The Darcys of New Orleans ~ Guest Post with Maggie Mooha

Hello, my friends! Today I have Maggie Mooha visiting us with her new book The Darcy's of New Orleans! It sounds amazing! Maggie is also giving away an e-copy of both books in the series! Details are at the bottom of the page! 

What “Happily Ever After” Looks Like – The Darcys of New Orleans by Maggie Mooha

It was a little daunting for me when I began The Darcys

of New Orleans to keep the romance alive between Darcy and Elizabeth twenty years after the flowering of their great love affair. It wasn’t until I was halfway through writing the novel that I realized that their relationship needed to be the center of the story, even though the book has two romances running through it. 

How do two people who were so much in love at the beginning of their relationship fare twenty years down the road? Their lives have taken on a routine, children have been born, the weight of adult obligations are on their shoulders. Do they drift apart? Does the fire burn brightly at first and then die out and find them trapped in the mundane tasks of everyday life?  Or, does their relationship deepen, and they become friends and helpmeets as well as lovers? 



For those of you who haven’t read Elizabeth in the New World, the first novel in this 2-novel series, I will try to avoid spoilers from the first book when talking about the second. In the first book, Darcy goes through a transformation that opens his eyes to the lives of people beneath his social class. This growth enables him to find something worthwhile to do with his life instead of being a member of the class of the idle rich. Also, he sees the value of choosing a wife who married him for love, not money and social position. He sees her as an equal to him in temperament and intellect, regardless of her social standing. He falls more in love with her as the years go by, not less.

Elizabeth also has endured her share of trauma and angst. Her strength of character enables her to come through to the other side, and the support and acceptance of Darcy only deepens her love for him. Do they marry and then live “happily ever after”? I think they do. There are still crushing disappointments to endure, and the undeniable fact that, no matter how much you love someone, you are sometimes helpless to come to their aid when they are in pain.


So, how do the Darcys end up in New Orleans?  Suffice it to say that the Darcys travel there to see an old friend of Elizabeth’s, one upon whom she relied for her life. There, Elizabeth begins to heal after a miscarriage that ends her childbearing years. As you can see, these books stray from the drawing-room and assembly room romances of Austen’s writings. My books are about romance, no doubt about it, but also about the realities of the time.


I also like to interweave actual historical events into my stories to give them a dose of reality. I know Austen was known for capturing the reality of class structure in her books, but there were many subjects that were only to be hinted at in her time. That was her strength. Everyone knew what she was talking about, even though she didn’t come right out and say it. I learned some of that too. When you are too “on the nose” and bang people over the head with something, it isn’t as effective as if you rely on them to connect the dots.


I hope, for those of you who haven’t read either Elizabeth in the New World or the sequel, The Darcys of New Orleans, that you will put them on your reading list. Please read “Elizabeth” first. The sequel will make much more sense if you do. For those of you who have read the first book, I believe you will enjoy the second. If you are an unrepentant romantic like myself, I think you will find in these two novels Darcy and Elizabeth’s “happily ever after”.

The Darcys of New Orleans
by Maggie Mooha


Blurb: 

In this sequel to Elizabeth in the New World, Elizabeth and Darcy's romance endures and deepens. After Elizabeth suffers a devastating loss, Darcy decides to take her, their daughter Emma, and their son, Bennet, to visit Elizabeth’s dear friend Poppy in New Orleans. Now a free woman of means, Poppy lives on a plantation with her husband, daughters, and son, Phillipe. 

As the visit begins to work a tonic on Elizabeth’s wounded spirit, Emma and Phillipe have taken an instant dislike to one another. A free man of color who was educated in France, Phillipe harbors ill will toward the English. He sees Emma as a spoiled heiress who knows nothing of the struggles his family has endured. Despite their turbulent beginning, they fall in love, and learn that even in New Orleans mixed society, what they have together is forbidden. When yellow fever strikes both families, Elizabeth and Darcy face losing their son, and Poppy her beloved husband. Tragedy is compounded when the English fleet makes a surprise attack on New Orleans. Once again, Darcy and Elizabeth find themselves in the midst of conflict, and the young lovers are torn apart not only by society, but also by war.

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FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 

About the Author

Maggie was born in Chicago, Illinois and spent her formative years in the suburbs. Most of her career was spent teaching music, which she is still doing. Maggie is well-traveled, having lived in Tanzania, East Africa, and in the Philippines. During her time in Africa, she began writing. Elizabeth in the New World is her first published novel.

