You may have noticed that you haven't been able to leave comments here in the last week or so. That's because I've been moving the blog over to my main site, Pemberley Variations. It's up and ready to go now, with all the material moved over from this blog. Join me at the new blog!

For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the October 1 release of Mr. Darcy's Obsession, I have a couple of early reviews of Mr. Darcy's Obsession to share! First, from Booklist:

Mr. Darcy's Obsession.
Reynolds, Abigail (Author)
Oct 2010. 368 p. Sourcebooks/Landmark, paperback, $14.99. (9781402240928).

In her sixth Pride and Prejudice variation, Reynolds imagines what obstacles might have stood in the way of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy's love had Elizabeth's father died, driving the Bennet family out of their estate at Longbourn. Elizabeth's older sister Jane is forced to marry a much older shopkeeper, and Elizabeth moves in with her uncle and aunt Gardiner. Despite Elizabeth's diminished circumstances, Darcy tracks her down, but when he finally gets around to proposing, she misinterprets his awkward bid for her hand as a request to become his mistress. As soon as that miscommunication is cleared up, Elizabeth's younger sister Lydia shows up, pregnant and abandoned by a feckless military officer. Lydia's situation necessitates Elizabeth return to her family, leaving Elizabeth to wonder if this latest disgrace will deter Darcy's determination to marry her. Austen purists won't seek out Reynolds' takeoffs, but readers who can't get enough of Darcy and Elizabeth will find that Reynolds does an admirable job of capturing the feel of the period in this entertaining diversion.
- Kristine Huntley

And second, from Susan Mason-Milks:

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession is Abigail Reynolds first new book in what seems like way too long. Her other Pride and Prejudice alternate stories are excellent and this one’s no exception. After the wait, I was definitely not disappointed.

In Obsession, Darcy never has a chance to propose to Elizabeth and leaves Rosings with an aching heart. Nearly a year later he learns that Mr. Bennet has died leaving the family in dire financial straits. Circumstances have forced Jane to marry a local shopkeeper, and Elizabeth is living in London as nanny for her aunt and uncle’s children. Now her situation is even more beneath Darcy’s than before.

Although he knows he should stay away, Darcy can’t help himself. At first he tells himself he’ll just check on her, but when the opportunity presents itself, he “accidentally” runs into her in the park. Although Elizabeth begins to see another side to Darcy, many misunderstandings ensue which threaten to separate them forever. In spite of the many opportunities Darcy has to walk away, he looks into those fine eyes and he’s lost again.

What I love most about Abigail Reynolds is the way she brings Darcy and Elizabeth to life. After reading one of her books I feel as if I’ve just stepped back into the world they inhabit and we’ve had a good chat. The dialogue between them is a delight to read. Elizabeth continues to be witty and down to earth while Darcy is becoming more human as he learns to put the needs of his heart ahead of the approval of parts of his family and society. Ms. Reynolds has also added some interesting, lively new characters to the mix as well as breathing life into some who are mentioned in P&P but never developed. They seem so real that they fit right in.

Clearly, this author has great affection for her characters. In fact, I’d say she’s somewhat obsessed with Darcy and Elizabeth – and I’m glad of it. I’ll be anxiously awaiting my next opportunity for a visit to Pemberley, and in the meantime, I’ll have to satisfy myself with rereading some of Ms. Reynolds’ earlier books.

Susan Mason-Milks
(A fan of P&P fan fiction)

Only 12 days left!

Today I'm doing double duty. I'm blogging at Austen Authors on my crooked road to publication. Stop by and comment for a chance to win a free book! You can also visit me at the Casablanca Authors Blog, where I tell my latest crazy idea for a variation and how I came up with it.

October is going to be a big blogging month for me with the release of Mr. Darcy's Obsession. I'll do my best to post all the links here! Don't forget that Mr. Darcy's Obsession is now available for pre-order.

Today is the big day. 21 writers of Austen-related fiction have been working like mad to get the new Austen Authors blog going. I've had the chance to get to know my fellow authors better, and I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say.

I'll be blogging there on September 8.There are lots of giveaways, including my books, so please stop by!

Austen Authors Blog

So much is going on that I don't even know where to start! To Conquer Mr. Darcy (formerly titled Impulse & Initiative) was released on August 2, but I still haven't gotten around to doing a giveaway of it here because I've been busy working on an exciting new project which will be launched September 6. It's something that Sharon Lathan and I dreamed up at the Romance Writers of America National Convention, an occasion which deserves a blog post of its own. It's a group blog of authors of traditionally published Austen-related fiction, and we've been astonished with the enthusiastic response we've been getting from other writers. We'd optimistically hoped we could get 8 or so writers involved, but we're up to almost 20 with new ones signing on every day, and even more offering to do guest posts from time to time. I'll be doing a massive book giveaway there in September, including all my books from out-of-print to my latest release, and there will be tons of other giveaways as well. Be sure to stop by in September!

I've also been writing like mad. The next Pemberley Variation is almost finished, despite major efforts by Darcy, Elizabeth, and Georgiana to sidetrack the plot, not to mention the completely unplanned for steamy scene. Advice: don't trust Jane and Georgiana if they offer to chaperone Lizzy and Darcy. Epic fail! Well, it's true that I still don't have the ending down, but it's almost there. All that sidetracked me from the story I've been expanding at 50 Miles, but that's next on the agenda.

Also on the books for the next couple of months are a totally revamped web site and (crossing fingers) the eventual release of the oft-delayed Morning Light, sequel to The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice. Meantime, the never-before-published Mr. Darcy's Obsession is available for pre-order and is already garnering some great reviews, including one from Booklist that will be released next week (they were kind enough to give me a sneak peak).

Oh, yes, and I've been on the road all summer. I started out on July 1, managed 12 whole days at home in August, and am now off again until early September. Fortunately, there's been lots of inspiration along the way between writers' conferences and time in Woods Hole, and it's been fun.

By the way, comments on this blog now have a slight publication delay, not because I want anyone to hesitate to comment but because there's been a major problem with spam comments (part of the inspiration for the website revamp). But I do love your comments, and none of them are being censored unless they selling something.

Best,
Abigail