Marilyn Brant's Blog, page 6

It's always exciting when a friend has a new release, especially when it's a much-anticipated book in a wonderful series!! Just has to say CONGRATS to Edie Ramer on her latest Miracle Interrupted novel: Mo's Heart!!!! Check out the details below:

The Mafia comes to Miracle, Wisconsin...

Mo Vincent, the owner of Mo’s Place, is in agony because his soon-to-be divorced sous-chef is dating – but not him. He has his reasons for not asking her out. He did the right thing back in New Jersey, and it cost him his son, his wife, his restaurant. Now he’s found a home in Miracle. The village has accepted him, and his new restaurant is doing well. He should be content with what he has…but his heart wants more.
 
Chef Rosa Fabrini’s divorce is one signature away when her cheating husband returns home and expects her to forgive him. Her lawyer is AWOL, and her youngest son is demanding she take his father back. Desperate to escape the turmoil, she asks Mo to let her move into the empty apartment above the restaurant…right next to his place.
 
Mo can’t say no. His mind knows she’s forbidden fruit, but his heart dares to hope. Until his past shows up, and he finds out sometimes it takes a village…

**Right now, Edie has a special $0.99 sale going on (but only until April 26th), so be sure to grab a copy soon!**

Buy MO’S HEART for only 99¢ at Amazon , Apple , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , All Romance eBooks , and Smashwords . Read an excerpt here .

Me? I'm sold just by the mention of "Karaoke" and "Love Songs" on the cover!! Can't wait to get to read it ;).

Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I have been blogging in other places recently, including Austen Authors, where I wrote about my "Bingley Hunt." If you have any good suggestions for actors who might fit the role that I'm seeking for my next hero, please stop by here and add in your favorite! There have been some real hotties recommended already!!

Today, as we kick off the whimsical month of April, I have the pleasure of welcoming the very talented (true) and incredibly serious (not exactly ;) Samantha Wilde to Brant Flakes! Her new novel, I'll Take What She Has, has garnered tons of raves, including one from Claire Cook, bestselling author of Must Love Dogs: "Samantha Wilde has a dry wit, a big heart, and a sharp eye that doesn’t miss a trick. I’ll Take What She Has is a smart and funny behind-the-scenes look at private school life and the grass-is-always-greener friendships of three women who, like most of us, would have fabulous lives if only they could get out of their own way."

And Publishers Weekly wrote: "With wit, compassion, and a keen ear for dialogue Wilde explores issues of insecurity, envy, young motherhood, and friendship in this fast-paced work."
She recently did a wonderful interview (3/23/13) on Word Cafe, too, so please check it out... Welcome, Sam!! So glad to have you here!
  I’m So Famous I Can Hardly Stand In The Same Room As Myself
by Samantha Wilde
Words can’t describe the joy I felt when the New York Cat Times published this glowing review of my new novel, I’ll Take What She Has: "Wilde possesses an unrivaled comic genius. I'll Take What She Has purrfectly captures the truths of women's lives with such cat-astrophic wit and poignancy that I would give one of my nine lives to have the chance to read it again for the first time. A novel more addictive than catnip--and better."
As you can imagine, having the entire feline population of the United States run out to grab a copy of the novel put me on the best seller list of every pet newspaper. (And in case you’re wondering, I did donate a few copies to the local animal shelters for the cats who can’t afford to buy their own.) I would have been happy with that kind of success, after all, I’m really just a stay-at-home mother, using nap-times and evenings to write the kind of novel I love to read. I neither look nor dress like a celebrity.

But then an incredible thing happened. The Nobel Mommy Prize committee got a hold of I’ll Take What She Has, which, ostensibly about envy and friendship, is actually quite a lot about mothering in the modern world. Within weeks I had a nomination in hand. “What we love about this book comes out in its accomplished use of mom-speak that has the veritable ability to conquer global world problems through the sheer force of comic domestic humor unparalleled in the world of fiction from which it comes with life and liberty for all.”

Wow! I don’t even know what that means, that’s how important it is. By now, predictably, my sales have gone through the roof which gave us enough money to repair the roof the books broke and to reseed our lawn so we can finally be the people with the greenest grass on our block.

