Aloha to Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - An Audible Book with Rosamund Pike

Aloha!  I am away from home this week with limited internet access. I hope you enjoy the book spotlights in my absence ...

One of Jane Austen's most beloved works, Pride and Prejudice, is vividly brought to life by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). In her bright and energetic performance of this British classic, she expertly captures Austen's signature wit and tone. Her attention to detail, her literary background, and her performance in the 2005 feature film version of the novel provide the perfect foundation from which to convey the story of Elizabeth Bennett, her four sisters, and the inimitable Mr. Darcy.

In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennett sisters try to find their way in the repressive strictures of 19th-century society. Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and the experience of falling in love, and she superbly describes a world which, despite being more than two centuries old, still resonates with modern concerns.

Especially in Britain, people want to limit you. - Rosamund Pike

English actress Rosamund Pike starred as Jane, along side Keira Knightley's Elizabeth, in the 2005 film PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.  Having worn the corset, and portrayed a English woman limited by society, Rosamund offers a credible voice for the Audible version of this beloved classic.

Released on December 8, 2015 - ten years after the film - the Audible version is 10 discs/11 hours of Pike's delicious accent taking me back to that time we celebrate in historical romance. Listening to the discs during the holiday season gave me the opportunity to savor the pomp and pageantry through Pike's storytelling.   This is my first Audible book - hearing Jane's heartbreak, Darcy's snobbery, and Elizabeth's retorts offered a new experience that was both satisfying and fulfilling.

Recommended listen for fans of Jane Austen who can devote several hours to a step back in history. 

Image courtesy of Audible

I am giving away Regency swag to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave  a comment about Jane Austen, her books, and her characters.

I did not read Jane Austen in high school.  I discovered her books during my honeymoon in Devon.   I enjoy most adaptions, especially the gorgeous settings in the English countryside.  

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Groombridge Place, film location for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Image by Simon Larson (link)

Aloha to Nancy Lee Badger and MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER - Audio Book

My favorite Highlander author, Nancy Lee Badger, joins us today with a guest post ...

As a writer, I deal with putting words on paper to create my novels. I grew up reading comic books, then paperbacks, but the world has changed. People still want to read books, and a physical book is a quiet companion, but today’s busy lifestyle means less time to sit and read either a paperback, or even on an ereader.

This is why I looked into putting my books on Audio through ACX.com.

When I visit a Scottish Highland games or festival, sounds range from the voices of happy visitors conversing about clans, or the athletic events. Many of the attendees are from Scotland…either visiting the United States of America, or having emigrated here. Their deep brogues, and odd Gaelic words, add another layer of fantasy, and I have heard them at Highland games from Maine to Florida. I thought, “How neat would it be to actually hear my characters.”

Writers hear their characters in their heads, of course, but I wanted my readers to hear them, too. I found a way by hiring a narrator through ACX, the business end of Audible.com. After trials and errors, I hired Tracy Marks. She and I made the magic happen. When the narrator sent along chapter after recorded chapter, my excitement grew. I read along with a print copy of my book. My recorded book, My Honorable Highlander, can now be heard on a PC, an ereader, a tablet, or a smart phone.

My Honorable Highlander was the first book in my Highland Games Through Time series, and the beginning of my Scottish time travel novels. I hope to publish the other books in audio versions as well.

This is the excerpt I posted at ACX.com. Narrators auditioned by recording these three voices: two sixteenth-century Scottish brogues and one modern American female.

Kirk, our hero, has just stumbled upon his cousin, Cameron. His handsome cousin has his arms wrapped around our heroine from the future, Haven:

“I regret having frightened the wench, but I hunted near the river and never saw her until I was upon her. When I made her aware of my presence, she slipped and fell.” Cameron stood at attention.

Kirk glared and his fists trembled.

True, Haven does have a problem staying on her feet.

“So ye picked her up and hugged her to yer chest.”

“She fell. Hard. Aye, I picked her up. She claimed to be fine. I had set her down when ye appeared.”

“Ye and Lady Haven have no regard for one another?”

“I will not lie, dear cousin.” Cameron strolled to Kirk’s mount’s rump and patted the animal.

“I worship the ground her dainty feet tread upon. I shall do anything to make her mine.”

Kirk sputtered at his words and the lust that blazed in Cameron’s eyes. Kirk had ordered Cameron to answer for his actions. Again. First, he had disobeyed an order. Now, he professed his feelings for Haven.

How could I have been so blind?

Kirk could not compete with his cousin’s perfect face and golden hair. His kinsman aroused many a lass because no scars marred Cameron’s profile. Had Kirk not witnessed the adoration Haven bestowed on his cousin when he and his warriors had stepped from the forest? Was it only gratitude?

“God’s teeth! We found ye entwined in each other’s arms.”

“The sight of Lady Haven in God’s glory will not stay me from my course.”

“So, ye did indeed see her unclothed?”

“We have no secrets, do we, Cousin? Ye must admit the lovely mark high on her left hip is most appealing. Let us not pit ourselves against one another with claws drawn.”

Kirk caught the reference to Lady Haven’s mark of the cat. A tattoo, she had called it.

Book Blurb

Bumbling present day herbalist, Haven MacKay, gets more than she bargains for when her love spell goes awry, is cast back in time, and meets her true love -- Laird Kirkwall Gunn.

Kirk’s plans go slightly off course when he falls in love with a woman wandering through the Scottish Highlands. After all, he has pledged to marry another, from an enemy clan, in order to end a century-old feud.

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Amazon
iTunes

More About Nancy Lee Badger

Award-winning author Nancy Lee Badger loves chocolate-chip shortbread and wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander. Her stories tempt you with the clang of
broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.

Contact Nancy:
Blog Website Twitter
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Amazon Author Page

In celebration of her first Audio Book release of My Honorable Highlander, Nancy Lee Badger is giving away FREE DOWNLOAD CODES from Audible.com to THREE lucky readers. Winners will be announced April 2nd

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