tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13969926781509804012024-03-14T11:49:19.411-07:00Lady JaniesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02441702328443604114noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-20958346758193994832022-08-24T19:49:00.008-07:002022-08-26T08:10:01.750-07:00Our Big News<p>If you've been keeping track of us on social media you've probably already heard this, as it feels like it's being blasted from every corner of the book world, but we have BIG NEWS.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Our first book, MY LADY JANE, is going to be a TV series on Amazon Prime. </span></b></p><p>No, really. It is. It begins filming in London very soon.</p><p>All three of us feel like we're living in a kind of wonderful alternate universe, one in which we wrote a book, and now we're going to see it all come to life, with amazing actors and gorgeous sets and beautiful costumes and <i>all of the things</i>. To say that we're excited would be an understatement. We are thrilled. After three years of working with the amazing Gemma Burgess, the best showrunner and screenwriter we could have asked for, and Parkes and McDonald, the production company that brought you <i>Men in Black</i>, <i>Zorro</i>, <i>Catch Me If You Can</i>, and <i>Gladiator</i>, it's finally happening.</p><p>No, really. It is.</p><p>Jane will be played by Emily Bader, who some of you will know from being <i>Paranormal Activity 4 </i>and others will recognize as Chloe from the new <i>Charmed</i> series. We love her.</p><p>G will be played by Edward Bluemel, who we love in everything we've ever seen him in, especially <i>Killing Eve</i> and <i>A Discovery of Witches</i>. !!!! (Some of us may have actually screamed upon learning this. Or all of us... There's been a lot of screaming and squealing for us lately.)</p><p>And Edward will be played by Jordan Peters, who's in a flurry of things lately including the new <i>Flowers in The Attic</i> series, <i>Everything I Know About Love</i>, <i>Pirates</i>, and <i>Blue Story</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUr4S_9VV6hkk9DZv6prGReHOo4g5fgG4ioyVcAFKwjQ3VkrFg1PaikZgi7-zGMr1L66yvDb8aTEMWQWXd-SAwYL_W_Hr3Eqz_wkRqaPygyXqQ0Ta1ykLRyJ4gJov0Vlag7vIPIH9sxcVC6RsR-wcNX4XvcxBaBrAnEeAm9zuwXZF89LYauXPupaA_Q/s2000/casting%20for%20MLJ-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="2000" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUr4S_9VV6hkk9DZv6prGReHOo4g5fgG4ioyVcAFKwjQ3VkrFg1PaikZgi7-zGMr1L66yvDb8aTEMWQWXd-SAwYL_W_Hr3Eqz_wkRqaPygyXqQ0Ta1ykLRyJ4gJov0Vlag7vIPIH9sxcVC6RsR-wcNX4XvcxBaBrAnEeAm9zuwXZF89LYauXPupaA_Q/w640-h414/casting%20for%20MLJ-4.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>There's not a lot more we can say about it just now, but go to the imdv page <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11379456/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ql_cl" target="_blank">here</a> if you'd like to see the other people who are officially involved. </p><p>More updates to come!</p><p>(*Screams!)</p><p>(*Squeals!)</p><p>No, really. It's happening.</p>Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-41394053505245799232021-06-17T09:02:00.004-07:002021-06-17T09:02:41.954-07:00Book Tour Summer 2021<p> Hey there! Our new book, MY CONTRARY MARY, is coming out next week, and we are going on a (virtual) book tour to celebrate. We always read a little bit from the book, laugh a lot, and offer fun swag (in this case, a bunch of signed bookplates). Click on the links below so you can register/get tickets.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZK-1OmV58vzZRA8b3EYzIQ-qsCFr35jI3A1d2twkJgYcRIBypfQyt_cHIu5Ey0-m8ph-N8aqOxQJNrfdachiyadMpN3dLYMQagzhmSejzAUS-KxpI4efob6wjT8KohUldX7rEGN3tTgg/s1080/Virtual+Tour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZK-1OmV58vzZRA8b3EYzIQ-qsCFr35jI3A1d2twkJgYcRIBypfQyt_cHIu5Ey0-m8ph-N8aqOxQJNrfdachiyadMpN3dLYMQagzhmSejzAUS-KxpI4efob6wjT8KohUldX7rEGN3tTgg/w640-h640/Virtual+Tour.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/my-contrary-mary-launch-with-cynthia-hand-brodi-ashton-jodi-meadows-tickets-155851270345">Link to the Best of Books Event</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.rjjulia.com/event/virtual-cynthia-hand-brodi-ashton-and-jodi-meadows-my-contrary-mary-conversation-brigid">Link to the RJ Julia Booksellers Event</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p>See you there!</p>Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-80268608431036247322020-12-22T04:07:00.004-08:002020-12-22T04:59:22.828-08:00Six Months Until Mary<p> It's time to start counting down! It's six months until the release of the first book from our new series, the Marys! The first one is MY CONTRARY MARY, coming to bookstores on June 22, 2021.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTChHDTAcCnAqp_krtGDd0ChrvJLZCZJn8Ybj2X4ifUfoZMciqrQUGBXfIzMI52zxHoW1QaR6QjvoDczvI0z0qQWbvD4H2uWEPqbsdDo93RbagR9aY945R0pHJBlgx3VLuvv987plgLcKz/s1200/MCM+mockup.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTChHDTAcCnAqp_krtGDd0ChrvJLZCZJn8Ybj2X4ifUfoZMciqrQUGBXfIzMI52zxHoW1QaR6QjvoDczvI0z0qQWbvD4H2uWEPqbsdDo93RbagR9aY945R0pHJBlgx3VLuvv987plgLcKz/w378-h400/MCM+mockup.png" width="378" /></a></div><br /><p>Here's the short pitch: MY CONTRARY MARY is THE PRINCESS BRIDE meets REIGN (the TV show about Mary, Queen of Scots). Because the book stars MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. And also FRANCIS, the crown prince of France, Mary's betrothed. And also ARI, who you will not have heard of, because we totally made her up, but she's the daughter of NOSTRADAMUS, who you might have heard of.</p><p>Here's the official, longer description:</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?</i></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she’s a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It’s a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail. </i></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn after the king meets a suspicious end. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis face a viper’s nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary’s secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.</i></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Fun, right? This book was so much fun to write. It kept us laughing as we worked on it, that's for sure. And we really needed to </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">laugh</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> this year.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Now it's time to field some questions we imagine you might be having:</span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">Imaginary Future Reader: The description uses the word E∂ian--is this book a sequel of MY LADY JANE???!!! Are we going to see Jane and G and Edward?</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: MY CONTRARY MARY is like all of the other Janie books, in that it is a standalone. But unlike the rest of the Janie books, it takes place in the same world as MY LADY JANE. There are E∂ians (people who can change into an animal form) and Verities (people who think that shapeshifting thing is just wrong). Mary, if you'll remember from her brief appearance in MY LADY JANE, can change into a mouse. And yes, you might spot some characters you already know and love if you look hard enough.</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: So do I have to read MY LADY JANE first?</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: No. You'll be able to understand this book just fine all on its own. But you might enjoy it a teensy bit more if you've recently read MY LADY JANE.</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: Does this mean Mary, Queen of Scots, is going to get a happy ending?</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US:</i> <i>That is what we do. :) She is not going to get her head chopped off in the end, if that's what you're asking. . .</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">IFR: What about Francis?</span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><i>US: What about him?</i></span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">IFR: Does he die?</span></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: Um, well that would be a spoiler, now wouldn't it? You'll have to read to find out.</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: But you told us that Mary doesn't get her head chopped off. </span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: Yes, but that's kind of a given. Like we said, it's what we DO with these books.</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: But obviously, if Mary's going to get a happy ending, Francis can't die.</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: We can't comment on that. </i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: Sure you can.</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: You're making us uncomfortable, imaginary reader. Maybe Francis dies, as he does in history, of an ear infection or something, and then Mary meets the love of her life--some guy named Larry--and lives happily ever after. You don't know. That's why you have to READ THE BOOK.</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: Okay, okay. Fine. Don't tell us.</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: We will say that it probably the most romantic book we've ever written.</i> <i>That's all we'll say. Mary and Francis really do have feelings for each other that are clear right from the beginning. </i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;">IFR: So Francis doesn't die pointlessly and he and Mary end up together and THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED FROM LIFE.</span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>US: *running away* See our BOOKS page for more information about MY CONTRARY MARY as we go!!!</i></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p>Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-71954391923745012882020-05-18T15:27:00.001-07:002020-05-18T15:27:56.863-07:00Signed Bookplates for My Calamity Jane<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCewLF4LrGP7qMfkyAs-SAm-UVplqpEd2WfojkOMkXAMovUofNrTTwWzr0kMf9GTP2qAjW60tC4F9oJV9juHaWF2TMCwZUh12PpnBG1ww8xNP-iaERWzoVEQAEaR-zcRL9Bs_15g6Tp0s7/s1600/IMG_2403.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCewLF4LrGP7qMfkyAs-SAm-UVplqpEd2WfojkOMkXAMovUofNrTTwWzr0kMf9GTP2qAjW60tC4F9oJV9juHaWF2TMCwZUh12PpnBG1ww8xNP-iaERWzoVEQAEaR-zcRL9Bs_15g6Tp0s7/s640/IMG_2403.PNG" width="640" /></a><br />
