Anyone who read along as I rushed to get chapters of A Quest for Mr Darcy up on time will recall my inability to spot all the typos in each post, so you’re probably wondering if I’ve slipped up again in the heading to this one!
I haven’t! 😉 There were so many lovely, beautifully explained responses in the Comments, and such a variety of characters chosen, I decided to giveaway TWO Brilliant Uncirculated £2 Coins (I wish I had more to spare! You all deserve one!)
There were 22 entries (Anji abstained, as she already has the coin), and my trusty assistant (aka my husband, Julian) did the honours before he went to work and picked two numbers. The winners are:
- Julie R
- Lynn Bischoff
Please contact me on cassandra {dot} grafton {@} gmail {dot} com, or via Facebook Messenger if we are connected there, with your address so I can get the presentation pack off to you!
(If a prize remains unclaimed within 3 days, a new name will be picked!)
Congratulations to Julie and Lynn, and thank you SO much to everyone who took the time to leave a comment. ❤
The ‘Beast’!
Again, as many of you know, A Quest for Mr Darcy ended up much longer than I had anticipated… about a whole book-length longer! Sigh.
Despite lopping over 10,000 redundant words from the manuscript during editing, it still remained a whopping 190,000 words long in the end. As it lumbered its way to and fro across the world between Switzerland and my lovely team of proof readers, it became affectionately known as ‘the Beast’. I’m hoping they were only referring to its size, of course! 😉
Well, the paperback proof copy has finally arrived with me! As you can see from the photos, it’s quite a hefty tome. There are a few tweaks to be made to the cover and interior, but I’m hoping it will be published within the next two weeks – I’ll announce it here when it’s available, and no doubt I will find something to offer as a giveaway, too! 😀
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- The front is still lovely!
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- The back is mysterious!
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- The spine is… wide!
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- And it’s twice the size of Charm!
I'm Cass, and I write the sort of stories I love to read - heart-warming, character driven and strong on location. I lean heavily towards the upbeat in both my reading and my writing. 
Cass Grafton - Writer 
Many congratulations to the two lucky winners! And congratulations to you Cass. Good luck with this book. I will definitely be reading it soon 😊
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Thank you, Glynis. I’m so sorry I couldn’t send everyone a coin (if they were only £2 to buy, I would)! 😀
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Congratulations Julie and Lynn. Looking forward to the paperback’s release.
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Thank you, Debbie!
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Hi Cass
Congratulations to the winners. I have just finished my Kindle version of Quest and I was surprised to realise I had forgotten many of the little details. I have enjoyed reading it without having to wait for the next chapter, though I cannot deny that waiting had its charm and added lots of excitement to the winter of 1916 and the spring of 1917!
I predict the book will do very well.
Regards
Cristina
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Cristina! I’m so pleased you enjoyed reading it in one go as well as in instalments!
As an expert in typos, I’m also loving the 1916/17 reference! 😉
Thank you so much for you kind words!
If anyone reads it and feels able to leave me a review on Amazon, I would be so grateful (especially the UK site, where it currently only has 2)! ❤
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I will do
Cristina
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Thank you! ❤
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That is a big book! But length doesn’t deter me. 😉 Congrats on the new release! I’m looking forward to reading it.
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Thank you, Anna!
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No matter the length in paperback (its still the same as the e-book isn’t it??) it is a superb book. So full of twists, and differences, I really enjoyed reading it.
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Exactly the same story and length, Hollis! So pleased you enjoyed it!
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Wow, that is large!
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I know! LOL
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Congratulations to the winners. Enjoy. And good luck with this publication, Cass.
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Thank you, Sheila!
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Congratulations on the soon-to-be-published “Beast”!! 😀 And God bless your proofreaders!!
(I currently proof for Maria Grace and have done one book so far for Abigail Reynolds (her latest…and longest!), and I know how hard those dear proofreaders work!! :D)
I can’t wait to see the whole book published!! I may have to get a paper copy just to enjoy its lovely heft!! 😉
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
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LOL, yes, Susanne, they were very brave and very patient! 😉
And LOL re the heft! It’s going to have many used post reading. Doorstop is my husband’s suggestion, but it could be used as a weight for toning one’s arms! 😉
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Hurray to the winners!! WhooHoo to the ‘Beast’ love that it is so thick and long! I love me a great big long read! Can’t wait to read the final version and suggest we all post our reviews on Amazon not only in our own country but the U.S. and UK too!
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You’re so sweet, Carole! I hope you enjoy the full read when you get to it!
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Congratulations and huge jealousy goes out to the winners. Hahaha!
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LOL. Thank you, Suzan! ❤
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Thank you for the lovely review on .co.uk, Cristina! ❤
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Congrats to the winners! The presentation pack is lovely and has lots of lovely info and pictures inside, even though it’s relatively small. I was so happy to see the Rice Portrait in there. Yes Cass, if only they cost just £2 each!
“The Beast” is certainly the longest book I’ve proofread so far but even though I’d followed along with your postings, I still enjoyed reading every last word of what will be its weighty goodness! It certainly doesn’t seem or read like a long book. After all, our favourite author had something to say on that subject, didn’t she? “…if a book is well written, I always find it too short”. Quest is certainly one of those!
I love the mystery posed by the back cover, even though I understand what it refers to. Am I right in thinking it’s from one of your photos taken on your visit to Derbyshire in February?
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I have this nice ‘fat’ book downloaded days (weeks) ago and waiting for the read till I’m there. Tuesday 😎🍾👍. Class, can you please give me the direction to your Kympton again? And I’m excited to see the new eshibition in Chatsworth❤️❤️ It’ll be a new experience to read a book in the real environment!
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Sorry…autocorrect. CASS
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LOL, Bea. I’ve seen worse auto corrects! 😉
Although Baslow (which I know you know) could easily be Kympton, I chose the church at Earl Sterndale for the churchyard setting (you will see it on the back of the paperback once it’s up on Amazon). It’s a small village to the west of Bakewell, heading towards Longnor (which was Lambton in the 1995 P&P).
Happy travels!
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Thanks Cass!
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Have been there today. A bit scary but nice. Do you remember the pub across the green? The quiet wife – 🙈🙈🙈. And the parsonage the old house on the right of the churchyard?
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The Quiet Woman? Yes! Weird and a bit creepy!
It is very isolated but it was the church setting that I liked. I didn’t imagine the village itself as any part of the story.
Happy travels, Beate!
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