Hi dear friends! I am so excited to be sharing another lovely cover reveal with you!! I have been so fond of all these lovely releases from Quills and Quartos Publishing, and I love that they are publishing books that have been long-time fan-favorites on forums! (Which is wonderful because they might be brand new to some readers, like me!)
Today, we are sharing the cover of Thaw, by a new-to-us author Anniina Sjöblom. We hope you enjoy!!
Hi everyone, and thank you for stopping by at the cover reveal of my new novella—and special thanks to Meredith for hosting it!
Thaw is a Regency-era variation of Pride and Prejudice—a classic marriage by gossip where a small slip from canon events leads to Elizabeth and Darcy marrying rather earlier than either of them would like. The story unfolds entirely from Elizabeth’s point of view (and, as you can guess, Darcy is not pleased about this—if you want to know more, you can stop by at the Savvy Verse & Wit in January to hear what he has to say about this whole business).
Elizabeth Bennet is by and far my favourite literary character. When I set out to write Thaw, I wanted to explore, to the best of my ability, her character and the way it would respond to the changes I have introduced to her circumstances. Despite some dark moments, Thaw is at heart a light story—because that is how I see Elizabeth Bennet. Sometimes fallible, often too impressed with her own supposed abilities for observing people, and occasionally too quick to pass judgment on others. But also someone whose courage rises with every attempt to intimidate her, who is not afraid to state her opinions, who loves to laugh, and is not formed for ill-humour. When Amy from Quills and Quartos Publishing first introduced to me the idea of using the wintry artwork chosen for the cover of Thaw, I fell in love with it immediately. The original picture is a greeting card (c. 1900) by Anna Whelan Betts, an American illustrator noted for her paintings of Victorian women in romantic settings. Ellen J Pickels has done a beautiful job of adapting it into a book cover.
I especially love the way the female character gazes directly at you, a small, perhaps even mischievous smile playing on her lips—very much as I would expect Elizabeth to do. The moment captured in the painting is also reminiscent of a pivotal scene between Elizabeth and Darcy in Thaw, walking in the snowy gardens of Pemberley—although in the story, Elizabeth can only hope she would have thought to bring an umbrella with her! Snow is not something you immediately connect with Austen, but in Thaw, winter is a key element. The weather plays a significant part in the story—both affecting the events of it, and in terms of reflecting Elizabeth’s altering moods as winter turns into spring.
Perhaps it is because I am from the very northern parts of Europe that it felt natural to me to set a story in the winter months. The idea of Elizabeth and Darcy, married against their wishes, stuck with each other in the middle of a snow-ridden Derbyshire, had an immediate appeal to it. It also fit well with the timing of the events. Thaw deviates from the canon flow of events in November, a few days before the Netherfield ball. Darcy and Elizabeth are married before Christmas, and by the start of the new year, find themselves in Pemberley with only each other as company.
The wintry feel of the cover perfectly reflects the setting of the story. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do—and of course, I hope that you’ll also enjoy what you’ll find from between these beautiful covers!
~ Book Description ~
On a rainy November day in 1811, a few blithe steps and an unfortunate mishap bind the fate of Miss Elizabeth Bennet irrevocably to the haughty and conceited Mr. Darcy – the last man in the world she had ever thought to marry.
As winter days slowly pass, she writes letters to her loved ones, trying to come to terms with her new role as a wife and the Mistress of Pemberley. But can she ever learn to love her husband? Will he overcome his arrogant notions of rank and circumstance?
And most importantly – will the shades of Pemberley ever recover from being thus polluted?
And without further ado….here is the big reveal!!!
(expected release date: December 19th)
Okay, Quills and Quartos, you need to quit with these amazingly gorgeous covers!!! (just kidding, please never stop!) 🙏🏼
I absolutely adore the wintery scene in this cover – the beautiful snow that is speckled all over the cover, the warm winter gear Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are wearing, the winter colors! ❄️
Anniina, I so agree with you, Elizabeth’s eye and smile are a bit sly and mischievous. And Mr. Darcy looks completely smitten with her! 😍
I love this type of premise and I cannot wait to explore it during the winter season in Derbyshire and with Elizabeth’s correspondence! ✉️
What do you think, friends? 😏
~~~
~ Connect with Anniina ~
~ About Anniina ~
Anniina Sjöblom lives in the beautiful but cold Finland and works in university administration. She 
has an MA in History and enjoys a long-standing love affair with the works of Jane Austen.