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It's almost time for MY CALAMITY JANE! In just over two weeks, our favorite Wild West Jane will be in the bookstores. . . but we, unfortunately, won't. We had a big tour planned for MCJ, but then, like everything these days, our plan had to change. So instead we have bookplates, signed by all three of us, available at the following bookstores. Click the link to go to their page and order a (sort of) signed copy<br />
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<a href="https://www.onemorepagebooks.com/my-calamity-jane-lady-janies-signed-bookplate" target="_blank">One More Page, Arlington VA</a><br />
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<a href="http://rebooks.org/" target="_blank">Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.kingsenglish.com/" target="_blank">The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/book/9780062652812" target="_blank">Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/" target="_blank">Gibson's Bookstore, Concord, NH</a><br />
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<a href="https://booksofwonder.com/" target="_blank">Books of Wonder, New York City, NY</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780062652812/cynthia-hand/my-calamity-jane?blnBKM=1" target="_blank">McNally Robinson Books, Winnipeg, MB Canada</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.thebookdragonshop.com/" target="_blank">The Book Dragon, Staunton, VA</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/" target="_blank">Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA</a><br />
<span data-sheets-hyperlink="https://www.thebookdragonshop.com/" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":513,"3":{"1":0},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"https://www.thebookdragonshop.com/"}" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>
<span data-sheets-hyperlink="https://www.thebookdragonshop.com/" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":513,"3":{"1":0},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"https://www.thebookdragonshop.com/"}" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>
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Would you like your local indie bookstore to get their own signed bookplates? Have them email us and get put on our list.<br />
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We are also going to be doing some podcasts (<a href="https://www.fictionalhangover.com/" target="_blank">Fictional Hangover</a> and <a href="https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation" target="_blank">Lit Service</a>) and virtual events in the next few weeks, most notably at:<br />
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Gibson's Bookstore (www.gibsonsbookstore.com) on June 3, at 8pm ET</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlRX41f_J0f67s843tEeV6HySqFW7rZSs7la_K3etPYU-oeidF2odeJMSgAd5u9x6FqMSdk-hZZJnGIiDjaWK1QhqA6k-M95ZnXNdSpJlbvxRmAwVbeK1nfdjb4LjVIl3mbrufZWvp6zI/s1600/My+Calamity+Jane+at+Gibson%2527s+social+media+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlRX41f_J0f67s843tEeV6HySqFW7rZSs7la_K3etPYU-oeidF2odeJMSgAd5u9x6FqMSdk-hZZJnGIiDjaWK1QhqA6k-M95ZnXNdSpJlbvxRmAwVbeK1nfdjb4LjVIl3mbrufZWvp6zI/s400/My+Calamity+Jane+at+Gibson%2527s+social+media+graphic.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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and<br />
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Rediscovered Books (rdbooks.org) on June 5, at 9pm ET</h3>
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<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-40938996084336410082019-01-21T05:16:00.001-08:002019-01-21T05:16:02.027-08:00Here Come the Marys!We're just going to leave this here for now, from Publishers Weekly:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbdDZPC8C4FvMKm7zHRrOwssbpkxseVXhCGXuZ24R-6iyWl0WNJFb-caHlY24y5i6nCFTHvueBsaEysCxbTrfHDG_iKpsJn47EQLpRx80VJ-lhkZaYEue-VWG_7H0WlI-3B7CpdhMtJEl/s1600/DxJhsWuWsAM2ZIu.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1242" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbdDZPC8C4FvMKm7zHRrOwssbpkxseVXhCGXuZ24R-6iyWl0WNJFb-caHlY24y5i6nCFTHvueBsaEysCxbTrfHDG_iKpsJn47EQLpRx80VJ-lhkZaYEue-VWG_7H0WlI-3B7CpdhMtJEl/s640/DxJhsWuWsAM2ZIu.jpg-large.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Which one are you most excited for?Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-77626611690825461252018-07-12T13:53:00.001-07:002018-07-12T13:53:25.025-07:00News and Tour Wrap upSo MY PLAIN JANE has been out for two weeks, and we Janies have been getting all the love!<br />
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In the first week we went on an amazing tour in which we:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3hP5_VJPF-hZ2c_TZR6JHPyIWjjq9eMoLa8CiD0gSU7qqPC8RZuvNBoGZsQYNN-ukkCvlXH9Ci-0f6-WbkZb0_jN6_5YKl32-idfcS6eWQhVYoctfzKJXWOKk4kQFSIXCykdCbOgaIvZ/s1600/IMG_6383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3hP5_VJPF-hZ2c_TZR6JHPyIWjjq9eMoLa8CiD0gSU7qqPC8RZuvNBoGZsQYNN-ukkCvlXH9Ci-0f6-WbkZb0_jN6_5YKl32-idfcS6eWQhVYoctfzKJXWOKk4kQFSIXCykdCbOgaIvZ/s320/IMG_6383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Met a real live HEDGEHOG named Pixi Sticks in Salt Lake City!</span><br />
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Answered a lot of fun questions and performed a bit of MY PLAIN JANE (with costumes!)</div>
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(Thanks to the Fabulous Book Fiend for the fun video from our Denver event)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Almost melted in Phoenix, but we kept right on laughing</span></td></tr>
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and then we returned to Salt Lake City, where the three of us sat down to start writing our next book, MY CALAMITY JANE. It was business as usual for the Janies:</div>
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And then something AMAZING happened:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">MY PLAIN JANE hit the New York Times bestseller list!!!!!!!!</span></td></tr>
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Needless to say, it was an amazing two weeks, and thanks so much to everyone who came out and supported us. We have the best, most enthusiastic, hilarious readers, and we love you all so much!<br />
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If you're feeling a bit cheated because we stuck to the western United States this time, and you live on the eastern side, we have good news. The Janies will be meeting up in August in Virginia to finish writing MY CALAMITY JANE, and while we're there, we'll be doing two book events. The first is at Barnes & Noble Charlottesville on Saturday, August 4th, at 12pm.<br />
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And the second will be at One More Page in Arlington on August 7 at 7pm:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDz4M_vFqiqEZxEaW0DWiMkrc1bgg6xK6KBYya-4ZUBUw9P4rtXu-k-0wWSPgF49RRQIrFOCYm6batMRtiGNasbWUQGAfmNTfmVQMktQ2MVXkhqe31_b2ZYdndzaETYbYxsbGWprfR7AWG/s1600/One+more+Page+event+MPJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDz4M_vFqiqEZxEaW0DWiMkrc1bgg6xK6KBYya-4ZUBUw9P4rtXu-k-0wWSPgF49RRQIrFOCYm6batMRtiGNasbWUQGAfmNTfmVQMktQ2MVXkhqe31_b2ZYdndzaETYbYxsbGWprfR7AWG/s400/One+more+Page+event+MPJ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So come and see us there! We promise that we will perform for you, too!<br />
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In less exciting news, we just sent copyright infringement takedowns to a huge amount of piracy sites. This depresses us so much. Please don't steal our books. At this stage, every single sale of MY PLAIN JANE counts so much, we can't emphasize enough how much it matters. We would really like to keep writing books together, but we can't do this if our sales aren't good enough. So please don't pirate!<br />
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On that note, we have some awesome news. MY PLAIN JANE is, as of this week, available at Target! But this is no ordinary version of our book. This version has a whole EXTRA CHAPTER at the end, like an epilogue to our epilogue. The Target version of the book is the only place you can get this extra content (which we had so much fun writing!), and they have only printed a limited amount of these, so once they are all sold, they're gone.<br />
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So run to Target, people! (Or you can get it online <a href="https://www.target.com/p/my-plain-jane-target-exclusive-edition-by-cynthia-hand-brodi-ashton-and-jodi-meadows/-/A-53672802" target="_blank">here</a>.) And have a good laugh with us about the invention of the double date.<br />
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Thanks again for all the love for MY PLAIN JANE. We'll see you in the funny papers!<br />
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XOXO<br />
The JaniesCynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-47050093220190160852017-10-13T15:27:00.001-07:002017-10-13T15:38:33.794-07:00My Plain Jane COVER REVEALHello, Janie fans! We are so excited today, because we've finally been given the green light to share the cover for our upcoming Jane novel--My Plain Jane. We love this cover so much!<br />
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But first, here's the book description:</div>
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<i>You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (yikes) and his uneven temper (YIKES) they fall in love--and, Reader, she marries him.</i></div>
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<i>We have a different tale to tell.</i></div>
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Are you excited yet?</div>
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Well, then . . . here's a peek at the inside of the jacket:</div>