You know, I wrote a book about envy among women friends; now everyone envies me. They say, “Sam, you have, like, three hundred likes on Facebook! How did you do it?” Or they say, “Your book was so amazing I reached Nirvana while I read it.” Some of them say, “My cat cried when she read the part about the dog in I’ll Take What She Has.” One stranger even told me that the book made him reconcile with his parents after a thirty year estrangement because he finally could understand why his mother acted the way she did.

You know what I say? I say, thank you for making me so rich and famous. When the Zoo-Keepers Production Studio bought the rights to the book and told me they plan to make it into a movie with an all endangered species cast, I thought, you and me Mother Theresa, changing the world, one creature at a time. When Oprah called and asked to borrow my wardrobe for her next photo shoot (for the cover of her magazine, of course), I said: “I’ll let you borrow my shoes, too!” When the President called to congratulate me, I said, “Did you even read the book, dude? Because it sounds like someone else wrote this conversation for you, like a speech writer or something? How about a quick quiz, who did Nora envy?”

A writer’s life can be a lonely and anti-climactic place. You spend years working on a novel and it comes out and no one sets off fireworks. People just keep going to work like nothing has changed! I’m so glad I have lived through this incredible moment in time and seen the cataclysmic effects of my novel. NASA called and let me know that the sales figures rocketed so high they hit Pluto and turned it back into a planet.

Please don’t think I’ve let any of this go to my head. I’m still an ordinary mother or at least that’s what my five new nannies tell me when I ask them “How do I look?” You’re welcome to buy my new novel, but keep in mind it could set off a meteor shower or bring about permanent world peace. If you do, know how much I love you, that I am always thinking of you, and that when I win my next prize (because I’m up for the Mama Pulitzer), I will give you all the credit that I don’t give myself.

Samantha Wilde hopes you have a very playful April Fool’s Day! She is the author of I’ll Take What She Hasand This Little Mommy Stayed Home. See the new novel’s book trailer here. The at-home mother of three small children, she is a yoga teacher, an ordained minister, and the daughter of the really bestselling novelist, Nancy Thayer. Please like her on Facebook , visit her mothering blog , check out her website , or join her on twitt

They're here! They're here!

Finally -- and with a HUGE thank you to all of the readers who enthusiastically supported this book and who emailed me to ask if a paperback copy would be available -- I can now say YES!!

Here's the direct link on Amazon to the print edition of Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match. It should be for sale on Barnes & Noble and at a number of other retailers soon, too. Thanks for letting me share this exciting news with you all now!

Wishing everyone a fabulous week. And may "spring" actually get here in the near future!!

First and foremost, let me say thank you.

To every single person who picked up a copy of On Any Given Sundae at Barnes & Noble or Amazon this month, or who helped me spread the word about the book, it's because of YOU that I officially get to call it a "National Bestseller," and I couldn't be more appreciative!!

Last week, my first self-published romantic comedy got up to #17 on the B&N Top 100 Bestseller List and was hanging out on the Nook Romance page with some really cool friends ;). On Amazon's Top 100, it reached #60 overall, and it's still on the more specific Humor and Love, Sex & Marriage lists. Very excited about that and incredibly grateful to you all for helping to make it happen!!

And, so, in appreciation and celebration...let there be Pi...I mean, Pie!!
Since Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my favorites -- plus, doesn't it just taste like spring?! (she said hopefully) -- here is a recipe for an easy version. It's one that even I, who couldn't be less skilled as a baker, can make, and I've got my fingers crossed that if we all make spring-like foods, the warm weather and sunshine will follow... Well, it's a theory anyway, LOL. Have a wonderful 3.14, friends, and a relaxing rest of the week! And again, thank you.

Extra! Extra! Announcing a limited time sale for On Any Given Sundae !! It's just $0.99 for both Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook this week -- guaranteed through Saturday, March 9th, but I don't know if it'll last beyond that. (This is a special 75% off promotion!)

For anyone who may not be familiar with the premise, here's the story:

Nothing tops the sweetness of an unexpected love...
When Elizabeth's uncle Siegfried and Rob's uncle Pauly rush off to Europe for a month, they temporarily relinquish the reins of their ice cream shop to their respective niece and nephew -- two people who may have grown up practically next door to each other but who have next to nothing in common.

