Sunday Snippet with a NEW CLUE in the PULSE AND PREJUDICE Pop Culture Challenge!

Are you ready for another clue in the Pop Culture Challenge?

I hope you are having fun finding all the allusions strewn through the chapters of Pulse and Prejudice like Easter eggs. Do you think YOU will be the winner of the iPad and the Cash Jackpot?

All of the pop culture references are listed on the Acknowledgements page of Pulse and Prejudice - the paranormal adaptation Jane Austen's classic, which retells the story from Mr. Darcy's point of view as a vampire - and today I will share a passage from the novel that contains one of the allusions!

PLEASE NOTE: If you have not yet read Pulse & Prejudice or Pride & Prejudice, first of all, get to it! But secondly, the following will contain spoilers.

This scene takes place immediately after Mr. Darcy has left Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the Lambton Inn, weeping after learning that her sister Lydia has "eloped" with the nefarious Mr. Wickham. From Miss Austen's novel, we only learn Elizabeth's perspective of his reaction to her sister's shame: "As he quitted the room, Elizabeth felt how improbable it was that they should ever see each other again on such terms of cordiality as had marked their several meetings in Derbyshire...."  Indeed, neither the reader nor Elizabeth learn of Darcy's involvement in rescuing her sister until all has been settled and she receives the letter from Mrs. Gardiner revealing all.

With Pulse and Prejudice, however, events unfold from Mr. Darcy's point of view, and his intentions upon leaving Elizabeth at the Inn are quite the opposite.  Did you ever wonder what happened when he returned to Pemberley that morning.....

      Darcy entered the breakfast room where all but Mr. Hurst were gathered. He adopted a façade of solemn indifference, which he had practised for most of his life.
     “William!” cried Georgiana. “Where have you been?” Her narrowed eyes spoke all he needed to hear of her frustration in having been left to Bingley’s sisters.
      He bade them good morning and said, “I had to go out early to Lambton on a matter of some import.”
      Miss Bingley’s eyes widened at the declaration, but Georgiana asked what she could not. “Did you see Miss Elizabeth and the Gardiners?”
      He turned towards the sideboard as if to prepare his breakfast and, with his back to them, answered with casual indifference. “I did happen to meet Miss Bennet, but I fear under inauspicious circumstances. She and the Gardiners may even now be on the road to Hertfordshire.”
Georgiana gasped. “Hertfordshire!”
     “Yes, her mother is unwell; and her sister has written to beg they return at once. She asked that I offer you her apologies that she will not be able to call on you today.”
      Her brows knitted together. “Did she not send a note to say goodbye?”
      He took a seat at the end of the table and looked at his sister with tenderness in hope of soothing her disappointment. “She was quite distressed and did not want to delay their departure for a moment, so she sent her message through me.”
     Miss Bingley opened her mouth to say something but then must have thought better of it. Georgiana said no more, and Darcy and Bingley spoke of inconsequential matters for a while before Darcy determined it safe to divulge his plan without arousing suspicion.
    “I pray you will all forgive me, but I shall be leaving for London in the morning at first light.”
    They all expressed surprise, but Georgiana spoke with utter disbelief. “Whatever for? How long will you be gone?”
    “A few days at the most. That matter, which called me to Lambton this morning, has developed complications and requires my presence in Town,” he said with a firmness to equal his expression and cease further inquiry.
     When Darcy returned to his chamber, he consulted with Rivens at once. “I want us to leave for Town as soon as the others are gone to bed this evening.”
      “Sir? May I ask—”
      “It is Wickham. He has taken Lydia Bennet, Elizabeth’s youngest sister.”
      Rivens’s face turned hard and taut. “I see.”
     “I would like to set out on horseback, if that is amenable to you. If we ride straight through, only stopping to change horses, we should be there in half the time.”
     “Perhaps not even that,” said Rivens, “die Todten reiten schnell.”
     “Indeed,” Darcy replied with a stiff nod. “The dead travel fast.”

The reference included in the passage above is not so much from current pop culture as it is from popular literature, if that helps you with the clue.

So far, I have given clues to references to William Faulkner , the film Sideways , and one of several nods to the Beatles. Last week, you could find the allusion spelled out for you in the clue in 6 Sentence Sunday. I will be revealing a NEW CLUE EVERY WEEK from now until the end of the contest, so be sure to Follow this blog or "Like" my Facebook Author Page.

 The Pulse and Prejudice Pop Culture Challenge!

The rules of the contest are simple: Find the most pop culture allusions within the text of Pulse and Prejudice, and you will win a Fourth Generation iPad with Retina Display! PLUS, if you find 25 of them, you will win a CASH BONUS from an ever-growing Jackpot! There are even prizes for runners-up!

There is no purchase necessary to enter or win, so feel free to borrow a copy from a friend or the library - although I'm sure you will want your own ;) . Just don't use a pirated copy, or you will be disqualified. 

But time is running out!  Submit your contest entry to: pulseandprejudicecontest@outlook.com by October 31st, 2013.

For complete contest rules and more information, please go to PulseandPrejudice.com.  Good luck - and have fun!

~Colette

Only open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 and older at the time of entry. Void in Puerto Rico and where otherwise prohibited by law. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING; HOWEVER, ANYONE USING A PIRATED COPY OF PULSE AND PREJUDICE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. For complete contest rules and more information, please refer to the Contest Rules link on PulseandPrejudice.com. 

Pulse and Prejudice – A tale of love, blood, and desire; the definitive vampire adaptation of the Jane Austen classic.

This compelling paranormal adaptation of Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr. Darcy, vampire, as he endeavours to overcome both his love and his bloodlust for Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

When the haughty and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in the rural county of Hertfordshire, he finds he cannot control his attraction to Elizabeth Bennet – a horrifying thought because, as she is too far below his social standing to ignite his heart, he fears she must appeal to the dark impulses he struggles to suppress.

Available Now in Print, eBook, and audiobook!