For the latest news and information on Pamela Lynne and Vanity and Pride press, please visit www.vanityandpridepress.com.

To My Forum Friends

It was announced yesterday on AHA that I am pulling my stories from the forum for personal reasons. I am glad it was stated that way because my reasons are very personal. I had always intended to leave my work up even after publication, but recent events have caused me to have to take a closer look at my participation in all forms of social media. While it is a useful tool for marketing and even forming friendships, the truth is, you do not truly know the person behind the avatar. Lesson learned. Anyone who wants to will have until February 6^th to download my stories from AHA.  They will still be available at darcyandlizzy.com, where I feel more comfortable at present.

It seems to be a natural progression for many to begin in the forums, then expand to other areas. I will simply see this as such. I spent much of the morning re-reading the DF comment thread, laughing out loud at times, and feeling very nostalgic. It was a good party. I thank all of you for being a part of it.

Enough of the past, let’s focus on what’s ahead. Those vignettes I’ve struggled with for over a year are turning into a full-fledged sequel. Family Portraits will be out in late spring or early summer.  I won’t promise any fatal carriage accidents like some of you requested, but we will see plenty of mush, heartache and happy endings. After that, I will again dive into Sketching Character. I have had so many stops and starts with this one, but hopefully after everyone in DF has had their say, I will be able to concentrate on this angst ridden tale. I believe it will be a good one, if I could just get it out. If I manage to, you will see it in the fall.

I have a couple more bunnies hopping around that will require loads of research. I will post updates here, so check back to see the latest developments. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks so much for all your support and the happy memories. You guys rock!

One Lovely Blog

I had the honor recently of being mentioned by Maria Grace in her blog post One Lovely Blog. The idea is to tell your readers seven things about yourself they may not have previously known then nominate fifteen other bloggers to do the same. Can I tell y’all how tickled I was to be nominated by Maria? I have not yet had the privilege of reading the published version of Remember the Past, but I followed while it was being posted and loved every word. I am a sucker for a likable Lady Catherine. Thank you, Maria!

Ok, seven things about me. What do y’all not already know?

1.  I grew up in Arkansas but consider myself a Tennessean. My dear husband and I are currently enjoying our third stint in the state. We began our marriage in the west, began our family in the east and are now good and settled in the middle. We have also lived in Mississippi and North Carolina.

 

2.  I love BBQ. If I had to choose my last meal it would be a pulled pork platter with all the fixins, including a sweet and spicy tomato-based sauce. Do not give me that horrid mustard based stuff I endured for six years in North Carolina. I’ll take Memphis’ best, thank you very much.

 

3.  If I had to pick one author to enjoy with my last meal, it would not be Jane Austen. (Waits for gasps) I would actually choose Tolkien. His work is so full of wisdom and lessons on how to be a good human being. Plus they are just darn good stories.

 

4.  When I was younger I considered my tastes in music quite elevated. Now they are much more akin to those of the seven year old little girl who rides in my backseat. We rock “Let it Go” and “Shake it Off” on a regular basis.

 

5.  I rarely get a chance to go to the movies. When I do, you can bet an X-Man or an Avenger is   involved. I love comics and I love the movies based on them. In my world, Joss Whedon has demi-god status.

 

6.  Speaking of comics, who else loves The Walking Dead? I had to stop reading for a while after they killed my favorite character, but I still love the show.

 

7.  I am currently working on two novel length stories and one short piece for the November/December playground challenge at AHA. I never thought I would say this, but I have totally fallen for Bingley and Lydia. I’ll let you chew on that for a few months.

 

Well, that’s my seven. I am supposed to nominate several blogs for this, but to be honest, there are few that I follow consistently. I believe pretty much all of them have already been mentioned, but here are my favorites in no particular order:

Cat Gardiner Romance Novelist

L.L. Diamond

Dark Jane Austen Book Club

Babblings of a Bookworm

Leatherbound Reviews

My Kids Led me Back to Pride and Prejudice

Austen Promises

Ramblings from this Chick

Fairy Jane Tales

My Love for Jane Austen

My Jane Austen Book Club

 

Delighter Reader

 

So Little Time

 

Heroes and Heartbreakers

 

Ha! When I went through my Twitter account, I realized that I actually do follow quite a few blogs. These are all so lovely and informative. Visit them when you have some time over the holidays. You won’t be sorry.

And the winners are . . .

