Christina Boyd Announces Dangerous to Know!!!

September 5, 2017 • Blog Updates, Giveaways • 61 Comments

Hi friends!  I am so happy to take part in sharing this special announcement with you today!  It is a brilliant new idea, and with the amazing success ofThe Darcy Monologues – which blew me away with its wonderful creativity and inspiring tales – I know this one is another winner!  And I can’t wait to learn more about it!!  Thank you, Christina, for fulfilling my own personal wishes and putting together another anthology! 😀

Oops, I’m at it again.

I’m Christina Boyd, the editor of The Darcy Monologues, and I am thrilled to finally announce that my next anthology project, Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes and Gentlemen Rogues, is well underway. My team and I thank you for helping us launch the news to the Jane Austen community.

Jane Austen’s masterpieces are littered with any number of unsuitable gentlemen—Willoughby, Wickham, Churchill, Crawford, Tilney, Elliot—adding color and depth to her plots but often barely sketched out to the reader. Have you never wondered about the back story of her rakes and gentlemen rogues? Surely, there’s more than one side to their stories.

[Meredith: Yes, yes, I totally agree, and will admit to a soft spot for one Mr. Henry Crawford…]

I have always been drawn to characters that are not simply one dimensional. Through first person point-of-view, Philippa Gregory masterfully created empathy in her Plantagenet and Tudor novels: one novel I would find myself championing a queen and in the very next, she had become the villain! Author Laura Hile skillfully penned nobody’s favorite, Elizabeth Elliot from Persuasion in her Mercy’s Embrace series, and turned her into a true heroine we all might sympathize, all the while remaining faithful to the seemingly superficial and vain snob Jane Austen created. Even my own anthology The Darcy Monologues gave voice to the previously concealed wit and charm of the proud, brooding, and officious Mr. Darcy, allowing us some quality time in his handsome head.

This is too funny! Well done, J. Marie Croft!

After publishing The Darcy Monologues in May 2017, murmurings began about anotherproject. Maybe from Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s point-of-view? With a surfeit of quality Jane Austen fan-fiction recounting Lizzy’s story, I thought it might be a more titillating challenge to expose the histories of Jane Austen’s anti-heroes. It is a universal truth, despite our wisdom, we are captivated by smoldering looks, dangerous charms … a happy-go-lucky, cool confidence. Alas, some of us fall for the one that needs to be mended. All the while, our BFFs are shouting to deaf ears, “He is a cad! He is a brute! He is all wrong!” But isn’t that how tender hearts are broken…by giving credit to the undeserving? How did they become the men Jane Austen wrote? The challenge was just too delicious to not undertake.

Once again, a Dream Team of authors were approached to join this project. Titles were bandied about: everything from “Consequently a Rogue” taken from the Jonathon Swift quote “He was a fiddler and consequently a rogue” to “Rakes and Rogues” to “Jane Austen’s Gentlemen Rogues”. “Mad, bad, and dangerous to know,” the very phrase used by Lady Caroline Lamb to describe Lord Byron, married the previous suggestions and—voila! A title was born.

[Meredith: Love it!  Such a terrific title!  He is the ultimate Regency bad boy so I think it fits!]

As an editor, I have been extremely fortunate to work with some incomparable authors in the past. This project is a testament to my providence. It has been a pleasure to have several authors from The Darcy Monologues anthology including Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Jenetta James, Beau North, Sophia Rose, and Joana Starnes join Amy D’Orazio, Lona Manning, Christina Morland, Katie Oliver, and Brooke West on creating this current collection of stories. The intent: create short stories, each told from one of Austen’s male antagonists’ eyes—a backstory and, or parallel story from off-stage of canon—all the while remaining steadfast to the characters we recognize in Austen’s masterpieces. As in The Darcy Monologues, these authors certainly can turn up the heat with but the turn of a phrase!

[Meredith: Yes, please!]

Here are a few quick lines from a sampling of the authors to whet your appetite:

We arranged to fight our duel at that place where all the most elegant duels were fought: the secluded gardens near the Circus, accessed by the Gravel Walk; naturally, the occasion was to be held at dawn. I had been in my chair, subject to the shavings and combings and clippings of old Morley until at last, I cried out, “’Tis enough man! I am not gone to my wedding day!”