Elizabeth in the New World is a Pride and Prejudice variation that takes place during an uprising on the island of Grenada that took place in 1795. The book delves into the realities of the Regency period that go beyond the parlors and assemblies of Austen's England.

One of the wonderful things about writing is research. No, it really is. Traveling to Grenada to see the actual places where the historical events took place was eye-opening to say the least. A trip to New Orleans was on the agenda for Maggie this year and was instrumental in creating the sequel to Elizabeth in the New World, The Darcys of New Orleans.

The best part of life is learning. Maggie hopes that readers not only enjoy the adventure and romance of her books but enjoy learning a little history too.

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Maggie Mooha is generously giving away two e-books to one of my lucky readers!  The Darcys of New Orleans and Elizabeth in the New World! 

• One person will win an e-copy of both Elizabeth in the New World and The Darcys of New Orleans.
• To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below and include your e-mail with parentheses around (at) and (dot).
• The winner will be picked randomly.
• Open Internationally
• The last day to enter the giveaway is Feb. 13th, 2020 by the end of the day. 

Good luck! 

Thank you, Maggie, for being a guest here today, and congratulations on the release of your new book, The Darcys of New Orleans! And a big thanks for the lovely giveaway! 

So, friends, what are your thoughts? We'd love to hear! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions for Maggie below! 

The Colonel by Beau North ~ Guest Post & Giveaway!

Hello, friends! It's my pleasure to welcome Beau North to the blog today! She comes with an amazing playlist of song that helped inspire her in writing her new book, The Colonel! 

Colonel Fitzwilliam is my favorite secondary character of all of Austen's books. I can't wait to see what Beau North does with him in this story! 

Also, be sure to read to the bottom of the page for details to a nice giveaway!

A big thanks to Candy for hosting me today and letting me talk about my two favorite things, Music and Colonel Fitzwilliam! 

Anyone who has read my work knows what a big part music always plays in my stories. Modern Love was an exploration of connection and grief told through music. In The Many Lives of Fitzwilliam Darcy, our Mr. Darcy finds himself trapped in the opening refrain of the same song every day. And, of course, there is Longbourn’s Songbird, where Elizabeth Bennet finds freedom and purpose through music. So it may surprise some readers how little music enters into The Colonel! 


Unlike his cousin Will Darcy, Richard is not so easily spellbound by song. He doesn’t care for Jazz, and Elizabeth’s musical talents are seldom mentioned or thought of by him. By contrast, Richard’s son Ben often times finds himself caught up in music, in particular that of his cousin Tom Darcy, the son of Elizabeth and Will Darcy. 

The stage, set and ready, remained empty. Ben drank his Coke and watched the crowd, feeling unfashionably old and out of place until the lights on the stage went all the way down. The bubbling voice of the crowd died down to a murmur as the lone sound of a keyboard rang out. Three notes repeating in a delicate pattern. A brief smattering of  applause rang out before the crowd settled. Ben felt the gossamer pattern of those notes like butterflies, fluttering in the pit of his stomach. A throaty inhale into a microphone was followed by a familiar voice, high and silken, vibrating with emotion. A single light bloomed to life onstage, illuminating the man who stood there, dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt that still managed to be impossibly glamorous. Tom Darcy had somehow inherited the best parts of both of his parents: the tall, broad frame of his father; the black-eyed mystery of his mother. Not to mention that voice, a voice that could burrow under the skin, straight to the soul.

I didn’t have to dig deep for a reaction here, it was exactly how I felt the first time I heard Perfume Genius’ masterful ‘Otherside’, the song this paragraph inspired! For Ben, music heralds several big changes in his life, prompting him to repair relationships and family ties. Even though Richard, the titular Colonel, isn’t very musically inclined, it still played a vital role in creating and framing this story. ‘The Colonel’ is broken down into four parts, each titled with a song that expresses the themes of its chapters. 

Part I: Only Son of the Ladiesman

“Couldn't see his used up body at the funeral

By virtue of the flailing of his conquests

They tied down his casket with the garter belt

Each troubled heart was beating in a sequin dress”

It was Father John Misty’s song ‘Only Son of the Ladiesman’ that gave me the idea to infuse this book with Ben’s story. It got me thinking about the legacy handed down from father to son, the mystery of not really knowing your parents, the way we touch the lives of others for good and ill. Part I serves as introduction to Ben and his world and begins exploring what Richard meant to him. 