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And finally, HERE'S THE COVER:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkSVhogz2af9BQccaYqOtlWuhI4cOKQB0cGqD3CfQ8pqcZm4ImCa1T-ZllNXKUSVXSECBnCmd8IX_3fjXai6KSb8BZx6pa-i0QIZUU2MkmXzUL31bW8Ae07pbVaY037_TnH02f1c9pbQ_/s1600/MY+PLAIN+JANE+final+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkSVhogz2af9BQccaYqOtlWuhI4cOKQB0cGqD3CfQ8pqcZm4ImCa1T-ZllNXKUSVXSECBnCmd8IX_3fjXai6KSb8BZx6pa-i0QIZUU2MkmXzUL31bW8Ae07pbVaY037_TnH02f1c9pbQ_/s640/MY+PLAIN+JANE+final+cover.JPG" width="423" /></a></div>
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Isn't it totally awesome???!!! Leave your comments below!</div>
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Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-88246783676648386872017-06-26T06:30:00.000-07:002017-06-26T06:30:05.341-07:00Lady Janies in Virginia!We're hard at work on our new book, MY PLAIN JANE, but while we're together, we wanted to celebrate the release of the paperback for MY LADY JANE. We'll be doing an event at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA.<br />
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Come see us!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6-ruEE341Yf1kB94HFr8_DqKaephwT_YpQJDOWr9cPHRwXvvGee4eZ6XiK8l5kUs5P-Iav1rupDgu8rcA_G21KVy7g-V2vxu3J87QmWDN1ilLD7wppyEH0N5WifJ2umD0qd_PVx28rSW/s1600/DDBNM51XYAA_MiY.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6-ruEE341Yf1kB94HFr8_DqKaephwT_YpQJDOWr9cPHRwXvvGee4eZ6XiK8l5kUs5P-Iav1rupDgu8rcA_G21KVy7g-V2vxu3J87QmWDN1ilLD7wppyEH0N5WifJ2umD0qd_PVx28rSW/s1600/DDBNM51XYAA_MiY.jpg-large.jpeg" /></a>Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-41270369380783199412016-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:002016-10-04T07:00:15.338-07:00Young Adult Scavenger Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author </span><a href="http://www.colleenhouck.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Colleen Houck</a><span style="background-color: white;"> 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 </span><b>one book from each author on the hunt in our team</b><span style="background-color: white;">!</span><b> </b><span style="background-color: white;">But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!</span></span></div>
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<b>Go to the <a href="http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #2288bb;">YA Scavenger Hunt</span></a> page to find out all about the hunt. </b>There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! We are part of the <span style="color: #e69138;">ORANGE TEAM</span>--<br />
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but there are also teams of many different colors for chances to win whole different sets of twenty signed books!<br />
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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<span style="color: #2288bb;"> <a href="http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage</a></span>.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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Scavenger Hunt Puzzle</h2>
<b>Directions:</b> Below, you'll notice that we've listed <span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;">our</span></span> favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the <span style="color: #45818e;">teal team</span>, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).<br />
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<b>Entry Form:</b> Once you've added up all the numbers, <a href="http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/enter-here.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize</span></a>. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.</div>
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<b>Rules:</b> 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.</div>
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<br />Scavenger Hunt Post</h2>
Today, we are hosting Sara B. Larson for the YA Scavenger Hunt!<br />
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Here's some information about Sara:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara B. Larson</td></tr>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="{"2":515,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16750848},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy: DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE, and the forthcoming DARK BREAKS THE DAWN. She can\u2019t remember a time when she didn\u2019t write books\u2014although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day (while mourning the demise of naptime) and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in \u201cthe art of multitasking.\u201d When she\u2019s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction"}" style="font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy: DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE, and the forthcoming DARK BREAKS THE DAWN. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day (while mourning the demise of naptime) and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Find out more information by checking out Sara's <a href="http://www.sarablarson.com/" target="_blank">website</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check out Sara's books <a href="http://www.kingsenglish.com/search/author/%22Larson%2C%20Sara%20B.%22" target="_blank">here</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here's a peek at the cover of her new book: </span><br />
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<span data-sheets-userformat="{"2":515,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16750848},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"SPOILER ALERT!!\n\nAt last, Alexa and King Damian are engaged to be married. But their lives are far from safe. The kingdom of Antion is under siege, and Rylan is a prisoner of the enemy. Even worse, Alexa remains at the mercy of the evil Dansiian Rafe, who controls her mind and can force Alexa to kill or harm Damian at any moment. Despite this, Alexa is determined to rescue Rylan, which soon leads her far from Damian and deep into enemy territory.\n\nWhen she arrives, what awaits her is deadlier than anything she could have ever imagined: an army of black sorcerers and a horrifying plot to destroy the world as Alexa knows it. Will she be able to gather the strength to free herself, protect the love of her life, and save the land? Will there ever be true peace?\n\nAcclaimed author Sara B. Larson has woven a stunning, romantic, and evocative finale to the Defy trilogy that is sure to leave readers breathless until the very last page."}" style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read the series!!</span><br /><br />At last, Alexa and King Damian are engaged to be married. But their lives are far from safe. The kingdom of Antion is under siege, and Rylan is a prisoner of the enemy. Even worse, Alexa remains at the mercy of the evil Dansiian Rafe, who controls her mind and can force Alexa to kill or harm Damian at any moment. Despite this, Alexa is determined to rescue Rylan, which soon leads her far from Damian and deep into enemy territory.<br /><br />When she arrives, what awaits her is deadlier than anything she could have ever imagined: an army of black sorcerers and a horrifying plot to destroy the world as Alexa knows it. Will she be able to gather the strength to free herself, protect the love of her life, and save the land? Will there ever be true peace?<br /><br />Acclaimed author Sara B. Larson has woven a stunning, romantic, and evocative finale to the Defy trilogy that is sure to leave readers breathless until the very last page.</span></div>
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Exclusive Content -</h2>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Here's the exclusive content that Sara sent over just for you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">From Sarah: Last spring I did the first half of a bonus scene from the DEFY series - the wedding scene for Damian and Alexa. This time I am doing the second half of the same scene. It is obviously spoilery if someone hasn't read the series, read at your own risk. :-) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I squeezed
Alexa’s hand as King Osgand looked first to her, then me, then to the crowd
gathered behind us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“It is my honor
and privilege to stand before you all today, especially King Damian and his
chosen bride,” he began, his deep voice resonating all the way to the far
reaches of the Grand Hall. I was fairly certain I was supposed to keep my gaze
forward, but I couldn’t resist looking down at Alexa once more as King Osgand
continued to speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was radiant in
the simple but beautiful dress she’d had made to replicate the one her mother
had worn so many years before. The perfume from the flowers wreathing her dark
hair mingled with that of the soap she must have used that morning to create a
heady blend that had me wishing the ceremony was already over and we were alone
in—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She squeezed my
hand once and I snapped my gaze forward to see King Osgand looking at me
expectantly, an amused gleam in his eye. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Do you wish to
declare your intent to go forward with this marriage before your people?” He
prompted quietly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, yes I do,”
I immediately—and loudly—answered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Excellent.”
King Osgand smiled at me; and though we’d fought side by side in the war as
equals, I couldn’t help but feel as though I were a young boy caught at
mischief for a brief moment. But then he continued, “Alexa and Damian, you may
face each other and recite your vows.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The moment her
gaze met mine I nearly lost the ability to breath—let alone speak. But
thankfully, she was supposed to go first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Alexa swallowed
hard, once, a telltale sheen in her hazel eyes as we faced one another.
