Danita Minnis

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Morgan Blake will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Pride and Prejudice variation with a slightly paranormal, mainly comic twist!

When Elizabeth Bennet visits her newly-married friend, Charlotte Collins, at the Hunsford parsonage, she has no idea that Mr. Darcy (he of the arrogant demeanor and perpetual cause of annoyance!) shall turn up to ruin her blissful, idyllic days.

Only, Mr. Darcy is not himself. And then Elizabeth stumbles straight through him one day… like one would an apparition! Goodness gracious!

“Mr. Darcy, I do not know what you mean, but I would appreciate it if you would desist from haunting me!”

“I apologize, Miss Bennet, for scaring you,” Mr. Darcy said, almost regretfully.

To solve her haunting problem, Elizabeth must team up with Mr. Darcy to find out what happened to him, and along the way discover that maybe he is not all that he seemed at first. And that maybe… she doesn’t hate him after all.

“You wish to write the letter now?” he asked as she moved past him with the candle.

“Well, to be honest,” she glanced at him. “I would prefer to sleep. But since you are here, I do not see why not.”

From the antics of Lady Catherine de Bourgh to the hilarity of Mr. Collins’ advice on staying fit, The Cherry Trees of Rosings shall make you laugh and cry in equal measure. And wonder: Will our favourite couple find their happy ever after?

Spoiler: Yes, they will!

This Pride and Prejudice variation features our favourite Regency romance couple from Jane Austen’s original classic in a somewhat spooky setup. ✨ But fear not, dear readers! ✨ This story is not scary in the least. Prepare for a chuckle fest and abundant cups of tea!

 

Author Interview Morgan Blake

Hello Danita, I’m happy to be here on your blog for the book tour of The Cherry Trees of Rosings. Thank you so much for having me!

It’s always a pleasure to get the word out about Austenesque literature (and romance!) for people who love the works of Jane Austen and have found themselves wishing for more. Especially after their latest viewing of a movie adaptation, or perhaps reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

It’s a vibrant community, though a lesser-known niche, of remarkable people who share a love for history, satire, tea parties, Regency balls, and heated discussions. Much like I believe Miss Austen did!

1.How did you choose your genre? What made you write this book?

For me, I like to write what I love to read. So The Cherry Trees of Rosings was born from my obsession with Pride and Prejudice variations and the quintessential Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Of course, this is not the only genre I love reading. The others being paranormal romance and fantasy, so I had to blend these two worlds when I was writing my book. Thus, the slightly spooky storyline of The Cherry Trees of Rosings, featuring a ghostly Mr. Darcy (maybe??) haunting our sassy heroine!

2. Writers write what they know, and must observe the world. Are you a first born, middle or last child and how does this shape your view of the world?

I am the elder of two sisters. So I’d like to think that I got my headstart in observing people and family dynamics from an early age, right in between all the fights that siblings (who are close in age) are bound to have.

I mean, Jane Austen’s world centers around siblings in practically every story—whether it’s the unbreakable love and loyalty between Elizabeth and Jane Bennet (in Pride and Prejudice), the passive aggressive rivalry between Maria and Julia Bertram (in Mansfield Park), or the extravagant narcissism of the eldest Elizabeth and the youngest Mary Eliot contrasted against the more compassionate middle daughter Anne Eliot (in Persuasion). And these are just the women siblings!

In my book The Cherry Trees of Rosings, we do not see the rest of the Bennet sisters since the story begins in Hunsford while Elizabeth is visiting her newly married friend, Charlotte Collins. But readers will find Mr. Darcy’s love for his sister, Georgiana, as a central theme in the plot.

And the way Charlotte comes through for Elizabeth can be no less than that of a sister of the heart!

3. Where is your favorite place to write?

I need to be comfortable when I write. So mostly it happens while I am hunched over the laptop, crosslegged on my bed.

Plus, it has the benefit of snatching quick naps whenever a scene begins to stress me out!