Her previous works include titles such as “Thirteen Days,” Fix You,” and “When He Comes Back,” published in various online Austenesque forums under the pen name boogima. The new novella “Thaw,” expanded from the original version of the story first published online in 2011, is her first commercially published work.
When not writing, Anniina spends her time hanging out with friends, binge-watching TV dramas and re-reading her favourite books while the stack of new ones still waiting to be read piles higher on her nightstand. She can ride a unicycle, and once, after losing an unfortunate bet, ate a bowl of ice cream with green dish soap as dressing. She does not recommend attempting it to anyone.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
The lovely people at Quills and Quartos are offering a generous giveaway of a $20 Amazon Gift Card for one lucky reader who comments on today’s post! (Holiday shopping time for you!) 📚🤤
To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Anniina below.
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Quills and Quartos!
- This giveaway ends December 20th
*~*
You can preorder Thaw now!
And learn more about Anniina and her NEW release in the upcoming Thaw Blog Tour.
Our sincere gratitude to Anniina Sjöblom, Christina Boyd, and the wonderful people at Quills and Quartos for putting this special post together! We are so happy to “meet” new authors and learn about their fantastic-sounding new releases!
Yay! So happy to have the cover revealed here – thank you, Meredith!! 🙂
I like the cover, but the important question is – who does Collins marry
You’ll have to ask Elizabeth – she actually has an opinion in this story on who would be the ideal partner for Mr. Collins. 😀
As long as it’s not Mary
Nope, not Mary. 🙂
Love the cover and privileged to have received an ARC so I will soon be reading this. I adore FMS stories and how they fall in love in forced close quarters. Happy Holidays to all.
Thank you Sheila, I hope you enjoy it! Happy holidays! 🙂
Love the cover. I have not read the story on-line and therefore I’m looking forward to reading the book.
Thanks so much, I hope you’ll also like what you find between the covers! 🙂
Ahhhh!! I’m so excited about this!
Thanks so much — so am I! 😀
Oh Meredith, so right about those covers! Another ‘sparkling’ one from Quills &Quatros! Congratulations Anniina on your debut! I love the premise and the mischievous look on ‘Elizabeth’s’ face! I’m sure Mr. Darcy is wondering what she is thinking!
Thank you! Ellen J Pickels did a really amazing job with the covers! 🙂
What a perfect cover for the festive period and it sounds like a great Elizabeth & Darcy story.
Thank you! I, too, love the wintry setting of the cover. 🙂
The cover is ideal and beautiful. Congratulations! The story is captivating.
Thanks so much, April!! 🙂
Anniina, I absolutely love this cover! And I absolutely loved Thaw when it was on AHA, so I’m thrilled to hear it’s been expanded. Can’t wait to read it. Huge congratulations on your publication!
Thanks so much, Jessie!! And yes, a bunch of brand new letters included in the published version — anyone who ever wondered what the heck happened at that pond to force them to marry is now about to find out. 😀
I’ve bee anxiously awaiting this release! I love the cover as well. Nicely done!
Thank you, Marie! I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
I loved this story on AHA and I’m delighted to hear it’s been expanded. This very unusual cover is breathtaking. Good job, Ellen, in adapting the artwork. Best of luck on your release and all the fun you deserve on your upcoming blog tour, Anniina. Thanks for hosting, Meredith.
Thanks so much, Suzan! (And nice to “see” you after a while!) I’m so excited to have Thaw published after all these years – and doubly so to do it with such fabulous covers! 😀
Lovely cover! I look forward to reading this!
Thank you, Pam, I hope you like it! 🙂
I think that the snow could melt with the stare Darcy is giving Elizabeth! I like this forced marriage theme and am thinking that the thaw in the snow will occur as their relationship thaws also. Congratulations on your new book!
Some melting is definitely in the cards, both in terms of the weather and their relationship. 😀 Thank you, Eva!
