Jane's Reign: Winners!

Hello, friends!

We have spent the day poring over contest entries and we are pleased to announce our winners! 

Winners, please email us your physical addresses at ladyjanies@gmail.com so we can get your prizes out to you as soon as possible!

Day 1, for the Spread the Word Contest: Isabelle Coyne

Day 2, for The Princess Bride trivia: Sydney Clogston

Day 3, for the Poisoned Pie contest: Chelsea Ruiz

We laughed so hard when we saw this one.

Day 4, for the Best British Accent contest: Leila Rheaume

Day 5, for the Jane's Library contest: Alice Lionel

Day 6, for the Photoshop contest: Jacinda Starr

Day 7, for the Cary Elwes contest: Kimberly V

Day 8, for the You As Queen contest: Grace

Day 9, for the Hat Tips contest: Katelyn

Jane's Reign: Day Nine

Day Nine! Today is the last day Jane's reign before our favorite queen is deposed! Don't forget that you can still enter all of our contests for our array of fun prize packs until midnight tonight. The winners will be announced tomorrow. Good luck!

Today's post is about hat tips. One of the things we had the most fun with while writing MY LADY JANE was finding places to tip our hats to our favorite movies and books. MLJ is loaded with Easter eggs. Some of them are pretty overt, (inconceivable!) and some are pretty sneaky.

Here's a list of some of the books and movies we paid tribute to in MLJ:

The Princess Bride. Obviously.
Monty Python. Because nobody expects the Monty Python.
Tangled. Who knew?
Game of Thrones. Because we too have games and thrones in our book.
Ever After. One of the best rebelling a of Cinderella ever, with the worst English accents.
Star Wars. Because all good fantasies of whatever genre owe something to Star Wars.
Shakespeare (there are actually over 50 Shakespeare quotes in MLJ, for. . . .reasons.)

And so many more!

So here's today's contest: find as many hat tips as you can in MY LADY JANE and email us a list--with the line and the page number, preferably. You'll already have an advantage in this contest if you've done our Princess Bride search. Happy hunting!

The Prize:

The biggest prize of all! The Lady Janies are currently writing our next Jane book (but, er, we can't tall you much about it yet. But it is so funny, and we're having the best time writing it!) So the prize for this contest is YOUR NAME (in some form) IN OUR NEXT BOOK. Basically, you'll get a character named after you!

Tune in tomorrow for our list of winners!

Jane's Reign: Day Three!

Yesterday's Princess Bride liveTweet was so fun!!!!  Please remember, even if you missed watching with us, you can still enter our Princess Bride contest (or ANY of our contests/giveaways this week) until July 17. All the winners will be announced on the 18th.

In today's celebratory post, we're going to talk about . . . PIE.

Mmmmmm pie.

One of the funny bits that we do in MY LADY JANE has to do with Edward's obsession with blackberries. He loves all things blackberry: blackberry pie, blackberry pudding, blackberry cobbler. He loves blackberries so much, it almost might be considered unhealthy.

It IS unhealthy, because come to find out, Edward's blackberries are being poisoned.

Doh. Spoiler alert.

(Fun fact: in an early draft of MY LADY JANE, we didn't use the word "England." Instead, we said "Schmengland," as a way of emphasizing that we were talking about an alternate history. In that version, the thing that Edward loved to eat most in the world was "schmengelberries," which made us giggle every time we read it. Check out page 11 and substitute blackberries with "schmengelberries," and we dare you not to smile. Our agents thought the whole Schmengland / schmengelberries thing was too silly, and so we changed it. But we miss schmengelberries.)

Anyway. Today we're going to give you our recipe for Edward's Poisoned Blackberry Pie. It's a dish, we find, best served cold. So here goes:

Edward's Poisoned Blackberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie crust (I often use graham cracker crust for this, but regular crust will do)
*Also note that this recipe will make small small pies or one large one, so keep that in mind

The filling:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1teaspoon of the poison of your choice (or, er, vanilla)
1 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup flour
3 cups blackberries (or raspberries or SCHMENGELBERRIES, ha!)

The topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or almond, which is really good too)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg into light and bouncy and lemon colored, Whisk in sour cream and poison / vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, mis sugar, flour and salt together. stir in the egg mixture. Gently fold in the berries.

4. Pour into the pie crust.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the center begins to set.

6. While it's baking, mix your topping. Combine the sugar, flour, and nuts, and then cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

7. When the pie is done baking, take it out and sprinkle it with topping. Then return it to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, or until the topping is a nice golden brown.

8. Allow to cool totally. In fact this pie is best cold--it has a kind of custard filling, which just isn't as good warm or room temperature. Cool it and then chill it.

9. Top with a big dollop of whipped cream.

10. Die a painful death. It IS poisoned, after all.

Cynthia and a poisoned pie, shortly before her untimely demise.

The Contest

Now here comes the contest part, send us YOUR best poison and/or berry-related recipe. (We'll cook some of these up when we're on our next writing retreat! We can't wait!)   email it to us at ladyjanies@gmail.com under the subject line POISONED PIE CONTEST. The person who sends the one that sounds the tastiest to us will win a cooking-related MY LADY JANE prize pack. The winner will be announced on July 18.