4 How do you feel about killing your darlings, and what do you do with the remains?

I haven’t killed off a character yet in any of my books. But I guess a paranormal Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy’s carriage meets with an accident and his apparition ends up haunting Elizabeth Bennet is definitely close.

Did I just give away a spoiler for The Cherry Trees of Rosings?!?

Yes, I did!

Not to worry though. My books always have happy endings.

5. Inquiring minds want to know…tell readers something about you that no one knows.

Well, that is a tough question! But since I have never spoken about it anywhere on social media yet… I am a die-hard fan of strawberry jam (the homemade ones) and absolutely detest margarine.

I’ve heard though that Vegemite would give margarine a run for its money! Is that right, dear readers from the ‘Down Under?

6. You are stranded on a deserted island with only a back pack for company. What three items are in your survival pack?

To be frank, the chances of this ever happening is zero. But hypothetically, I think my backpack would only carry a waterlogged laptop and a water soaked paperback (whatever I decided to bring with me on that particular vacation). And of course my trusty comb and body lotion!

So I guess I’d have to chisel out a knife from island rocks. (Hopefully bashing them against each other would work!) And then I’d gather some coconuts to stay hydrated.

Of course, in the midst of all this, my skin would stay super hydrated from that body lotion I mentioned earlier.

7. Favorite snack?

Haha, it keeps changing with the seasons. At the moment, I love me some peri peri nachos.

8. Indy 500 – Do you know how to get where you’re going or do you drive the speed limit?

Danita, I had to look up what Indy 500 is, so let’s just say I’m not the speeding type! A leisurely, mostly directionless bicycle ride is more my speed.

As a seat-of-the-pants writer, this approach has the benefit of taking me to the weirdest and coolest places while I am writing. But I usually have a basic idea of where I wish to go so I don’t end up in nowhere land or a plot hole.

Interestingly, many of the early reviewers of The Cherry Trees of Rosings have mentioned that the book is a quick and speedy read. So despite my meandering ways while writing, it seems the story is hitting all the right notes in its final form.

I hope the readers of your blog will give my book a read too! And make up their own minds about this slightly paranormal love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

The Cherry Trees of Rosings is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Read an Excerpt

“Mr. Collins, you know how I despise green beans!”

Lady Catherine’s brows drew down with annoyance as she looked over the tiny list Charlotte had handed her a few moments ago. It was about the gift baskets the Collinses were tasked with distributing for Easter; one of the yearly tasks of the parsonage.

“You shall not present that vegetable to the congregation,” she emphasized, mouth twisting into a moue of distaste.

Mr. Collins nodded his head vigorously. “Indeed, your ladyship.”

“Potatoes will do very well. Very well, indeed…”

More head nodding from her cousin.

Elizabeth held back a chuckle as the spectacle unfolded before her.

She had been somewhat right in her estimation of Lady Catherine from Mr. Collins’ extensive effusions. But once the introductions were made, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the great lady was even more ridiculous than she had imagined. Her father would be dearly entertained by such human folly once she wrote to him.

“Potatoes are vegetables for the hard-working,” Lady Catherine continued sagely. Then she picked up a cream tart from the platter before her and bit into it.

“You are quite right, your ladyship, as always,” Mr. Collins said. “I merely wished to place the beans in the baskets for the sick—”

“You should speak on the virtues of potatoes in your sermon, Mr. Collins,” the lady said, dusting off the crumbs from her fingers before fixing a glare on her parson.

About the Author:

Morgan loves exploring themes of personal identity, inner strength, social discourse and hope alongside enduring love in her stories. She also believes that strong heroes and heroines are not enough to make a tale worth telling. They need a supporting cast of good and not-so-good characters that add more punch and vibrancy… and some dramatic ridiculousness!

Morgan is a cat friend, tropical girl who prefers winter clothes, perennial fantasy/historical fiction nerd, and a night owl.

Author Website: https://morganblakeauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563826174842
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganblakewriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242629836-the-cherry-trees-of-rosings

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/b/bwJ8pP