Very exciting! Congrats!
Thanks Christina – I’m pretty excited, too!
Looking forward to reading this! Congrats on publication!
Thanks so much, Brenda, I hope you’ll like it! 🙂
What a lovely cover! Also one of my favourite story ideas, I do so love an early marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth ❤️.
I can imagine how they would be isolated at Pemberley (Joana and I went today in the pouring rain and we were only sorry we must have missed Mr Darcy, however we did enjoy tea and scones )
I really look forward to reading this and I look forward to Darcy’s thoughts .
Thank you for sharing.
My favourite scenario, too, Glynis! Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
And what a lucky duck you are, to have visited Pemberley, I’m quite green with envy! 😀
I only live about ten minutes from Lyme Park and have been visiting since I was a child in the fifties. Joana Starnes was passing through Stockport and just had to visit so as it was too wet for the gardens we walked round the house admiring the lovely decorations and had refreshments in the cafe. Lovely! Then I dropped her at the station to continue her journey! (Last time we visited was in January I think with Rita Deodato and there were remnants of snow but at least it was sunny!
Oh, doubly lucky then, to be able to visit anytime you want — a happy thought. 🙂
The cover is lovely and invites the reader into the world of the story in an effective way. And I’m intrigued by the story! Thanks, Meredith, for featuring this book!
It really is, isn’t it? Thank you, Abigail, I hope you enjoy the book, too! 🙂
Love the cover!! Sounds like an engaging premise. Congratulations on your new book release.
Thanks so much, Mary!! 🙂
What great artwork — I can see both people as ODC!
I especially like seeing the woman also dressed for the weather. In so many movies of the period, we see the men with shirt, waistcoat, coat and greatcoat and the women with a muslin dress and spenser. And in both summer and winter scenes! One of those people is either too warm or too cold!
I read your original story some time ago and I’m looking forward to the expanded version. Congratulations on your brave step to move into publishing your stories.
Thank you, Rose! And I wholly agree — being from Finland, when watching films and TV shows set in wintertime, I always spend half my time wondering where the main characters have lost their hats, gloves and all the other things they should be wearing to prevent getting a cold / freezing to death
This sounds really good! I don’t remember reading it on the boards, so I’m looking forward to its publication! I love the mention of letters; is it an epistolary novel? Or are there just letters scattered throughout? Either way, I love letters in books, so it sounds wonderful.
Thank you, Sarah! It’s an epistolary novella, the story unfolds entirely through Elizabeth’s correspondence. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
This story sounds great and the artwork on the cover is superb. Elizabeth looks like I have imagined her, and Darcy looks bewitched by her. i see her humor, and the fine eyes, her courage rising. I look forward to this.
Thanks so much, Donna! Darcy in the book is just as bewitched by her as he looks to be on the cover. 😀
What a lovely cover. I look forward to reading this book as I love the stories where Elizabeth and Darcy really get to know each other after marriage.
Thank you Lynn, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I’m late to the party, sorry. Meredith, thank you for hosting today. You get to do the coolest things. Your pictures at the beginning of the blog are AWESOME. I love how you capture such exciting scenes that prompt us to look closer and wish we had that book in your hand. [Hello to your Mr. Bingley].
Anniina, On-MY-Gosh! That is a beautiful cover… most excellent. I love that couple. They are a perfect D&E. Well done on the selection choice and design. Wow! I am so excited to finally know who Boogima is and can now have a face when I read your stories. I enjoy reading/cruising stories on the JAFF forums and have enjoyed your stories. Well done on getting published. I look forward to reading this as a published work. Congratulations. I hope to see some of your other stories. Blessings on this endeavor and the launch of this work. Good luck to everyone in the drawing.
Thanks so much! It really is a brilliant cover, is it not? But all due to the amazing Amy & Jan at Q&Q who chose the picture and the fabulous Ellen J Pickels who made it into a cover – all I had to do was to say yes, yes, I love it! 😀 I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my stories — hope you’ll like the new (and hopefully improved) version of Thaw as well! 🙂
Oh, I do love the forced marriage situation and fun that its also a ‘snowed in’ one, too.