Part II: I Love You But I’m Lost

“You read the answers by the shadows on the wall, we could be great

Drive myself crazy with mistakes, you know I'm better every day

Tell me there's something I can change”

Sharon Van Etten (who appears twice in this list!) has a talent for writing songs that slowly sink through my skin, right into my blood. This song in particular was in heavy rotation as I wrote Part II. It perfectly captures the confusion and pain of Richard’s grief, the helplessness of trauma, and how there’s never just an easy fix. We can’t expect other people to fix us. We have to want to fix ourselves. 

Part III: You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are

“You don't like to be touched,

Let alone kissed.

Does his love make your head spin?” 

Probably the quietest and most restrained song on the entire playlist, this song reflects several points of view in Part III. Richard and his pining. Anne finding herself in an unexpectedly uncomfortable situation. Georgiana reaching for love and the freedom of adulthood. Without getting into spoilers, this was the most difficult and the most rewarding part of this book to write. Austen Bonus: The actress featured in the video for this song is Sophie Thompson, who most of you will know as Mary Musgrove (Persuasion 95) and Miss Bates (Emma 96)! 

Part IV: We Are Fine

“Tell me not to trip or to lose sight

You are walking in my guided light

Take my hand and help me not to shake

Say I'm alright, I'm alright”

Part IV features the second selection from Sharon Van Etten, this one all about coping and support. The last section of the book is about finding the strength inside yourself to keep fighting, to keep trying even when the world makes it feel impossible. Part of learning how to do this is teaching yourself how to be vulnerable, how to reach out to the people you love and say “I need you.” It’s a lesson that both Ben and Richard have to learn in order to get their respective versions of a happy ending. 

While these songs were vital to the process of writing this book, they were by no means the only songs I went to for inspiration. In fact, the playlist for ‘The Colonel’ is quite a beast, with 78 songs it clocks in at five and a half hours of listening time. I hope you’ll hear these songs and think of the moments in this book that they inspired, or that they will inspire you in your own ways! 

Wow, Beau! That is an impressive list of songs! I love that music inspires you so much!  ~ Candy

The Colonel
by Beau North

“This isn’t a love story, but the end of one. The story of two ships forever passing in the night. This is the story of my father and the woman he spent most of his adult life loving, a woman who was never really his.” 

1950: 
After letting his chance at love with Elizabeth Bennet slip through his fingers a second time, Richard Fitzwilliam loses himself in women, whiskey, and war as he tries to forget what he left behind. Putting oceans, continents, and decades between himself and his heartbreak, Richard seeks his future, only to be pulled back to the past again and again. 

2002: 
Shaken by recent events, Ben Fitzwilliam has left everything familiar behind, walking away from his relationship, his Manhattan apartment, his career as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to return to his family home in Annapolis, Maryland. Struggling to navigate a world that makes less and less sense, Ben finds purpose where he least expected it: in his father’s private letters. With the help of Annapolis PD Officer Keisha Barnes, Ben attempts to uncover his father’s secrets, heal the rifts those secrets caused, and find the answers he seeks on far shores. 

Spanning decades, continents, wars abroad and wars at home, The Colonel is the anticipated companion to Longbourn’s Songbird.

Buy Links: Amazon • Kobo • Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads.

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 

About the Author

Beau North is the author of four books and contributor to multiple anthologies. Beau lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband. In her spare time, she is the co-host of the podcasts Excessively Diverted: Modern Classics On-Screen and Let’s Get Weirding: A Dune Podcast.

Connect with Beau North

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Beau North is giving away an e-copy of Longbourn Songbird and an e-copy of The Colonel to one lucky person as part of her blog tour celebration! 

• One person will win an e-copy of Longbourn Songbird and The Colonel!
• Enter through the Rafflecopter below.
• Open Internationally! 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Many thanks to Beau for having me on her book tour, and a big congrats on the release of The Colonel! 

So, friends, what are your thoughts? Please show Beau some love by leaving a comment or question below! Or let us know, does music inspire you? Do you love Colonel Fitzwilliam as much as I do? We'd love to hear from you! 

The Flight Path Less Traveled Blog Tour! ~ Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hello, my friends! I'm delighted to have Leigh Dreyer visiting today with her new book The Flight Path Less Traveled which is the second book in her Pride in Flight Books! She is also offering an e-copy to one of my readers! Details for the giveaway are at the bottom of the page! 

Hello, amazing readers! First off, I want to thank Candy for hosting me! I love watching So Little Time... during book launches and am so honored to be here.

I wanted to write a little about some of the new characters in

The Flight Path Less Traveled. In the first book, I kept very true to Pride and Prejudice and the characters there, however, after the events at the end of The Best Laid Flight Plans, Elizabeth has some new trials which demand a new cast of characters. I will try to avoid spoilers but just be warned, that some of the events of book one may become obvious after reading this article, so if you haven’t finished The Best Laid Flight Plans yet, nows the time to escape! The characters I want to introduce are Hetty Bates and Mrs. Jennings. You might recognize some favorites in that group, but let’s start with Ms. Bates.

