I am very happy to have Amanda on the blog today. I rarely tell my readers to peruse the WHOLE post, but I would be remiss if I did not encourage you to do that very thing. No spoilers! Read for yourself to find out why.
Without further ado, I give you Amanda Kai.
P.S.: I adored the excerpt...
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Thanks so much for inviting me here today, Sue! I’m pleased to call you my friend and to be included in your Friday with Friends feature.
Today, I’m sharing about my upcoming Pride and Prejudice variation “Sudden Awakenings”, which debuts on November 1, 2024. This is the third book in The Other Paths Collection of standalone Pride and Prejudice variations, each set in its own universe and featuring a different path to Happily Ever After for Darcy and Elizabeth.
Blurb:
What could be worse than awakening in the bed of the man you hate?
Elizabeth Bennet, haunted by a family history of sleepwalking, has spent her life navigating the challenges and eccentricities of her condition.
A sudden encounter during a sleepwalking episode forces her and Mr. Darcy into a marriage of convenience. As they navigate their newfound relationship, their initial prejudices give way to unexpected feelings.
However, Darcy's formidable aunt, Lady Catherine, opposes the match and schemes to break them apart. Can Elizabeth and Darcy overcome the obstacles placed before them and awaken to the realization of the love between them?
This clean, heartwarming romance will leave you captivated and yearning for more. A unique Pride and Prejudice variation culminating in a happily ever after for Our Dear Couple.
Excerpt:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that sleepwalking runs in families. If both parents are afflicted, odds are two to one that their children will also suffer from some form of somnambulism or other troubled slumbers. It was a great misfortune then, that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, of Longbourn in Hertfordshire, both suffered such a disorder at some time in their lives.
Mr. Bennet outgrew the condition in his youth, and therefore never thought to mention it to his wife during their courtship.
Mrs. Bennet’s sleepwalking proclivities were well known to her family at the time of her marriage, but her persistent denial of it and her family’s reluctance to speak of it, lest it frighten away her eligible suitor, enabled her condition to be kept secret. This carefully-crafted silence remained unbroken until one fateful night, not long after her marriage, when Mrs. Bennet, lost in her throes of slumber, ambled down to the larder, ate up all the jellies that were prepared for an upcoming dinner party, and returned to bed.
Naturally, she denied having done so, insisting there was a thief among the servants. Mr. Bennet could not have believed it himself, but the hall boy, who had fallen asleep by the fire in the kitchen, reported he had awakened to see her gobbling up the freshly-made jellies, which, in turn, caused Mr. Bennet to recall that he himself had woken slightly when Mrs. Bennet returned to bed, and that she had peculiarly smelled of strawberries.
Their children, with the exception of the eldest, also inherited their parents’ somnambulism. Though the three youngest daughters all outgrew their nocturnal perambulations before their tenth birthdays, Miss Elizabeth Bennet remained afflicted. Even at the mature age of twenty, she would, from time to time, rise from her slumber during the night and wander the house, performing various tasks, all the while remaining completely unconscious of her actions.
Preventative measures had been taken to ensure her safety. They kept the kitchen knives locked away, the doors and windows secured, and a bell attached to each door to alert them if someone tried to leave the house during the night. Despite these measures, there were occasionally incidents which caused a stir at Longbourn. The occasional misplaced object or a peculiar nighttime disturbance were often a source of amusement, and at times exasperation, for members of the Bennet family.
On one such occasion, shortly before Michaelmas, the household had not been asleep for more than a few hours when one of the bells rang, alerting Mr. Bennet that somebody had managed to open a door. He glanced next to him to ensure that his wife still remained abed, her gentle snores undisturbed by this alarm. Concluding that it must be his daughter then, he rose from his bed and went down the stairs. His other daughters, also awakened by the sounds, followed him.
“Is it Lizzy?” Lydia asked, her soft slippers padding on the polished floorboards. “Has she gone out of doors?”
“It would appear so,” Mr. Bennet answered. “Fetch your shoes, girls, in case you are needed.”
They obeyed their father. It was not the first time they had needed to go in search of their sister.
By this time, Mr. Hill had also arisen and made his appearance in the hall. Helping his master into a dressing gown and boots, he offered him a lantern and the pair set out in search of Elizabeth.
“She cannot have gone far, sir,” the old butler said. “I will check the gardens if you will check the barns.”
Mr. Bennet nodded, and they separated. Pulling his dressing gown tighter to ward off the cool night air, he tramped through the dewy grass towards the side yards where the barns lay. A faint luminescence gleamed from the doorway of the barn where the livestock were kept.Inside the barn, Elizabeth stood beside the pigpen, feeding an apple to a large pig. Her eyes were glazed over in a trance, and she did not appear to notice the happy snuffles of the animal nibbling from her hand. Mr. Bennet moved towards her slowly so as not to alarm her. A pungent aroma assailed his nostrils. The foul odors of the pigpen ought to be enough to wake anyone, he mused. Yet Elizabeth did not stir.
Lydia and Kitty, ever the impetuous ones, rushed in, still in their nightdresses, each with a dressing gown hastily thrown over it.
“Lizzy! What are you doing?” Kitty cried, grabbing her sister’s arm away from the pig and causing the remainder of the apple to drop to the ground outside the pen. The pig grunted, trying to get at it with his nose through the slats in his pen.
Lydia jumped back with a shriek, narrowly avoiding stepping in a pile of refuse.
“Hush! Do not wake her,” Mr. Bennet cautioned. “She may become frightened if she awakens here. She is in no immediate danger. Let us lead her back to her bed.” He knew from experience that waking a sleepwalker often caused more harm than good, as the distress sometimes made them lash out in fear, potentially injuring themselves or others, before they could become fully aware of their surroundings.
Gently, he took his daughter’s shoulders and began guiding her in the direction of the house. “It is time to go to bed, Lizzy,” he whispered. Elizabeth nodded, her feet following the path that she was led on, her eyes unblinking. They brought her safely into the confines of the house, sat her on her bed and watched as she instinctively laid down, her eyes slowly shutting.
Jane drew the covers over her and kissed her forehead.“I daresay she will not remember this in the morning,” she murmured, before climbing back into bed next to Elizabeth.
“If my experience tells me anything, no, she will not,” Mr. Bennet agreed.
Buy Link:
You can preorder Sudden Awakenings on Amazon,
soon to be on Kindle Unlimited. Available November 1, 2024
About the Author:
Game:
Let’s play “Would you rather”, Jane
Austen style. Put your answers in the comments!
Would you rather…
1.
Marry Mr. Collins or marry Mr.
Wickham?
2.
Take a holiday in Lyme or in
Bath?
3.
Live in a tiny cottage or a
haunted abbey?
4.
Have tea with Lady Catherine de
Bourgh or with Mrs. Elton?
5.
Sail the world with Captain
Wentworth or read poetry daily with Colonel Brandon?
6.
Dance at a ball with Mr.
Knightey or with Mr. Tilney?
7.
Listen for a whole evening to
Mrs. Jennings or Miss Bates?
Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Sudden Awakenings, Amanda is giving away some fabulous prizes. Click here to enter. Giveaway ends Dec. 1, 2024.