“Damian,” she began, her voice raw with emotion, “you are my safe place in the
storms of life. You are the one who loves all of me, good and bad—my other
half, and the one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>love, more than
words can express.” Her voice trembled as she continued and I had to fight the
urge to gather her in my arms, hoping instead that she could feel my
encouragement and love through our joined hands. “I vow today before all these
witnesses that I will forever pledge my heart and my life to you. I am yours,
body and soul, until both shall cease to exist.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Her vow—which I
hadn’t heard until that moment—struck such a deep chord in me, I was unable to
speak for a long moment, as I tried to compose myself. Her love was the
greatest gift I’d ever been given—that and the fact that we had both somehow
survived my father’s reign of terror, my uncle’s monstrosities, and everything else
that had tried to tear us apart. So much loss, so much pain and hurt, had
brought us to this moment. And, in a bittersweet way, that only made our joy
more exquisite—more precious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Alexa,” I
finally managed, my voice nearly breaking, “I loved you long before you truly
knew who I was, and I wake up every morning in awe that you somehow came to
love me in return.” She squeezed my hands again, her face shining with that
love, that I still couldn’t quite believe was for me. “I will spend the rest of
my life cherishing you, loving you, and helping you to see how truly beautiful
you are—in every way possible, inside and out. You are my dearest friend, my
true family, my Queen, and my heart. And I am yours, forever. This I vow, until
the end of time.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She smiled up at
me, one tear finally slipping free to slide down her scarred cheek. I tenderly
wiped it away, cupping her cheek as King Osgand announced: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“In witness of
their vows, I declare you husband and wife—King and Queen! You may kiss your
bride!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A cheer rose
from the crowd but I could barely hear a thing over the pounding of my heart as
I finally did what I had been wanting to do since I first laid eyes on Alexa
walking down the aisle toward me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I wrapped my
arms around her and kissed my queen—my beautiful, amazing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wife</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Enter the Contest</h2>
<div>
That was awesome! Now 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 <span style="color: black;">our</span> favorite number is<span style="color: #e69138;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">3.</span></span> Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the<span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span><span style="color: #e69138;">orange team</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span>and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!</div>
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Continue the Hunt</h2>
<div>
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!<span style="color: magenta;"> <a href="http://www.adirule.com/blog">Click here!</a></span></div>
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</div>
Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-57200278846047753852016-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:002016-07-28T09:35:42.800-07:00More Janes!So the Janies have been sitting on this little secret for a while.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="313" src="//giphy.com/embed/12OyhOh3vqSnhS" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
But today's the day! Today we can finally share! We have the VERY BEST NEWS EVER!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="192" src="//giphy.com/embed/FZKg2f6KjzkhW" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
It can all be summed up right here:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHFTnLt32F_l-5QSjYUJhhYCHPGLcve5bDNtRrnF48S9X6dby1V_5VdJpRF9LKLzY_uM6cx9xLiqdgkrvmiOnnjWXsW_upDJkHDgYKd7icKH7s86jHdOy1vTKZovX74F9q_O0_Fqcl8SG/s1600/Messages+Image%25282819067311%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHFTnLt32F_l-5QSjYUJhhYCHPGLcve5bDNtRrnF48S9X6dby1V_5VdJpRF9LKLzY_uM6cx9xLiqdgkrvmiOnnjWXsW_upDJkHDgYKd7icKH7s86jHdOy1vTKZovX74F9q_O0_Fqcl8SG/s640/Messages+Image%25282819067311%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Yep, that's right. The Janies are going to be writing TWO MORE JANE BOOKS!<br />
<br />
TWO.<br />
<br />
MORE.<br />
<br />
JANES.<br />
<br />
We just spent a week in our secret hideaway in Utah working on MY PLAIN JANE. We're almost halfway done with a first draft! And we are LOVING IT--Jane Eyre gives us the giggles. Because we're weird that way. And we love making each other laugh. And we love Janes!<br />
<br />
To say that we are excited about getting to write two more books is a bit of an understatement. So we'll leave with how we really feel:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="322" src="//giphy.com/embed/P8MxmGnjmytws" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="395" src="//giphy.com/embed/S0ULAlJgyptLi?html5=true" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="272" src="//giphy.com/embed/nidnosJB549W0" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>ADD THEM TO YOUR GOODREADS!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31284524-my-plain-jane" target="_blank">MY PLAIN JANE</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31284532-my-calamity-jane" target="_blank">MY CALAMITY JANE</a></div>
<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-37046973524998172472016-07-18T21:38:00.000-07:002016-07-19T06:58:28.860-07:00Jane's Reign: Winners! Hello, friends!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have spent the day poring over contest entries and we are pleased to announce our winners! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Winners, please email us your physical addresses at ladyjanies@gmail.com so we can get your prizes out to you as soon as possible!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Day 1, for the Spread the Word Contest: Isabelle Coyne</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 2, for The Princess Bride trivia: Sydney Clogston</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Day 3, for the Poisoned Pie contest: Chelsea Ruiz</div>
<div>
We laughed so hard when we saw this one.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 4, for the Best British Accent contest: <a href="http://ladyjanies.blogspot.com/2016/07/day-4-of-janes-reign-janies-compete-for.html?showComment=1468359252187#c4066818481843490272" target="_blank">Leila Rheaume</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 5, for the Jane's Library contest: <a href="http://ladyjanies.blogspot.com/2016/07/janes-reign-day-five.html?showComment=1468507211879#c5089055263092284503" target="_blank">Alice Lionel</a></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 6, for the Photoshop contest: Jacinda Starr</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRwxyN7jSb0tKxf4eokga5nRzArxkyAHtMMtxMDTKfUaI5_TI8obM3z1WC8GqyinvbYUcqrVOokZGQ5KEZjeIJnYpjVLv8UPdP0EnXV59pK-jUatm50TJUJlN-AZNhOobFV6ABNnbJHLS/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRwxyN7jSb0tKxf4eokga5nRzArxkyAHtMMtxMDTKfUaI5_TI8obM3z1WC8GqyinvbYUcqrVOokZGQ5KEZjeIJnYpjVLv8UPdP0EnXV59pK-jUatm50TJUJlN-AZNhOobFV6ABNnbJHLS/s320/image2.JPG" width="244" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 7, for the Cary Elwes contest: Kimberly V</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dBjHWd8x6ovT5K6N7FmE7FRHjVOFkDs8Wz44eYM9DIJqoYphBLr3OJsDL4j7GynvzgqwUddI18V4BYFCquRjb5rw1FCHUXTEeA1jVC59cixKVXluxeakcXcSb7F4WWjns5C7Wa-z2ImW/s1600/Elwes.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dBjHWd8x6ovT5K6N7FmE7FRHjVOFkDs8Wz44eYM9DIJqoYphBLr3OJsDL4j7GynvzgqwUddI18V4BYFCquRjb5rw1FCHUXTEeA1jVC59cixKVXluxeakcXcSb7F4WWjns5C7Wa-z2ImW/s320/Elwes.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 8, for the You As Queen contest: <a href="http://ladyjanies.blogspot.com/2016/07/day-8-of-janes-reign-ladyjanie-bloopers.html?showComment=1468799148518#c8871522108645676234" target="_blank">Grace</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 9, for the Hat Tips contest: Katelyn</div>
Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-21422826195006062782016-07-17T09:21:00.001-07:002016-07-17T09:21:22.724-07:00Jane's Reign: Day Nine<center>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
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!<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Here's a list of some of the books and movies we paid tribute to in MLJ:<br />
<br />
The Princess Bride. Obviously.<br />
Monty Python. Because nobody expects the Monty Python.<br />
Tangled. Who knew?<br />
Game of Thrones. Because we too have games and thrones in our book.<br />
Ever After. One of the best rebelling a of Cinderella ever, with the worst English accents.<br />
Star Wars. Because all good fantasies of whatever genre owe something to Star Wars.<br />
Shakespeare (there are actually over 50 Shakespeare quotes in MLJ, for. . . .reasons.)<br />
<br />
And so many more!<br />
<br />
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!<br />
<br />
The Prize:<br />
<br />
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!<br />
<br />
Tune in tomorrow for our list of winners!<br />
<br />
<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-17816004596304917312016-07-16T13:35:00.001-07:002016-07-17T09:21:57.099-07:00Day 8 of Jane's Reign: LadyJanie Bloopers, where we mess up a lot...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey there!<br />
<br />
Today's post is short and sweet. We made a video of all the times we messed up during our research trip to England. If you were at one of our tour stops, you might have seen the video. If not... here we are making dorks of ourselves. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
Contest: To win an awesome swag pack, tell us in the comments what you would do if you were Queen of England!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EvlKYoqZq9Q?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>Brodi ashtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17527908094219233485noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-57148453762655189722016-07-15T09:58:00.000-07:002016-07-17T09:23:05.830-07:00Day Seven of Jane's Reign: Gifford, Cary Elwes, Comedy and a Contest!<center>
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<br />
Hello, yon Janieville!<br />
<br />
Today, Day Seven of Jane's Reign, we are paying tribute to her real husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, and our version of her husband, Gifford (Call him G).<br />
<br />
Here's the real Guildford:<br />
<img alt="" class="irc_mi iG6nsXKsow0w-pQOPx8XEepE" height="393" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Lord_Guilford_Dudley.jpg/220px-Lord_Guilford_Dudley.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="202" /><br />
<br />
And here's Wesley. From Princess Bride. Because if you've read My Lady Jane, you understand how much we love Princess Bride.<br />
<img alt="Image result for wesley princess bride" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBJJY17eKSHWiB4cn7qmyTKrXM8giG5PxPsGRLd0Ygj-_GBT87" data-sz="f" jsaction="load:str.tbn" name="Ffvs7MCoei1CkM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBJJY17eKSHWiB4cn7qmyTKrXM8giG5PxPsGRLd0Ygj-_GBT87" style="height: 160px; margin-left: -13px; margin-right: -12px; margin-top: 0px; width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
