I am beyond excited to be hosting the cover reveal today for J.L. Ashton’s upcoming release from Meryton Press, Mendacity & Mourning. Before I reveal the absolutely gorgeous cover, designed by Zorylee Diaz-Lupitou, please give a warm welcome to J.L. Ashton:
As words mean so much, I have to say I am especially glad to have the cover reveal for Mendacity & Mourning here at Diary of an Eccentric (aka Writings of an Eccentric Bookworm).
It is the perfect place for the clever cover designed by the ever-talented Zorylee Diaz-Lupitou. Not only does it pay tribute to the peacock on the first editions of Pride & Prejudice, but it hints at the humor in my romantic comedy with its eccentric allusions to the unconventional people and fulsomely odd relations who surround Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy and complicate and misdirect their romance.
The Fitzwilliams fret and spout fruity metaphors, while Kitty Bennet forms an unusual adoration of “the highly fashionable” Miss Bingley. Vain men strut about as gossipy peacocks, sporting beauty marks or spouting platitudes, and the Colonel is a flirty, mustachioed foil to it all.
“Never once had Darcy given honest consideration to marrying his cousin. He had cared for Anne as he might have cared for a piece of fruit. She had been enjoyable when in season, but when her temperament turned dark and surly—as it so often had—Anne had a sour bite to her personality. The apple did not fall far from the tree, his uncle Lord Matlock would grumble.
Occasionally, Darcy wondered whether his family’s reliance on fruit metaphors for ill-behaved relatives did not mask some deep-seated resentment of the French vineyards the D’Arcys had abandoned some three centuries earlier. Years ago, when he had mentioned this supposition to Richard, all he had provoked in response was a raised eyebrow and a reminder that no Fitzwilliam had any envy of the frog-tainted D’Arcy blood. “Just our gold and our art collections…” a thirteen-year-old Darcy had mumbled under his breath, but he had refrained from ever repeating it aloud after Richard bloodied his nose.”
I adore the back cover—all subtlety and yet outrageously odd. The cover captures the absolute sense of shock and dumbstruck horror that befalls all who stroll the rooms and halls of the new and improved Rosings. Art may be in the eye of the beholder, but few Bennets, Darcys or Fitzwilliams will look comfortably upon the walls of Lady Catherine’s home. And of course, Mr. Collins has an opinion to share as well….
I hope everyone will enjoy Zuki’s artwork as much as I do, and read Mendacity & Mourning to see how it all ties together. Thanks so much to Anna for hosting me! You are so kind!
It’s truly my pleasure, Jan! Thank you so much for being my guest today!
Now I know you are all anxiously awaiting the reveal, so it is my pleasure to introduce Mendacity & Mourning by J.L. Ashton:
Isn’t that a stunning cover?! I’d been dying to read the book already, but now I am even more eager to delve in.
To get you even more excited, here’s the book blurb and back cover:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gossip in possession of misheard tales and desirous of both a good wife and an eager audience need only descend upon the sitting rooms of a small country town in order to find satisfaction. And with a push from Lady Catherine, Mr. Collins sets alight a series of misunderstandings, rumours, and lies that create obstacles to a romance between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
This slightly unhinged romantic comedy follows Darcy as he sets off to find himself a wife and instead finds himself pulled into the mire of his aunt’s machinations and his own fascination with Elizabeth, whom he believes betrothed to another. As Meryton judges him the grieving groom of Anne de Bourgh and a caddish dallier with the hearts of others, Darcy must ferret out the truth behind his cousin’s disappearance, protect his sister from the fretful fate of all Fitzwilliam females, and, most importantly, win Elizabeth’s heart.
The ebook of Mendacity & Mourning should be available around June 9-10, with the paperback to follow a couple of weeks later. Join me and some other wonderful bloggers for the Mendacity & Mourning blog tour, which runs from June 19-July 3.