Hetty Bates is Elizabeth’s new physical therapist. Let me begin by giving you a little background information about myself. I have an autoimmune disease that has required physical therapy every week or two for the last seven years, so I have a tremendous amount of respect for the physical therapists I have worked with. When I thought through the possibilities of Elizabeth receiving physical therapy, the character I jumped to first was Miss Bates from Emma. I wanted someone who was naturally caring, who truly loves the people around her, and wants the best for people. Austen’s Miss Bates is a little flightier than the Hetty Bates from my novel, but she really had the perfect foundations for exactly what I wanted. If I could have anyone play Hetty Bates, DPT in a movie, I would love Octavia Spencer. Someone feisty and fun, but that cares deeply about Elizabeth and her success. Someone who can give Elizabeth wisdom learned from her father, a former Reverend.  I loved writing her!

Mrs. Jennings is Elizabeth’s new behavioral therapist. Mrs. Jennings is slightly based on a previous therapist of my own. She was one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met, but also a little silly. For Elizabeth, I needed someone who could take charge and kind of punch Elizabeth out of her rut, but also someone who had a sincerity that Elizabeth could not question. The best therapists I’ve had have this amazing way of getting me to recognize the right answer for myself rather than spoon-feeding it to me. They helped me work through my problems and feelings without ­beating myself up. One thing I do like about Austen’s Mrs. Jennings is for all her ridiculous gossiping, she does care for those around her and attempts to provide the Dashwood girls with opportunities beyond their means. Marianne and Elinor figure out the solutions to their problems around her in the novel occasionally with her gentle probing (here’s looking at you Colonel Brandon!).

I have loved the opportunity that writing The Flight Path Less Traveled has given me to go back through and get to know Hetty Bates and Mrs. Jennings again. They are such close friends now that I’ll be seriously depressed if I need to give them up for Came a Flight Gently (book 3 in the series).  


Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the book! Tell me what other Jane Austen character you would love to see in a future book. I’d love to find some great suggestions for the team in book 3.

The Flight Path LESS Traveled
by Leigh Dreyer

In this modern Pride and Prejudice continuation and sequel to The Best Laid Flight Plans, 2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Bennet and Captain William Darcy are facing trials after the events of Elizabeth’s last flight. Darcy’s proposal lingers between them as Elizabeth becomes almost single sighted to her rehabilitation and her return to pilot training. A secret is revealed to Elizabeth about Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s past that throws all she has known to be true into a tail spin. The romance between our hero and heroine begins to blossom through military separations, sisterly pranks, and miscommunications. Can Darcy and Elizabeth come together or will flying in the Air Force keep them apart?

Buy: Amazon
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FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon US. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 17:

     Thanksgiving dinner had been wrought with danger. After their arrival, the elder Mr. and Mrs. Bingley looked down their noses at Netherfield. The couch was too old, that framed art too gauche, and the drapery was all wrong. Susan Bingley had promptly called her interior designer and set up an online meeting for Jane the next day. Does she not comprehend that her son is only leasing the house?

     David Bingley had immediately pressed for the liquor cabinet and bemoaned the lack of Cambridge Distillery vodka for five minutes before mixing himself a dry Beefeater gin martini and loudly elucidating the floral hints of his drink which Elizabeth suspected was in fact gin with an olive.

     “Have you had the bespoke small batch Cambridge?” David asked Thomas who had found amusement observing the ridiculous complaints of his posh counterpart.

     “Always been more of an Oxford man myself.”

     David looked confused but pressed forward, despite the strange comment.

     “I have a few bottles of the anty gin, you know,” said David in between drinks. “They distill the essence of ants to achieve the taste. Phenomenal.”

     “Ants?” Lydia crinkled her face in disgust. “And you drink it?”

     “Of course, it has interesting citrus notes. Truly unexplainable without tasting it yourself—almost like lemon.” David stood wistfully swirling his glass. “You would drink lemonade, wouldn’t you?”

     “Without bugs in it.”

     David laughed. “I’ll admit I thought it was a little strange at first. My prize though are two bottles of the Watenshi. Do you know very much about Japanese alcohol, Tom?”

     Thomas Bennet, who had never been called Tom in his life, smiled widely. “Not since an unfortunate sake incident in college. I believed a waitress infatuated with me until I was informed that I was quite mistaken. Fortunately, I had the rest of the bottle to help me forget her with only a headache the next morning.”

