www.marilynbrant.com

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Seven Years...and a Time for Change

Coming Summer 2014! Design by E.M. Tippetts
(http://www.emtippetts.com)
It's nearly impossible for me to believe that seven years (to the day!) has gone by since I began this blog. I remember exactly when and why I started it: I'd gotten the very exciting call two weeks prior that I was a 2007 RWA Golden Heart finalist for According to Jane and, with that, the thrilling launch of my online professional life, along with my very first author website ;).

A lot has happened in the years since. I won that Golden Heart award, sold several novels (eventually!) to a traditional New York publisher, indie published several others, hit the USA Today bestseller list and the #1 spot on both the Amazon and the B&N Top 100 lists...and, best of all, made some WONDERFUL friends in the writing world, online and off. I'm incredibly grateful to you all.

Many more professional publishing-related tasks have been added to my workday in the past few years, though, and not much has been taken away, so I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone who's been a regular visitor to Brant Flakes that I'm not blogging with the frequency that I used to. Most of my readers and fellow writers have told me that if I needed to make a choice between writing blog posts and writing novels...that I should choose the novels. And so I shall.

However, while there will be longer periods between posts, I'm not completely closing down this site. The archives have seven years worth of fun conversations, book info, guest visits, recipes and hot guy pics, after all! And I still intend to pop back on this page occasionally -- to share a new book cover or a release date or a piece of particularly exciting news -- but, for the most part, you'll probably find me more often on Facebook, where I'll post the majority of my updates (I hope you'll join me there -- if we're not FB friends already, please send me a request!) and on Austen Variations (their FB page & the blog), too. Less frequently, I'll be on Twitter, Goodreads, Magical Musings and the Girlfriends Book Club. And, of course, there will always be updates/events/release info on my website.

In that spirit, I'll share the first of these updates here with the latest book news -- the official cover reveal for PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT BET -- coming out this summer!! What do you think?!

This is Bingley McNamara and Jane Henderson's love story, the cousin and the best friend respectively of Dr. Will Darcy and Beth Ann Bennet from Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match. Jane is a school psychologist and a woman who wears an angelic mask, but she's not as sweet tempered as she'd like the world to believe. At Beth and Will's wedding, Jane crosses paths with the one person who unnerves her enough to get her to reveal her true self. As for Bingley, he's a wealthy, flirtatious, compulsively social guru of finance, who likes to wager on stocks and on just about anything that strikes his fancy. But this dedicated ladies' man may have just met the woman to finally challenge his bachelor ways...

I'm so excited about this story and can't wait to share it with you all soon!!

7 comments:

Pamala Knight said...

Oh Marilyn! I'll always be listening for any update you decide to post her on your wonderful blog. I know how you feel though--life gets in the way of posting and updating, right?

On to more exciting things, that cover is awesome! I'm sure that Pride Prejudice and the Perfect Bet will be as excellent as your other books.

Wishing you all good things my friend, mwah!

Robin Bielman said...

Oh, I LOVE your cover, Marilyn!! And the title. And the blurb. I pretty much can't wait to read it!

I hear you on the blogging. I've never been super good at posting on mine, but I feel like even a post once in a while is okay because it keeps me connected with others. All two of my loyal followers. LOL

Happy writing my friend! *hugs!*

Marilyn said...

Pamala - thank you! Wishing you tons of good things as well and hoping we'll get to catch up in person at Spring Fling! I miss seeing you ;).

Robin - Thanks so much! I'm very excited about your new release next week (yay --soon!!) and about all the fabulous things ahead for you this summer!

Much love to you both. I'm so lucky to have you two in my life. X O

Caryn Caldwell said...

I'm so sorry to hear that you won't be blogging regularly, because even if I don't always comment, I do still enjoy your posts very much. That said, you need to spend your limited time the way that works for you, and in the long run I think your audience would rather have more books from you than more blog posts. I still hope to see you around on Twitter, Facebook, etc., though! Good luck to you, and happy book writing!

Marilyn Brant said...

Caryn, thanks for being one of my blog friends from the very beginning! I always appreciated your comments and enjoyed our online conversations ;). You will definitely still be seeing me around -- I love reading updates of yours and finding out what's happening with you and your beautiful little girl!

Candy @ So little time... said...

Love the cover!! I'm looking forward to reading it!

I totally understand about slowing down on posting on your blog. I'm doing the same thing right now...at least with reviewing. Life is getting in the way. And I definitely would love to read more stories from you!! I know we'll keep in touch through other medias. :)

Hugs!

Marilyn Brant said...

Thanks, Candy!!
I can only imagine how busy it must be for you with all the reading that goes with the reviewing! Don't blame you at all for needing to slow down a bit, too ;).
*Hugs!*