What are you waiting for! Let's get cooking!

Jane's Reign: Day Two!

It's a very exciting day! Today the Lady Janies are going to sit down together (well, not together, since we all live in different towns) but AT THE SAME TIME and watch one of our all time favorite movies:

Anybody want a peanut?

We love this film so very much, and it was a source of major inspiration for us while we were writing MY LADY JANE. In fact, if you look hard enough, you'll find little nods to THE PRINCESS BRIDE all over MLJ.

So today we're going to celebrate all the silliness and hot hot Cary Elwes and fantasy that makes you laugh and watch this movie together. Please, please join us at :

12PM PACIFIC TIME

You can livestream the movie at Netflix (click here), Amazon Prime (click here), or just watch your own copy. Please follow our twitter accts (@cynthiahand, @brodiashton, @jodimeadows) and see our comments and make your own at #princessbridelivetweet

When the movie is over, check back here for a list of questions you'll be able to answer only if you've seen the movie. Email us your answers, and you'll be entered to win a hilarious Princess Bride  / MY LADY JANE prize package. Winners will be announced on the Jane's Reign Prize Day, July 18.

And don't forget to come back here throughout the week for a new fun event and giveaway every single day of Jane's Reign.

See you soon over at Twitter! And have fun storming the castle!

QUESTIONS (after watching the film). 

**Send your answers to ladyjanies@gmail.com**

 The most correct answers will be in the running to win a prize pack:

1. What is the real meaning of "As you wish?"

2. "What do Vizzini and Co claim to be when they meet Buttercup?"

3. How many times is the word "Inconceivable" used in the movie?

4. Who is the six fingered man?

5. Whose cup does Westley put the poison into?

6. How many times in the movie do Buttercup and Westley kiss?

7. How many ships does Humperdinck say he'll send to find Westley?

8. How many years does Humperdinck put on the machine to kill Westley?

9. How much money does Inigo offer Miracle Max to revive Westley?

10. Why does Westley say Buttercup and Humperdinck aren't married?

Bonus points:

We will give you an extra point for each time we quoted or tipped our hats to THE PRINCESS BRIDE in MY LADY JANE. (There are a bunch!) Name the page and the paragraph.


Thanks for watching with us! We had a blast. Tomorrow: Cynthia takes us through how to make her POISON Blackberry pie, along with a recipe / cooking contest.

Jane's Reign: Day One

Hello!

Today is the first day of Jane's reign as queen and oh do we have fun things for you!

As we said before, we're celebrating every day of Jane's reign with giveaways and exclusive content. So, let's get right to it!

First off, giveaway! Spread the word about Jane's Reign and get a chance for some amazing MY LADY JANE swag!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tune in tomorrow at 12pm Pacific Time for a liveTweet viewing by all three Janies (and whoever would like to join us) of a movie that was one of our biggest inspirations in writing our book: THE PRINCESS BRIDE. You can watch it on Netflix or AmazonPrime. Answer a few of our questions correctly and you might win a hilarious Princess-Bride-related prize.

And now, finally, click the jump for A DELETED SCENE from My LADY JANE that's never been shown anywhere else.
***WARNING: contains spoilers for the end of MY LADY JANE.

Young Adult Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in our team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! We are part of the TEAL TEAM--

but there are also teams of many different colors for chances to win whole different sets of twenty signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage. 

Scavenger Hunt Puzzle

Directions: Below, you'll notice that we've listed our favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the teal team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by April 3, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Scavenger Hunt Post

Today, we are hosting Wendy Higgins for the YA Scavenger Hunt! We are super thrilled about this because we are HUGE fans of Wendy's work! (Cynthia's personal favorite is her book about--wait for it--hot leprechauns, SEE ME. But seriously, that book is AH-MAZING! We can't wait to read her newest, THE GREAT HUNT!)

Here's some information about Wendy:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the SWEET EVIL series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology THE GREAT HUNT, and her independently published Irish Fantasy SEE ME.

After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer. She now lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her family.

Find out more information by checking out Wendy's website!

Check out Wendy's books here!

And here's a peek at the gorgeous cover of her new book: *drools*

Wendy Higgins reimagines a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with The Great Hunt, a dramatic, romance-filled fantasy with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

When a monstrous beast attacks in Eurona, desperate measures must be taken. The king sends a proclamation to the best and bravest hunters: whoever kills the creature will win the hand of his daughter Princess Aerity as a reward. The princess recognizes her duty but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger—she was meant to marry for love—until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. And while there’s no denying the fiery chemistry between them, Princess Aerity feels that Paxton’s mysteriousness is foreboding, maybe even dangerous.

Exclusive Content -

Here's the exclusive content that Wendy sent over just for you:

An Abridged Version of Chapter One with Pictures from the Vantage Point of the Great Beast

Wendy Higgins lives on the eastern shore of Virginia, on a peninsula nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The forests and waterways of the eastern shore provided much inspiration for her newest book, The Great Hunt. Wendy has pieced together bits from the first chapter and combined them with pictures she took herself. This is how she imagined the beast’s slow approach of Wyneth and Breckon as they shared a seemingly private intimate moment on the royal docks.