Elizabeth "Please Don't Call Me Lizzy" Daniels is a small-town Wisconsin girl at heart. Shy and inexperienced at love, the frizzy-haired dessert cookbook writer still resides in her quaint hometown of Wilmington Bay, stutters painfully when nervous and is only comfortable with her laptop and her tiny circle of cooking pals. She must come out of hiding over the summer to help her uncle, but she's convinced her childhood crush, Rob, barely knows she exists.

Roberto "You'd Better Call Me Rob, or Else" Gabinarri is the town's golden boy and former football star who left home after high school, made a splash in the big city and never looked back. He has to return to Wilmington Bay to uphold a promise to his uncle, but he's counting the minutes until he can escape to the relative anonymity of his fast-paced, commitment-free city life and the sports-themed restaurant he owns in Chicago. Despite his chattiness and charm, Rob was always intimidated by quiet, brainy girls like "Frizzy Lizzy," and he isn't pleased to be back in the place where people like her still see him as that popular but dumb jock -- an image he worked for almost a decade to shed.

The unlikely pair tries to make the best of being stuck together, but Elizabeth has a pressing publication deadline, and Rob has an Italian mother bent on lining up potential hometown brides for him. Rob comes up with an idea -- something that might help them both -- but it involves just a bit of family deception. With time running out to finish her cookbook and her friends already stretched to the max trying to assist them, Elizabeth reluctantly agrees.

Neither Rob nor Elizabeth are used to playing games of pretense, but can love, hot summer nights and, maybe, some chocolate sauce, caramel and whipped cream...turn their farce into reality?

"This is a charming tale of the popular jock and the shy bookworm, both trying to outlive their high school personas and prove to each other there is more to them than meets the eye. This is truly a root-for-the-underdog, feel-good story and a joy to read." (LEK) ~ Chicklit Club's Digital Domain, June 2011

"You'll want to read it for the humor and great characters and a plot that's sure to leave you smiling." ~ Romantic Times Book Reviews, Hot Pick for October 2011

And, if you're interested, you can check out the Eye on Romance "Coffee Break" Chapter for the novel HERE!!

Thanks for letting me share the fun news!! Wishing you all a fabulous week! :)

Earlier this month, I sent out a newsletter to everyone who was a subscriber, and in it was a contest question for an international giveaway (two random winners would each get a packet of gourmet Door County coffee, a bar of Ghirardelli chocolate and a Marilyn Brant t-shirt). That question from my Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match excerpt page (found in this passage here), garnered hundreds of responses, and almost everyone had the correct answer: Charlotte Lucas ! The random generator chose the two winning names: My congrats to  Susan Heim  and  Shawn Andree !! You should already have emails from me in your inbox!

But there's more... Because I was so blown away by the many replies, I randomly chose six additional entrants to win a digital copy of Holiday Man, which is a story that begins and ends on -- you guessed it -- Valentine's Day! Those winners have emails from me, too, and, between them, they live in at least three different countries!! Congrats to Lory Diocampo, Emily Tardy, Heta Shah, Karen Haas, Kai Wong and Catherine Lindley . I truly hope you'll all enjoy your prizes :).

There was also a general question that anyone who wanted to could answer: "How did you meet your soul mate (or your Mr./Ms. Darcy)?" And the replies were WONDERFUL! Below, I'm including passages from every person whose response I received... These tales of enduring love are so lovely and inspiring to me. I hope you all will enjoy reading them, too. And a Very Happy Valentine's Day to each and every one of you!!

"How I Met My Mr. (or Ms.) Darcy"