Sometimes we picture Cary Elwes when we picture our Gifford. We often get asked how our characters match up with the historical ones, so below we have compiled the similarities and differences between historical Guildford and our own beloved G.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Guildford Dudley<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Gifford (Call him G)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Siblings<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Like 9, dude.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Two. Stan and Gertie.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Hair Color<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Blonde<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Chestnut (of the Chestnut Steed Variety)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Conniving Father?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yep. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yes. Evil too. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Did He Eagerly Anticipate Marriage to Jane Grey?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Unknown.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Nope. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Wedding Night?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Got food poisoning.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Got sloshed.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Carved Jane’s name in the Tower of London?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yep. Twice. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yep. Once. Before he was saved by a… weasel? Large
squirrel? No, cat-snake!<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Horse?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Unknown.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, he is. From sun up to sun down.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Is Shakespeare?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
No. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
We’re merely authors, not Shakespeare experts. Who are we
to say? Anyone could have been the real Shakespeare. Heck, my grandma might be
Shakespeare. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Was handsome?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yes.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
He would never dream of saying so. He simply knows his
friends have called him handsome on several occasions. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Loved reading books?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Unknown. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Truthfully, he preferred nibbling books rather than
reading them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the harm in
that? You’ve heard of people devouring books, haven’t you? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>*Ducks as Jane hurls book toward head</b>*<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Was beheaded?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Yes. And burned.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal">
Read the book!</div>
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Now for the contest! First, tell us your favorite Cary Elwes movie in the comments. Last, email us (at ladyjanies@gmail.com) your favorite pic of Cary Elwes. </div>
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We'll choose our favorite from the entries, and you will receive a signed copy of Cary Elwes book! (Reminder that all winners will be announced on July 18th). </div>
Brodi ashtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17527908094219233485noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-68184252104872203422016-07-14T08:22:00.000-07:002016-08-05T15:41:44.613-07:00Jane's Reign : Day Six<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth6t6U9MF7eIvEP0fh5_Ys0ueJcRZbnP5d1rixrAt5_WrqVGQMQOns5UbziEJKc77h_6li5kniZlwDIwSjdZNC2lQ5vockaopLQqbTQDV0z_dJj4rDtTyZdSp3guwOks4aOD86WTIu_qf/s1600/Jane%2527s+Reign++day6_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth6t6U9MF7eIvEP0fh5_Ys0ueJcRZbnP5d1rixrAt5_WrqVGQMQOns5UbziEJKc77h_6li5kniZlwDIwSjdZNC2lQ5vockaopLQqbTQDV0z_dJj4rDtTyZdSp3guwOks4aOD86WTIu_qf/s640/Jane%2527s+Reign++day6_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Hi there! We're on day six out of nine in Jane's Reign! Don't forget, you can still enter our contests for any of the first eight days, (especially that one where you spread the word about Jane's Reign--that one you can do multiple times) so keep checking back!<br />
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Today we planned to tell you a little bit about the fashion in the time of Tudor England. And we will, we so will. But in preparing for our contest today (which involves either dressing up or Photoshopping), we ended up Photoshopping ourselves into paintings of our characters, and we have not stopped laughing about this ever since. So to illustrate what we mean about the fashion of 1553, I give you. . .<br />
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Jodi as Lady Jane Grey</h4>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF67N2hISPsMMXZ1mM_6iHA4Ir-jgT8Mae6OrQVqlrSKboeRKlCdPIf0HcVyTPdXnZcrFohIA1hG2b0cu5fieaiafo-5bHopRnx3Baw60M8PqebsgNRgzLFows0iw9odlAdTlL23dO-2vL/s1600/jodiasjane_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF67N2hISPsMMXZ1mM_6iHA4Ir-jgT8Mae6OrQVqlrSKboeRKlCdPIf0HcVyTPdXnZcrFohIA1hG2b0cu5fieaiafo-5bHopRnx3Baw60M8PqebsgNRgzLFows0iw9odlAdTlL23dO-2vL/s640/jodiasjane_edited-1.jpg" width="483" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's very sneaky about books.</td></tr>
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A couple of things to note: This is a fairly elaborate version of the lady's dress in the sixteenth century. (It actually comes from a painting of young Princess Elizabeth. The key elements of these gowns were the square, open necklines, the super stiff front bodice piece, (which does NOT look comfortable) and inner and outer layers in both the gown and the sleeves. No playing tennis in this dress! Movement actually seems pretty difficult altogether. The women also wore these moon-shaped headpieces / hoods, with long black cloth in the back to cover their hair. Jewelry: a tons of rings, a pearl-encrusted belt, a HUGE broach and a double looping of pearls around the neck.<br />
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Fetching, am I right?<br />
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Let's move on to the men. Modeling the outfit and a super sexy widow's peak is . . .<br />
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Brodi as Gifford (Guildford) Dudley</h4>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU3cq2vAwBAi6lP1LQF_ykGW8k3aFyGP_LexTCN1mZXpxTxcazPSzBEUzlAlDUfA9atLcQ-aFBWy3hXUvM8KVNmOrVpdAk0cpTPVv4o5c9qywIp5sJqE07wSPl6VgiRfbmHMGu8jwbh4b/s1600/brodiasgnolabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU3cq2vAwBAi6lP1LQF_ykGW8k3aFyGP_LexTCN1mZXpxTxcazPSzBEUzlAlDUfA9atLcQ-aFBWy3hXUvM8KVNmOrVpdAk0cpTPVv4o5c9qywIp5sJqE07wSPl6VgiRfbmHMGu8jwbh4b/s1600/brodiasgnolabel.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is rocking those tights.</td></tr>
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This ensemble features a precursor to the BIG SHAKESPEAREAN RUFF, both at the neck and the wrists. There's a lot of textures in these outfits: a black velvet doublet, a satin overshirt, a fur-lined cape, and silk tights. Yes, it was men who first wore tights--and high heels, for that matter. For us, though, the item that stands out of all of this finery is the pumpkin pants. The bigger the better, it seems, to make your thighs look enormous.<br />
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What's so striking to us looking at the way people dressed in this time is how very different their sense of body image was. They wanted their bodies to appear BIGGER and to be heavier, which is a pretty foreign to us. And no one wanted to look bigger and badder than the king.<br />
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<h4>
Cynthia Hand as Edward VI</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzCxJJLTFCBBcvCb4Wz-klh57zsdUtvCXXOpETy7W3zyHEV9HwEtREPeSvt2jPzguQWnvhfZHnJcoI_yZlP7U3rOzs6IXJ_dfniB9VnfeHeBhWXYjIVHZ1jN7ibMha9YmYJ-h61uNOuZJ/s1600/CynthiaasEdward_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzCxJJLTFCBBcvCb4Wz-klh57zsdUtvCXXOpETy7W3zyHEV9HwEtREPeSvt2jPzguQWnvhfZHnJcoI_yZlP7U3rOzs6IXJ_dfniB9VnfeHeBhWXYjIVHZ1jN7ibMha9YmYJ-h61uNOuZJ/s640/CynthiaasEdward_edited-1.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you were wondering what Cynthia looks like as a 16-year-old boy</td></tr>
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We should mention that Edward was not a big person. He probably weighed about a hundred pounds at this point. And this is easily like twenty-five pounds worth of clothes, right here. First he'd have to put on a fine silk or linen undershirt. Then a jewel-encrusted, gold-embroidered red brocade overshirt with little holes in it, where they would pull the undershirt to peak out from. Then the jacket piece, which had pumpkin sleeves and a white ermine fur collar, topped with a big gold chain. On his head he wears this flat hat that was popular at the time, with a puff of feathers sticking out to one side.<br />
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We get tired just looking at these outfits. Is it any wonder that all three of our characters feel a sense of relief when they are able to shed all this finery and dead weight.<br />
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(Have you stopped laughing at our silly pictures yet? Because we haven't. . .)<br />
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And now . . .<br />
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The Contest</h4>
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For today's contest, we'd like you to one of two things:</div>
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1. Dress up like a character from Tudor England, (any character, but one from MY LADY JANE would be especially wonderful) and email me your picture at ladyjanies@gmail.com</div>
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OR</div>
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2. Photoshop your head on the body of a painting from this time period. (We thought this was SO. MUCH. FUN.) Email us the picture.</div>
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The best, funniest, or most creative photo will win some swag and your very own piece of MY LADY JANE fashion: A knitted crown like the one Cynthia wears on tour and/or a pair of fingerless mitts, knitted by one of the Janies.</div>
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We can't wait to see what you'll come up with!</div>
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And we can't stop laughing!</div>
Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-86129000643380131682016-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-13T09:00:13.529-07:00Jane's Reign: Day Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello hello!<br />
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Welcome back to Jane's Reign. We're on day five and we want to talk about . . . Jane's library.<br />
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More than anything, Jane loves books, and we, your faithful narrators, loved naming Jane's books. Here's a sampling of the fun we had.<br />
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<li><i>The Unabridged History of the Beet in England: Volume Five</i></li>
<li><i>E∂ians: Historical Figures and Their Downfall</i></li>
<li><i>Wilderness Survival for Courtiers </i></li>
<li><i>An Analysis of E∂ians' Paintings and Their Impact on Society: Volume Three</i></li>
<li><i>The Formation of Mountains and the Balance Achieved in Valley's: A Theory of E∂ian Magic in the Mundane World</i></li>
<li><i>The Jewels of the World: Man-made Marvels and How They Were Built</i></li>
<li><i>Drafting Decrees, the Ancient Language of Biding Arbitration</i></li>
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And . . . Oh we could go on and on about Jane's books. She has quite the library and all her books seem to have the most ridiculously long titles. </div>
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We had so much fun naming Jane's books, and making fun of those names. On page 384, when Jane is ready to impart a bit of important information she learned from a book, G begs her not to name the title because they seriously don't have time. </div>
