Cover Reveal + Giveaway with Author Kara Pleasants!!!

April 27, 2020 • Author Features, Giveaways • 129 Comments

Hi dear readers! I am so happy to be starting my week off by sharing this lovely cover reveal post from Kara Pleasants with you all! As you might have seen Kara is publishing her Pride and Prejudice variation with Quills and Quartos next month, and today she is stopping by to share her simply gorgeous cover and story behind her debut release – Disenchanted! Please help me in welcoming Kara to Austenesque Reviews!

I wrote Disenchanted as a senior in college. It was before I became an English teacher, and long before I became a mother. Smartphones didn’t exist, and social media was in its infancy. The struggle of the Great Recession in 2008 hadn’t happened, and I’d never yet owned a home.

The inspiration for Disenchanted came in the summer of 2007, after the release of the final installment of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I waited at the bookstore until midnight with my mother and brothers to purchase a copy. This was the spark that led me to ask: what if I mixed Pride and Prejudice with magic?

My introduction to Jane Austen came at age 11, when I watched the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries—my mother and I swooning over Colin Firth, while my father poked fun. I devoured all of Austen’s books, but Pride and Prejudice, with Lizzy’s vivacious wit and Darcy’s brooding vulnerability, was the most captivating. No author captures both irony and romance in one package like Austen.

My other great literary love is fantasy. My family was so obsessed with JRR Tolkien’s epic The Lord of the Rings that we listened to my father read it once every year for seven years in a row. In college, I expanded my fantasy reading interests to include Diana Wynne Jones, Neil Gaiman, Caroline Stevermer, and Patricia Wrede—who present magical worlds as matter of course. I took this approach in Disenchanted: the magical world present in characters’ ordinary lives. I also see the influence of two classes I was taking: one on Arthurian Legends, which led to a journey in the fae Otherworld; the other on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, giving me a Hamlet-inspired code.

When I was posting Disenchanted as weekly installments, I was part of a vibrant Jane Austen fanfiction community—where I had been an enthusiastic contributor since 12. My early work was the quality you might expect from a sincere teenager (terrible), but I always received support at the Derbyshire Writer’s Guild (my first fanfiction home) and A Happy Assembly. Jane Austen fanfiction wasn’t yet a force in the pop culture world—occasionally, an article would be published about “Janeites,” but the mega-hit books and movies such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Austenland were still years away.

I loved writing Disenchanted, but I never thought it would be published because I didn’t think my fanfiction counted as “real” art. This narrow view prevented me from calling myself a writer for years, and contributed to writer’s block. In contrast, Disenchanted gave me freedom. I wrote joyfully because I wasn’t worried about writing “high art.” I did what I wanted, while also relishing the interaction when readers responded and guessed after each chapter. It challenged me to write better, giving both unexpected and expected plot turns.

Publishing my novel with Quills & Quartos is a gift. It came at the right time, when, after years of teaching and reflection, I was learning to respect my own craft, and the craft of others, whatever the genre. In editing Disenchanted, I rediscovered the joy of the creative process as I refined my work and wrote new sections.

I offer Disenchanted to you now, an honest to goodness novel, as a magical adventure with romance and fantasy: a bit of creative joy to brighten your way.

~ Book Description ~

Disenchanted is a tale of wizardry, enchantment, disenchantment, the good and the bad, all thrown in with the characters of Pride and Prejudice. Mr Darcy, a renowned wizard, reluctantly joins his friend Mr Bingley at his country estate in Hertfordshire (a place that is not known for its magic). The gentlemen are lying low tracking the threat of a new dark wizard on the loose who is stealing people’s magic. Darcy is surprised to discover more excitement than he bargained for in the form of Miss Elizabeth Bennet who possesses a singular talent: she is not only immune to magic, but she can counter enchantments as well. Despite their initial dislike of each other, Darcy and Elizabeth are drawn closer as the threat of the Thieving Necromancer grows. As Elizabeth learns to unravel more and more complicated magic, she also uncovers dark secrets and breaks mysterious enchantments—but will Darcy ever discover the way to her heart?

And without further ado….here is the big reveal!!!