I met my soul mate at work--in fact, since it was company policy that couples couldn't work in the same department we had to ask our boss for permission to get married! ~ Sue For 25 years I had been a pen pal with a lady who was a cousin to a good friend of mine... I flew to New York for some business and came to Iowa to go to her son’s wedding. Well her ex-son-in-law wasn’t there, and the entire time I was here he was not around. On the way out of town she stopped by the street he happened to be working--he was welding in a hole--she introduced us and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. The next 8 months I flew back and forth, then on Jan 1st he came out to Calif, we went to Reno, got married and I moved back to Iowa. ~ Peggy I met my husband in high school--I was 15 and a Sophomore, he was 18 and a Senior at an FFA/FHA dance. We dated on and off for 18 years (go out a couple of times--didn't see each other for a couple of years--go out a couple of times--didn't see each other for a couple of years--etc., etc.--you get the idea) before we finally got together and got married. I was 33 and he was just shy of 37 when we married. That was over 17 years ago and we are still together. ~ Amber I met my husband of soon to be 39 years, when we were sophomores in high school. We didn't start dating until we were seniors. Since we graduated in the same year, class reunions are great! When we go in the door, he goes one way and I go the other. We end up meeting somewhere in the middle of the room. We've raised two children and I now watch our grandson daily. Life is good. ~ Nancy On my first day at my new school I watched the older boys playing baseball. When one particular boy came up to bat, I looked at my new friend and told her I’m going to marry him someday. Keep in mind I didn’t know his name and I had never seen him before in my life. She looked at me and shook her head. She told me he was her boyfriend and to forget about it. I just smiled, after all I was only 11 years old. Well, 6 years later I found myself walking down the aisle to the man of my dreams. (Yes, it was the same boy I watched playing baseball so long ago.) This year we will be happily married 40 years. Yes, there have been many highs and some lows, but so goes the roller coaster of life. I guess I knew what I was talking about after all when I was just 11 years old. Now, I think about that day, and I just smile. ~ Debbie As for my soul mate, not much to say. My husband made payments where I worked, so once I broke up with my boyfriend of 1.5 years (he found out through mutual friends), my husband immediately asked me out when he saw me walking in my hometown's downtown area. And the rest, as they say, is history. It's been almost 32 years now, and we love each other more all the time. ~ Elaine Drew and I were on the same rifle team in high school, but Drew was shy, jealous of me and I had a slight crush on him, so I had to ask him out first. Drew and I went on our first date to Six Flags as a "get-to-know-each-other-and-be-friends," but then one date lead to another and another. We've been together for over four years now and I'm engaged to most stubborn, over-protective, jealous man I can ever love. ~ Heather Met my husband at college. He was my friend's neighbor in her co-ed dorm freshman year. Dated after graduation. Married for 20 years and counting. Three boys. Living the suburban life. ~ Denise
I met my husband on the internet. In a Nascar chat room. That was in 2000. This year will be 6 years married and 16 years together. We got married on our official anniversary. August 26, 2007 (we started dating officially August 26, 2000) The funny thing is if it weren't for him locking his laundry in the apartment laundry room the night before, I would not have met him, lmao. The website isn't even online anymore. So glad the room was locked lol. ~ Tina
I met my soul mate when we were both in Junior High School, but at different schools. One day I was sitting next to a friend of mine in church when I noticed a new boy sitting on the other side of my friend. They were chatting and obviously knew each other, so I asked my friend who the new boy was. He introduced us. Little did I realize the new guy was to become my future husband. That didn't happen until after I had graduated from college, but it has been a great match. The boy who introduced me to my future husband was a groomsman at our wedding and we all remain close friends. ~ Gladys My husband and I met at a Battle of the Bands. Very boring. ~ Kathleen I had introduced my girlfriend, Mary, to one of my single male friends, and I asked her to return the favor. On February 12, 2000 I spoke to Brian for the first time. I had been burned before, so I was very cautious and we didn't even have our first date until March 17th, but we sure burned up the internet and the phone lines in those weeks in between. It turns out Mary was a great, great judge of what kind of guy would suit me, because it has been nearly 13 years now since I first met Brian, and we got married 5 years (to the day) after we first spoke, so our 8th wedding anniversary is coming up on February 12, 2013. We have so many different things in common in unusual places that we truly must have been destined to meet. ~ Donna
I met my soul mate at church. I was suppose to meet another guy Assistant Pastor said would be there but he got cold feet and did not show. I was angry at the friend - Assistant Pastor. When in walked a couple I was friends with and wanted me to meet my husband of 33 years. They had been praying for him to find a wife. Also they had prayed for me to find a husband. Now here is the good part. Years before I had a dream of my wedding and the house and coming down stairs with wedding in back yard. I had never seen the house. But at the time I met my husband I was living in the house from the dream and he was the man in my dream. Now we had never met before this. He told me he had a dream too where God gave him a choice between the woman he was with and going nowhere in life or me. So we had our first date on Easter in 1979 and married in June 1979. We will celebrate 33 years in June. ~ Jane
Believe it or not--I met my honey on the phone! I worked at a bank and  he worked at a S & L and had to call me every day as we were their correspondent bank! Fortunately, he fell for my "sexy" voice -- couldn't decide to hire me or date me--so hired me--then dated me and the rest is history! Ta Da! 28 years later and we are still soul mates! ~ Kathy
