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The Goodbye Season by Gina Conkle

Are you a Downton Abbey fan? With the show in its sixth and final season, we at Sourcebooks are celebrating all the romance and drama with live tweets (and giveaways) every Sunday, 9:00 PM ET. We'd love to tweet with you --- look for #TeamSource.

To prepare you, here's a little snark and history a la Downton Abbey style.




I first heard about Downton Abbey when I was out to dinner with a friend. She asked me, "What's the deal with an entail?" She knew I wrote historical romance, and her question unleashed my inner history nerd.

The tables soon turned. My friend regaled me with lush set descriptions and character sketches. I was hooked. My car somehow found its way to Barnes & Noble where I bought the season one DVD set. I binge-watched it and got all caught up as season two winded down.

When season two's DVDs released, my car took me to Barnes & Noble again where I promptly bought the next DVD set. (Like Lay's potato chips, you can't just stop at one).




Have there been some awful surprises? Yes. Sybil's shocking death from pre-eclampsia (I bawled like a baby). Or the handsome Turkish diplomat's demise while romping with Lady Mary (didn't see that one coming). And later Matthew's passing (I was in denial...like maybe he was unconscious). My friend made me face facts about Matthew.



There's been plenty of drama at the Abbey (typed with Lady Mary's condescension in my head), but there's also been lots of grin-worthy, thought-provoking gems. For awhile I tweeted and posted "Dowager Moments" because no one drops one liners like the Dowager. 




My latest (non-Dowager) quotes from this final season revolve around women pushing the boundaries. From Lord Grantham (read this in his droll tone):




This one comes from Lady Mary wearing the "Land Agent" hat as she becomes a working woman...with four-legged creatures:



There's healthy doses of romance as well. Lady Edith needs to find true love, doesn't she?


Fans want Lady Edith to get her happily ever after. Twitter lights up with well-wishes for the long-suffering heroine. If you doubt that, just look up the hashtag #DowntonAbbey on twitter.

Don't forget the #TeamSource hashtag. Authors Gwyn Cready, Sherri Browning, and moi, Gina Conkle are dishing up quips and quotes, peppered with predictions. We'd love you to join us as we live tweet during the show. Other Sourcebooks authors have dropped in --- you never know who'll show up in the #TeamSource live tweet conversations.

Oh, and I almost forgot. We've hosted some great giveaways, too.

We invite you to join us Sunday night at 9:00 PM ET. Be sure to look for #TeamSource on twitter.

***

Thanks for stopping by the blog and reminiscing with me about Downton Abbey. Do you have any favorite moments? Please share in the comments below.

Happy New Year!
Gina Conkle

I write Viking and Georgian romance. A staunch history nerd, I love museums and castles --- the older and moldier the better. When not investigating ancient sites, I occasionally dabble in gardening and exercise.  My favorite alpha male is my husband, Brian. We live in Michigan with our two boys.

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Comments

  1. Yes! Lady Edith must find love before the show ends. It would also be nice if she and Mary stopped their snark and we're kinder to each other. :-)

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    1. Hi Asa, Yes and yes to what you said. I come from a family of three girls and my two younger sisters will sometimes slip into their childhood/teen snark mode. Their adults with teens of their own, yet some things never change!

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  2. Yes! Lady Edith must find love before the show ends. It would also be nice if she and Mary stopped their snark and we're kinder to each other. :-)

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  3. I think they could all use a little love, Edith in particular. But just imagine how much nicer Barrow would be if he finally found a boyfriend!

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    1. You know what I think will happen for him? He'll strike out on his own and start a business. Remember when he came home from WWI? He started a business, his supplier cheated him, and he gave up and went back into service. I think he'll give his own business a go again (my end of season prediction for his storyline).

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    2. I think he'll end up as head butler.

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  4. I think my favourite season is series 1 when the prince dies in lady Mary's bed. It was a great show. I live near Highclere castle where it's filmed. My Great Grandfather was station master at the railway station there. It's an amazing house to visit if you every have the chance. :) P.S. You're behind in the US then? It's finished over here.

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    1. Hi Jules,
      You are so lucky to live near Highclere! Season 1 was amazing. Even my then 12 year old son watched the DVDs with me, commenting on the camera work and the acting. He had thought for a time he wanted to make movies. Thanks for not spoiling the season's ending. You're right. We're a few shows into this final season. I sometimes Google search Downton images and Google gave me a nice surprise about Lady Mary. :-)

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