Arlys Avery and I have been best friends since I was sitting in her office one day (for no good reason other than I thought she was hilarious) and she handed me a sheet of paper. “Proofread this for me?” It was a posting to find a roommate. I handed it back. “Nah. Because it’s me.”

When we were roommates, The Tudors was airing o n e e p i s o d e a t a t i m e .

That was a long time ago. Can you even remember when television worked that way?

Arlys and I would sit on her blue hand-me-down couches and read Wikipedia articles about the six wives of Henry VIII to see if a particular character was going to survive an episode. (The answer was almost always no.)

When it wasn’t The Tudors’ night, we daydreamed/plotted/planned our careers as novelists. Well, Arlys, my friend. It only took us fifteen years! Here we are. Published authors.

My hearts, you should pre-order Kissing Owen Darcy: An enemies to lovers clean teen romance based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Arlys Avery. Today. Right now. I’ll wait here. You click that link and preorder that book.

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Welcome back. Thank you! Look for it to magically appear in your ereader or your mailbox on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Now, here’s what you just got yourself into.

First of all, you’ll find Kissing Owen Darcy refreshingly wholesome after reading Holland, My Heart. Okay, that’s not the actual “first of all”. The most important thing about Kissing Owen Darcy is that you’ll fall madly in love with Ellie.

Ellie is a high school sophomore version of Elizabeth Bennet. She has the greatest friends—sweet, quirky, good girls who have given themselves the self-deprecating moniker The Invisibles. Over a small town American Midwest summer, they support Ellie as she conquers her fear of public speaking (the stakes are high! An internship she wants is on the line!) and her disdain of the snotty new kid Owen Darcy.

You’ll love Ellie and mother (not quite as horrible as Austen’s Mrs. Bennet, thank goodness). You’ll love her sister Jade (as tender-hearted as Jane Bennet). You will be dying to read the stories of her friends Marni, Catt, Emma (yes, THAT Emma!), and Ava.

You read that right. Kissing Owen Darcy is the first in a series called Good Girls Gone Jane. Arlys plans to next tackle Persuasion in Kissing Freddy, Again.

Arlys Avery’s
Good Girls Gone Jane Series

Kissing Owen Darcy
(Pride & Prejudice)
Launches Dec. 13, 2022

Kissing Freddy, Again
(Persuasion)
August 2023

Kissing Mr. Knightly
(Emma)

Kissing Mr. Wrong
(Sense & Sensibility)

Kissing Mr. Nice Guy
(Northanger Abbey)

As the back of the book says, “Kissing Owen Darcy sets a new high bar for Austen inspiration. These girls are self-aware, fun and funny, empowered, and ready to take over YA literature.” —Jennifer J. Coldwater, author of Holland, My Heart

Would I lie to you, my hearts? 💕

P.S. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.