Hi friends! I’m so thrilled to have author Riana Everly stopping by Austenesque Reviews today! 🤗

Why?

Because she released a new contemporary Jane Austen series YESTERDAY! 🙌🏼

In this series she is incorporating characters from various Jane Austen novels – Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion – into the same world. 📍

And not only are they in the same world – they are all musicians! 🎶

It sounds terrific, doesn’t it? 👏🏼

Riana is here to share some musical inspiration and an enticing scene from All the Wrong Notes. We hope you enjoy! 😊

All That Jazz

Thank you, Meredith, for letting me stop by here today. I’m so excited about Austen Echoes, my new Austen-inspired series, and I can’t wait to tell people about it.

The first thing you should know is that these books are all about music!

I’m a musician, and I know Meredith is as well, as are many readers. Since Jane Austen herself was an accomplished pianist, it seemed completely natural to have music as the anchor that holds the series together. In these modern-day interpretations of Jane Austen’s classics, most of the characters are trained musicians who sing in the same choir, and they know each other and interact between the books.

Each story, of course, is complete in itself, and each is inspired by a different one of our favourites. Inthe first book in the series, All the Wrong Notes, we meet Elise and Will, my modern incarnations of Elizabeth and Darcy. Elise is an alto in the Eglinton Echoes choir, but like many musicians, her musical tastes are wide and varied.

I, for one, was trained as a classical musician, and while that’s mostly what I play, it’s far from the only thing. For a while, I was very active in a small folk group that played at parties and weddings, and sometimes we even did a bit of jazz. Once (gasp) they even got me to sing. I’m not sure they’ve all completely recovered.

As for Elise, she can sing! Elise loves the classical repertoire that is most of what the choir performs. She enjoys the Handel and the Verdi, the new compositions and the Mozart. But she also loves jazz. She’s got the perfect voice for that repertoire, with the dusky rich tones and the flexible technique that let her shine with these early-20^th-century standards. I love the idea of her slinking out onto stage in her jaw-dropping red frock like a 1950s siren, to amaze the audience. In fact, I loved this image so much, my cover artist managed to put it on the front of the book. Didn’t Anna do a fabulous job?

Will, it turns out, might know a thing or two about jazz himself! But I won’t spoil things for you.

So, what does Elise sing? You can just imagine the soundtrack I had going while I wrote this, all my favourites pouring through the speakers. Gershwin, Porter, Ellington… Ah, perfect!

Here are a few of Elise’s favourites, with some reference to the story. Feel free to sing along.

As in P&P, our friend Will doesn’t quite get how much Elise dislikes him, although he’s smitten quite early on. He might be singing this one!

“I Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” by Duke Ellington

This next piece is one that Elise sings, just because it’s a cool song. There’s a story about this song that may or may not be true. Apparently, Cole Porter was out for lunch with a friend, and he boasted he could write a song about anything. His friend dared him to use something he heard that day. A few minutes later, a waiter informed some people at the next table that, “Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today,” and this hit was born.

“Miss Otis Regrets” by Cole Porter:

I had to be careful selecting my songs to make sure I wasn’t quoting lyrics that are still under copyright by the composer or lyricists. Most of the pieces we hum when we think of these hits are mid-20^th-century, and are not in the public domain. But a few are earlier than we think, even if they were made famous many years after they were written. This next song is one of those. It was written by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn, and published in May, 1924. It’s hard to believe it’s nearly 100 years old!

“It Had to be You” by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn:

And here’s one that Elise is singing to herself. when she realises she’s not alone. What happens? Read the excerpt to find out!

“Someone to Watch Over Me” by George and Ira Gershwin:

 

Enjoy this snippet from this part of All the Wrong Notes. Elise has joined her friend Janet and Janet’s new boyfriend, Carlos, for a long weekend at Will’s cottage. They promised her that Will would be busy working most of the time, and she reluctantly agreed to come along. She is discovering, much to her chagrin, that Will is a different creature at home that in the big city.