(expected release date: May 11th)

Doesn’t this cover suit the title and style of this P&P variation perfectly – her pose looks like she is enchanted doesn’t it? 🙌🏼

Forest and fae – both beautifully represented in this image, this is a forest I want to visit! 🧚🏼‍♂️

I love the inclusion of wizardry and magic in this story – especially after hearing that Kara is a big fan of Lord of the Rings! 🧙🏼‍♂️

Sounds like there will be a bit of danger and evil in this tale with dark wizard and complicated magic! 🙈

What do you think, friends? 🤔

~~~

~ Connect with Kara ~

Facebook

~ About Kara ~

Kara Pleasants lives in a lovely hamlet called Darlington in Maryland, where she and her husband are restoring an 18th century farm in Susquehanna State Park. They have two beautiful and vivacious daughters, Nora and Lina. A Maryland native, Kara spent a great deal of her childhood travelling with her family, and spent six years living in Siberia, as well as five years in Montana, before finally making her way back home to attend the University of Maryland.

Kara is currently a high school English teacher at Parkville High School. She previously taught for Harford and Prince George’s County Public Schools, the University of Maryland, and Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Community Colleges. She will never forget the first ninth-grade English class she ever taught at Oxon Hill, whose courage and artistry might be the reason she still teaches today. Her hobbies include making scones for the farmer’s market; writing poetry; watching fantasy shows; making quilts; directing an Episcopal church choir; and dreaming about writing an epic three-part fantasy series for her daughters.

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!  📚🤤

To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Kara below.

  • This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Quills and Quartos!
  • This giveaway ends May 4th.
  • Please enter this contest with just one name and one entry, multiple entries will be disqualified.

*~*

You can preorder Disenchanted now!

Our sincere gratitude to Kara Pleasants, Christina Boyd, and the wonderful people at Quills and Quartos for putting this special post together! 

~~~

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

129 comments

  2. Congratulations Kara! Love the cover and the light that is luring Elizabeth in. Very intrigued with the premise and may the spell of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ never be lifted off me! I too fell in love with P&P after watching the 1995 version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. That is how I found Jane Austen and never looked back!

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  3. Beautiful cover! I haven’t read this story previously, but I like the other non-JA influences you list so I expect to enjoy it now that it’s being published! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  4. Love the cover! I like to read this genre. It gives a chance to escape the real world for a little while. The excerpt is intriguing. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  6. I must admit that although I have read avidly since a very early age, I’ve never read LOTR or HP. I do have my son’s set of the first and I have two sets of the second ready for when my grandsons are old enough.
    I have always loved P&P but the 1995 version started my ‘obsession’. I also love the 2005 film and was blown away in 2014 when I first discovered JAFF.
    I absolutely love this cover, the red dress is perfect. I also love the fact that Elizabeth has this ‘accomplishment’! Obviously she must be the one to help Darcy in his task, leading to their love and marriage?
    I always loved fairy stories as a girl and am so looking forward to this one. (OK so it may be a little darker than my childhood stories but I’m sure I’ll cope! I have a paperwhite so can always read it under the covers and stay safe! Wink, wink)

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    1. Thank you, I LOVE the red dress! This does have a bit of fairies, I couldn’t resist. And I highly recommend both series — the LOTR is especially great read aloud.

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    2. I love that you have the HP books already for your grandsons, Glynis! My confession is, I haven’t read LOTR yet either! I love the movies and keep saying I want to read the series – and read it aloud as Kara mentioned. 😉

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  8. Love the cover…it’s beautiful! Loved the Harry Potter series, which I just had to read as I was teaching Middle School and all my students were also reading it…but would have read it anyway as it grabbed my attention. Have love the Lord of the Ring after having read it post college in the late 60’s. I look forward to reading this book. Thanks for sharing here and for the chance to win a lovely prize.

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    1. Thank you for your service– I spent a year teaching middle school and that was as long as I lasted–ha! But I admit I loved reading books along with them and getting their recommendations.

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  9. The cover is beautiful. This novel sounds wonderful. I read LOTR and I do have the Harry Potter books saved for my grandson when he expresses an interest.

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    1. Thank you! I love books that are passed down– we’re now on the third generation of reading Tolkein, and my mom also passed on Little House books (I know totally different genre) to my daughters.

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  11. Congratulations on publishing, Kara – looking forward to reading Disenchanted! And what a pretty cover to boot! 🙂

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  12. I love the richness and color of the red silk dress. What is that light beaconing Elizabeth? Congratulations on the publication of this book. It sounds like a very interesting plot.

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  13. Your new novel sounds “enchanting”! Congrats on publishing your work. Love the cover, it seems to represent the story–a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you for entering me in the contest.

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  16. I love Austenesque fiction with magical elements! The juxtaposition of the orderly, rational Georgian world with the unruliness of magic is delicious. So glad you were able to bring your early work to print.

