present a differing POV and contain additional information I never wrote before. So they are new material to be enjoyed as part of the awesome Austen Authors P&P200 extravaganza! So far I have posted Darcy Surprises Elizabeth on 10/29, and An Important Dinner at Darcy House today. Further post will be linked to on left sidebar. Come by and read more of the Darcys!
But if you thought the November fun was only awesome blog post, THINK AGAIN! We have many other surprises in store, including a big one for the
201st Anniversary of the Netherfield Ball on November 26.
And…
It’s going to be a great time to try out new authors, because many Austen Authors will have one or more of their ebooks on sale at $1.99 for the entire month! Search at your favorite online retailer (Amazon, B&N). Some of the titles on sale are:
Miss Darcy Falls in Love by Sharon Lathan
What Would Mr. Darcy Do? by Abigail Reynolds
The Truth About Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani
The Darcy Cousins by Monica Fairview
The Three Colonels by Jack Caldwell
Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma by Diana Birchall
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Rigaud
The Darcys and the Bingleys by Marsha Altman
Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson
Mr. Darcy’s Bite by Mary Simonsen
Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton
Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
As a bonus, there will be a special illustrated ebook edition of Pride & Prejudice available FREE to everyone at Discover a New Love, courtesy of Sourcebooks. Take note of the illustrated eBook editions of the other 5 Jane Austen novels for $0.99.
And…
There are prizes! LOTS and LOTS of Austen-related prizes every week. Highlights include 8 9 10 11 many multi-book sets, and three original prints from Ackermann’s Fashion Repository (dated between 1810 and 1820), tons of single books, DVDs, audiobooks, and unique gifts. And we’re still adding more! Look for the weekly blog post detailing the prizes, and visit the Giveaway Page for a peek at what is coming during the month. Stop by frequently to comment and enter the Rafflecopter contest form for a chance to win some goodies!
An updated cover
I am very, very excited to unveil the new, vastly improved version of the cover for The Passions of Dr. Darcy. Yippee!! The designers at Sourcebooks listened to the feedback offered by me and many of you when I showed the original version last month on Facebook. Those of you who saw it there (and you still can if you scroll down a bit) will recall that over all I absolutely loved the design. The “concerns” were minimal. Nevertheless, I am delighted beyond words to see that not only were my wishes attended to, but they went a few steps further in increasing the stun-factor to the cover. I was literally dancing with joy when I opened my email, and I still am!
Now George has the blue eyes he should have, and the excessive rosiness to his lips was toned down. On top of that, the portrait is clearer and less dark hued, and the painting of the Taj Mahal is enhanced with sharper colors. I can honestly say that although I have liked/loved all of my covers, The Passion of Dr. Darcy is my absolute favorite.
What do you think? Isn’t he yummy?! I know George intimately, and can assure you that although I never saw this portrait before and my mental vision was slightly different, this man IS Dr. George Darcy. Feedback is welcome, of course. The release date is scheduled for April 1, 2013 and the novel can already be pre-ordered on Amazon HERE. Hurry up April!
Anna Karenina
The latest version of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel Anna Karenina is coming to “select” US theaters on November 16, 2012. I am very excited about this movie! Directed by the brilliant Joe Wright, the movie stars Keira Knightley as Anna and the wonderful, oh-so-handsome Matthew Macfadyen as Anna’s brother Stepan “Stiva” Arkadyevitch Oblonsky. Sort of strange to think of Matthew playing Keira’s brother after being her romantic interest in Pride & Prejudice! Nevertheless, this promises to be an epic movie.
Other stars include Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly MacDonald, Emily Watson, and many other fine British actors. Places to learn more about the movie and see images–
2005 Pride & Prejudice Blog – Jeane keeps up on the P&P stars and has lots of links to online magazines, etc. about Anna Karenina
The reviews so far all look to be very positive. A Google search will bring them up, but here is one list of links: IMDB Anna Karenina reviews How faithful it is to the novel is a big question. I haven’t read the novel so doubt that aspect with bother me! If the movie is as lush and epic as it appears to be from the trailers, I will be happy. Plus, I get to stare at Matthew again. That always is a perk. 
New Mailing List
I announced this in my September newsletter, but just in case that was not read (or you were never on the newsletter mailing list to begin with), I figured I should post the news on the blog.
Bottom line is that the time spent creating the gorgeous newsletters I have attempted to send once a month is considerable. Hence the reason I don’t manage to accomplish sending a newsletter once a month! I have taken several classes lately to keep up on the ever-shifting trends in social media and how to reach readers most efficiently. I have learned a ton of secrets, not that I can do all of them at once or that the “best way” won’t be different in six months! I am going to try my hardest, however.
One of many suggestions was to utilize one’s blog as the MAIN way to keep readers informed and reach new people out in cyberworld. Yes, better than Facebook or Twitter, if done correctly. So, I am vowing to place more of my energy and precious time into my blog. More posts – some silly fun, some relevant to history or Jane Austen, some news of my writing, some excerpts, and whatever else I think interesting – is my #1 goal. Of course, great posts do no good if no one reads them! But I am applying some of those aforementioned “secrets” to help improve traffic. Wish me luck on that.
Getting back to the concept of a newsletter, the opinion of the experts is that automatic updates to readers not only frees my time, but informs mailing list subscribers of blog posts as they occur. No more wondering if Sharon Lathan has anything new on her blog, and then wasting your precious time to pop over, only to find out I do not! The email updates will only be sent once a day – and only if there is something new on the blog – and the graphics, while not as pretty as my artistic newsletter, will load easier. Best of all, the blog post can be read within your email! No need to click over to my blog unless you wish to comment – Which I do love, by the way 
Making use of embedded RSS feedburners, I need do nothing to make sure YOU know what is happening here on Sharon Lathan’s blog. Pretty cool!
What YOU need to do to help me out is subscribe to the list. It is a simple matter of entering your email in the box on the upper left sidebar, or the one on the Mailing List page, or the one below. You will receive a verification email, just to make sure you are you, and with a single click you are in. Sweet! Unfortunately the one negative is that the RSS feedburner does not provide a way for me to import the over 1000 subscribers I have on my newsletter mailing list. I have to enter each one individually, and I think you can imagine how much time that would take!
Thanks for bearing with me as I make this transition. I hope it is the last, but in this wild techno world we live in I rather doubt it.
Sociable Sunday at Austenesque Reviews
Today - Sunday September 16 - is my scheduled LIVE online chat on Austenesque Reviews
For the month long Austenesque Extravaganza event
I am joining fellow Austen Author Colette Saucier - Pulse and Prejudice - for the Sociable Sunday interactive audio chat Q&A.
Everyone is welcome!
Chat starts at 4:00 pm PST (7pm EST)
Direct link to chatroom: http://www.justin.tv/
Giveaways galore are happening all month.
For this chat I will be giving away an e-Book copy of
Miss Darcy Falls in Love
to one lucky winner who pops in to chat with me!
Sharon
Novels
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
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