Me at the Courtauld Gallery, just catching one last glimpse... For those of you who haven’t read Marianne yet, this is my cover girl aka the Russian Countess Golovina, as painted by the wonderfully gifted Elisabeth Vigée le Brun. She normally lights up the Barber Institute in Birmingham, but has been on loan to the Courtauld for the last six months, where Simon and I are members, so – though we’d booked for the Barbara Hepworth exhibition – we had to catch Marianne/Countess Golovina one more time!

I was announced as a finalist for the StoryTrade Book Award (women’s fiction) and I’m still in the last four finalists for the Ink Book Prize in adult fiction on September 15^th. The results will be announced live in central London, so, a bit nerve-racking! Have never been to a public book awards announcement, except for the UK Selfies at the London Book Fair, so I’m busy memorising nice things to say to the other three adult fictionistas and practising my thrilled smile for when/if they win…

Though September 15^th  is, historically, a lucky date for me, and this is why.  I’d only just finished my undergrad degree and decided on Boston University for my Master’s in cello performance. Turned out I’d applied just too late. (“We’ll look forward to seeing you next year!” they chirruped.) I was not chirruping, however. A year, possibly wasted! I hit panic mode.

Though I hadn’t needed to. The person who salvaged my year was Professor Balint Vázsonyi, the warm-hearted, pudgy Hungarian genius who coached my piano trio at Jacobs School of Music. A friend of the late, great Jacqueline du Pré – my cello heroine!!! – he offered to recommend that she accept me as a private cello pupil, in London.  

I was blown away when she accepted me (by tape. That’s how old I am!)… And so, on September 15^th –  coincidentally, and still, my mum’s birthday – I flew out of Dulles Airport, my cello on its very own seat beside me, for a single, thrilling, year in London, got married… and never went home again. (It’s odd to think, as I write this, that our kid is studying in Boston at the moment, but, having a very different size of brain, she’s doing a Harvard PhD… a place that would never have looked at me.)

The summer heatwaves here in London have been so intense that I still haven’t quite finished my Persuasion variation – I am 3-4 months behind my planned publishing date – but definitely keen to find out if any of you might be interested in ARC-ing it. (And, on the bright side, unlike those authors churning out a novel every other month, I not only don't write with AI, but it’s unlikely anyone would think I do!!!)

You may have noticed that I love words that ought to exist, like ARC-ing and P. G. Wodehouse’s “gruntled”… There is something so unpretentiously friendly in the word “gruntled”. One imagines a pig – possibly Wodehouse’s very own waddling Empress of Blandings herself, wriggling in some pleasurably muddy puddle… In short, I would be extremely gruntled should any of you be kind enough to consider ARC-ing my new Anne – but no pressure!!! (I’m on astmcveigh@gmail.com.) Always thrilled to hear from readers!

If you received this email in error, check out my free reader magnet to see if you might like my work.

Remember, the audiobook of Marianne is still at launch price. Here are a couple of 5* reviews from Kobo or Spotify:

"MARIANNE: A SENSE AND SENSIBILITY SEQUEL took me by surprise. Buckle up! You've got characters flowing in and out from far more novels than S&S. It’s fun to have them interacting with one another. I also enjoyed the narrator. I did NOT like or trust the men who are after the widowed Marianne. I thought there was no way that I would feel happy with the solution. Ha ha! I should have trusted the author more—What a feat to pull off! Race out and get this book.”

And this one:

"If you're looking for a great sequel to Sense and Sensibility, then you'll be delighted with this audiobook. It's full of wit and humorous bits that reminded me of something Jane Austen herself would have written. I loved the narration… it was read with so much enthusiasm. There were plenty of plot twists that I never saw coming. I definitely recommend it!"

AUDIOBOOK FUN TIP OF THE DAY:

Did you know - I certainly didn't - that if you fork out the ebook, or even simply read the ebook on kdp, you qualify on Amazon for a special deal on an audiobook copy of the same book!?!

Check out US Audible Amazon matchmaker, because it was news to me. (Alternatively UK Audible Amazon Matchmaker etc.)

I've entered this lucky dip myself!!!!!  And that's NOT because I need another copy of my own DARCY... (Still got at least 25 left over from my last venture into in-person selling in Tunbridge Wells!!)

But... the chance of a Margaret Atwood AUTOGRAPH...!!! She is amazing!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Also, have read great things about several of these historical novels, and bought one already (not yet got round to reading, but it's BECOMING MADAME SECRETARY, if interested!)

Sweepwidget will tell me, on Sept. 30th, who's won these lovely earrings!!!