Morley frowned at me, his dark eyes sharp with disapproval. “Your wedding day? That is not a day I shall likely live to see so I must keep at my art on these, more common, events.”—Captain Frederick Tilney, For Mischief’s Sake, Amy D’Orazio

~~~

I smiled drowsily as she caressed my chest. “I love you, Clémence.”

Her fingers stilled as I closed my eyes in pleasurable exhaustion and drifted towards sleep.

She did not reply. —Mr. George Wickham, A Wicked Game, Katie Oliver

~~~

Yes, fellows, since you press me so hard, yes, I confess it: Cupid’s darts have winged me. If you must have the story, pass me that bottle first. I can lift it with my left hand without paining my collarbone excessively. Now, you may not like what you are about to hear. You think lightning will never strike you. But let me tell you, last year on Basingstoke Down, I was neither looking to fall in love, nor looking for someone to fall in love with me, when all unawares—but stay, I must go further back… —Mr. Tom Bertram, The Address of Frenchwoman, Lona Manning

~~~

What say you? Are you in? Everyone may be attracted to a bad boy…even temporarily…but heaven help us if we marry one. Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes and Gentlemen Rogues will be released mid-November and is listed at Goodreads so you might add to your “Want to Read” list.

It looks and sounds fantastic, Christina!  So happy to see these characters in the spotlight!  What a fun and naughty collection of bad boys! I love to see so many of my favorite authors on your team and several new authors that I’m just itching to explore!  I know September just started, but now you got me wanting November!! Gah!!!

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!

In conjunction with this lovely announcement, Christina is offering a prize package including:

  • a print or ebook copy of Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues (when published)
  • a print or ebook of The Darcy Monologues
  • one set of Jane Austen Playing Cards
  • one 16 oz. PEMBERLEY drinking glass
  • Accoutrements Jane Austen novelty tattoos

To enter these giveaways comment and fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • this giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Christina!

 Got to play to win! If you “lose the game, it shall not be for not striving for it.”

—Christina Boyd, @xtnaboyd of The Quill Ink

Thanks again for sharing this exciting news with us today, Christina!  We wish you and your team all the best!!!  Woot woot!

~~~

Disclaimer: The Amazon links used in this post are affiliate links. 

61 comments

  1. Thank you, Meredith! I am so appreciative for your support and kind words! I am exceedingly proud of this project. The authors have really out done themselves.

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  2. Thanks so much, Meredith, for being a part of the big announcement! I’m so excited to *finally* share this news with the world!

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  3. Ah yes, after seeing The Darcy Monologues on a beach in Jamaica with you, I was thinking just how jealous the rakes and rogues of Dangerous to Know would be to have their book lounging in that gorgeous setting. So glad that you could announce the release for us, Meredith! 🙂

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  4. Thanks, Meredith, for hosting Dangerous to Know ‘s announcement! I loved your interjected comments in the post 🙂

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    1. I couldn’t help having my say! 😉 Very excited to see this project take place! No one has attempted to put all Jane Austen’s bad boys together I believe!

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  5. Thanks for hosting Christina’s announcement and the naughty boys, Meredith! It was such a treat to be part of this, and I can’t wait to see what all the bad boys have been up to 😀

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  7. Thanks, Meredith, for sharing Christina Boyd’s exciting news. I’m honoured to be part of her team again.

    Let’s hope one of the anthology’s authors turns up the heat for you and tells Henry Crawford’s tale. And if it gets too warm, my rogue might be able to douse the hotness. (You’ll see what I mean.) 😉

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  8. So excited! Honestly, can’t wait to read it. Like with The Darcy Monologues, I expect to be sad and frustrates when each story comes to an end, wishing it would continue on.

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    1. I’m pretty excited about all the stories. The authors really did an outstanding job taking on this challenge.

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  12. What a great idea! Would also like anthology of the mean girls (oh, Caroline Bingley is my favorite but you get the idea)! Thank you for the giveaway.

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    1. Well, you know, I am always looking to the next project. Let’s hope this one is well received. It’s always a gamble when it’s not straight P&P… I do hope people love it like I do. Thank you.

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  14. Looking forward to this!

    I agree with evamedmonds! Wouldn’t it be great to see if any of them get their comeuppance or be redeemed! Great idea evamedmonds! Thank you for the chance at the giveaway!

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    1. Well, you know me… And goodness, I am even dreaming up cover ideas. Hahaha! But must undertake one project at a time. Thank you for your interest!

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    1. Thank you! I am exceedingly hopeful you will enjoy the stories. The authors have really outdone themselves.

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  21. Thank you Meredith for helping to spread the news. And you raise an interesting point, Christina, about something not being 100% P&P — maybe sampling these characters will raise interest in Austen’s other great books. Everybody deserves to meet Henry Tilney between the covers of Northanger Abbey, for example.

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  22. So excited that you’ve been working on another amazing project Christina! Love the list of talented authors and I can’t wait to read it!

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  25. We have a winner. Congratulations! “DarcyBennett” WON the “Dangerous to Know” anthology announcement grand prize that includes a paperback or ebook of the new anthology when released in November, a paperback or ebook of “The Darcy Monologues”, a Pemberley glass, Jane Austen playing cards, and novelty Jane Austen tattoos! Thank you all for your interest and support of our upcoming anthology #RakesAndGentlemenRogues

    Reply

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