     “That reminds me of a couple glasses of Tanqueray in my twenties…” David continued in his attempts to discuss the finer points of his experiences with various London based gins; Mr. Bennet kept up his part of the conversation, but David needed little encouragement to continue. After several minutes, Mark Hurst joined his father-in-law at the cabinet, poured himself a rum and Coke, and nodded his agreement while blandly evaluating the glassware.

     Caroline and Louisa, meanwhile, had stationed themselves in Caroline’s room where they likely gossiped cruelly about the Bennets in the hour before dinner. Luckily for Jane, the Bennets were on their best behavior. Even Lydia, who in past years was sent on last-minute shopping trips for “necessary” ingredients to get her out of the house and decrease the inhabitants’ headaches, was pleasant.

     The sisters talked about the high school’s Turkey Bowl, how Kitty had found a new job, and Mary’s newest attempts to bring Longbourn into the technological age.

     “I heard about the new website,” said Darcy while walking through the living room on an errand from Jane.

     Mary sat up straighter on the couch. “It’s not only a website. It’s an app, a booking system, and guest survey. It will not only bring us into the modern era, a feat which rivals David battling Goliath, but it will make us actually competitive with nearby bed and breakfasts. You would be shocked by the systems some of the inns near San Antonio have and they are charging three to four times more per night than we are for inferior quality rooms, staff, and food.”

     “Mary is very passionate about our work, Captain Darcy. I’m sure you can understand that yourself coming from a farm turned into another enterprise,” said Fanny Bennet.

     On the other side of the kitchen door, Elizabeth finished slicing the bread and raised her eyebrows at the thought of the Pemberley she had visited being compared in any way to Longbourn; Darcy was much pleasanter than Elizabeth could have ever imagined when he responded.

     “I know you’re younger than Elizabeth, but how much longer do you have in your program? I assume you’re doing business online?”

     “I want to go to school, of course, but with Jane and Elizabeth in college and Lydia in high school, Kitty and I needed to work the Inn for a little while…” her voice trailed off. She bit her lip and shook her head, her eyes avoiding Darcy’s.

     “Mary, I’m sure with your expertise, Longbourn will see increased profits and better-quality bookings. I’m sure you are one hundred percent comfortable with whatever software system you have chosen, but if you have any questions, I have a cousin in the tech field who would love to talk to someone as passionate as you are about this subject. I’ll put you in touch with him.”

     Elizabeth could hear him leave the room and the door closing behind him while the hum of her family talking in the living room buzzed as a background noise to her work. Bread done, she moved on to sorting through Jane’s china and the china her mother had brought from Longbourn.

     After getting through seven place settings, Darcy returned to the kitchen and stood next to Elizabeth.

     “You are probably being marked down as beatified in the Vatican right now for your kindness to Mary. Do you think they’ll make you into one of those little votive candles,” she said, cracking a lazy smile while she nudged his shoulder gently with her own.

     “As long as they set mine right next to Mrs. Reynolds’.” He kissed her cheek before sitting across from her and taking her hand. “Mary is much more pleasant to speak to than half of my investors and seems to actually know what she is talking about. It’s refreshing, to be honest.”

     “When you say investors, how many do you interact with? I thought Pemberley was fairly small as far as wineries go.”

     “The Pemberley label is fairly small as far as American vintners go, but Pemberley’s holdings also operate as a négociant which buys up grapes from other vineyards. Ours come predominantly from smaller vineyards in Napa, and then we produce it under other labels within the Pemberley organization. When you toured with Gardiner, you didn’t get to see the vineyard portion. Our wine label hosts very specific and relatively expensive wines which aren’t consumable by the average consumer, so we use other, cheaper grapes to bottle less expensive varieties for sale through Costco and a few other national vendors.”

     “National? Aren’t those for major brands? I don’t think Costco would just take anyone.”

     “Well, it’s a bit less impressive of an accomplishment when you consider that Costco is the number one wine seller in the world, but we do okay.”

     “What does okay mean?”

     “We haven’t cracked the top ten, but for this last year we were able to push about a hundred million in sales. We’re hoping to top that number by at least two percent next year.”

     Elizabeth blinked at him. Her mind could not compute a hundred million dollars. That was an inconceivable amount when she was happy with the three thousand a month she received as a lieutenant.

     “Maybe we can go over some of my holdings a little later? You look frightened.”

     “I knew you were rich—I mean I don’t know any other captains with their own planes but”—Elizabeth struggled for the right words—“that is a lot more than I expected.”

