Guest Post with Nina Benneton, author of Compulsively Mr. Darcy & Giveaway

 

Good morning everyone.  I’m pleased to welcome Nina Benneton, author of Compulsively Mr. Darcy, here to Peeking Between the Pages today.  I put up my review of her debut novel yesterday (my review) and it was a really good read for me.  It was funny and entertaining and just perfect for a light read!  Nina is going to chat with us today on her inspiration for writing Austen sequels…

 

“The ugly fact is books are made out of books. The novel depends for its life on the novels that have been written.”

The iconic writer Cormac McCarthy said the above once in an interview (April 19th, 1992, The New York Times).

I admire McCarthy’s sparse yet precise, descriptive writing. I read him for ‘the extensive improvement of my mind’, and to give my irreverent bent some needed gravity, but I’m not a fan of McCarthy’s apocalyptic viewpoint. His novels often leave me quite depressed. He’s my husband’s favorite novelist.

“Let other pens dwell on misery and guilt. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can…” (Chapter 17, Mansfield Park, Jane Austen).

My debut novel would depend for its life on the novels of Jane Austen, I decided when I picked up a pen. She’s my favorite novelist. Jane Austen’s witty, panoptic illustration of human foibles and follies appealed to me as a writer to emulate.

But, I did more than emulate. I was shameless. I borrowed her iconic characters from Pride and Prejudice. I borrowed elements of her plot. I even borrowed her happily ever after ending.

Why?

Because of readers like myself. Jane Austen devotees, addicts, fanatics—Janeites or Austenites—whatever you call us, we’re voracious readers of all things Jane.

We cannot have enough. There are Jane Austen forums. There are blogs. There are social media sites. There are shelves full of Jane Austen genre books in libraries and bookstores. (Perhaps in another two hundred years, McCarthy will have his own genre and rabid Cormac forums, I tell my husband.)

Fellow Janeites from all over the world discourse and debate every minutia involving Jane Austen and her works. The mind boggles. We can give Star Trek fans a run for their phasers.

I’ll leave it to more astute and witty social commentators to explain and pontificate why the unabated cult of Jane.

For me, I was inspired to write my first novel to feed my fellow Janeites’ appetite. With great generosity, they read my mistakes-laden drafts, provided insightful comments, laughed when I needed them to, critiqued and held me accountable when I needed them to, and, most graciously, corrected and taught me the intricacies of the English grammar, which I desperately needed. All this effort to educate a fellow Janeite for the love of Jane.

Jane Austen would have been proud.

Yet, I did not want to write a pastiche of Jane’s most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.

I wanted to give my fellow Janeites something same, but different. I changed the time period to contemporary. I changed the settings: Vietnam replaced Hertfordshire because I wanted to a dose of cultural flavor, Berkeley was Pemberley because that’s where my heart always is. And I changed the tone to an irreverent romantic comedy because that’s my novice writer’s voice.

I afflicted my Mr. Darcy with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Then I treated him with my quixotic Elizabeth Bennet, an infectious disease doctor.

My inspiration was Jane Austen’s beloved novel, but, above all, I wanted readers to laugh. My fellow Janeites laughed so much they harassed me to pursue publication, show the world that we Jane Austen fanatics are funnier than the Star Trek fanatics.

My novel depended for its life on Jane Austen’s novel, but I’ve managed to birth something that’s my own.

_________________________

Thanks so much Nina!  I always love to hear what inspires the stories that make the books that I enjoy so much.  I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

_________________________

 

About Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton

For anyone obsessed with Pride & Prejudice, it’s Darcy and Elizabeth like you’ve never see them before!

This modern take introduces us to the wealthy philanthropist Fitzwilliam Darcy, a handsome and brooding bachelor who yearns for love but doubts any woman could handle his obsessive tendencies. Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Bennet has her own intimacy issues that ensure her terrible luck with men.

When the two meet up in the emergency room after Darcy’s best friend, Charles Bingley, gets into an accident, Elizabeth thinks the two men are a couple. As Darcy and Elizabeth unravel their misconceptions about each other, they have to decide just how far they’re willing to go to accept each other’s quirky ways…

Buy at:

Sourcebooks
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
B&N

Find Compulsively Mr. Darcy on Goodreads

 

About Nina Benneton

Author Bio: As a child, Nina Benneton promised the French Catholic nuns who taught her in Asia that she would grow up and find the cure for cancer, effect world peace, and win a Nobel Prize for something, anything. Alas, her own Mr. Darcy and the requisite number of beautiful children interrupted her plans. Tired of alphabetizing her spices and searching for stray Barbie shoes, she turned to writing.

Her debut novel, Compulsively Mr. Darcy, earned a Best Book review from Long and Short Review, ‘Hands down…a must read for lovers and fans of classic romance.’ Fresh Fiction Review called it a ‘tenderly written novel.’ Publishers Weekly wrote, ‘Die-hard fans of everything Austen will enjoy this update of her classic tale.’