A late summer breeze blew warm over the deep and wide Lanach Creek.

Moonlight caught the shock of Wyneth’s red-orange curls as she let her fiancé, Breckon, lay her back on the end of the dock.

Another breeze crested down the creek from the nearby sea, but the couple’s combined heat warded them against it.

She pulled his face to hers again, feeling brazen and greedy for his soft lips. She hated when he left for the sea; it always filled her with a pang of worry and longing. Wyneth urged Breckon closer.

A rustle sounded from the nearby dark woods. The couple stilled, listening.

The noise came again like a crackle of dead leaves and brush. Definite movement. In a rush, they sat up.

“Do you think someone’s spying?” Wyneth whispered.

“No.” Breckon shook his head, a lock of hair falling across his worried brow. “It’s most likely a deer.” But to Wyneth’s ear, he didn’t sound so sure.

Another abrasive rustle rom the trees caused them to break away again. They both stood.

In the darkness, a large shadow moved within the mossy trees as they swayed. Wyneth grabbed Breckon’s arm, and he stared intently into the trees. His dagger, which she hadn’t seen him unsheathe, glinted in the moonlight.

“Who’s there?” Breckon called. “Show yourself!”

The trees stilled. Even the bugs and frogs stopped their chatter. It was too quiet. Wyneth’s heartbeat quickened.

Just as Breckon was about to sheathe his dagger, a deep snort sounded from the trees.

“Stay here,” Breckon ordered. “I’m going to scare it off.”

“No!” She grabbed for his hand and he kissed her forehead, gently prying himself away.

Before he could take two steps from her, the dark shadow in the trees resolved itself into a gigantic creature on the sandy walkway.

It was taller than any man, standing on its hind legs. Wyneth questioned her own sanity as she stared in disbelief. Its body was massive, the size of a bear, with wiry hair like nothing she’d ever seen. Its face was as ugly as a boar’s. Tusks curled up around a dripping snout, sharp teeth shining.

The long length of the dock separated them from the thing, but it was not far enough for her. Not nearly far enough.

The great beast let out a roar, forcing a startled scream from Wyneth. Breckon bit out a curse. The thing charged down the dock; she felt the heaviness shake the wood beneath her feet with each landing.

Breckon had no plans to run from the beast. He grasped Wyneth’s waist and push her backward with all his might. She felt herself flying through the air off the dock, all breath leaving her lungs as her body submerged with a crash into the cold water.

When her wet face hit the air and she gasped for breath, it only took a moment for her to turn toward the growling sounds and see the monster reach for Breckon, towering over him.

Skies above! “Breck!”

“Swim!” He angled himself to avoid the beast’s mouth. “Get help!”

Wyneth snapped from her fear-induced stupor and the instinct of flight kicked in. She couldn’t fight this thing with Breckon, but she could do what he’d commanded: get help. She turned and swam with all her might.

After swimming nearly a hundred yards, her body was numb when she reached the dock on the other side of the creek. She pulled herself up, panting for air and cursing her wet, heavy garments. Her eyes scanned the water, but it moved at the same calm, slow speed as always. Then she allowed her eyes to seek out the dock beyond…

To find out what happens, please check out The Great Hunt!

Enter the Contest

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books and more! To enter, you need to know that our favorite number is 3. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the teal team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

Continue the Hunt

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author! Click here!

Enter The Extra ARC Giveaway

In honor of this special event, we're going to give away 1 extra ARC of MY LADY JANE. Just follow the directions in the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wanna Change History and Maybe Win a MY LADY JANE arc?

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and change something? Make a different decision? Choose a different door? Take the blue pill?

Well, that's the beauty of being authors. We CAN go back in time and fix stuff! (No, we can't). Because we have the power to alter reality! (No, we don't).  And the space time continuum means nothing to us! (Actually, it means everything).

So, armed with this magical power (a placebo) we decided to give one of our favorite heroines a second chance. Lady Jane Grey was smart and studious and a humanist and she definitely didn't deserve to be queen-for-nine-days-and-then-imprisoned-and-later-beheaded.

In March of 2015, we enabled our tesseract and created a wrinkle in time so we could travel back centuries to the mid 1500's. (We really just turned on our computers and started typing). And before you could say, "I'm Henry the 8th I am, Henry the 8th I am I am," we resurrected Lady Jane Grey. (No we didn't. We aren't gods). Pretty soon, she had the happy ending she truly deserved in our book MY LADY JANE.

So, dear readers, we would like to turn the tables and ask you: who in history do you think deserves a revised story? (We reserve the right to use your ideas to write our next book.) (Kidding. We would never.) (But maybe we will.)

Leave a comment with your idea and you will be entered to win a MY LADY JANE arc!

(Open to U.S. addresses only. Cuz our publisher can only ship to the U.S.)