     “I probably should have told you sooner. I honestly assumed Bingley had told your sister.”

     Elizabeth suddenly remembered the guests at Netherfield and looked over her shoulder to see if Jane was immediately behind her. Seeing Jane turn into the living room, Elizabeth lowered her voice, then spoke barely above a whisper. “Do you think things are going well with the Bingleys?”

     “I’ve known Charles a long time and I’d say this is fairly typical. I should have remembered about his dad and the gin thing. At home, he tends to go for the most expensive bottles he can find. Out and about, he’s a little particular.”

     Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and Darcy shrugged. They worked together in companionable silence, listening to the sounds of china tapping as they neatly placed them on the table and the chink of silverware clinking against the plates.

     “How’s Georgiana?”

     “She’s doing well. I talked to her this morning—she’s at Richard’s parents—and she seemed happy. I know she misses having dinners at Pemberley, but I’m hopeful that maybe next year I can be up there with her.” Darcy pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, looking at a blank wall almost hopefully before smiling and looking back at Elizabeth. “I’d love it if you joined me, of course.”

     “We’ll have to see. I don’t know where I will be stationed then.” Elizabeth wanted badly to go to Europe; it was half the reason she had joined the Air Force in the first place. She wanted to serve her country and she wanted to fly, of course, but seeing the world seemed like the icing on the cake. Being initially stationed in Meryton had been a stiff disappointment that she had been weathering, but she could not stop herself from continuing to hope for a miracle.

     Darcy cleared his throat. Please don’t fight with me about it. Not today. Elizabeth had just come to terms with her weird family situation and did not think she could deal with a fight with William about her staying in the military.

     “Of course, I have Sheila, so I could get you wherever you were and fly you to Pemberley.”

     Elizabeth had forgotten about his Bonanza. It was a fantastic airplane, and she had loved handling the controls when they flew to Rosings for the Base Closure meetings.

     “That would be perfect then. How is Richard?”

     “He said he wished he was here since we have drinks and someone who actually cooks. His parents are having their dinner catered while their regular cook is off, and he hates their menu. I don’t remember all of it, but he made several contrary comments about how portabella mushrooms and goose liver don’t agree with his finely tuned Army palate.”

     Elizabeth laughed and enjoyed the flash of his smile. His angular jaw made his profile distinct. When their eyes met, electricity jolted through her body…especially when he smiled at her like that.

     She cleared her throat and felt the heat of a blush on her chest. “I’m sure he’ll make it through, but his sacrifice should be noted for history. Has Georgiana finished applying for schools?”

     “I’m not sure. She told me she had a few in, but Julliard auditions aren’t until March, so she has a little more time for recording the audition videos she can send in and filling the last few out. She’s completely stressed out, but Mrs. Annesley sent me an email saying there was nothing to be concerned about—just nerves.”

     “I know you’ve told me before, but remind me, who is Mrs. Annesley?”

     “Julia Annesley. She’s Georgiana’s piano teacher.”

     “Right.”

     “She’s pretty phenomenal in the field. Used to be the Met’s practice pianist, as a matter of fact, and had an amazing career before that. She took Georgiana as a special favor.”

     Elizabeth listened to Darcy in awe. She had known Georgiana played the piano but the stunning realization that he had the means to not only send her to an elite private high school but also to hire a piano teacher who likely played in the best concert halls around the world….

     “I’m sure Georgiana will do her best,” she said.

     “Of course she will.” Darcy fiddled with a napkin he was placing on the table, twisting one corner in his fingers. “Elizabeth?”

     “William,” she teased.

     He chuckled softly. “I have something to tell you.” His hand tightened around hers, but instead of letting go, she placed her free hand over his gently.

     “If you’re going to tell me you’ve fallen madly in love with me, I’ve already heard that one.”

     He laughed, a booming laugh that filled the room and caused Elizabeth’s smile to widen.

❤️❤️❤️

About the Author

Leigh Dreyer is a huge fan of Jane Austen variations and the JAFF community. She is blessed to have multi-generational military connections through herself and her husband, who she met in pilot training. She often describes her formative years in this way: “You know the ‘Great Balls of Fire’ scene in Top Gun (‘Goose, you big stud!’), where Goose and Meg Ryan have their kid on the piano? I was that kid.” Leigh lives with her pilot husband, a plane-obsessed son, a daughter who will one day be old enough to watch romantic movies with her, and another little one expected in September 2019.

