Beth Pattillo's Blog

I���m in the revision stage of a new novel which I hope will publish this spring, and it starts a new series of small town, ���sweet��� romances set in my fictional small town of Sweetgum, Tennessee. Who doesn���t love the magic of a small town? Or at least our shared fictional ones. From Andy Griffith���s […]

Today's the big day, and it's not even an April Fool's joke!

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All officially releases today.  I'm so excited for this third installment in my adventures with Jane Austen and her legacy.  Discover how sisterhood hasn't changed that much since Jane Austen's time, either in real life or in fiction.

In this book, the main characters, Ellen and Mimi Dodge, embark on a walking tour of Jane Austen country and visit many of the major sites related to Austen and her family. The book was inspired by my own walking tour of Hampshire, and over the coming days, I'll be sharing photos and memories from the experience that inspired the book.

In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy discovering Jane Austen Country through the eyes of the Dodge sisters.  Intrigue, drama, and romance abound, along with the return of your favorite Formidable, Mrs. Parrot!

Enjoy!

Bookmark It

One month from today, The Dashwood Sisters Tell All hits bookstore shelves or your nearest e-book reader!  To celebrate, I'm holding a contest for an advance copy of the book.  Leave a comment here on the blog to enter.  Drawing will be March 15.  Good luck!

Bookmark It

My London Favorites

I'm heading off to England in a few weeks for a research trip, so I thought I'd write about my favorite places in London. It's always a quandary when I go – revisit my favorites or try something new? This time, I'll be spending a week in London with a good college friend who's never been there, so I think I'll be leaning heavily toward the beloved places/experiences. Below are some of my favorites. Post a comment to share some of yours!

Open Air Theater in Regent's Park

W...

While most of you know by now that I'm an English Literature major at Belmont University, you probably don't know that I'm actually double majoring; English Literature, of course, and Religion & the Arts with a concentration in photography. From the beginning of high school on, I've always had an interest in religion and I chose Belmont because of its unique School of Religion. After taking a British Literature class my sophomore year (of course it was British literature), I knew I had to b...

I didn't mean to get that tremendously high score on Bejeweled Blitz. In the weekly scores, I consistently run second to my friend Lori B., so usually I'm just trying to beat her score. But this time, by some freak of nature or coincidence, I scored just a tad over 500,000. Wow.

Which made me very happy for about a day. And then I realized two things. One, I would likely never match that score again, and, two, for the rest of the week, the person who I would be trying to beat every time I...

It's been my pleasure and privilege to have a fabulous intern from Belmont University this spring semester. Stephanie has done wondrous things for my online presence (hence her official title of The Wondrous Intern). She's going to be guest blogging from time to time, so here's an intro post. Everyone make her feel welcome!

From the Wondrous Intern….

Every college student needs an internship, right? As my professors were pressuring me to find an internship and threatening my life, my...

Even in the days before iTunes and iPod, I listened to a specific movie soundtrack while working on a book. My first novel, Princess Charming, was written to the gorgeous music from Shakespeare in Love. My little Signet Regency, Her Perfect Earl, benefited from the wonderful soundtrack to Ang Lee and Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility. For some books, instrumental music works better. For others, I need some vocals.

Here are some of my other pairings:

Heavens To Betsy written to the...

Congratulations to Iris, Kate, and Pam! You’ve each won a copy of My Mr. Darcys by the wonderful artist, Laura Davidson. I’ll be contacting you by email to arrange delivery of your prize.

The most popular question lately seems to be whether there will be a third book in the Sweetgum series. I certainly plan to return to Sweetgum but chose to write only one book this year (Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart) so that I could have more time with my family. All of your kind emails have certainly made me turn my thoughts back to Sweetgum. I can’t promise any news soon, but I will keep you posted.

Another popular question I’ve been receiving lately is whether the Formidables will be back for a third installment. I certainly hope so, although the plans haven’t been finalized. Stay tuned!

Finally, a number of you have been wondering when ebook versions of Jane Austen Ruined My Life and Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart would be available. I’m delighted to say that both are now available to purchase. Check your e-reader’s website. And I’m thrilled to announce that Heavens To Betsy, my 2006 RITA winner for Best Inspirational Romance, is now available on Kindle and Mobipocket. I suspect it will be available for other readers soon, too!

Bookmark It

Congratulations to Iris, Kate, and Pam! You've each won a copy of My Mr. Darcys by the wonderful artist, Laura Davidson. I'll be contacting you by email to arrange delivery of your prize.

The most popular question lately seems to be whether there will be a third book in the Sweetgum series. I certainly plan to return to Sweetgum but chose to write only one book this year (Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart) so that I could have more time with my family. All of your kind emails have certainly made ...