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And earlier, G even makes up titles for books he assumes she must have read, like <i>How to Rule a Kingdom, Even if You're Thirty-Second in the Line of Succession and Chances Are You'll Never Actually Rule: Volume One of Three</i>. (page 222)</div>
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And all this ties into today's <b>contest</b>:</div>
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We want you to title more of Jane's books. And, if you're ambitious, create covers for her books for double points. </div>
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Here's how it works:</div>
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1. We will choose a random winner, so put separate entries in separate <u>comments</u>. </div>
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2. You can have <u>up to five</u> entries. </div>
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3. The winner will be announced on July 18, and will receive a signed copy of MY LADY JANE!</div>
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Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-50280759121774714102016-07-12T14:00:00.001-07:002016-07-17T09:24:14.783-07:00Day 4 of Jane's Reign: the Janies compete for Best British Accent<center>
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Hello, Janeland! Today, the Janies (awkwardly) filmed themselves performing (sort of) their best (best is all relative) British Accents! They didn't feel stupid doing this. Not at all.<br />
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Please vote for your favorite in the comments. And don't worry, no Janies will have their feelings hurt. *sniffles*<br />
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We will use a random number generator to pick one of the comments to win a prize! Like a signed book!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yogl35rlCcs?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>Brodi ashtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17527908094219233485noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-48130509216282944022016-07-11T09:25:00.001-07:002016-07-11T09:39:00.021-07:00Jane's Reign: Day Three!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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.<br />
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In today's celebratory post, we're going to talk about . . . PIE.<br />
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Mmmmmm pie.<br />
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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.<br />
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It IS unhealthy, because come to find out, Edward's blackberries are being poisoned.<br />
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Doh. Spoiler alert.<br />
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(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.)<br />
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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:<br />
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Edward's Poisoned Blackberry Pie</h2>
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Ingredients:</h3>
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1 unbaked pie crust (I often use graham cracker crust for this, but regular crust will do)<br />
*Also note that this recipe will make small small pies or one large one, so keep that in mind<br />
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<b><u>The filling:</u></b><br />
2 eggs<br />
1 1/3 cups sour cream<br />
1teaspoon of the poison of your choice (or, er, vanilla)<br />
1 cup white sugar<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
1/3 cup flour<br />
3 cups blackberries (or raspberries or SCHMENGELBERRIES, ha!)<br />
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<u><b>The topping:</b></u><br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup flour<br />
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or almond, which is really good too)<br />
1/4 cup butter, room temperature<br />
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Directions:</h3>
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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />
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2. In a large bowl, beat egg into light and bouncy and lemon colored, Whisk in sour cream and poison / vanilla.<br />
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3. In a separate bowl, mis sugar, flour and salt together. stir in the egg mixture. Gently fold in the berries.<br />
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4. Pour into the pie crust.<br />
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5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the center begins to set.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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9. Top with a big dollop of whipped cream.<br />
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10. Die a painful death. It IS poisoned, after all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia and a poisoned pie, shortly before her untimely demise.</td></tr>
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The Contest</h2>
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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.</div>
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What are you waiting for! Let's get cooking!</div>
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<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-45479208344085092982016-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-10T13:42:20.192-07:00Jane's Reign: Day Two!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiri4CJhqV1z_r5bqWnzPUZqlpZIDw2wgjgBdc0_L1KAo12hju5sr24itgvf9I4lpKLQDyc_0wOwqbr6ALfSqkGifPH9SPs5BNLw0wNqkBJhngIvjsHgD8BUR5bgdzX1Nz_VaWZRbvcCg/s1600/Jane%2527s+Reign++day+2_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiri4CJhqV1z_r5bqWnzPUZqlpZIDw2wgjgBdc0_L1KAo12hju5sr24itgvf9I4lpKLQDyc_0wOwqbr6ALfSqkGifPH9SPs5BNLw0wNqkBJhngIvjsHgD8BUR5bgdzX1Nz_VaWZRbvcCg/s640/Jane%2527s+Reign++day+2_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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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:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqCyTkZmLjZBxPjIljyv8_kEWMAy-brQ3bMlhkCh5YINEl2sI51OM_kG-FWpTNJ5bDUr5ePzU1goxE-RjCB6VvjsIo5cNFaEVSyRTf65z-0mDXzmmMe5cExAoaOoy13KQEACHbhLCymDc/s1600/The-Princess-Bride-slice-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqCyTkZmLjZBxPjIljyv8_kEWMAy-brQ3bMlhkCh5YINEl2sI51OM_kG-FWpTNJ5bDUr5ePzU1goxE-RjCB6VvjsIo5cNFaEVSyRTf65z-0mDXzmmMe5cExAoaOoy13KQEACHbhLCymDc/s640/The-Princess-Bride-slice-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anybody want a peanut?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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.<br />
<br />
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 :<br />
<br />
12PM PACIFIC TIME<br />
<br />
You can livestream the movie at Netflix (<a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/60000361?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C4cdc5543aaf7e2677efa41ac18076100fbbf9882%3Aa440773ff037c9f8d7158adf7ab6728cc0b2f068">click here</a>), Amazon Prime (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Cary-Elwes/dp/B000VEPL2M/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1468106024&sr=1-1&keywords=the+princess+bride">click here</a>), or just watch your own copy. Please follow our twitter accts (@cynthiahand, @brodiashton, @jodimeadows) and see our comments and make your own at #princessbridelivetweet<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
See you soon over at Twitter! And have fun storming the castle!<br />
<br />
<h2>
QUESTIONS (after watching the film). </h2>
<br />
**Send your answers to ladyjanies@gmail.com**<br />
<br />
The most correct answers will be in the running to win a prize pack:<br />
<br />
1. What is the real meaning of "As you wish?"<br />
<br />
2. "What do Vizzini and Co claim to be when they meet Buttercup?"<br />
<br />
3. How many times is the word "Inconceivable" used in the movie?<br />
<br />
4. Who is the six fingered man?<br />
<br />
5. Whose cup does Westley put the poison into?<br />
<br />
6. How many times in the movie do Buttercup and Westley kiss?<br />
<br />
7. How many ships does Humperdinck say he'll send to find Westley?<br />
<br />
8. How many years does Humperdinck put on the machine to kill Westley?<br />
<br />
9. How much money does Inigo offer Miracle Max to revive Westley?<br />
<br />
10. Why does Westley say Buttercup and Humperdinck aren't married?<br />
<br />
Bonus points:<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-33112178316999738552016-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-09T16:16:01.252-07:00Jane's Reign: Day One<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIZog6e2qf6miGwKkPLAs6n7gWjuvG2jERiw3VaILwzF5Ap-KWDVUJUUfcSlfVHUrQ1xE2wvcLYWiG-4HsBoVXsSwg81HdsSjzMlYs3FQ_ad5szIJWmEpMGmjxHzDoWwI0wpvoV2xXhXH/s1600/Jane%2527s+Reign+graphic_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIZog6e2qf6miGwKkPLAs6n7gWjuvG2jERiw3VaILwzF5Ap-KWDVUJUUfcSlfVHUrQ1xE2wvcLYWiG-4HsBoVXsSwg81HdsSjzMlYs3FQ_ad5szIJWmEpMGmjxHzDoWwI0wpvoV2xXhXH/s640/Jane%2527s+Reign+graphic_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
Today is the first day of Jane's reign as queen and oh do we have fun things for you!<br />
<br />
As <a href="http://ladyjanies.blogspot.com/2016/07/poor-edward.html" target="_blank">we said before</a>, we're celebrating every day of Jane's reign with giveaways and exclusive content. So, let's get right to it!<br />
<br />
First off, giveaway! Spread the word about Jane's Reign and get a chance for some amazing MY LADY JANE swag!<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="873921608" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/873921608/" id="rcwidget_5hczeqfx" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
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 <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/60000361?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C4cdc5543aaf7e2677efa41ac18076100fbbf9882%3Aa440773ff037c9f8d7158adf7ab6728cc0b2f068">Netflix</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Cary-Elwes/dp/B000VEPL2M/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1468106024&sr=1-1&keywords=the+princess+bride">AmazonPrime</a>. Answer a few of our questions correctly and you might win a hilarious Princess-Bride-related prize.<br />
<br />
And now, finally, click the jump for A DELETED SCENE from My LADY JANE that's never been shown anywhere else.<br />
***WARNING: contains spoilers for the end of MY LADY JANE.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"> A burst of
light surrounded him. He was a boy again. Naked. He grabbed the
nearest item in his reach, which happened to be a frying pan, and
used it to shield his manly bits.</span><br />
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “I’m
so sorry, Gracie,” he said. “I know you and Archer. . .”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"> She
gave him a sharp look that said, </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>don’t
presume that you know about me and Archer, </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US">and
Edward stopped talking.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> She jabbed
at a burning log. Sparks flew and rose up in the night air. Her face
was golden in the fire’s glow.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “Archer
was a fool, but he cared about E∂ians,” she said at last. “You’ll
honor your promise, won’t you? Even though he’s dead?”</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “Yes,”
Edward said without hesitation.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “Good.”
She stared into the fire. “You know, your granny believes that
every person who walks the earth, no matter how they seem on the
outside or what they believe themselves to be, is actually an E∂ian.