Adorable cover! I love the expression on both faces and the overall romantic wintry feel of it. Congrats to Anniina!
Thank you, Sophia — forced marriage scenarios are my guilty pleasure too. 😀 And I love the cover, too, it fits this story just so perfectly!
The cover is lovely. I also love the title very appropriate for the season and hopefully their feelings towards each other.
Thank you! The title very much reflects the progression of the story. 🙂
Ellen did a wonderful job on this beautiful cover! Congratulations on your debut novel, Anniina. The description sounds enticing!
She really did! And thank you, I hope you’ll like it! 🙂
Love the cover. I read when posted on one of the fanfic sites and can’t wait to read the published version.
Thank you! I hope you’ll like this new, expanded version! 🙂
The cover is just so beautiful. You must be very pleased.
I am — thanks so much! 🙂
So excited to have this book coming to grace my library shelves. Gorgeous on the outside and wonderful on the inside! Congrats, Anniina! You deserve all the kudos!
Thanks so, so much, Jan — couldn’t have done it without you! 🙂
Congratulations in the upcoming release of your book. Well picked cover, great depiction of ODC and the main setting of the story. Awaiting eagerly to know more what transpired between them that facilitated their marriage. Thank you for sharing about the background/foundations of the story.
Thanks so much — I hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
What a gorgeous cover!!! It makes me want to read this book immediately!! 😀
I love the premise; my favorite P&P variations involve Darcy and Elizabeth being married before they are truly ready and watching Elizabeth slowly fall in love with Darcy while he waits for her to catch up to him emotionally (sometimes patiently, sometimes not so patiently).
Congratulations on your first publication!!! Yay!!!! 😀
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Poor Darcy, always way ahead of Elizabeth when it comes to falling in love! 😀 Thanks so much, Susanne, I hope you’ll enjoy watching their journey towards a mutual understanding! 🙂
What a lovely cover! I always enjoy a story where Darcy and Lizzy must marry and then fall in love as they come to know one another.
Thanks, Stephanie, it’s my favourite scenario, too — I hope you enjoy this one! 🙂
Love the cover. I am so thrilled that this story is being published 🙂
Thank you, Ceri! I’m pretty thrilled, too. 😀
Gorgeous cover 🙂 I read your delightful story online and have been waiting for the release. So looking forward to visiting this wonderfully witty Lizzy and her Darcy again in your expanded version! Congratulations!
Thanks so much, Deborah! I hope you’ll enjoy the new additions. 🙂
What women could not learn to love Mr Darcy??!!! Stunning cover and the book sounds great 😀
I know, right? But Elizabeth is really pigheaded about it, takes her forever to realize she might’ve married a pretty decent guy, after all. 😀
I just want to say I do love the cover. But, I want to really let you know how excited I am that you are publishing this work. I read it online and loved it. I remember getting loads of laughs from it, it’s so funny to see E’s thoughts and reactions and knowing how she misinterprets D’s thoughts and reactions. I preordered and can’t wait until it is released!
Thanks so much!! The published version is a bit expanded — and, as it now contains also the events that led to the marriage, there’s a bit of angst at the start to counterweight the humour. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Beautiful cover for a beautiful story. I loved it on AHA. Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Sophia! 🙂
Beautiful cover & great design! I remember reading your story in the form, but looking forward to reading the publish version. It’s been so long since I’ve read it. Congrats on your debut publish work!
Thanks so much — I hope you’ll like this version! 🙂
THe cover is GORGEOUS!!! COngrats on your new book!
It really is, isn’t it? 😀 Thank you!!
I can’t say anything about that beautiful cover that hasn’t already been said. The cover in combination with the forced marriage theme and the epistolary style of the story writing is sure to be a winner! Congrats on your book launch and good luck in your future endeavors!
Thank you, Michelle!! 🙂
What a fantastic cover! It captures Bennet and Darcy perfectly.
Thank you Linda! And I wholly agree with you – Ellen Pickels & Q&Q did a brilliant job with the cover!
The cover is really pretty!! And your book sounds wonderful! I’ve added it to my wishlist 😀
Thanks so much, Charlotte, I hope you’ll like it! 🙂
A thoroughly enjoyable novel. Thank you.