Hello friend!

It has been an incredibly full week for me. My writing group saw fit to elect me as President of our organization, Colorado Romance Writers. I am honored, thrilled, and a little apprehensive — I don't want to let them down. In fact, I want to serve as a force of good, unity, and elevation. Send me good juju.

I am currently working on my third novel in the First to Marry series. It features Mary Bennet. I love a good redemption tale for Mary Bennet. She is most definitely a soul that needs lifting. Perhaps I will send a snippet in next week's email...

In the spirit of lifting, I would like to recommend one of my favorite Jane Austen variation novels. Perhaps you have read it already because it was published in 2014, but if not, I highly recommend you pick it up for your next weekend read. You will love it.

I don't know the author, Elaine Owen, but Love's Fool: The Taming of Lydia Bennet is charming. It is an epistolary novel, full of wit and at times quite touching, but not angsty. Lydia is outrageous but meets her match in the quietly consistent and doggedly persistent Captain Fret. Very much an Austen-Shakespeare mashup, and as I said earlier — charming. Perfectly charming.

I know that you can find the paperback version all over the web, and if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it for free on Amazon.

Check out Love's Fool: The Taming of Lydia Bennet by Elaine Owen. You're going to love it. Really.

Do let me know what you think, and if you have any Austenesque book suggestions for me, I always appreciate great recommendations, so send me a quick reply.

Until next Wednesday, I wish you a most wonderful week.

Your faithful author friend,

Shannon