I have a few family members with December birthdays, including one who was born on Christmas Eve. It's not the best time for people to add an extra celebration in the modern era. But perhaps it's just as well for us that Jane Austen was born on December 16 so many years ago, like an extra Christmas party/gift for fans. As I mentioned last week, the foundation that manages her family's historic home is holding a virtual event this Friday in honor of the Authoress.
I'm very grateful not only for the lady's novels inspiring my writing but all the many people who have followed my stories over the past year. Special thanks goes to Courtney621 and her Austen Advent series, where she gifted me with a beautiful story about Henry, Catherine, and Eleanor enjoying their first Christmas together as a family. Anyone who wants to skip all the waiting in my Trifles Light as Air series to jump straight in to the happily ever will enjoy not only it but other Austen-themed holiday stories as well.
Speaking of that series, it's time for the first of my special announcements. I originally hoped to offer my novel Gentlemen of Gloucestershire as an eBook this month, but it has been postponed until I have time to finish a thorough final revision. Instead, for those who would like to read the remaining chapters of Trifles early, I'm publishing it and my four chapter novella Husbandry through Draft2Digital, a service distributing books through most major outlets and libraries. No Kindle version for now, I'm afraid, since Amazon required I agree to take down any free online copies and I would rather leave up older versions with the accompanying comment threads.
As of this morning the book link isn't quite ready; I'll update here once it is. Updated 12pm: the order link is now live.
The other news is that I have a brand new series starting in 2023. Even by the mild standards of winter we have here in the southern US, this story is going to be much hotter, because it's set all the way down in South America. Look for the complete cover reveal later; for today, here's the title element as a preview, followed by a synopsis.
"Estancia Aldea Norteña, based on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, follows Catalina Moreno from her small town on the Argentine plains to coastal city Mar del Plata during the 2008 summer holiday. There she meets the fashionable Isabella, her overbearing brother Juan, and the intriguing Enrique Tilve. A fan of telenovelas for years, Catalina suspects her own life will take a dramatic turn as she learns about the wider world, friendship, romance, and herself."
Currently my plan is to post the first chapter on Epiphany (January 6), here on my blog, then follow up the following Monday over at both Archive of Our Own and the Derbyshire Writers' Guild. I've decided not to crosspost on FanFiction.net this time, as it not only generates fewer responses but has less robust conversation tools than the other sites. I hope to post two new chapters a week; since there are a grand total of 34, this schedule will last until May. Look for more information to be posted in the weeks to come.
So Happy Birthday Jane, and Happy Christmas to all my readers!
