Nope, it’s treats, but no tricks!
Enjoy the first excerpt from C. P. Odom’s new book, Georgiana’s Friend. Then leave us a comment, telling us what you think about it, what you might be doing for Halloween, or what you did as a child for Halloween. If you didn’t do anything, that is okay too! We just want to hear from you. You can just send some love to the author, C. P. Odom.
Excerpt
Elizabeth was awake and dressed for walking soon after dawn the next morning. She keenly felt the need for the brisk exercise and hoped that the sharp chill of the Hertfordshire countryside might bring some calmness to her inner turmoil. The house was silent as she descended the stairs and exited the front door, and she lost no time in striding off down the drive towards one of her favourite jaunts. The day was brisk, with the sun twinkling on the frost that covered the leaves and grass, and her breath made a white plume in the air. The exercise soon warmed her as she paced down the road and turned off into one of the lesser-used lanes.
Her spirits were lifted by the beauty and quiet, marked only by the soft trills of the birds and the distant barking of a dog at one of the cottages occasionally visible through the dense evergreens lining the lane. Within half an hour, she was walking alongside a whitewashed fence of wooden rails marking the boundary of Netherfield Park when she heard the pounding of horses’ hooves from behind her on the right.
Drawn by the sound, which contrasted with the quiet of the morning, she stepped over to a break in the evergreens. At that moment, two horses came into sight further to the right, running flat out and almost side-by-side. She recognized Darcy on a magnificent black animal that stretched out its neck as it ran. A short distance behind him was David, riding a smaller steed that seemed almost matched to that of Darcy’s, likely because of its lighter burden.
The two brothers were grinning from ear to ear with the sheer exhilaration of their race, for it was clear that it was indeed a contest. The nostrils of both horses were wide, and the frost of their breath was ripped into tatters by the speed of their stride. In a moment, they swept up to Elizabeth and beyond, thundering out of sight around a slight bend of the fence line. Elizabeth found her hands pressed hard against her chest, seeking to still the sudden pounding of her heart from the stirring sight she had just witnessed.
Darcy had been well up in the stirrups, leaning far forward over his horse’s neck, with his seat well clear of the saddle even as his knees adjusted for his steed’s pounding stride. David had been in a similar stance, urging more speed from his horse in an attempt to catch his brother. But after a quick glance at David, Elizabeth’s eyes fixed on Darcy. Her spirit had thrilled at the magnificent picture he made as he sought more speed from his horse. He appeared aglow from excitement, and both horses had been equally impressive, their coats shining with moisture picked up from the dew thrown up by their hooves.
Elizabeth did not believe that she had ever seen anything as electrifying in her entire life. Not even the fencing practice, which had been the object of several of her dreams, had affected her as deeply. Her excitement was reflected in an inward heat, much the same as she felt during her dream about dancing with Darcy in the Netherfield library. She moaned slightly, partly due to the unknown physical reactions she felt in her chest and below. But her moan was mostly occasioned by the sudden knowledge that had just struck her with an almost physical impact—
She was falling in love with Georgiana’s brother!
Or have I already fallen in love? she wondered with a groan of dismay. This is not as surprising as it ought to be. A part of me must have been aware of it creeping up on me, but I did not allow myself to think of it.
Now for the rest of the “treat” part! Meryton Press will be giving away two promotional copies of Georgiana’s Friend today! That’s right! Two lucky readers will get their own copy before the book is officially released on November 11th. Two of you will get a chance to read it early. 🙂 How’s that for a treat?
The first eBook to be given away will be chosen from the first comments made by 5 P.M. Central Time. The second eBook giveaway will be selected from the remainder of the comments until 10 P.M. Central Time. Any comments that were not selected, will go into the giveaway from the preorder post on Monday, the 28th of October! That giveaway ends on Friday, November 1st at midnight Central Time.
Today’s giveaway begins as soon as the post is live! Good luck to all! Ready, set, go!
Dara
I love variations where Elizabeth gets to see Darcy in his element—very intriguing!
Halloween tonight will be spent trick or treating with my kids. I love getting to see their joy!
Meryton Press
Thanks for stopping by, Dara. We hope you and kids have a great time trick or treating. I agree with you about getting to see their joy. It brings us joy too, doesn’t it? I have grandchildren and seeing their excitement makes me excited! Happy Halloween to you and yours.