Met my husband in 1951...in the Catskills in NY...which is where singles generally met (at a resort and not bars or internet). We were married many happy years and have children and grandchildren. Unfortunately he has passed away but left a wonderful legacy. ~ M.K.
There he was--tall, blonde, hazel eyed and square jawed. It was evident he was smart. He had manners. Quite a discovery on the first day of high school! For the next four years we hung out in the same group, had the same all honors classes, and represented the school at various meetings and functions. We were friends--only friends. Then, as Senior year was ending, I told him he blew it and could have been dating me for 4 years. He said, "You're right--but if I get the chance again, I won't blow it." Two years and a broken engagement later, we started dating, and married 2 years later. Now, after 37 years of marriage, he's still the one, and always will be! ~ Karen
My husband and I met on a blind date almost 28 years ago, set up by mutual friends who were dating at the time. It was a group date to go dancing at a local night club. We hit it off and started seeing each other immediately and have been together ever since. He actually was supposed to see someone else later that evening but gave in to his friend's request, even bringing me a white rose that he left in the car--he planned to give it to me at the end of the evening, only if things looked positive. Needless to say, I received the rose and he did not go to his other date that evening! ~ Jennifer
Jeff and I had gone to school together with him being a year ahead of me when my family moved out of the area during my sophomore year. Fast forward 12 years and my roommate talked me into going to a local dating service with her. She paid to join but I couldn't afford it. My profile was so good that they offered me 6 free meets with guys. I had one I really liked but accidently threw his information out, so when I went back to the service to get my next pull. Jeff's name came up. I remembered him from school as a jokester and wasn't sure how to take him. We started semi-dating, with my roommate coming along for the first few as I built up a friendship with him, until he made mention that he didn't know who he was dating and I left roommy behind. Four months later he proposed and we were wed 6 months after that. We celebrated our 17th anniversary last year. We are still more friends than romantic lovers and I think that is how we have stood the test of time. Romantic love sometimes burns out during trying/stressful times in a marriage but friendship first stands the test of time. ~ Carolyn
My partner of 27 year was my soul mate. She completed me. We encouraged each other to be the best possible. I always told her that she was my heart and so she was. We worked together in a computer assembly company. She was trying to get parts for her units and I was trying to get the same parts for my area. At first we became friends and after a year we found that many of our interests were the same. Several years after we got together, we decided to make sure all our personal wishes were taken care of. A power of attorney was filled out giving each other the ability to have a say what we wanted. This was the greatest gift we gave each other. She died four months ago and I was able to have a say in her final wishes. This was my gift to her. ~ Pat
I met my husband (soul mate) 11 years ago. I was out with some friends and one of them invited along his friend. Later that night, I mentioned that I had to go bowling in the morning and his friend overheard me and told me that he had a friend who was single, Jewish, liked to bowl, and lived in the same Chicago suburb as me. I gave him my number and got a call not even 12 hours later. We connected up the next night and talked for three hours. On February 6th, he invited me to meet him at B&N for hot cocoa. As soon as I saw him, I felt an instant familiarity and knew he was the one. We've been married for almost NINE years and have three kids now. I still feel the same as I did when we first met! ~ Melissa
I enjoyed reading the excerpt of your book! I also wanted to tell you that my wedding anniversary is on Valentine's Day!! I'll be married to my lifelong valentine 21 years and we call it our Valenersary!!* It's my favorite day of the year! ~ Lauren
I met my soul mate, best friend and husband when I was in college. I had known his brother for a while, and I was not attracted to him because he was "too short and too much younger". I used to hang out with a group of guys in college. One of the guys asked who I would date out of the group if I had a choice. I said, "Mark," who is my husband's brother. Then, I had to tell Mark that then guy was obnoxious and I needed something to say, but I was not attracted to him due to him being "too short and too much younger." He said, "I have an older, taller brother". I met his older brother a few months later when he returned from overseas, and I have loved him ever since. ~ Sandy
Randy and I met at the bank where I was working at that time. He and his friend, Chet were starting a part time business and needed to open a checking account for it... Chet said that as soon as he introduced Randy to me, he might have well have left! The three of us have laughed about that for years. Randy and I were both single parents, so it took a while to co-ordinate our "week-ends," so the first Friday night date we were able to arrange just happened to fall on Valentine's Day!!! It was magic! Dinner and dancing at The Governor's Inn! Very elegant! There were even flowers in our salads!!! Not that I'm a small town girl or anything, but while I was deciding what to choose from our 5 course menu, he sweetly explained that we got all of it, we didn't have to choose. LOL!!! We were married 4 months later! I know I've rambled on, but you're the writer expert, so you can decide how to edit it!!** Thanks for helping me remember this magic time! (It was 21 years ago!) ~ Robin
Have not yet met my Mr. Darcy, but am hoping I will some day. ~ Teresa
* Happy "Valenersary," Lauren! :)
**All of these stories were so great, Robin, I found I really didn’t have to edit very much!

