Berry Blog!

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I’m totally in love with all the berries this year and my poor camera is exhausted as I poke around the hedgerows in search of the perfect berry pic.  Here are a couple of shots taken this week in the Oxfordshire countryside.  I love the blue-hued sloe and that rich profusion of ruby hawthorn berries.

The only trouble is that, as I’m trying to focus my camera, a certain spaniel is pulling me in a different direction, reminding me – not so gently – that we’re meant to be walking!

 

And here’s a friendly face we saw peering over a hedge!

Great news on the writing front this week – A Weekend with Mr Darcy is Number 2 in the Heatseeker’s chart for the second week running!

Book Launch and Writer Top Tens

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Well, the official launch of my new romantic comedy, A Weekend with Mr Darcy, is fast approaching and – if you’re in the area – then it would be lovely to see you.  It’ll be taking place at Waterstones in Uxbridge on Thursday 14th October 6.30 – 8pm and I’ll be signing books and answering questions!  Do come and say hello if you’re around – there will be wine and nibbles!

I have two wonderful Writer Top Tens this week from Nicola Cornick and Christina Courtenay – both write fabulous historical romances.

Signing at Chawton

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A trip to Chawton Cottage is always special and yesterday’s visit was extra special because I’d been invited to sign copies of A Weekend with Mr Darcy which is being stocked in the lovely shop there.

The Jane Austen House Museum features in a couple of chapters in my book and I’ve had many happy trips to the village whilst researching my story.  Here I am in the beautiful garden with my book.

After a visit to an art exhibition and a very late lunch with family, we went on to Cobham Heath where Molly had a well-deserved walk.  The light was glorious on the green and golden bracken and we spotted loads of toadstools including the wonderful fly agaric which I always call the Disney Toadstool!  Aren’t they amazing?

A fun-filled week!

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I have had the most amazing week!  I came back from the Jane Austen Festival in Bath late on Monday and, on Tuesday, went to my first fashion show as part of London Fashion Week.  With Helen from my publishers, I attended Elizabeth Emanuel’s amazing show, Little Black Dress.  Here we are pretending to be a couple of celebrities!

Wednesday night was launch night for my dear friend, Christina Courtenay, who’s book, Trade Winds, is out now.  Here I am with Pia and some other writer pals.

Thursday was my blog day at Austen Authors which was enormous fun.  It was lovely to connect to so many writers and readers who are all as obsessed with Jane Austen as I am!

Friday meant another trip to Bath as my husband had four beautiful paintings in an exhibition – one of which was ‘highly commended’.  I also had reason to celebrate myself on Friday as A Weekend with Mr Darcy was in the Heatseeker’s chart at number 10!

I also got down to my rewrites on Friday for Dreaming of Mr Darcy – the second book in my Austen addicts trilogy which is to be published in the summer.  And then Saturday was a lovely day out on the south coast where we went chicken-shopping (I’m now the proud owner of some very fine galvanised feeders!) and painting and walking (Roy painted whilst Molly and I walked).

Next week looks a little quieter but there’s another book launch to look forward to.  Now, I really must get back to those rewrites …

The Jane Austen Festival

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Last weekend, I attended the 10th Jane Austen Festival in Bath.  It was my first festival and I had such a great time.  The promenade on Saturday was the highlight for me – seeing all the beautiful costumes and spotting the Mr Darcys and Catherine Morlands!  The sun glowed on the array of fine fabrics and everyone was smiling.  It was such a great day.

 

There was also a wonderfully romantic moment at the beginning of the promenade.  Outside the Abbey, a man was standing holding a single red rose to surprise his fiancee.  She was going to meet him there but had no idea that he’d be in full Regency attire!  He’s a pic of me and author, Jane Odiwe, with the real-life hero!

I also met my lovely friend, Isa, who’d travelled all the way from Spain for the festival.  Here she is with her ‘I Heart Darcy’ bag!

I went to talk to the wonderful Pride and Prejudice Tours in Sydney Place – the very house that was Sir Walter Elliot’s in the 1995 production of Persuasion.  And I signed lots of copies of my novel, A Weekend with Mr Darcy too – in Waterstones, WH Smith and Toppings.  Thank you to the staff  who made me so welcome.