We all have the animal inside us, waiting to come out.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"> That
was all very well and good to think about, but Edward was getting
cold. Frying pans are not terribly wind resistant.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “Yes,”
he said, his teeth starting to chatter. “Whatever they are, I
consider them all my subjects: E∂ians and Verities, men and women
and children. Dogs, even. Foxes in their burrows. Rats.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"> Gracie’s
green eyes lit with the usual mischief. “Rats? A plague-filled
kingdom, then.”</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “Okay,
maybe not rats,” he said.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “But
E∂ians who become rats. There are a few of those in the Pack, you
know. They’re your subjects.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"> “Yes,”
he conceded. “But I feel as if we’re getting off topic.”</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> Her lips
twitched. “Are we?”</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> “The
point is, I will provide for all of my subjects—E∂ians and
Verities and anything in between—as best I can. I will be a good
king. A better king.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="en-US"> She
looked up at him solemnly. “I believe you.” Her gaze dropped to
the frying pan, and her dimples appeared as she stifled a smile.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> Edward
sighed. “Oh come on, people, will one of you throw me a bone,
here?”</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> The men
looked to Gracie. She nodded. A large bearded fellow offered his
cloak to Edward. It smelled like a dead goat, but it would have to
do. </span></span></div>
Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-3675383672747109512016-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-06T09:00:12.151-07:00Poor EdwardOn this day in history, Edward VI, after battling a mysterious illness for several months, died at Greenwich Castle at the tender age of sixteen. He left behind a divided country and a very surprised also-sixteen-year-old girl on the throne of England. His cousin, Lady Jane Grey, became an impromptu queen almost overnight, and she'd go on to rule England . . . for approximately nine days.<br />
<br />
A nine day reign. Yep. It's got to be some kind of record for the shortest rule EVER.<br />
<br />
History is a huge downer in this regard, but we Lady Janies want to take this time to celebrate Jane's nine day stint on the throne. We're going to be hosting an event starting this week called JANE'S REIGN, where every day of Lady Jane Grey's reign of England, from July 9 to July 18, we'll present some exclusive Jane-related content, a contest, and a giveaway.<br />
<br />
Here's some of the good stuff we have planned:<br />
<br />
A liveTweet watching of THE PRINCESS BRIDE<br />
<br />
A contest to make Edward's poisoned blackberry pie<br />
<br />
The Janies competing to see who has the best English accent<br />
<br />
Jane's library: Come up with more silly titles for Jane's books<br />
<br />
A lesson in Tudor fashion<br />
<br />
The real Guildford Dudley versus our very own G<br />
<br />
A liveTweet of the old 80s movie with a very young and hot Cary Elwes, LADY JANE<br />
<br />
A scavenger hunt for easter eggs from our favorite fantasies<br />
<br />
<br />
and much more!<br />
<br />
So check back on July 9 for Jane's Reign, and tell your friends! And come back EVERY DAY until July 18 to see what goodies we have in store for you!Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-1467972562943088462016-06-30T15:53:00.000-07:002016-06-30T15:54:29.934-07:00On This Day: Cynthia's birthday! <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today is Lady Janie Cynthia’s birthday! In the tradition of celebrating things that happened today but years ago, Brodi and I thought we’d discuss how much we love Cynthia. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0xFpR7xXomORcGCzgwR8Xxro5H-uHy7uPpQOGn3dbSeodWvPxmELegdC4faa755xrLG8tk7rh9S0MNKzzUvPF__tJMS1l1nEdipoDNvpXi1OXzYFcrnj3A4UXBfMQ9bz9jX4rJd_OzY/s1600/2015+04+15_April2015_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0xFpR7xXomORcGCzgwR8Xxro5H-uHy7uPpQOGn3dbSeodWvPxmELegdC4faa755xrLG8tk7rh9S0MNKzzUvPF__tJMS1l1nEdipoDNvpXi1OXzYFcrnj3A4UXBfMQ9bz9jX4rJd_OzY/s320/2015+04+15_April2015_0417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-bdef8214-a37b-c6fd-c7b4-2dc18e694e82" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jodi: Oh gosh. Where to start! There are so many wonderful things about Cynthia, but I think what I’m most grateful for right now is that she brought us together as a writing group with the idea for MY LADY JANE. Obviously we’d have all been friends and done some traveling together even without MLJ, but her decision to include us in her mad idea to make a comedy out of a tragedy really cemented our friendship.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiRs9DVXcM6JvUVUTu0HcF0pyrTmAhjKJACvMM1SVSBn7FhmkgRecJtutpn_FpKzNA9ZZF1P6n-B6LRJCwxjHaZCJI7F3HL87Qy7TRH3LXSXRYibtfXcgSVEAH9_KnLGuDbK4XZ8yxeE/s1600/2015+04+09_April2015_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiRs9DVXcM6JvUVUTu0HcF0pyrTmAhjKJACvMM1SVSBn7FhmkgRecJtutpn_FpKzNA9ZZF1P6n-B6LRJCwxjHaZCJI7F3HL87Qy7TRH3LXSXRYibtfXcgSVEAH9_KnLGuDbK4XZ8yxeE/s320/2015+04+09_April2015_0615.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brodi: It truly was a mad--but ultimately insanely awesome--idea. And it has only strengthened our friendship… because now we’re contractually obligated to stay friends. Cynthia is the motivating force behind our projects, I think. She kicks our butts at research and developing a passion for the people and places we are writing about. She cares more about historical accuracy and her chapters show the rich fabric of that research. Whenever we get an idea about a character, she will inevitably buy a book about that person and send it to the one of us writing about that person.*</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Previous sentence brought to you by the generous people and the Clunky Extra Long Sentences Club.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI3byU4JEVZvlF0r6sHVaO5i1FVyag57DvlBt80V-mHh8bN90h9qbvZCsW7lSXQw4WZpIw9RbYwH4HM7ZN-ZId2N2FBzhYWBpqRc5dMXIs4L9lwhk7Wsnp_01_JzaTw5W-VFFDDoRz20/s1600/P2220003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI3byU4JEVZvlF0r6sHVaO5i1FVyag57DvlBt80V-mHh8bN90h9qbvZCsW7lSXQw4WZpIw9RbYwH4HM7ZN-ZId2N2FBzhYWBpqRc5dMXIs4L9lwhk7Wsnp_01_JzaTw5W-VFFDDoRz20/s320/P2220003.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jodi: You know what else is great about Cynthia? Her instinct to care for people. It’s basically Cynthia’s doing that we don’t starve to death on our writing retreats. Not only does she remember that we’re supposed to eat at least a couple times a day, but she’s also the one to do the actual cooking. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brodi: And she is an incredible history geek. She bought each of us a hat that our characters would’ve worn in that era, and we wear them at events and act out a scene from the book. These moments always get the biggest laughs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jodi: Visiting England with Cynthia was an experience. Not just because she (incredibly) planned our activities (again, taking care of us), but because we got to see another side of her. I mean, sure, we knew Cynthia was into history, but I will never forget her delightfully nerdy joy at visiting the Tower of London, or Hampton Court, or Stonehenge. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brodi: And her laugh. She has the most contagious chuckle. Whenever I use the word “chuckle” in a sentence, I hear her laugh in my head! And she can’t contain her joy. When she heard I’d bought a PS4 and could now play Elder Scrolls Online with them, I could feel her bouncing in anticipation from 600 miles away.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jodi: Another thing -- when we talk about what we each bring to writing our books together, I always say that Cynthia brings the emotional depth. There’s such a thoughtfulness to her writing . . . because there’s such a thoughtfulness to Cynthia. She’s so perceptive, and she always considers other people before herself. She’s incredibly selfless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Birthday, Cynthia! We love you! (Sorry this was late. See how we fall apart without you?)</span>Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-69536469178093330512016-05-19T09:10:00.000-07:002016-05-19T09:10:50.542-07:00MY LADY JANE tour stops!Friends! Readers! E∂ians!<br />
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We have some exciting news, and that news is<i> <b>book tour</b></i>! That's right, the three of us will be on the road (actually, we'll be in the air, since we're turning into majestic eagles and flying) in just a few weeks, and we're excited to see <i>you! </i><br />
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Here's a complete list of our stops:<br />
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<strong>June 7, 2016</strong> - 7pm<br />
<a href="http://www.kingsenglish.com/event/brodi-ashton-cynthia-hand-and-jodi-meadows-my-lady-jane">The King's English</a> in Salt Lake City, Utah<br />
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<strong>June 8, 2016</strong> - 7pm<br />
<a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2551169" target="_blank">Redwood City Downtown Public Library</a> (books sold by <a href="http://www.keplers.com/event/ya-cynthia-hand-brodi-ashton-and-jodi-meadows">Kepler's</a>) in Redwood City, California<br />
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<strong>June 9, 2016</strong> - 6pm<br />
<a href="http://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061778849-0">Barnes and Noble</a> in Idaho Falls, Idaho<br />
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<strong>June 10, 2016</strong> - 7pm<br />
<a href="http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/event/cynthia-hand-brodi-ashton-jodi-meadows" target="_blank">Anderson's Books</a> in Chicago, Illinois<br />
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<strong>June 11, 2016</strong> - 4pm<br />
<a href="http://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061778705-0">Teen Book Fest at Barnes and Noble</a> in Skokie, Illinois<br />
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<strong>June 13, 2016</strong> - 7pm<br />
<a href="http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/event/my-lady-jane-launch-party">Blue Willow Bookshop</a> in Houston, Texas<br />
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<strong>June 14, 2016</strong> - 6pm<br />
<a href="http://www.booksofwonder.com/event.php?id=539">Books of Wonder</a> in New York City, New York<br />
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<b><u>IMPORTANT</u></b>: Please make sure you click through to the store's website for more information. All events are free, but some want you to RSVP, and many require a book purchase at the store to enter the signing line.
