Spotlight & Giveaway: The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Madeline Bell to HJ!

Hi Madeline and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Austen Affair!

 
Hello, my gorgeous romance-lovers! Welcome to HJ!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

THE AUSTEN AFFAIR is about two feuding co-stars on the set of a Northanger Abbey film adaptation, Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour, who accidentally get zapped back in time to the real Regency period and need to work together to fit in with country society. For Tess, who is an optimistic, go-with-the-flow kind of gal, traveling back in time is a huge thrill. Especially because she grew up on all things Austen thanks to her beloved late mother, who she was trying to honor with her performance in NA. But for rigid, introverted Hugh, time travel is a total nightmare–and not just because he is mistaken for his great-great-great uncle who died at Waterloo. But as they start working together to survive Jane Austen’s era, relying on Tess’ improvisation skills and Hugh’s extensive research, they start to see past their bad first impressions and love blossoms.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

I’m still very proud of my first line:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that women since time immemorial (or at least since 1995) have been obsessed with Colin Firth.”

And then there’s a piece of advice given to Tess in the third act that I’m really fond of:

“My dear, no one can be trusted with their own heart. That is why we give them to others for safekeeping.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The working title for this book was supposed to be a play on Jane Austen’s naming convention: “Mess & Methodology.” But that’s a bit of a mouthful, and I couldn’t seem to say it without stumbling over the words and talking about “meth,” so I’m very glad that my brilliant editor suggested “The Austen Affair.” Much improved!
• This book sprang into being after one long winter vacation where I borrowed every Austen film adaptation I could get my hands on at my local library! Shoutout to the podcast Sick Burn, Jane which inspired that binge, and through the transitive property, this book.
• When I write, I love to light up the strongest, most-sweet smelling candle I can find. Hopefully one that makes it feel like you’ve got cookies in the oven! Then I just let my favorite comfort sitcoms (Parks & Recreation, Bob’s Burgers, New Girl, etc.) marathon in the background as I make some magic!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

I think Hugh starts feeling attracted to Tess when he notices how much she throws herself into everything he does full-steam. He wishes he could be more like that, so he admires Tess for wearing her heart on her sleeve. Canonically, he also warms to her when he realizes how much she purely loves the art of performing. They have that in common!

For Tess though, she always thought Hugh was attractive even from their first chemistry read, but she doesn’t start appreciating his personality until she sees his softer sides: his love for animals, his tenderness toward his family, his willingness to help her out even when they’re not actively getting along.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I’m a very emotional reader/writer, so I did get myself crying a few times in the more serious scenes here. But what fun would those be to share? Instead, I’m gonna give you a bit of a scene that always has me cackling to myself…

I slip about a million references to Jane Austen into this book, but there’s one reference to a joke from That 70s Show that I managed to sneak in here too. It’s the Regency-equivalent of when Jackie wants Kelso to give him her coat on a ski trip after Eric gave his to Donna, and he says, “Damn, Jackie, I can’t control the weather!” So I had my Mr. Wickham-esque cad, Mr. Armstrong, do something similar with the woman he’s courting while our heroes ford their way down a mountain in a rainstorm:

“​​Immediately, Phoebe seizes on her chance. She yawns dramatically, and pretends to veer off to one side from weakness. “Oh, goodness, I’m awfully worn out from all this mud!”
Mr. Armstrong is unmoved by her plea, stomping petulantly forward. “I can hardly control the weather, can I, Miss Dixon?””

Readers should read this book….

It’s a fun romp through time that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time, has a lot of heart and substance! I’m sure that Jane Austen fans will love it, but I also think there’s something here for every romance reader, whether they’ve had time to dive into Jane’s work or not. It’s your classic enemies-to-lovers, Grumpy x Sunshine, fake engagement, time travel shenanigans story!
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Right now, I’m working on revisions for a modern-day retelling of my very favorite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. Right now, it’s tentatively titled MUCH ADO ABOUT EVERYTHING, because, well, it’s about a friend group that makes a big deal out of a lot of stuff…even when it comes to tricking Bea and Richard, two of their best friends, into a second-chance romance ten years after their catastrophic breakup. It’ll be coming out from St. Martin’s Griffin in either late 2026 or early 2027!
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: St. Martin’s Griffin is giving away five finished copies of THE AUSTEN AFFAIR by Madeline Bell. Open to US/CAN only.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q:  What draws you to this book?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Book Info:

Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut

Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way—well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.

A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry—and Tess’s career depends on it.

Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.

A wickedly funny, delightfully charming story, The Austen Affair is a tribute to Jane Austen, second chances, and love across the space-time continuum.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Madeline Bell grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Writing as Christine Calella, she is the author of two YA novels, The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray and Liar’s Kingdom. Like any rom-com heroine worth her salt, she is a lovably clumsy New Yorker with an office job in a creative field.
Instagram |