Many thanks to EVERY ONE OF YOU for sharing, and may your Valentine's week be filled with joy!!

Yesterday, I got a wonderful surprise on Twitter when a really lovely reader named Heather posted a link to a book trailer she'd made for my newest novel!! It's only 36 seconds long, so if you have half a minute, please check it out!! Pride and Prejudice and the Perfect Match book trailer (and the song is "To Show You My Love" by Mike Schmid :).

Also, to celebrate the month of love, I've got a LOT of really romantic stories to share with you all, thanks to the fabulous messages many readers sent to me!! Can't wait to post these on the 14th!

Until then, I hope you have a very sweet week...

**If you want to learn to decorate lacy cookies like these, I found them on the Sweet Sugar Belle blog. Aren't they beautiful?!**

Oh, Austen lovers around the globe are celebrating wildly today! Our wonderful Jane's "darling child," Pride and Prejudice , has its 200th birthday. In honor of the bicentenary, the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England is hosting a live 12-hour Readathon of the novel, which will be broadcast worldwide throughout the day, starting at 11am GMT!

All of my fellow writers at Austen Authors are, likewise, celebrating (of course!!), and we're beginning a cool interactive writing event called "P&P: Readers Choice" on the blog. Like a Regency version of "Choose Your Own Adventure," the readers will get to vote on the direction of the storyline and a great many of us (myself included) will get to contribute to writing these scenes! The first installment will begin on Wednesday, and mine will be coming up at the end of April... I'm already excited about getting to write something historical (I don't get to do that often) with a scene involving Edward Bennet, aka #HotBennetBrother, as he is affectionately known on Twitter, LOL.

Also today, my friend Alyssa Goodnight is having a special P&P Blog Hop , and all of us involved have the chance to share on our own blogs something about how we came to read/love P&P. For me, it was an assigned novel in high-school English class my freshman year. Much like the experience my heroine Ellie had in According to Jane, when the copies of the classic novel were plopped onto the students' desks, I lifted up my copy of the book not knowing that reading it would change my life. Unlike Ellie, of course, I did not hear Jane's voice in my head giving me dating advice (which is unfortunate, as I would have benefitted greatly from her wisdom!), but reading that story made me see the world and its people anew. What insight Austen had into human nature and behavior!! I'm still more than a little awed by her work, even all these decades later...

And a big thank you to EVERYONE who's purchased a copy of my new digital romance, Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match! Thanks to you , it's been a Top 100 Best Seller on Amazon in both "Single Women's Fiction" and in "Humor." I'm not only thrilled, I'm so honored and grateful to you all!! On the subject of both P&P and my own novel, I'll be guest blogging on Fresh Fiction today, too. Given all of the Manti Te'o/online dating controversy as of late, a discussion of Internet romances (and how easy it is to misrepresent oneself online) is my topic! Hope some of you are able to pop by...

Anyone have any particularly good news to share? Fun plans for the week or month ahead? I'd love to hear. And, now, for Jane, let us raise our glasses in a toast to a brilliant author who's brought us such timeless characters and compelling stories!! Cheers, Miss Austen!

Mary, Carol, Lynn, Beth, Mary Julie, Cynthia and me...
with wine!Oh, this has been an action-packed week!! A large and very happy part of it was writing-related, but there were some events that pulled me offline for longer than I would have liked... My wrist, for instance, which I managed to injure a few days ago. I've still got it in a brace for much of the time, but I'm grateful it's healing. (Can't say it's helping my typing any, though, LOL.) And the school district strike we had going on for three stressful days -- now, thankfully, on the verge of being officially resolved. (Teachers are awesome people, btw, and my son has some especially terrific ones this year.)