Find her on her website/blog: www.NinaBenneton.com
Find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Benneton/273543669356518
Find her on her groupblog: www.AustenAuthors.com

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, February 25/12.  Good luck everyone!

Book Review: Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton

Compulsively Mr. Darcy is the debut novel of Nina Benneton and it was a really fun read! This take on our beloved Pride & Prejudice finds Darcy and Elizabeth tackling the modern world and more than a few misunderstandings along the way. This funny and entertaining modern adventure is a great adaptation of an old and favorite classic!

Fitzwilliam Darcy is an obsessive compulsive man of great wealth who can be brought down by germs or the sight of blood and Elizabeth Bennet is a doctor who specializes in infectious disesases. When we first meet her she is working in Vietnam. Darcy had traveled to Vietnam with Bingley to support their friends who were wanting to adopt a baby from an orphanage there. Bingley, always looking for trouble, manages to cut his leg and has to go to the hospital. Darcy, used to getting what he wants, demands of Dr. Bennet that his friend be seen and he doesn’t really do it in a very polite manner. Elizabeth, not one to take any flack from anyone wields her scalpel and, yes you guessed it, Darcy hits the floor. So, not really a great beginning for our Darcy and Elizabeth and yet soon enough they develop eyes for each other.

There seems to be a definite chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth which Elizabeth is having trouble with since she firmly believes that Darcy and Bingley are a couple. After finding out that indeed Mr. Darcy does in fact like women things begin to heat up between the two and let me just say there is plenty of hanky panky going on with these two. Of course it wouldn’t be Darcy and Elizabeth without a few misunderstandings and it’s fun to watch them both try to navigate a relationship when neither one of them has ever been very successful at it before.

I thought Compulsively Mr. Darcy was an interesting take on Darcy for sure. To make this strong, good looking man have obsessive compulsive issues was very real and yet the author added a funny spin on it too. She took an illness that is usually swept under the carpet and put it out there and best of all Elizabeth accepts him completely for who he is, strange habits and all. My favorite character was Darcy and I got a giggle out of how he had to always be in control of a situation to be comfortable and yet Elizabeth manages to mess that up for him pretty good in most cases. The romance between the two was sweet and funny and all in all this was a really good read for me and a few hours of time well spent!

You can find Nina Benneton on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.  You can purchase your own copy of Compulsively Mr. Darcy here in the US or here in Canada.  Be sure to pop by tomorrow as Nina Benneton will be joining us here at Peeking Between the Pages with a guest post!

Source: Review copy provided by Sourebooks via NetGalley. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are solely my own.

Book Review: Secrets by Freya North

I love British Chick Lit and I don’t know why I’ve never run across Freya North before but I can tell you that Secrets won’t be the last of her books that I read. For me this novel was a great escape from my everyday life as it was a nice and fluffy kind of read and I needed that.

Tess is in trouble – big trouble. We find her hiding with her daughter at the beginning of the novel although we have no idea why. Tess is looking for a way out so when she finds an ad in the paper about a job as a house sitter she jumps at the chance. She phones up the owner and doesn’t really give him a chance to say much before he finds that she’s telling him that she’s driving up to his place right away. He’s thinking he’s got a real nut on his hands until he opens his door to Tess and baby Em.

Joe doesn’t know why but he ends up letting Tess stay. She’s nutty and a little odd and she just seems to take over. Even stranger is she has showed up with nothing. Most house sitters he’s had come with almost everything except the kitchen sink. Tess keeps asking if she can use his stuff. He has to admit though that she seems to make a house come alive. On his first trip away Tess starts her overhaul of his place and when he comes back he has to secretly admit to himself that he kind of likes it. She’s made this house of his into a home again.

I liked Tess. She was funny and I enjoyed the exchanges between her and Joe and especially all the new British words I learned. Joe on the other hand irritated me with his playboy ways but by the end of the book I warmed up to him. He was a man who had no intentions of becoming serious with anyone and especially someone like Tess but hey, who has any power over love most of the time? To be truthful, this is a slow book. Will you find anything earth shattering in its pages – no, but you will find a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon curled up in your favorite chair. It’s like taking a look into the everyday life of two people and it worked for me. I loved that slow pace and the eventual revealing of the all important secrets that both Tess and Joe kept. I also loved the setting of Secrets- a seaside town that I would love to live in!

You can pick up your own copy of Secrets by Freya North here in the US and here in Canada.