~ Excerpt from All the Wrong Notes ~

After the game, Will suggested heading to the hot tub. The night was cool but clear, and it was worth the couple of feet of chilly air to slip into the warm bubbling water. Elise and Janet got there first and were already immersed to their necks when Carlos came along, followed by Will.

Oh, holy… Elise’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets. This man belonged on the front of a sleazy romance novel, all long limbs and toned muscles. Not body-builder muscles—he was too slim of build for that—but well defined and well-tended for a man who worked behind a desk all day. He must take a bit of time in the gym. He was certainly easy to look at, and he did most inappropriate things to Elise’s equanimity. Among other things.

She was almost relieved when he climbed into the tub and was quickly concealed by the frothing water. At least now she wouldn’t be caught staring. But how on earth could one relax knowing THAT was just an arm’s length away? The water grew warmer around her.

By Monday morning, Elise was ready for a bit of quiet time. She also suspected Janet and Carlos wanted to be alone as well, and so after breakfast and a short walk, she sent them along in the car to find a craft fair Janet had read about. Elise would be very happy reading by the dock, or maybe baking something for dinner.

It was Thanksgiving today, and while she didn’t know exactly what Will had planned, she had asked if she could make something, to which he agreed with a wide smile. “There are never too many desserts!” She’d scanned the pantry after breakfast and knew he had everything she needed for her special coconut-condensed milk cookie bars. Will would be toiling away all day again, and the kitchen was hers to enjoy, if she wished to stretch her own culinary muscles.

Elise entered the house through the lower covered patio doors by her room and wandered up the stairs towards the main part of the house.

Funny! There was music playing. More jazz, solo piano this time. Someone must have turned on the sound system. Had it been on all night, and they just hadn’t heard it over the game? No, that couldn’t be. There hadn’t been any music playing at breakfast. Will’s office door was closed, so he must still be working away. The man might be rolling in it, but he did work for his money. She had to give him that. She began to hum along with the music. Gershwin. Ah, she loved this song.

“There’s a saying old, says that love is blind,” she sang, more a hum than anything. “Still we’re often told, seek and ye shall find.”

Her voice grew louder as she made her way through the familiar lyrics, until she was in full voice. Wow, what fabulous acoustics this place had, with those high ceilings and stone walls.

“So I’m going to seek a certain lad I’ve had…”

Elise followed the sound of the music to a doorway near the fireplace. She thought it was just to the outside before, but since it was cracked open, she poked her head through as she finished the line, “in mind—”

And she stopped dead.

***

What happens next? You’ll have to read All the Wrong Notes to find out!

No!! How could you stop it right there, Riana?!? I thought we were friends! I am so eager to see how this scene plays out… 🥰

Thank you so much for this fantastic new series – contemporary Jane Austen in a world of musicians sounds like my cup of tea for sure! ☕️ 

I wish you all the best with your new series, Austen Echoes! 🤗

 

All the Wrong Notes is available at Amazon, and is free to read on KU

~ And you can check out and pre-order the rest of the series here ~

😏 Guess what, we won’t have to wait long for book 2… The Matchmaker’s Melody comes out December 14th!

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~ Connect with Riana ~

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~ Author Riana ~

Born in South Africa, award-winning author Riana Everly has called Canada home since she was eight years old. She proudly boasts one husband, two grown(ish) children, three degrees, four recordings, five instruments (of varying proficiencies), six languages (also of varying proficiencies), and ten novels (and growing). She also can’t count very well.

When not indulging her passion for Jane Austen, Riana loves cooking, travel, and photography. She’s a historian and trained classical musician, specialising in viola, and is delighted to be able to combine her love of writing and music in her novels.

She now lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband, a secret stash of chocolate, and far too many books.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Riana is giving away an ebook copy of All the Wrong Notes to 1️⃣ lucky reader!

To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Riana!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Riana!
• This giveaway ends November 22nd!