I have a special treat for you today, my dear readers! It is always so exciting to get a peek at a new cover before everyone else and then get the chance to share it with the world! Before I unveil the gorgeous cover for Amy George’s latest book, Amy is here to introduce you all to The Sweetest Ruin. Please give her a warm welcome:
I am easily influenced.
As a young writer (a child), I spent a lot of time watching soap operas with my grandmother. My very first story was sort of a cross between “Guiding Light” and “The Boxcar Children.” As a teenager, there were copious amounts of New Kids on the Block fan fiction revolving around the Mary Sues of my best friend and I.
And then there was Jane.
She came into my life and let me fall in love with Darcy & Elizabeth. And I wrote. And wrote. And wrote.
I wrote a tropical paradise continuation inspired by the music of Jimmy Buffett. I wrote a role reversal story with Lizzy as the snob. I wrote a murder mystery that got me kicked off Drool (and here I am showing my age to some members of the fandom). When that happened, my fiercely protective previously mentioned best friend put in all the work and made me the figurehead of a little place called the Hyacinth Garden.
The Garden was always a writer’s community. That was the intent from the get-go. So since most of the writers in the community felt safe, a lot of us used it as a place to experiment. We held writing challenges. There were dribbles and themed competitions revolving around racy short stories we called Naughty Bits.
I loved and appreciated this supportive environment more than you will ever know. I did a lot of writing for the Garden.
Including this story.
The Sweetest Ruin was the story that my readers asked for. Apparently, they were convinced I could not write a tale that didn’t emotionally jerk them around. They wanted low angst and this is what I came up with. I would post each chapter and used the comments to guide the story. Those readers from the Hyacinth Garden did as much to write this story as I did or as my beloved editor, Debbie Styne, a former Garden Hoe herself, did.
I invite you to take a trip to Vegas with Darcy, Lizzy, and me. This story is proof positive that while what happens in Vegas may stay there, what happened in the Garden was meant to be shared.
We are scheduling this blog tour from January 29 – February 9, 2018. The book will be released this week.
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Meet Amy George:
“Amy George is a middle-aged woman who got rid of her old lady/grown up and has since purchased an unreasonably small car. She refuses to listen to its radio at a reasonable volume, especially when the Beastie Boys or the Violent Femmes are playing. She lives in a small town in the Midwest where the bookstore and yarn shop are neighbors and most food is fried. Her household consists of a dog, a man, a hermit, and stubborn soap scum.
She has been writing since she was a child and ran the Hyacinth Gardens, a popular but defunct JAFF site.”
Fun fact: My birthday is January 30th so this is like a big birthday party.
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Thanks, Amy! I am very excited to read this book, and I’m sure I’m not alone. I know all of you are ready to see the cover, but first, the book blurb:
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for:
Isn’t that a fantastic cover?!? It seems to fit the book perfectly. I just love the silhouette of our dear couple. I’m a huge fan of modern retellings, so I am anxiously awaiting the book’s release and the blog tour. Please show Amy some love for the cover in the comments! 🙂
I think this cover is precious! Best wishes on the new book Amy and can I just say I really wish HG was still around — it sounds fun!
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Thank you for the well wishes! I’ve been waxing nostalgic about the Garden for a few days, but that seems to happen close to the release of a book.
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Adorable cover and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens to ODC in the city that never sleeps. Thanks Anna for hosting and we wish our author Amy George much success in the launch.
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Thank you! I think this story is really fun and I think you’ll have a ball reading it!
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A very Las Vegasy cover I think. I really like it. I also really like the book blurb and will certainly be checking this out and adding it to my list. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
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I say cocktails and poker at your next book club meeting! I hope you like the book.
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Great cover! It promises quite a fun (and steamy?) story in the city that never sleeps. Love your bio too, Amy. HG was a wonderful site! Best of luck on the book. (I do love the title.)
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Oh, yes! Steamy enough you won’t see out your windows! I’m so glad you loved the Garden.
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I love this cover!!! It’s beautiful!!! Looking forward to read the book 🙂
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I love the cover, too. I think it’s as much fun as ODC in this book.
