TORN- Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway

Good Afternoon everyone,

I am very pleased to welcome today at From Pemberley to Milton one of my favourite authors and a dear friend who didn’t mind going on a Jane Austen Road Trip with me back in 2017. Putting up with me for a couple of days is not that easy, so you can see what a gem she is 🙂 I am speaking of Lory Lilian, mostly known as the “Queen of Hot Mush” and who has recently released a regency variation which is very atypical for her. TORN, I am told, is her most angsty book and she is here today to talk about this and also to ask for your opinion, so please feel free to join the discussion and let us know where you are at when it comes to angst 🙂 You already know where I stand, so no point in stating once more how much of an addict I am to it 😉

Thank you for visiting Lory, and the best of luck with this new release!!! I absolutely LOVE the cover by the way 😉

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“TORN” is a romantic, Regency Pride and Prejudice variation. The road to happiness is set with obstacles to overcome, making the journey more arduous for our beloved characters—and readers.
Separated by pride, prejudice, and misunderstandings, betrayed by their temper and wounded by vanity, Elizabeth and Darcy take separate paths in the heat of anger—and are tormented when they must reap what they have sown.
Darcy struggles to avoid the woman he loves more every day, but Fate keeps bringing them together. Elizabeth’s thoughts wander to Mr Darcy and, even in his absence, her feelings for him improve, until she realizes he is the only man in the world with whom she could be truly happy. Such revelations come far too late when both are bound by promises to others. Can they live a lifetime torn between love and duty?
Stealing a moment of passion one hot summer night, how can Elizabeth and Darcy continue without the other after knowing such true happiness?
Rated Moderate for hot romance but not explicit sex scenes.
Lory Lilian has a golden rule when it comes to reading and writing Jane Austen fan fiction: Elizabeth and Darcy only belong to each other, with no one to separate them. This story might appear to break this rule, but the author kindly asks the readers to trust her.
“Torn” might tear your heart out but Elizabeth and Darcy surely find a way to put it back.

 

You can find it at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

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It is always a great pleasure to be at “From Pemberley to Milton.”

Rita is one of the JAFF people I had the great pleasure of meeting two years ago and visit many JA’s related places together. Sharing the news of my latest release on her blog is just awesome!

Today, I would like to chat about my latest book TORN, about angst and how much of it we can bear in JAFF stories. How much we like to torture ODC before we allow them to find their HEA eventually.

For many years, I admitted being an angst wimp. I still am. I wrote six variations full of mush until I dared to plunge into the angst. (Although my second one – “Remembrance of the Past” – did have some very distressing parts…)

Pushed by some cyber-friends / bloggers (Meredith, Claudine and even Rita!), who insisted that I should add angst to enhance my stories, I did so and in 2017, when I published “A Man with Faults”. I was thrilled by the reader’s favorable reaction. The book claimed on Amazon Sales Rank 235, which was huge and it meant that lots and lots of people read it. In that book, the tortured one was Darcy. He was resentful, angry, tortured, and uncertain of Elizabeth’s feelings (though very much in love with her) until the last chapter. Poor guy, right?

TORN is the second angst-filled I wrote and I must say I needed tissues while working on it. I suffered for what I did to my beloved characters. And to make it even worse, there is no character to hate! Everyone (except out Wicky – who has a short, yet significant role) is honest, kindhearted, honorable, and generous – which made ODC’s struggle more difficult to follow. I intended to make the readers feel TORN as much as Elizabeth and Darcy, to wonder what they would do in a similar situation. Hope I succeeded to some degree.

There is a HEA – of course. Nobody who knows me would doubt that. This story was exhausting to write, and I am sure I will focus on hot mush for at least another year.

For now, here are a few questions for you, dear readers: how much angst do you like in JAFF stories? What sort of angst (forced marriage, other partners, unequal affection – or any other kind)? And – what kind of angst would you like to read about and did not find in any variations? (But I very much doubt there was something undone yet! LOL) If you have any other ideas to talk about, feel free to do so.

I look forward to chatting with you!

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Elizabeth walked down the left side of the shore to where the long grasses and wildflowers grew undisturbed and the paths were lined with bright yellow gorse.

She took off her shoes and waded into the sea up to her ankles, the waves caressing her feet. The air was cool and refreshing, but the water felt warm.

The cottage behind her, the bay revealed itself to her eyes. As the wind blew through the line of trees, it mixed with the sound of waves, as in a symphony. There was no sun, so she took off her bonnet and unpinned her hair. She yearned to feel uncaged, unrestrained.

The bay was as beautiful as she remembered. The combination of colours and sounds, and the softness of the sand between her toes enchanted her. She turned towards the hidden place, where she had fallen asleep—and gasped in astonishment. There was a horse tied to a tree.

She immediately minded her own appearance, looking around. With her bonnet removed and her hair blowing free, she was in no state to be seen and had not imagined meeting anyone in such a place.

She saw nobody nearby, until her eyes were drawn towards the shore where waves, stirred by the wind and tide, crashed noisily.

It seemed surreal as a man rose from the water and stepped out of the waves, stunning her senses. He wore but a white shirt and dark trousers, striding unburdened until he noticed her. At that moment he stopped; the waves pushed him, and he almost fell but still did not advance.

Even at this distance, the heart recognised what the eyes still hesitated to admit.

Eventually, he seemed to gather the strength to approach and so did Elizabeth. Slowly, hesitantly, as in a dream.

When they were only steps away, she could see the look of yearning on his handsome features. His curled hair, wet and dishevelled. His dark, staggering gaze. The water dripping from his face. His white shirt soaked, unbuttoned, revealing his neck and torso.

He stared at her, narrowing his eyes, his lips half parted as if he struggled to speak.

Before any of them could say a word, Elizabeth’s heart finally defeated her mind, freed itself from any restrain, any rules, any demands of duty and decorum, screaming the truth inside her with such a power that it shattered her and weakened her knees.

She loved the man in front of her with every sense and every fibre of her body! She had loved him for such a long that she did not even remember when it began. She loved him against her own will and reason and judgment. She loved him most ardently.

“Miss Bennet…”

“Mr Darcy…”

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Lory Lillian is giving away 2 eBooks to my readers, and the best thing is, you can choose any book from her portfolio! Comment on this post to be eliegible to the giveaway and please let us know which book your would prefer and why. In case you don’t know Lory’s entire portfolio, feel free to peruse her Amazon author page, and you will find all her books there.

The giveaway is international and it is open until the 14th of October. The winners will be announced shortly after.

Good Luck Everyone!

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