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  17. Congratulations Kara on publishing your story! I really enjoyed your story on the forum and look forward to rereading it. I’m a big fan of LOTR and HP too and it was interesting hearing how they influenced you in writing this story. The cover is just lovely!

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  18. So so so excited for you!! I can’t wait to pour my tea and dive into this new world of everything I love as well! I had no idea you were a LOTR fan too!! Wishing you well wishes and mountains of success!

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  19. Congratulations, Kara! I am thrilled for you and look forward to reading your creation. I did tell you that you’d be published…so happy I was correct!

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  20. When this first popped up on Q & Q, this book caught my attention. I’ve always enjoyed a little paranormal in my reading life, and this looks to be total immersion. Congratulations, Kara! I hope you do well with this intriguing story.

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  21. Congratulations on publishing your first book!!! I have loved the books I have read with wizardry mixed in; particularly Maria Grace’s dragon series. I hope you continue on with writing and be safe and well. Now I am off to pre-order your book.

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  23. Wow, we were practically neighbors without knowing it! I grew up in Anne Arundel County, worked in the PG Co. library system, and went to the Univ. of MD. So cool!

    I LOVED this book when it was in the boards and have recommended it to so many people! I’m thrilled that it’s available foe preorder. My two dest girls love this story, too.

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  27. Intriguing with a lovely mystical cover as well. Can’t wait to read it in its entirety.
    Keep up the good works and the ongoing publications. Lord knows we need well written creative distractions these days.

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  31. Hi Kara! Disenchanted has long been one of my favorite JAFF stories. I’m so excited that I’ll be able to own it now! I’m looking forward to any “new bits” and re-reading all the familiar ones. Congratulations!

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    1. What an honor, thank you!! I absolutely love the way it all looks as a published novel and am so excited to share.

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  32. That is an amazing cover. OMG! It draws you right into the story. I want to know more about Elizabeth and her abilities. What is she seeing? Is it a friendly force or not? What will she do next? Oh, to know these questions… whew!

    I love fantasy stories. I watched all the Lord of the Rings movies, then again when the extended versions came out, then again with commentary, and I’m not even going to mention the special features or behind-the-scenes sections. You do know that is about 9 hours of movie watching, right? I did the same for the Hobbit and I’m not even going to admit about Harry Potter. Yeah, its a sickness. I loved the scenery, the visual graphics, the costumes, the superb acting and everything about them.

    I can’t wait to read this. I am so excited for you, Kara, as you launch this work that has been in your safe keeping all these years. I know you have probably held your breath as you have watched it launch. Blessings on its success and I wish you all the best. Good luck to everyone in the drawing.

    Thanks to Meredith for hosting this cover reveal [hello to your Mr. Bingley]. Meredith, you get to host all these fabulous cover reveals. I love your pictures on the top of the blog. You’re good with a camera, that is for sure. Be safe everyone.

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    1. Thank you so much — I’m really thrilled that this book I wrote so long ago is being published, and I hope that you enjoy it! I LOVE the fantasy genre, and the romance genre, and so putting them together was so much fun!

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  37. I love LOTR and enjoyed the Harry Potter series but never thought I’d enjoy magic mixed with P&P. That all changed after I read Abigail Reynolds’ Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment. After reading the excerpt and seeing the cover I can hardly wait to read the book. Congratulations!

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  39. I read your original JAFF story, and I am interested in reading it again in its latest form. The cover is gorgeous. Good luck with the publication!

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  41. Lovely cover – a very “Into the Woods” feeling. Enjoyed the humor and wit of the excerpt and cannot wait to read this. You certainly chose a good publisher/editor for your book. Now let’s all wave our magic wands and fix the real world as well!

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    1. If only!! I absolutely love Q&Q— fantastic. I also recently watched Into the Woods for the first time at my brother’s high school production— LOVED IT. Cried.

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  42. I loved hearing about your background inspirations. A friend insisted I read LOTR in 1971 because he knew I’d love Shadowfax and Rohan (I’m a horse girl), and I’ve read it every summer since then, missing maybe 5 or 6 summers. Also love HP. I discovered Austen with the 1995 film and life’s never been the same! I’m not usually a fan of variations (I prefer prequels and sequels and side stories) but I’m fascinated to see how you will bring in these influences and elements and would love to read this. Congratulations!