Well, this is it, the big day! Ahhhhh! Dearest Friends is now available in paperback and Kindle download at Amazon. Two years ago this idea was forming in my mind as I read all the delightful work on the forums. Two years! But, we’re not done, yet. We have winners to announce. My two biggest fans were with me this morning and both were anxious to draw a name, so we have a Grand Prize winner and a runner up. Our Grand Prize winner is:

CAT

 

 

Cat (not to be confused with ODA) will receive a paperback copy of DF, along with a reusable tote bag, handmade reticule (thank you Sheryl), a compact mirror, makeup samples (thank you Paula), and a notebook. Congrats Cat!

 

Our runner up is:

 

Tamara H

 

 

Tamara will receive her choice of a paperback or ebook of Dearest Friends. Congratulations Tamara!

 

Thanks to all of you who commented. I loved hearing all about your BFFs. This has been such a great experience. Tonight I am having a low key celebration with my family. They are my heart and soul and I melt each time one of them says they are proud of me. Yesterday, however, was quite a party. If you missed the Pre-launch Word Games on facebook, here are some highlights:

 

 

 

 

Here is the link if you want to check out the fun. It was a blast! Mastermind Cat Gardiner is simply the best. Speaking of Cat, look what's on my desk:

 

 

 

Vanity and Pride Press has gotten off to a great start. Thanks everyone for all your support!

 

 





Lucky 13 Review

Happy November everybody! I don't know how it feels in your neck of the woods, but here in Tennessee it is cold, cold, cold. I woke up this morning craving peppermint coffee and Christmas music. I gave up flavored coffee creamers in an effort to lower my sugar intake, so no peppermint fix, but I've got the music going. Cat has a great playlist at Spotify. Want to join me?  Lucky 13

Speaking of Cat, she released Luck 13 yesterday! Our resident reviewer, Kari, stopped by to give us her opinion on Cat's debut. Check that out below.

November will be another exciting month for us all at Vanity and Pride Press. Cat is all over the blogosphere these days and her next stop will be at Leslie L Diamond's where she'll answer questions submitted by you. Drop by Leslie's and submit your question for a chance to win an ebook. She will also be here next week for a chat with yours truly. That should be fun!

My contribution to the world of JAFF, Dearest Friends, will be released on November 14th. We will have a big celebration on our VP&P facebook page and I will announce the winner of the prize pack. You can still enter for a chance to win by commenting on The Big Reveal post below. I will also be at Leatherbound Reviews on the 18th with an excerpt and Babblings of a Bookworm on the 24th with a guest post. You will have a chance to win at both places. Before those, though, Cat and I will play a fun word association game on facebook on the 13th. What comes to your mind when you hear Fitzwilliam Darcy?

I hope you are all well and warm, curled up with a good book on this cold Saturday. If you need a recommendation, I'd say Lucky 13 is the perfect pick. Let's see what Kari thinks.

Lucky 13, by Kari Singh

 

Poor Lizzy Bennet, her whole life started out wrong.  Born on the wrong day, wrong weather, wrong sex, the wrong way, and (let’s be honest) to the wrong mother.  At least she has her friends.  She is a fanatical list-maker who kick boxes on the side, and doesn’t realize her own worthiness.

William Darcy, on the other hand, was born on the right side. He had it made…filthy rich and good looking.  He was quite the party boy, until tragedy struck, and left him alone with an inheritance and young sister to take care of.

 

Lucky 13

I am so proud of Cat Gardiner that I've gone Christmas. Her debut novel, Lucky 13, comes out this Friday. Stop by her blog for a chance to win all sorts of lovely prizes!

The Big Reveal

Happy Friday everybody! I am so excited to show you all my book cover, hand painted and formatted by my friend Leslie L Diamond. That’s right, not only has she penned some of the best JAFF out there, she is an incredible artist as well. I am a lucky, lucky girl.

Dearest Friends is now available for pre-order in Kindle form on Amazon! In the acknowledgements, I was sure to thank my JAFF friends who have supported me through this whole process. There is one person outside the fandom that I want to acknowledge--my dearest friend, Paula. She and I have been friends since the fifth grade, and, no, I am not going to tell you how long ago that was. We have shared every major life experience. Graduations, marriages and births have been celebrated together as well as too much heartache and grief.  She is very much Charlotte to my Elizabeth—the logical balance to every one of my irrational proclivities. She does not tolerate my tendency to hide from the world and is one of only two people to whom I can show my worst sides and know I will still be loved. This big reveal is dedicated to her.

Drop me a line or two below about your dearest friend, or anything else, and you will automatically enter for a chance to win a Dearest Friends prize pack. This includes an autographed print copy, some lovely items featuring Leslie’s cover art, and a few other surprises. The winner will be announced at the launch party on November 14^th.  Stay tuned for information on other giveaways as we approach the big date.

Are you ready? Drumroll please . . . .