Blog Tour: Guest Post by J. Marie Croft, author of LOVE AT FIRST SLIGHT

Today brings us a guest post by LOVE AT FIRST SLIGHT author J. Marie Croft! 

Love At First Slight by J. Marie Croft
Publisher: Meryton Press
Expected release date: November 1st 2013

“It may not be universally acknowledged, but the unvarnished truth is that a young widow in possession of a good fortune is not necessarily in want of another husband.”

In this humorous, topsy-turvy Pride & Prejudice variation, all the gender roles are reversed. It is Mr. Bennet’s greatest wish to see his five sons advantageously married. When the haughty Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield with the Widow Devonport nee Bingley, speculation—and prejudice—runs rampant.

William Bennet, a reluctant and irreverent future reverend, catches Miss Darcy’s eye even though he is beneath her station. However, his opinion of her was fixed when she slighted him at the Meryton Assembly. As her ardour grows, so does his disdain, and when she fully expects to receive an offer of marriage, he gives her something else entirely ….

For those of you who don't know this yet, Rhemalda Publishing closed its doors in September 2013, shortly after the cover of LaFS was revealed by many book bloggers on 30th August. However, Meryton Press came to the rescue and picked up LaFS.

Isn't that worth celebrating? ;D

I'll hand it over to Ms Croft who has so kindly written up the most interesting guest post ever!

GUEST POST: J. MARIE CROFT, AUTHOR OF LOVE AT FIRST SLIGHT

Invited to write a guest post for ‘Mermaid with a Book’, I was determined to make it especially pertinent to Sherlyn’s blog. Alas, my book features neither mermaids nor sea creatures – only fictional, not mythical, characters.

I thought my own connection with the sea might be relevant. Nova Scotia – known as Canada’s Ocean Playground – has always been my home.

No, I needed a different angle.

They say a drowning man will clutch at a straw, and I’ll grasp at any tenuous thematic thread … and will probably end up hanging by it.  But stay with me. I discovered there is, after all, a link between my book and a mythical sea creature. So, I now leave you with a mermaid tale.

Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam – while walking along a pebbly beach In Llandudno, Wales – espied a beautiful mermaid sunning on a rock.  The awestruck young men befriended the magical creature; and, before swimming away, she kindly offered to grant the fine fellows one wish each.

Colonel Fitzwilliam (heroic army officer but not sharpest tool in the shed) wished that his mental capacity be doubled.  The mermaid slapped her tail in the surf, splashing him with seawater.  The sopping soldier immediately began quoting scripture, Socrates, and Shakespeare.

Not to be outdone, the amiable but somewhat addlepated Charles Bingley requested that she triple his reasoning ability.  With another supple tail smack, the mermaid gave him not only a soaking but the ability to perform complex Pythagorean calculations.

The innately intuitive Fitzwilliam Darcy was so impressed, he asked the mermaid to quadruple his intelligence quotient.

"Are you quite certain, sir?” asked the lovely sea creature.  “Your whole life will be changed forever if I grant such a wish."

An emphatic nod communicated the gentleman’s acceptance of his fate.

The mermaid swished her tail, showered him with brine, and the deed was done.  Mr. Darcy was instantly turned into a woman.


Ergo, one of Jane Austen’s beloved characters underwent a gender swap. But Mr. Darcy is not alone. Almost all Pride and Prejudice roles are reversed in Love at First Slight (available November 1 from Meryton Press).


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Marie Croft, a Nova Scotia resident and avid reader all her life, discovered Jane Austen's works later than others but made up for lost time by devouring the six novels and as many adaptations and sequels as she could find. In the midst of reading prodigious amounts of Austen-based fan-fiction, she realized, "Hey, I can do that." In her spare time, when not working at a music school or on a wooded trail enjoying her geocaching hobby, she listens to the voices in her head and captures their thoughts and words in writing. Her stories are light-hearted; and her motto is Miss Austen's own quote, "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery." J. Marie Croft is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Canada)
and admits to being "excessively attentive" to the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. She can be contacted at jmariecroft[at]gmail[dot]com.

(Thank you so much for your time, Ms Croft! It's a delight to have you here on Mermaid with a Book!)

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