Janet and Mary at the table packed with treats!However, there were several fun, fun, fun things that have happened in the past seven days, too, and one of them was getting to meet a fabulous local book club last Tuesday!! The Merry Readers and I spent the evening chatting about A Summer in Europe and travel and Andrew Lloyd Webber music and fitness and much, much more... It was just delightful. And, this likely goes without saying if you've taken a peek at our pictures, but it was also delicious!! Salmon-wrapped melon, multiple types of chocolate, Oreo Truffles, savory quiche, cheese/crackers, FIVE different flavors of gelato (!!) and, of course, wine to last more than one night ;). Thanks to all of you ladies for such a warm and wonderful evening!

Speaking of A Summer in Europe -- it found its way to a virtual bookshelf on Florence, Italy's Official Tourism Website!! Check out Firenze Turismo. Makes me want to talk about travel and eat gelato. Oh, wait...I just did that...well, IMO, this is reason to do it again.

Today, I have the pleasure of visiting the blog of my friend Robin Bielman to talk about my new short contemporary romance, Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match -- plus, there's an ebook giveaway! This digital story has gotten some really lovely reviews so far, including this one below from Kimberly Denny-Ryder at Austenprose:

"Brant couldn’t have done a better job at pulling me into the story and keeping me hooked until the end. I loved how her work was different enough that I felt really out of my element at first but then brought back to the themes of compassion, forgiveness and love that really hold Darcy and Elizabeth together. This was an amazingly smart move that left me more than satisfied at the end of this work. I liked this book so much that I delayed watching the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey!"

I'm looking forward to being part of an online book club for this novel next month, too. The always kind and generous Deb Haupt has chosen it for the B&N General Fiction Book Club's "Nook Feature" for February!! Looking forward to chatting with readers about the story... ;)

So, now you're all caught up on what's been happening here. Please fill me in on what's been going on with you! Has there been any special highlights for you in January? A new book or movie you'd recommend?? Who else can't wait to see tomorrow night's episode of "The Vampire Diaries," hmm?!

It's official! Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match is now out just about everywhere!! I'm still waiting for distribution to reach Kobo, Sony and Apple/iTunes (although I spotted it on the iBookstore site), but it's definitely available on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks! So delighted to share this new story with readers... especially other Jane Austen fans :). And I'm also really grateful to a couple of people whose talents helped me during those final stages of getting this book ready for publication -- particularly Jakki Leatherberry, who is not only a terrific reviewer but also a great manuscript editor, and talented new cover designer, Rebecca Young, who's worked on several Austen-inspired covers. Thanks, ladies!

Speaking of our dear Jane, I'm having my Launch Party over at Austen Authors tomorrow, so please feel free to join us! We're also starting a fun new joint writing project there in honor of Pride and Prejudice's 200th birthday where readers get to choose a variation on P&P from a number of possible scenarios and we write it. Eventually, Elizabeth and Darcy will have their happy ending, but none of us know how they're going to get there, LOL.

I was treated to two lovely surprises in the past couple of weeks -- and one of them involves my first Austen-inspired book, According to Jane. My Facebook friend, Kristin Lee, made a Christmas tree out of books, and my debut novel was right in the middle of it!! I asked her if I could post it here, and she agreed. I love it! (You can see the half black/half melon color of the book's spine in the center section of the tree, about 10 books up from the bottom...) It certainly made me smile, especially to be in such wonderful literary company! Thanks for being so creative, Kristin, and for including my story in your cool holiday design!!

And the other really sweet thing was thanks to Meredith of Austenesque Reviews for naming my last women's fiction release, A Summer in Europe, the Winner of the 2012 Austenesque Award for "Favorite Non-Austenesque Novel." So nice! And a very beautiful award graphic (thank you, Angie Kroll!) came with the honor, too. I had to show it to you:

Tomorrow night, I'm invited to spend the evening chatting about my European novel with a new local book club (I always love those events!), and you'll see me zipping around the web like the Road Runner over the next couple of weeks, talking about Austen, P&P's 200th and my new release. Hoping to get back to my work-in-progress soon, too. What about you? Any big news or fun activities in your near future?!