May I introduce Monica Fairview? A contest

Today, I have the honor of hosting a guest post written by Monica Fairview, the author of The Other Mr. Darcy. The Other Mr. Darcy is a Pride and Prejudice sequel focusing on Caroline Bingly and her chance at love. You can find my review of this book below. Monica, thank you for joining us today.

Where I Write

When I was younger, I used to be superstitious. I used to use a Parker pen for all my exams, and I was convinced that if I forgot it for some reason, I would do badly. I always went out and bought a new notebook every time I started a new project. It seemed to be a sign of a new beginning, and a reason to get excited and interested in what I was doing.



These days I do most of my writing on a laptop. I don’t have any particular preferences or superstitions about where and how I write, though I draw the line at using a touchpad. Give me a good solid mouse any time, a blank screen, and access to the internet, and I could be in the middle of a concert, I can happily keep writing. As long as I have a target, I’ll keep going, like an energizer battery.

In fact, one of the big problems with my writing routine is that my ideal writing day would be an 18 hour stint at the computer, with no interruptions. I would sit near a large bay window with a view of the sea along with some lush tropical vegetation lying around for effect. Somehow, my food and drink would magically appear next to me as I work (oh to live on a spaceship and have a machine that teleports food at my command). Unfortunately for me, no one has made one of those machines yet.

So my real writing day works something like this. First thing I do when I wake up, with my eyes still groggy from sleep, is stumble to my computer and turn it on. This is an essential step, I’ve found, to give plenty of time for the flood of updates to run while I’m getting my act together. With a child to send to school, that means the inevitable morning lunacy of lost books, forgotten forms to fill, missing shoes, no milk for cereal – all the delightful things that make mornings rock.

Then, as quiet descends upon the household, I gravitate toward the computer. This is such a habit by now that I gravitate toward the computer every time I see it, even if I’m not planning to write. Now, though, with nothing to interrupt, it’s legitimate because I am about to go on a long writing stint. Which means, of course, updating my social life via networks, checking e-mails, and generally twiddling my thumbs until I realize that my long stint isn’t so long any more. So I get down to business. I review my very well laid out plans for the day that I made the day before. I realize I don’t have time to accomplish them, so I spend some time planning for tomorrow.

Then panic sets in, because now my long stint has become a short stint, really more like a short sprint. This is when I get my writing done. Panic is an amazingly effective motivator for me, because now I write as if my life depends on it. I mangle my keyboard for three or four hours, typing away, hardly pausing to breathe.

All good things come to an end. The clock handle refuses to slow down for my convenience. It tells me it’s time for pick-up, which means I unglue myself carefully from the chair and hobble off on cramped muscles to start the round of after-school activities.

If I’m lucky, I get another three or four hours of writing at night, but that’s not guaranteed because, even if I’m a writer, I have to have a life, too.

Writing’s a job, like any other, full of procrastination, slacking off, and frantic spurts of energy to meet deadlines. Like other jobs, it can become all-consuming if you allow it to. There are times when I’ll sit with people and I won’t hear a word they’re saying because I’m too busy trying to work out a scene in my head. There are others when what I’m writing has all the appeal of a wet sponge and a pile of dirty dishes.

And there are times when I float up, like Winnie-the-Pooh, into a perfect blue sky, my mind humming with ideas. Those are the honey moments, the moments that make everything else worth while.

The Other Mr. Darcy—in stores October 2009!

Did you know that Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?!

In this highly original Pride and Prejudice sequel by British author Monica Fairview, Caroline Bingley is our heroine. Caroline is sincerely broken-hearted when Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy Bennet— that is, until she meets his charming and sympathetic American cousin...

Mr. Robert Darcy is as charming as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is proud, and he is stunned to find the beautiful Caroline weeping at his cousin's wedding. Such depth of love, he thinks, is rare and precious. For him, it's nearly love at first sight. But these British can be so haughty and off-putting. How can he let the young lady, who was understandably mortified to be discovered in such a vulnerable moment, know how much he feels for and sympathizes with her?

About the Author

As a literature professor, Monica Fairview enjoyed teaching students to love reading. But after years of postponing the urge, she finally realized what she really wanted was to write books herself. She lived in Illinois, Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Boston as a student and professor, and now lives in London.

To find out more, please visit http://www.monicafairview.co.uk/

~*~*~*~Here is how to win~*~*~*~
I have 1 copy of this The Other Mr. Darcy to giveaway thanks to Monica and the wonderful people at Soucrebooks.
Winners for this giveaway will be announced 10/28
US or Canadian addresses only, no P.O. Boxes, sorry guys.

* You MUST be a follower of Bloody Bad to enter.

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