Connect with Leigh Dreyer

Website • Facebook • Facebook Author Page • Goodreads

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Leigh Dreyer is generously giving away one e-copy of her new book, The Flight Path Less Traveled! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below! 

• One person will win an e-copy of The Flight Path LESS Traveled.
• To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter below.
• Rafflecopter will randomly select the winner.
• Open Internationally.
• Last day to enter the giveaway is April 2nd, 2019, at 11:59 PM, Pacific Time.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Many thanks to Leigh Dreyer for visiting us today! It's such a pleasure to have you here! I'm also grateful for your offer to have a giveaway with me!  Thank you, Leigh!!

So, friends, do you have an answer to Leigh's question? What other Jane Austen characters would you love to see in her one of her future books? 

Georgiana Darcy by Alice Isakova ~ Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hello, my friends! Today I'm delighted to have Alice Isakova visiting So little time...! She has brought with her a lovely excerpt from her new book, Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. 

There is also a very nice giveaway! Details are at the bottom of the page! 

This is a beautiful cover!! 

Georgiana Darcy
by Alice Isakova

With her temptingly large dowry, the beautiful and talented Georgiana Darcy catches the eye of numerous suitors, not all of whom wish to marry purely for love. As Georgiana navigates the treacherous waters of courtship, her story becomes intertwined with that of Anne de Bourgh, her wealthy but painfully awkward cousin, who stirs up trouble when she sets her sights on a young gentleman with a rank far below her own. In so doing, Anne encounters the opposition of her proud and domineering mother, the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and sets in motion a chain of events that brings a damaging secret to light and threatens to destroy Georgiana's dreams of happiness. Intrigues, gossip, and elopements further complicate Georgiana's efforts to find love and avoid the snares of fortune-hunters. 

Written in a sparkling, witty, humorous style on par with Jane Austen's own in Pride and Prejudice, Alice Isakova's Georgiana Darcy continues the tale that has delighted readers for over two centuries.

Excerpt:

In the afternoon of the following day, Anne descended the stairs to the blue drawing room, where she found one of the maids hurrying to finish dusting before the arrival of Mr. Grey, who was expected at Rosings shortly. Lady Catherine had been displeased with how the room was dusted that morning, and, her ladyship having given the order to do it again, the maid now worked at lightning speed to complete the task in time. Seeing Anne come in, the servant said, "I beg your pardon, Miss de Bourgh. I shall be gone in an instant."

     "That is fine, Hannah. Please feel free to finish your work."

     Anne chose a comfortable chair nearest the fire, while the maid flew about the room with her dust cloth. Lady Catherine was to enter at any moment, and Hannah was anxious to finish in time to avoid her mistress' scolding tongue. In her haste, she knocked a vase off of a table, and despite her best efforts to catch it before it fell, the vase came crashing to the floor. For a few seconds, the maid stared in disbelief at the pieces of porcelain before her. 

     "Oh, no! What have I done?!" cried she. Kneeling to the floor, the servant began picking up the shards. "No, no," she moaned, as if willing the vase to reassemble itself back to its former condition. "It is worth more money than I will see in a lifetime. Her ladyship will surely dismiss me from the household when she discovers what I have done!"

     "Oh, Hannah! Do not cry," Anne entreated. "Perhaps it will not come to that."

     Half-blinded by her tears, Hannah could hardly see what she was doing, and not surprisingly, she cut her hand on a fragment of porcelain. The wretched girl began sobbing in earnest as drops of scarlet began trickling down her palm.

     "There, there, Hannah. Calm yourself," said Anne as she produced a handkerchief and proceeded to tie it around the wound. Just then, Lady Catherine walked into the room.

     "What is all this?" her ladyship demanded. Then, perceiving the broken pottery strewn on the floor, she cried, "My favourite Sèvres vase! How did this happen?!"

     Hannah opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words emerged, and all she could do was stare in terror at her mistress.

     "I broke the vase, Mama," said Anne. "I… I stumbled and accidentally knocked the vase off the table. Hannah was collecting the pieces, and she has cut her hand, you see."

     The maid at first looked astonished at these words, but then her expression turned to profound gratitude and relief at having escaped her ladyship's fury.

     "Anne, it does not do to always be stumbling about and knocking into things," Lady Catherine chastised her daughter. "You must endeavour to move with more grace. And straighten your shoulders! If you continue hunching them in that manner, you will soon have a permanent hump in your back."

     Anne bore her mother's scolding patiently and silently except for the occasional "Yes, Mama." While Hannah collected the vase fragments, Lady Catherine upbraided her daughter and would have continued to do so at length if she had not been interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Grey.