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If we're not coming near you (boo, sorry!), you can still order signed books. Many of these stores will ship both domestically and internationally, so click to their websites and see if they can help! There's a good chance the stores will also have our backlists, so if your collections are missing any of our books, check to see whether the stores will have those in stock as well.<br />
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<u>A couple other small notes</u>:<br />
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Photos: We are happy to take photos with our readers, but sometimes, due to time and space, it isn't possible. We leave it up to individual bookstores as to whether or not we will be able to do this.<br />
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Gifts: Sometimes our sweet (adorable, thoughtful, smart, strong, other positive adjectives) readers want to bring gifts for us. Thank you! We love presents. We only ask that you keep in mind our limited luggage space. Small, squishable items are great. (We all knit. Just sayin'.)<br />
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And that's it! Let us know if you have any questions!<br />
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CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!Jodi Meadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592336757637067720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-84337895344573528322016-05-07T10:40:00.000-07:002016-05-07T10:40:53.049-07:00Big NewsWe're one month away from MY LADY JANE hitting the shelves! This is always the part of the publishing process that's the toughest (UGH the waiting), but it's also the part where a bunch of super exciting stuff happens. We have some big news! Warning: this post is going to have a lot of exclamation points!!!!<br />
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News Item #1</h3>
MY LADY JANE is going to be <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Lady-Jane-Entirely-Story/dp/1406372021?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&tag=authordatabase">printed in England</a>! We consider this to be something of a miracle, since we're talking about messing with English history here, but it's happening! It will be released on September 1, 2016, with this cover:<br />
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We are totally and completely charmed by this cover! We giggled for hours after we saw it-- Gifford with a horse head! The eye-rolling Jane! The way "not entirely" is scribbled into the title! We are so happy that our readers in the U. K. will get to read this book!<br />
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News Item #2</h3>
MY LADY JANE is going to be <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Lady-Jane/dp/B01EB2UFPW/">an audio book</a>! It will be released on June 7--the same day as the hardcover. It's narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who we picked specifically because we loved the way she narrated <i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i>. It will be the coolest thing ever to hear this proper British voice telling our little Jane story. We can't wait to hear it!<br />
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News Item #3 (You might want to sit down for this one. . .)</h3>
MY LADY JANE is on its way to being made into <a href="http://www.tracking-board.com/exclusive-ridley-scotts-scott-free-picks-up-princess-bride-like-historical-comedy-my-lady-jane/">a movie</a>!<br />
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Now everybody take a deep breath, because we have to clarify that the book is in the very beginning stages of this process, and having your book being made into a film is a long and difficult road. It could be a really long time. Or it could be never.<br />
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But still. . .<br />
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Ridley Scott's company, Scott Free, is currently working on the development of MY LADY JANE for the big screen.<br />
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This is crazy exciting news to us. We love Ridley Scott's films so much, and we're completely thrilled and honored to have his name attached to our book!<br />
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News Item #4</h3>
We're going on tour! We can't announce the wheres and whens just yet, but the Lady Janies will be traveling all over the country in June, signing and meeting our readers and having a veritable blast. Check back soon on our Events page for the details.<br />
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And. . . that's all our news!<br />
<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396992678150980401.post-41130120603266455562016-05-02T19:08:00.001-07:002016-05-02T19:08:28.633-07:00On This Day: Jodi's Birthday!<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All hail Queen Jodi!</td></tr>
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It's Lady Janie Jodi's birthday today! So Brodi and I wanted to take a moment to talk about how very much we love and appreciate our bestie and fellow co-author, Jodi Meadows.<br />
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Cynthia: We have a running joke with the Janies that Jodi Meadows is the one who grates the cheese --not CUTS the cheese, just to be clear, this is not a fart joke. Ahem. Every morning when we are working at one of our little writing retreats, we make breakfast together. I scramble the eggs, Brodi cuts the tomatoes, and Jodi grates the cheese. And in our talks about who-does-what in the writing of our books, Jodi loves to say that all she really does is grate the cheese.<br />
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But she does SO MUCH MORE than that.<br />
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Brodi: Yeah! She also maintains the peace and the calm and the positivity. And she also finds the coffee.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwixHUa8MCVqRjIRI1imXb1Hbtkz5gh5Zxh4cf6LmN8pjlqqhJBBeogxUkJKQ87I_4GzJB-29fGQ7ljxuLPjkA6loWiQvCB6fdLKbwJ9OT4-Fo6WdUhFOI-yccb6yo0nu8AfMJS2WdvY5/s1600/2015+04+19_April2015_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwixHUa8MCVqRjIRI1imXb1Hbtkz5gh5Zxh4cf6LmN8pjlqqhJBBeogxUkJKQ87I_4GzJB-29fGQ7ljxuLPjkA6loWiQvCB6fdLKbwJ9OT4-Fo6WdUhFOI-yccb6yo0nu8AfMJS2WdvY5/s320/2015+04+19_April2015_0083.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit A of how Jodi loves coffee</td></tr>
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Cynthia: She does! I have a growing collection of pictures that I am someday going to collect into an album called JODI-LOVES-COFFEE.<br />
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But seriously, though, Jodi is a huge part of why the Lady Janies work. Brodi and I have had so many conversations about how Jodi is actually the most essential part of our group--she wrote the point of view of JANE, after all--she's like the sparkly purple glue that holds the Lady Janies together. If it were up to just Brodi and I, we'd be a total mess. But Jodi is like the gravity that keeps us on the ground (and corrects our grammar, without being judgy about it).<br />
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Jodi's also known as "the quiet one," the one standing silently in the background while Brodi cracks jokes and I blabber on about history.<br />
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Brodi: But if you get her talking about the right subjects, such as knitting or grammar or the proper placement of a period, or world building, or unicorns, she will talk your ear off. I have always admired her for being able to fly under the radar and then bob her head up for just a second to say something absolutely brilliant, leaving me wondering why I'm talking at all in the first place.<br />
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Cynthia: I liked Jodi the minute I met her. It was clear from the very start that she was an ultra smart, super sweet, completely awesome human being. And my opinion of her has only gotten stronger every day I've been around her since we met. I feel so unbelievably blessed to have Jodi as one of my friends--she is the very best kind of friend, the kind who is always there cheering for you no matter what, the kind of friend who will tell you what she really thinks but will always be kind about it, the kind of friend who inspires you to be a better person yourself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAA27LK6OvxTZxK2AjbgHW1ZwS-N7gJlLwdvx-pXU9eHj4NZ07OfC8_y60xlqRpq9rx1JL7dSthevDtzTi4Jm3MTSfIn7d_zYNeVMH9gVSZGmITi96ijGiNta7Oie7-wS_bNzsJnrK5Jm/s1600/2015+04+11_April2015_0575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAA27LK6OvxTZxK2AjbgHW1ZwS-N7gJlLwdvx-pXU9eHj4NZ07OfC8_y60xlqRpq9rx1JL7dSthevDtzTi4Jm3MTSfIn7d_zYNeVMH9gVSZGmITi96ijGiNta7Oie7-wS_bNzsJnrK5Jm/s400/2015+04+11_April2015_0575.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodi writing in one of her many notebooks</td></tr>
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Brodi: Not to mention that she is just an amazing writer! The first time I met her was on my first book tour. Harper put me with Jodi and Cynthia, and it was magic. I introduced myself to Jodi, and she shoved a pair of hand-spun/hand-knitted mitts into my hands. A gift. Little did I know that four years later, we'd all be knitting together with a passion! And writing. With a passion.<br />
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Cynthia: Jodi is also one of the hardest working writers I've ever met, which has been so inspiring for me to witness. She is just a great example of a writer who does the work, day in and day out, no excuses. And that's how we get her beautiful, intricately-woven novels. Jodi is such a thoughtful person--and I think that thoughtfulness is part of why her books are so rich in wonderful, imaginative details. She's kind of my writing hero.<br />
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Brodi: She is my human hero. I want to be the kind of human she is. This past weekend, at Y'allwest, a participant who had met all the authors said Jodi was "hands down" the nicest. And she was right.<br />
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So happy birthday, dearest Jodi! We both love you so much, and we're so glad to be writing books with you!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane and Jodi, just hanging out</td></tr>
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<br />Cynthia Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09513222409391539291noreply@blogger.com4