Source:  Review copy provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Interview with Linda Wisdom, author of A Demon Does it Better & Giveaway

 I’m pleased to welcome Linda Wisdom, author of  A Demon Does it Better,  to Peeking Between the Pages today.  I reviewed A Demon Does it Better yesterday (my review) and I just loved it.  I haven’t read a book of hers yet that I haven’t liked and I fully intend to read the others.  I really do love any books dealing with witches – I only wish I had more time to read more of them.  In the meantime Linda was nice enough to take the time to answer a whole bunch of questions I asked her so I hope you’ll all enjoy our little chat…

 

1. A Demon Does It Better was fantastic! I couldn’t put it down. Would you like to share a bit about it with my readers.

LW: Lili and Jared’s book has to do with our witchy MD Lili Carter who’s returned to San Francisco and Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum to find out what happened to a friend of hers who disappeared from the hospital. What she doesn’t expect to find is that more nurses and doctors have disappeared from there, to meet a lost little girl ghost wandering the asylum, a scary dragon shiifter head nurse or an incredibly sexy patient who’s branded a homicidal maniac. Still, what man is perfect? :}

2. The Demon series all have fantastic covers but A Demon Does It Better is extra hot! Did you have any say in the cover art?

LW: I am asked for cover suggestions when I provide character descriptions. I love this one. Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend was all my idea!

3. I noticed Maggie (loved her!) from A Girl is a Demon’s Best Friend made an appearance in A Demon Does It Better. Will the witches Lili and Maggie be making appearances in future books? They are both fantastic characters.

LW: Yes, they’ll show up. I also want to write novellas with the past characters.

4. If A Demon Does It Better was made into a movie, which by the way, would make a fantastic flick, who would you cast in the lead roles especially considering how hot the leading men in your Demon series are.

LW: The latest actor who’s been rolling around in my head is Sam Worthington, but I could see him more as vampire Nick. Still, darken Sam’s hair and I could see it. I haven’t seen anyone yet for Lili. I’d love to hear who the readers would choose.

5. Would you like to share a bit about your other books with everyone? I have enjoyed both the Jazz Tremaine series and your Demon series. You’re definitely my go to author for the paranormal.

LW: The two series are intertwined since both deal with the expelled witches from the Witches Academy in 1313. Jazz Tremaine, a curse eliminator in the Hollywood area (that and Beverly Hills keeps her busy), is sassy and snarky and looks to be finally settling down with her vampire honey, Nick Gregory. Stasi Romanov owns a lingerie/romance novel boutique in a small mountain town and has hooked up with a sexy wizard attorney. She shares the building and living quarters with another witch, Blair Fitzgerald, whose shop carrying vintage items is popular with the tourists. Blair’s hooked up with local carpenter, Jake Harrison, who happens to be a Were Border collie. Maggie O’Malley is my kickass witch. A team leader with the Hellion Guard who overlooks all the supernatural creatures, she’s someone you don’t mess with. Right now, she’s got a half fire demon as a mate and guardian of a teenage girl that makes her crazy most of the time.

6. I love your witchy tales Linda. What inspired you to write books like these and do your novels require any research or just an extra creative and imaginative mind?

LW: I wish I could tell you, but all I know is Jazz popped into my head with her story. I knew I wanted to write about a 700 yr old witch, and she finished what I needed.

7. On a personal note what do you like to do when you have some time to yourself and you’re not busy writing?

LW: With my mother’s failing health the past couple years I didn’t have as much time, but when I did it was reading and dog time. We have incredible wineries in the next town and I love visiting them.

8. Do you have a favorite place where you like to do your writing?

LW: I’m usually at my laptop with the TV and dogs nearby. If I do some writing longhand, I’m either curled up in a chair or on the bed. Also with the dogs. :}

9. So what’s next Linda? I hope there’s more to come in the Demon series but do you maybe have another series for us in the works as well?

LW: A lot of things. I will be putting Thea’s book up myself along with a YA urban fantasty book and a Jazz and Nick novella titled Hotel Hex. After that definitely more witch books. They won’t let me stop.

10. Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

LW: I hope readers will also check out my backlist books that are re released as ebooks. I have some up at the usual places and also at www.joyridebooks.com I’ve had a lot of fun going through these books again.

Thanks so much for visiting Peeking Between the Pages today Linda and thanks for another great book in A Demon Does It Better.

_________________________

 

ABOUT A DEMON DOES IT BETTER BY LINDA WISDOM – IN STORES JANUARY 2012

A madhouse is not place for a curious witch…
After more than a century, Doctor Lili Carter, witch healer extraordinaire, has returned to San Francisco and taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, where something peculiar and wicked I shappening. Patients are disappearing, and Lili wants to know why.

And double dangerous for a demon…
Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all—a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What’s behind the gorgeous chameleon demon’s late-night escapades?

Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other—and creating a whole new kind of magic.

Buy A Demon Does it Better at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Wisdom has published more than 70 novels with 13 million copies sold worldwide including traditional, paranormal, humor, action/adventure romance, and romantic suspense. Her bestselling books have been nominated for RT Book Reviews awards and the Romance Writers of America Rita Award. She lives with her husband in Murrieta, California. For more information, please visit www.LindaWisdom.com.

Linda’s website
Linda’s blog
Find Linda on Facebook
Follow Linda on Twitter

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 2 copies of A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winners on Saturday, February 4/12.  Good luck everyone!