A Little Whimsical in His Civilities Blog Tour ~ Guest Post with J. Marie Croft & Giveaway!

Hello, Friends! Today, as part of the A Little Whimsical in His Civilities Blog Tour, I am delighted to have J. Marie Croft here with a very amusing guest post!  Be sure to stay tuned for details of the giveaway at the bottom of this post! 

21 September, 1812

Meryton, Hertfordshire

J. Marie Croft

‘Man-on-the-Street’ Reporter

for So Little Time ...

It’s thirty-six minutes past one o’clock in the morning; and I’m here outside the Assembly Hall, waiting for Merytonian merrymakers to exit and give their opinions on the return to the neighbourhood of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Of particular interest is the latter gentleman. According to rumours, he has been given to sudden, unaccountable changes of mood and behaviour. Mr. Darcy, it seems, has become ‘a little whimsical in his civilities’.

With me now is Sir William Lucas, tonight’s master of the ceremonies. Sir William, please give us your thoughts on the two Netherfield gentlemen.

“Capital, capital fellows! Mr. Bingley, being the more jovial of the two, is a young man after my own heart. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion he is after the eldest Miss Bennet’s heart, if you know what I mean.”

All that winking and nudging is hardly necessary, Sir. So, tell me, what is your impression of Mr. Bingley’s friend – the handsome, wealthy, erudite, well-dressed hunk with the broad shoulders, long, muscular legs, sable hair, and dark, brooding eyes?

“Eh? Hunk? ... as in a large piece of meat? Are you well, madam? Your face is alarmingly red.”

Sun-Kissed Blog Tour ~ Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hey, Everyone! This summer is starting off with some pretty awesome reads! I have quite a few guest posts coming up! 

As part of the Sun-Kissed Blog Tour, J. Marie Croft is here with an excerpt of her short story that is in Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer.

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Men bathed in the nude in a separate area 200 yards away from the women

and were known to observe them bathing through a spyglass.

(~Sharon Wagoner, Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine)

~ THE REGENCY ENCYCLOPEDIA ~

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The above quotation inspired J. Marie Croft to write a romantic-comedy for the Meryton Press Summer Lovin’ anthology (now available as Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer).  

In that short story, some of our favorite Pride and Prejudice characters are in Sandfirthstrand (a fictional seaside resort) rather than at Pemberley during the summer of 1812.

It is inevitable that a single man

in possession of a good telescope

must behave somewhat sheepishly

in an excerpt from Joanne’s:

Spyglasses and Sunburns

“... then I dined at the Thyme & Tyde and viewed the oil painting of the cove. The scenery hereabouts is quite charmingly picturesque.” Darcy picked up a newspaper and glanced at the front page. “Did you see any interesting sights in your travels?”

“What do you mean?” The mahogany box holding his spyglass was hugged close to Bingley’s chest. One moment he met his friend’s gaze challengingly, and the next he could not look him in the eye.

“I am merely curious.” Darcy glanced up from the newspaper and waited. And waited. Raising his eyebrows, he prompted, “So?”

“So what?” Bingley fidgeted with the case’s clasp.

“Did you do or see anything noteworthy today?”

Beet red, Bingley narrowed his eyes, trying to discern whether there was suspicion in Darcy’s expression or inflection. “Why? I mean—Why, I did a bit of bird watching, is all.”

“Good heavens, man. You must have been out in the sun too long. You are behaving quite barmy, and your face is burnt again.” Darcy looked away for a moment and then back at Bingley’s pale countenance. “Well, I thought it was red. Merely a trick of the light, I suppose.”