In the meantime, I encourage you to check out Jan’s modern Pride and Prejudice variation, A Searing Acquaintance (check out my review here), and connect with her via Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Blog.
I love the cover! I am looking forward to revisiting this story. Congrats!
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Thanks so much, Michelle!
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So worth the wait!! I love it Jan. The absolute best bit is the subtle, enquiring angle of our lovely, baffled couple’s heads as they peer at that picture on the back cover. So funny! Wonderful main man on the front, love the peacocks and tiger… all in all a really great cover. Congrats to you and Zuki!
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Just realised it might not be ODC on the back. No matter – I still love the tilt of their heads!!
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If you saw their faces, they’d be squinting too. So glad to see you here, my friend! Excited for your book too!
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I do love this cover (both sides) and the story hints so thanks Jan. I have A Searing Acquaintance and really enjoyed it so look forward to this one.
Thanks for the reveal Anna.
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Zorylee did such a great job capturing the “hints” and Anna is so kind to help show it off!
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Lovely cover. I enjoyed A Searing Acquaintances and I am sure I will read this one. Thanks for sharing.
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Other than D&E falling in love, it couldn’t be more different from ASA. Hope you’ll enjoy it, Sheila.
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Thank you so much, Anna, for hosting the M&M unveiling, and for sharing such kind words! It’s a fun, quirky romance, and I’m thrilled to have it published.
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My pleasure! 🙂
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Loved the cover and that back was awesome. I wonder if that is a portrait of Lady C in her younger days? It would be like her to exploit her beauty in such a way. Perhaps it was a gift to Sir Louis… just a thought. I look forward to reading this. It sounds like a misunderstanding from beginning to end and only a determined D&E will straighten it out. Blessing on the book launch and blog tour. We’ll see you on other stops along the way, so hang on and enjoy the ride.
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A De Bourgh-style depiction, indeed! LOL. Glad you like it, and thanks for the good wishes! See you on the tour!
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The cover is great, front and back and I love a comedy. Best Wishes with the publication.
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Thanks so much, Jen!
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Great cover and blurb. Congratulations on the book release. 🙂
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I toil endlessly over blurbs, so thanks for saying that!
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Congratulations on your new book, Jan! Here’s wishing you great success.
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Jan, you are so kind! Your wonderful stories are among those that pulled me into JAFF and kickstarted my own imagination!
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Jan, congratulation on your new book! Wonderful cover (like all Zuki’s artworks 🙂 ).
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Thanks, Lory! So lucky to have Zuki to interpret my stories into artwork–especially this fairly quirky tale.
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I can tell Zory’s gorgeous work anywhere–another amazing cover! Can’t wait to read.
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The telltale genius of Zorylee! Working with her and Gail is a dream! Thanks, Christina!
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Thanks for such a great cover reveal, Anna. I appreciate you!
Congratulations, Jan on your new release and Zorylee on this intriguing cover! it has definitely piqued my curiosity!
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I’m so happy to have had my reveal here with Anna. She was kind enough to show off both front and back covers, and I love them both. Thanks, Janet!
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Looks beautiful! Can’t wait to read the book, congratulations Jan!!
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Thanks, Amy! So glad you like it too!
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It’s stunning! Love Darcy’s hair!! 😉 Congrats on the lovely cover reveal ladies! Can’t wait to learn more!
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Tousled hair is rather sexy on Darcy, isn’t it? His life is pretty messy too in the book. 😉 Thanks, Meredith!
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It’s a beautiful cover – the lady on the back bears a slight resemblance to Anne Bancroft’s Mrs. Robinson, which makes me giggle, especially if it’s Lady C 😀 Congratulations to Zorylee, and to Jan!
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Goodness, I knew she reminded me of someone! Mrs. Robinson! Hahaha! But not Lady C!
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Oh my gosh, it does rather look like Mrs Robinson…what a wonderful inside joke for the painter involved. Thanks for stopping by, Karen, and for your retweets!
