I’m thrilled to welcome Karen M Cox back to Diary of an Eccentric today to celebrate the re-release of her Persuasion-inspired novel, Find Wonder in All Things. Karen is here today to share her inspiration for the book. Please give her a warm welcome!
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Music as Inspiration for Find Wonder in All Things
Thank you, Anna, for welcoming me back to Diary of an Eccentric for the penultimate stop on the Find Wonder in All Things re-release tour.
From the first time I read it years ago, I have loved Persuasion. In many ways, I think it is Austen’s deepest, most elegant novel. But I always seemed to me that Miss Austen started that story in the middle, not at the beginning. I found myself wondering, what did a brash, headstrong, young man like Wentworth see in a young Anne Elliot? What made him come back to Somerset after eight long years? And what happened to him during that time they spent apart?
In October 2010, I had decided I wanted to write a modern variation of Persuasion—but how to begin?
I was sitting in my kitchen, trying to conjure up a modern-day Anne Elliot, and she began to appear out of the mists of my mind’s eye—tall, slender, reserved, and sporting a headful of striking red hair! I asked her name, and she looked down at the ground, embarrassed, and said, “Laurel. Mountain Laurel, actually. My dad named me after a wildflower.”
“Really?” I said. “I can just imagine what he’s like.” And I was off.
Because my hero, James Marshall, was a musician, music was an integral part of writing Find Wonder in All Things. I made myself this playlist of various genres of music for inspiration. They roughly correspond to the chapters in the book.
For fans of Spotify:
For fans of YouTube (this playlists has some great covers and live music)
I was trying to get inside James’s head a bit—somewhere around chapter nine—so I sat down at the piano (which I play “a little and very ill” – ha) and noodled out the Mountain Laurel Theme you hear in the video below.
Enjoy!
Do you all make soundtracks in your head while you’re reading? Do certain songs remind you of books or characters?
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About Find Wonder in All Things
“There could have never been two hearts so open… Now they were as strangers”
—Persuasion
Mountain Laurel Elliot is like her name—she blooms best in the cool comfort of shade, hidden in the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia. Alone on her mountain, she lives a private existence with only her pottery—and her regrets—for company.
James Marshall had a secret dream and Laurel was part of it, but dreams sometimes lead to unexpected places. James’s heart broke when Laurel cut him loose, but he moved on—and became successful beyond his wildest dreams.
For one glorious summer, James and Laurel had each other, but life has kept them far apart.
Until now.
“A magnificent modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.” -Austenesque Reviews
Winner of the Independent Book Publisher’s Award 2012: Gold Medal in Romance and
Next Generation Indie Finalist in Romance 2013
Buy on Amazon (also currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
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About the Author
Karen M Cox is an award-winning author of five novels accented with history and romance, a novella, and several short stories.
Karen was born in Everett WA, the daughter of a United States Air Force Officer. She had a nomadic childhood, with stints in North Dakota, Tennessee, and New York State before settling in her family’s home state of Kentucky at age eleven. She lives in a quiet town with her husband and works as a pediatric speech pathologist.
If you would like periodic bits of authorly goodness delivered to your inbox, be sure to get Karen’s News and Muse Letter. Updates, sales, book recommendations, etc. are yours for the asking.
Follow Karen: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest
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Giveaway
To celebrate the second edition of Find Wonder in All Things, Karen is giving away a signed copy of the book and some Jane Austen swag: fun notecards from The Quill Ink, What Would Jane Do? book of quotes, and Austen coffee mug (if US winner) or an ebook copy of the book and 25$ Amazon Gift Card (if International Winner – cause #shipping 🙂
Each comment left on a blog tour post will serve as an entry.
Winner will be chosen by 11:59 pm EDT on 2.6.20 and announced on Karen’s website and social media (Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram). Good Luck!
Thank you for being my guest today, Karen!
I adored this story the first time I read it years ago and even more now with your fine tuning and amendments of the original. Further, I can’t believe you “noodled out” that music. You are multi-talented! As Caroline Bingley would have to admit “quite accomplished”! Best wishes on the re-release. The additions, like the discussion questions, made a favorite of mine even better!
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Thanks for stopping by, Christina! Somehow, though, I don’t think Caroline Bingley would be too impressed! 😀
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This sounds fantastic! Congratulations!
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Thanks, Anngela!
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Wow, this sounds fantastic. I love playlists for books and some of these songs are my favorites. I also adore Persuasion after reading it….this sounds like a great complement to Austen’s work.
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I love playlists too. I have them for each of my books. As I make them, it sends me back into the story and actually helps me with writing and editing.
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I love your idea of Music for Inspiration since I use music in almost all of my stories. I haven’t read this book yet and will check it out. Thanks. ♫
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Music and stories just go together, don’t they? Thanks for your comment, Jennifer!
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A beautiful and very creative idea which would be enjoyed by all and memorable. Thanks for your lovely feature and giveaway which is delightful and special.
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I appreciate you stopping in, April 🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
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Sounds like a wonderful modern retelling! I love the Appalachia mountain setting. Sometimes I associate music with books or characters, though I certainly am not musical at all! Congrats on the release! ~Reina
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Thanks! Yes, the setting is almost like another character in this book. It’s very near where I spent my teenage years, and Find Wonder in All Things is a bit of an homage to that area.
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This is unique and wonderful. Music adds to the enjoyment and is a special component. Thanks.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the playlist, Ruth. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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Yes, I always felt like PERSUASION began in the middle too.
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I would have loved reading about young Anne and young Wentworth!
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I love Persuasion. I also liked the music choices, especially her theme song. Congratulations, that was beautiful. Both of these books are on my wish list. Thanks to Anna for hosting and thanks to our author, Karen, for the generous giveaway. Good Luck to everyone in the drawing. Blessings on the success of these books.
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Thanks! I’m so glad you stopped in 🙂
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I love playlists and there are certain songs that always remind me of certain characters.
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I’m that way too. For example, “It Had to Be You” always reminds me of Mr. Knightley thinking of Emma Woodhouse; and “Paralyzer” reminds me of Mr. Darcy at the Meryton Assembly. 😀
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This neat!! Love these songs tied to the chapters. Only read very few Persuasion stories, so eager to know how their love story goes.
Thank you for this post and the giveaway
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Congratulations on this re-release. I have enjoyed your other modernizations and agree that Persuasion does start in the middle. Thank you for the giveaway.
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You are super talented, Karen. I enjoyed listening to your composed theme song for Laurel. I am eager to read her story and how she found love again. Thank you for the giveaway.
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This sounds so lovely. I am a huge fan of music and fiction. Thank you for this generous giveaway. 🙂
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