Ree
Ohh, a Darcy brother! Can’t wait to read this. C.P. Odom is a favourite! I already have it preordered.
Meryton Press
We’re so happy you visited, Ree! A Darcy brother does sound interesting, doesn’t it! Thanks for preordering!
Paula Breger
So looking forward to this!
Meryton Press
We’re glad to hear it, Paula! Maybe you will be a winner today! Good luck.
Ceri
I really enjoyed this excerpt! Looks like the tables are turned here in terms of affections.
Meryton Press
Hi Ceri, It’s great to have you visit! It is interesting that the tables are turned in this story. I like that idea. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt! Good luck!
Glory
Yeah for more Darcy siblings!
Meryton Press
That’s always a plus, isn’t it? Glad you popped in, Glory.
Jackie
I love the reaction of Elizabeth to seeing Darcy and his brother barreling along the road on their horses and how it affected her. A Darcy brother sounds intriguing as well. Can’t wait to read more!
Meryton Press
I loved it too, Jackie. I’m sure that would be quite a sight to see. Hope you get to read more soon!
Satu
Darcy with a brother 😁 and Elizabeth as a friend of Georgiana!! I can’t wait to read this!
Meryton Press
Those are two neat twists, right? Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Good luck.
Glynis
I think Elizabeth is falling for Georgiana’s brother as well, and who wouldn’t? Love this. As a child I used to have my birthday party followed by my Dad letting off fireworks on Halloween (we didn’t have trick or treating). Today my son made my birthday tea as his wife took their boys out!
Meryton Press
I think you might be correct, Glynis! It certainly sounds like she is, but you are right…who wouldn’t? lol I love that your dad let off fireworks after your birthday party on Halloween. That sounds like such a neat party. What a sweet son you have! That made your birthday even more special didn’t it? Happy Birthday and Happy Halloween.
DarcyBennett
Sounds great and enjoyed the excerpt!
Meryton Press
We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the excerpt, DarcyBennet. We enjoyed hearing from you. Good luck.
Jan Hahn
So glad this is published! I love Colin’s writing and always have. Good to see Lizzy’s falling for that good-looking Darcy and that he has a brother too.
Meryton Press
We are all so glad this is published too. Colin is an excellent writer. As Glynis said earlier, how could Lizzy not fall for such a good-looking Darcy? The icing on this cake is having another brother and Lizzy good friends with the sister of both! Can’t beat that! Thank you for dropping by, Jan, and sharing your thoughts with us!
Robin G.
I enjoyed this, thank you for the excerpt and giveaway. Tonight, I’ll be handing out candy and trying to stay dry. Congrats and best wishes on the new release!
Meryton Press
I hope you had a fun evening handing out lots of candy and staying dry too! Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Suzan Lauder
As a child, I lived in a small town in farm country in Canada. We trick-or-treated with home-made costumes and pillowcases after school. We got mostly what we called in those days “penny candy,” but the odd lady made a popcorn ball or candy apple, or if they were rich, we got a little candy bar, what we called a six-cent chocolate bar in those days. One of our last stops was the butcher shop, where we got a wiener. I kid you not. It was one of those from the olden days when they wrapped them individually in plastic. I took it home and had it for dinner. When I was young, Mom cooked it for me, but as I became a little older, I was allowed to boil my own wiener. Happy Halloween and best of luck to Colin on his book.
Meryton Press
Suzan, your Halloween sounds like so much fun. Those are cherished memories. Thank you for sharing your Halloween with us. Now I’ll share mine! My mother used to make popcorn balls and occasionally caramel apples . I loved both and always looked forward to having them! We loved outside the city limits so I would visit a friend in town to trick or treat. We would walk up and down the street where she lived. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone. It was safe and lots of fun!
SAF
Excited to read it!
Meryton Press
We’re glad to hear it! Good luck!
Colleen
Oh, I hope I’m not too late.
Meryton Press
Hi Colleen. You’re too late for the 10 PM drawing but your name will go into the drawing that ends at midnight tonight. It is from the preorder post on Monday. Good luck and we’re happy you dropped by regardless!
J. W. Garrett
Yay! It’s going to be published. I loved it as a WIP [then] and look forward to reading it as a finished work. Congratulations on the launch of this story. Blessings.
Meryton Press
Thanks for stopping by, J.W. Glad to hear you loved it as a WIP back when it was posted. It’s a good story. We’re so happy it is going out into the world!