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  43. I love the cover, especially the colour of that gown. Wow! The book sounds like a lot of fun, and I look forward to reading it. I weaned my daughter on LotR, which I was reading (for the nth time) when she was born. She loved listening to people talk, so I read to her. 🙂 Best of luck with the book. Congrats!

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  46. This cover is absolutely enchanting!!! And the premise of this work is just as enchanting. I fell in love with the magic + P&P duo in Abigail Reynold’s Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment, to the point that the Fae have become a huge part of my current Dungeons & Dragon’s character’s backstory. (My son is an awesome Dungeon Master–he just doesn’t realize he’s also a brilliant writer!!)

    And Disenchanted appears to have a similar interwoven magical theme that is definitely enchanting me!!

    Congratulations on publishing your novel!! Yay!!! 😀 (I hope to be as brave someday!)

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

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    1. Oooo thats the second recommendation of Abigail Reynold’s book and I’m going to have to check it out! Thank you!

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  47. I am not usually drawn to “magical” stories. However, I did enjoy “Mr Darcy’s Enchantment” – so I look forward to this story as well. I wonder where Lizzie is headed on the cover – is Mr Darcy watching her? I am sure she has a power she keeps well hidden. Their meeting should be something quite earthshaking.

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  50. Your cover is beautiful and your excerpt intriguing. I’m looking forward to reading your story. Congratulations on making the leap from perceived fanfic writer to Author (though I suspect you were always an author)

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  52. Congrats on publishing! I’ve read Disenchanted from the forums probably 8+ times over the years. As a lover of fantasy and paranormal JAFF I’ve tended to reread many of them, since there are so few out there, and even less of them are published. Thank goodness for the Fantasies and Timebending category in The Index – as a fellow Fantasy lover I’d bet you’ve been there yourself.

    Always love the scene in the woods in Disenchanted with the pixies and Darcy, and how Lizzy ‘sees’ Pemberley. I’ll have to check out the published version since you’ve added and reworked. Congrats again!

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  53. The cover is so lovely, and you mentioned that Elizabeth is watching Darcy in the wood here?! Wonderful! Disenchanted sounds like a fun and fascinating story. Congratulations and best of luck with the release!

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  54. Congratulations on the release of your book Kara. I love the cover and the story sounds intriguing. I don’t mind a bit of magic in P&P, especially if there’s a lot of magic between Darcy and Elizabeth.

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  55. First: Gorgeous cover! Second: This sounds completely amazing! Third: Congratulations on the launch of your book publication. I loved reading about your background and what led you to this point. Thank you for sharing this. I loved reading the part about your Dad reading LoTR to you all. And standing in line for the Harry Potter book. I married a dyed-in-the-wool Tolkien fan.

    I’m going to parrot Satu and Maomac’s comment about Abigail Reynold’s Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment. That P&P fantasy mash up worked beautifully. But if I hadn’t been completely drawn in by her story I might have just given the entire idea of Disenchanted a pass. Even though I am a LoTR and Hp fan I haven’t read them for years and fantasy just isn’t my go to genre. But I REALLY am looking forward to reading this. Again, best of luck, Kara.

    Thank you for hosting the cover reveal, Meredith. 🙂 <3

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    1. I hope you enjoy it! When I wrote it original back in 2007 I’m not sure I had read anything that combined the two—it was so much fun to write!

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  57. The forest setting is just perfect, as is Lizzy. Though you cannot make out her face, her hair and the braids it is styled in are simple but beautiful.

    The red dress is a brilliant contrast to the pervading gloom of the forest, both illuminated by the spell being cast and which Lizzy seems to be drawn too. On closer examination the dress seems to have a couple of tears, and if I am not mistaken, it looks to me as if Lizzy is missing part of her left index finger, or perhaps it is just hidden by the folds of her gown.

    Very intriguing cover that hides what sounds to be an intriguing story.

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    1. She does have all of her digits, but that sounds like a really fun spin off story of its own! And thank you, I love the cover

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  58. I would love the chance to win a copy of this book. Plus I’m a big fan of Jane Austen works.

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  59. I absolutely love Pride and Prejudice as well as fantasy. I am a huge fan of LOTR, and was absolutely blessed to marry my husband, Stryder, named after LOTR (I would have married him for his name alone). I think your book sounds amazing! I am very excited to read it.

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  60. Thanks, Sarah! When David and I met the second thing I noticed about him was that he was wearing a LOTR “one ring” on a chain around his neck (he was only 16 at the time). I just thought that was so coll-haha! I hope you love it!

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