Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Austen in Austin with Guest Debra Marvin #Giveaway

A few years ago, my blog mates at Inkwell Inspirations tossed around the idea of a novella anthology. With varied interests and genres, we chose two: Regency and Cowboys. Then we settled on one, and the idea for our new release, Austen in Austin took off.

I’m a major fan of mysteries, but through my ‘formative years’, I absorbed every romantic suspense (historical or gothic? even better!) I could find. So, when we divvied up Austen plots, I claimed Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen wrote it as a twist on the wild gothic literature that was popular at the time.

I think I like researching as much as I like writing—maybe that’s true for all my other joys like quilting and fairy gardens. Half the fun in pinning a new find on Pinterest is the hope I’ll someday have the chance to make it. How about you?

1880s Austin Texas was a joy to jump in to. A growing city with a new university, a new capital building, and new bridges across the Colorado, it also had some dark history that became ideal for a slight parody of Austen’s own gothic parody. You see, Austin had its own version of Jack the Ripper referred to as The Servant Girl Annihilator. If you’re wondering how I could use that in a story I planned on giving a comedic edge to—well, you have a point. Tragedy can never be fuel for whimsy, but I feel I was able to reflect on it correctly, and focus instead on the cheery, fascinating city of Austin that still makes it a draw for visitors and residents today.

My novella, Alarmingly Charming, is the fourth story in our Austen in Austin, Volume One. The authors shared antique maps; information on stores, restaurants, hotels, streets; photos. I even found a website that offered hundreds of antique postcards covering Austin’s history. These are the gems a writer grabs at. We may add and remove, but we always like to have an effective ‘real’ basis for our story’s setting. For me, a map is at the top of my list! Give me an old map of a town or city and I can tell you who is walking along the street. But as enjoyable as research is, eventually it comes to getting the story on paper (er, the monitor?).

Here’s a link to the antique postcard site: www.austinpostcard.com


I’d love to hear from you today. I’m giving away an Ebook of Alarmingly Charming, per this blog’s criteria.

Have you ever become enamored with a place solely through fiction? And have you then made the trip to visit it as well? Thanks so much for your time! And a big thank you to Crystal for hosting me! Oh, and P.S. what’s a great quilt shop in Austin? 


For future reference…
Buy Austen in Austin and Alarmingly Charming: www.amazon.com/dp/1939023777

Debra E. Marvin tries not to run too far from real life but the imagination born out of being an only child has a powerful draw. Besides, the voices in her head tend to agree with all the sensible things she says. She'd like to live a wee bit closer to her grandchildren, but is thankful that God is in control, that He chooses to bless us despite ourselves and that He has a sense of humor.

Other than writing light-hearted romances and gritty gothics, she has rather normal obsessions such as fabric, peanut butter, vacations, British dramas, and whatever mystery series she's currently stuck on.


Find her online at...

Commenters on this post will be entered into the drawing for an ebook copy of Alarmingly Charming by Debra Marvin. Winner to be announced in Monday's Weekly Windup post. Thanks for stopping by today.


11 comments:

  1. Hi everyone! I wish I was home under a quilt instead of out in this slush. 4" of wet slush on top of ice today for my part of upstate NY. Better than an ice storm and better than 15" of snow!
    So, instead, I'll be checking in from work and I hope to chat with you!

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    1. Hi Debra! The sun is shining here and the rooster's crowing, and I'll probably be opening my windows here today. :)
      Stay warm, and thanks for visiting with us today. :)

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  2. Hi Debra, as I read this post, I am able to look out at a huge amount of snow but I don't have to travel in it today. Thanks for sharing your post with us!

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    1. Hi Connie! We've had such a very mild winter, yet I still grumbled at the arctic freeze this past winter, and this nasty mess today. A simple snowfall is preferable to the icy mix! Thanks for commenting! I'm glad to be visiting.

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  3. Also want to congratulate Crystal on her great showing on Amazon this weekend! Win Love or Draw! hooray!

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    1. Aww, thanks, Debra. It was great fun to share the story with so many. :)

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  4. Waving at Deb from the Canadian prairies where - I'm afraid to type it - we still only have about 2" of snow! So much better than the 6 feet of 2 years ago.

    I'm blessed to have had this opportunity to author this project with you, Deb. I loved all the emails as we discussed characters for our novellas so a reader will find them throughout the series. You've done a great job as anchor of Volume 1.

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  5. Thanks, Anita. As bad as our lake effect winters can be, I know a nasty prairie winter can break any cold temperature record we see!
    And yes, I enjoyed all the back and forth with storylines of 8 novellas! That is quite an accomplishment of its own. Most anthologies don't share as many things as ours do!

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  6. Waving hi to you all from a snow-less place. Nevertheless, I've got a blanket on my lap while I type.

    I loved being part of this collection and I'm so happy for you, Deb. Loved your story!

    Can I just add that I love how pretty this blog is? Wow, ladies!

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  7. New author for me. Snow here all melted will hit 73 today very warm for western nebraska. No not really to the question.

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    1. Hi Kim! 73 sure sounds great. Thanks for checking in from Nebraska. Do you have a favorite place to visit when traveling?

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