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As usual, Zorylee’s back cover is better than many front covers, and both tell the story so well. I read this at AHA and it’s dark humour and unique story line made it a fave that I have to read again now that it’s been touched by the clever hand of Gail Warner. I adore the peacock and the nod the the Menagerie at Exeter ‘Change with the tiger at the bottom. Great work, Zorylee! Looking forward to the release, Jan. Thanks for hosting this, Anna.
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Thanks, Suzan! You were an M&M super fan at AHA, and I appreciate all the support. 🙂
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The fact that Darcy and Lizzy are both stumped,heads turned to the side, robbed of the power of speech is hilarious!!
What they must be thinking is anyone’s guess!!! Not to mind the identity of the lady in the picture!! Oh! To be a fly on the wall able to eavesdrop on the conversation immediately before and after this ‘exhibition’!!!!
Looking forward to reading this book!
Wishing J.L.Ashton the very best of luck with this!!!
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Zorylee’s picture within a picture is priceless. And pricelessly funny, right? I hope you’ll laugh at the story as well, Mary! Thanks.
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Lovely cover, and pictures! Elegant, yet fun!
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Thanks, Suko! I hope you’ll enjoy the book!
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Gorgeous is right! Fabulous cover and I laughed out loud at the back cover! I can well imagine Lady Catherine’s vanity in her younger days! I am so excited and thrilled that Ms. Ashton has written another novel for us to enjoy! I loved ‘A Searing Acquaintance’! Congratulations to all!
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Oh, you are so sweet. Thank you, Carole! M&M is pretty different from my first book but D&E are always at the heart of the story. There’s just more jokes and regency manners in this one! 😉
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Another wonderful cover by Zorylee – she is a treasure! And if you haven’t yet read M&M, you are in for a treat!
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Thanks so much for everything, Gail. You are a treasure too, an amazing editor and wonderfully fun friend.
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That is a gorgeous cover and I love the whimsy of the tear. The story sounds like a hoot. 🙂
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I love the cover, and I think the whole package sums up the whimsy and silliness of much of the story. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
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Love the cover. And, love when there is comedy in the tales of D&E. I look forward to the release of the book.
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Try as I might, it’s very hard for me to write a D&E without humor and flirty banter. But I gave the Colonel all the best lines, I think…;)
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Ok, this cover has me wondering what is with the tiger and the peacock!
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The answers are buried within the book…lots of odd little metaphors for our characters. Hope you’ll enjoy them. Thanks for stopping by!
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What an intriguing cover. Whatever the hints Zorylee has picked up on, it’s made for some stunning images. The blurb is also eye-catching and you had me at “unhinged romantic comedy”. Looking forward to following the upcoming blog tour.
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Oh please jump on board the blog tour! I’m busy writing vignettes and character interviews for it–all of them fairly unhinged as well! (And yes, isn’t the cover wonderful? I’m so lucky to work with Zorylee.)
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This is the first I have read what this book is about. It sounds great. Looking forward to more posts.
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Thanks, Patty! I’ll unveil the blog tour schedule tomorrow–full of fun extras. And I get to return here, to visit with Anna again as well!
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Great cover!! And the back cover is so funny! I love your stories and this is going straight to my wish list
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You are so sweet! Nice to see you here, and I hope you’ll follow the blog tour and enjoy the book. Ellen Pickels has done a beautiful page layout.
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What an exquisite cover! I love the torn effect, it’s so beautifully done and it carries a wealth of meaning, while the excerpt on the back is delightfully intriguing. Thanks for the lovely post, Anna, best wishes for the release of your book, Jan and congrats to Zorylee Diaz-Lupitou for the gorgeous artwork!
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Thanks so much for your kind words, Joana. The book looks gorgeous, and I hope you find the story just as intriguing and fun as the artwork implies. I’m so happy Anna unveiled M&M here!
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Thank you all for taking time to check out the cover reveal! I hope you’ll stop back on July 3 for my review of the book.
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