Other festival highlights included lunch in The Pump Room where I met a very fine gentleman! 

And a trip to the fashion museum with Jane Odiwe who snapped me trying on some eighteenth-century undergarments!

It was a fabulous trip and I now have so many ideas for the third book in my Jane Austen addicts trilogy, Mr Darcy Forever, which is set during the festival.  I can’t wait to write it now but it is currently on hold as I am about to revisit the second book first as the editorial notes have landed and it’s time for some rewriting…

Publication Day!

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Yay!  It’s publication day and my book, A Weekend with Mr Darcy, is out now.  It’s been available online for a while but you should start seeing it in the shops soon!  And, to celebrate, there’s a new competition where you can win a signed copy of the book together with some very cute Darcy goodies.

I’ll be in London today doing some signings in Oxford Street and then it’s off to Bath tomorrow for the Jane Austen Festival.  I can’t wait!

A Weekend with Mr Darcy in Selfridges

A Weekend with Mr Darcy in Waterstones

Ode to Autumn

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I love golden autumn days which is probably why we chose September as the month to get married and, to celebrate our anniversary this year, we had a day out on the Sussex Downs.

We had a picnic near Firle Beacon and then went for a very breezy walk where Molly enjoyed many a roll in the lush fields!  Then hubby and I enjoyed ice-creams in the village.  Firle is one of the loveliest villages I’ve ever seen and could well be a contender for Miss Read’s Fairacre with its pretty cottages and gardens bursting with vegetables.

We also visited St Peter’s Church where there was a very impressive Elizabethan tomb lit up by a stunning modern stained-glass window.

It was then on to the Seven Sisters where we walked to the cottage used in the film Atonement.

The hedgerows were dripping with bright berries which was a sad reminder that summer is over but also a reason to celebrate because autumn is my favourite season.

We also had a trip to the Luton Hoo estate open day.  The estate has been used in innumerable films from Charles Dickens’ adaptations to Gosford Park.  We went along to visit the A&K Wilson exhibition and also had a walk around the six-acre walled garden.  Here I am beside the most impressive window frame.

Counting down to publication day now!  A Weekend with Mr Darcy is already available online and my husband has even seen it in Waterstones!  Exciting times!

Austen Authors!

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I’m delighted to announce the launch of a brand new website, Austen Authors.  If you’re a Jane Austen fan or if you just like a good ole romantic read, visit the site and have a browse.  There are 22 fabulous authors (including me!) who will be sharing their thoughts on writing about Austen and there’ll be lots and lots of fun extras and competitions where you can win books galore!  It’s going to be so much fun!

It’s online!

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Well, I’ve just had a wonderful surprise – my new novel,  A Weekend With Mr Darcy, is available to buy at Amazon.co.uka whole two weeks before publication day!

And it’s the same day as Sophie Kinsella’s new book, Mini Shopaholic
 which I’m so looking forward to reading!  The wonderful site, Chicklit Reviews, is celebrating by having a Sophie Kinsella week and I was thrilled to be asked to contribute as I think Sophie writes the very best romantic comedies around.

Summer in the city

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I can’t believe how quickly the summer is passing and I can’t believe how bad the weather has been!  Still, there’s been a lot of fun like the brilliant day I met up with writer friend, Deborah Wright, last week.  We visited the beautiful Wallace Collection in London and then had a picnic in Hyde Park before taking a ride out on the lake in a pedalo.  It was great fun but suprisingly hard work and I’d like to report that the two dodgem-style incidents were due to the lack of skill in others and had nothing to do with us!

Our view from the pedalo

The writing has been going well too and I’ve just finished the second book in my Austen addicts trilogy, Dreaming of Mr Darcy.  This is the one set in lovely Lyme Regis and I had so much fun researching it.  The next one, Mr Darcy Forever, will be set in Bath and I’m looking forward to spending a few days there next month when the Jane Austen Festival is in full swing.

And the big news is that we’ll be welcoming home some feathered friends in the autumn.  We’re rehoming some ex-battery hens via the amazing  British Hen Welfare Trust.  I’ve been wanting to keep chickens for ages and can’t wait to welcome them to our little patch of suburbia.  It’ll be like a scene from The Good Life here!