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This cover has it all!! A romantic mood, gorgeous typeset, and a cover that really makes you feel immersed in the story’s setting!!
Thank you so much for hosting this reveal, Anna. I hope your readers love this new book from Meryton Press!!
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This cover is a work of art, isn’t it? Ellen did an amazing job!
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Love the cover 🙂 Makes me wonder if there will be some hefty dancing…
Congratulations with your new release. I will be looking forward to it!
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I don’t know about dancing….but there is definitely some….athleticism. 🙂
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Cute cover! Best wishes with your new release and Happy Birthday!
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Thank you! I could not have asked for a better birthday present than this warm reception.
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Great cover reveal, Anna! Amy, I loved reading your intro and learning more about you. Enjoyable! The cover is captivating and I love it. The flags and landmarks for two countries are a special touch that caught my eye immediately. The back cover is awesome too and is perfect for Vegas. Congratulations! The book sounds fun and I wish you much success with this release.
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Thank you, Janet. I think this book is a lot of fun. Ellen managed to capture exactly what I wanted with this gorgeous cover. Wonder how much she’d charge for a print? 🙂
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That depends on the size of the print–LOL!
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Oh,my! Whet an exquisite cover! I just love the silhouette of the couple,with both the U.S. and U.K. in the background.
Think the dice with the hearts is a lovely touch as surely falling in love is the ultimate gamble! 😉
Best of luck with your new book,Amy!
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Aren’t the dice a charming touch? I love that you came up with them being a symbol of the ultimate gamble! (Can I steal that from you?)
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Ooooooooo, AWESOME cover, both front and back!! And the book blurb has me eager to read what’s in between! Congrats on releasing a new book, Amy, and best wishes for its success! Thanks for sharing this, Anna!
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You must allow me to tell you how much I hope you like the pages between these lovely covers!
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Looks great! Was this published online previously–because it sounds familiar–and I think I loved it. Regardless, anything by Amy is a SURE BET! Automatic download for me.
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Yes, it was! Good memory! I couldn’t even be bothered to change the title.
And automatic download? I’m honored. ❤
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I do like the cover for your newest book. I do not believe there have been many covers that show Darcy carrying Elizabeth, but it has been inferred tbrough storylines. Congratulations!
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Thank you for the interesting observation. 🙂
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What a fun and beautiful cover! Marquee sign for Vegas, Big Ben for London and both flags plus a lovely silhouette for Darcy and Elizabeth. Who can’t love the dice either! The premise certainly sounds intriguing. Looking forward to reading this one and following the blog tour!!! Congratulations Amy!
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Blog tours always make me a little nervous. Let me know how I did at the end of this one, okay, Carole? 🙂 ❤
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I agree , your cover and excerpt are both intriguing. Good luck on your book tour and have a great birthday.
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I just barely missed HG–I started in JAFF in 2009. But I’ve loved all your posted stories in the Meryton Reading Room, every single one of them. This cover is snappy! Excellent job to the designer.
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That designer would be the incomparable Ellen Pickles! Give that woman a medal!
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Good luck with your book Amy. It sounds fantastic!
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Thank you, Angela!
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Love the cover reveal! Can’t wait to read this modern retelling and see what kind of mischief happens to ODC! Congrats on your new release!
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I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
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Oh la la!!! Looking forward to seeing this in print!
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What a fantastic cover! Amy’s new book sounds fascinating and though I’ve only had a brief visit to Vegas, it’ll be interesting so read a JAFF book set there. As a Brit, it seemed like an almost alien environment to me. Never been anywhere like it in my life before or since.
Sadly, I never got a chance to visit Hyacinth Garden as although I’ve been a Janeite for 50 years, I only discovered this wonderful community four years ago.
Good luck with the launch and I dare say you’ll see me around on the tour!
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I love modern retellings…this sounds like a fantastic one.
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Just finished it last night. It was a lot of fun!
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[…] the blog tour for her latest Pride and Prejudice variation, The Sweetest Ruin. After hosting the cover reveal, I was dying to read the book, so I bought it on release day and savored it over the course of a […]
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