     The gentleman who entered the drawing room was uncommonly good-looking; he had flaxen hair, a warm smile, and beautiful, blue eyes full of merriment—he was one of the handsomest young men Anne had ever seen. She coloured at the sight of him and knew not where to direct her gaze but became suddenly self-conscious about her appearance. Oh, why had she not chosen a prettier dress that day! The one she had on was one of her plainest and least becoming gowns. But it could not be helped now! The best Anne could do was to arrange her shawl in a more attractive manner around her shoulders.

     Lady Catherine, on the other hand, looked as grand and imposing as ever, or perhaps even a little more so than usual, as she cast a scrutinising eye over her visitor. Yet, although Mr. Grey conducted himself with respect towards her ladyship, he did not at all seem to be awed or intimidated by her presence, not even when she began her interrogation:

     "Mr. Grey, you attended Oxford, I believe?"

     "Yes, that is correct."

     "And how did you make use of your time there?"

     "Use, Madam? I am not sure I comprehend your meaning."

     "Then I will speak plainly—the universities of England were once fine educational institutions, but over time they have become more akin to seminaries of vice rather than learning. Many a promising young man has descended into dissipation after commencing his studies. Free from restraint, he adopts the drunken habits of his new acquaintances and spends less time reading books than gambling, fox hunting, and visiting houses of ill repute. Is that how you spent your years at Oxford?"

     Looking a little surprised but at the same time amused, Mr. Grey replied:

     "No, not at all. While it is true that some students hardly attended their lectures and led lives of dissipation, I was never one of them. Although I made many new friends at Oxford, the greater part of my time I spent in study, and those with whom I chose to spend my leisure hours were fine gentlemen of sense and good character."

     "What about your academic results? Did you take honours?"

     "I did, my lady."

     "In classics or in mathematics?"

     "In both. I received a double first."

     "A double first class degree! That is a fine distinction, indeed!" her ladyship exclaimed.

     Anne was no less impressed and could not help but regard Mr. Grey with admiration. Not only was he extremely handsome,  with pleasant and engaging manners, but also he was clearly an intelligent man, a scholar. Had he also been rich, Mr. Grey would have had no equal among men. However, his lack of a fortune did not prevent Anne from taking a keen interest in his response to Lady Catherine's next question:

     "Mr. Grey, marriage is a fine institution. Have you considered getting married?"

     Somewhat taken aback by the directness of her question, he answered, "I… well… yes, I have, my lady," to which she replied:

     "I firmly believe that an unmarried man more easily falls into temptation and every form of vice, and marriage is therefore the natural remedy against such evil. A clergyman must lead by example and get married as soon as may be. You are of the same opinion, I hope, Mr. Grey?"

     "The institution of marriage is indeed a fine thing," answered Mr. Grey thoughtfully. "If a man is so fortunate as to find a woman with whom he can share his life, then I suppose there is no reason for delay."

     "Good. I am pleased to hear it. The late rector of Hunsford, Mr. Collins, found himself a wife not long after I advised him to do so. He chose a very sensible, useful woman as his wife. I hope that you will follow Mr. Collins' good example?"

     "Madam, I thank you for your concern regarding my future, but much as I might wish to find a good wife sooner rather than later, I think we must await God's will in the matter."


     "Mr. Grey, with a little effort, it cannot be difficult to find such a wife. In the village there are a number of fine young ladies of the same station as yourself. Surely you can find one among them who is suitable."

~*~

About the Author

Born in Eastern Europe, Alice Isakova spent the latter part of her childhood in the United States before finally settling in Australia. There she obtained a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide and won multiple university prizes for outstanding academic achievement.

Alice now lives with her family in rural Tasmania. She spends her free time either writing or pursuing her passion for fitness, especially the disciplines of rhythmic gymnastics, yoga, and ballet. Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is Alice Isakova's first book.

Connect with Alice

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* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Alice Isakova is graciously giving away an eBook of Georgiana Darcy to five of my lucky readers! Thank you so much for your generosity, Alice!

• Five winners will be picked.
• One eBook per winner.
• Winners will be picked randomly by Rafflecopter.
• To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below.
• Open Internationally!
• Last day to enter the giveaway is Oct. 12, 2018, 11:59 PM Pacific time.

Good luck!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Alice, on the publication of your first book, Georgiana Darcy! That is super exciting! It was my pleasure to have you on So little time... today, and thank you so much for offering five of my readers a chance to win an eCopy of your book! Yay!



I'm very intrigued by Mr. Grey! I love the way he handles Lady Catherine. He seems very sure of himself. What do you think?