Keira: Which is your favorite Jane Austen novel and why?
Jane: Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel. There are lots of reasons why I love it – the characters are fabulous, the theme of love being lost and found is timeless, and Jane Austen’s writing is at her best, I think.
Keira: How do you get your Jane Austen fix?
Jane: I immerse myself in the books, but I also enjoy some of the adaptations. I read Jane’s books several times a year.
Keira: Most Jane Austen sequels focus on the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice; what inspired you to try your hand at Colonel William Brandon and Marianne Dashwood?
Jane: I wanted to know more about their relationship, as there are few clues at the end of Sense and Sensibility. How did Marianne come to love a man she considered to be too old and staid? I thought it would be exciting to explore how the effects of their former relationships might impact on their life together.
Keira: What do you feel is the hardest aspect of writing a Jane Austen sequel? Is it the research, the writing, the dialogue, or other?
Jane: I want to do justice to the original book and try my hardest to keep the same themes, tone and flavour. Because I am writing for a modern audience, it is sometimes challenging to keep the balance right between writing for them and yet staying true to style.
Keira: Marianne is torn between Brandon and Willoughby in Willoughby’s Return. Why is the decision a difficult one and what qualities does each man have in his favor?
Jane: Marianne is still quite immature at the start of Willoughby’s Return. She is ruled by her emotions and Willoughby comes back into her life at a point when she is questioning Colonel Brandon’s love and affection for her and when she is at her most vulnerable. Willoughby reminds her of a time when she had few responsibilities and for a moment she is swept along by her feelings. I don’t think Marianne sees each man in terms of what they have going for them, she reacts to circumstances and their behaviour towards her.
Keira: If you had to choose, what scene in Willoughby’s Return is your absolute favorite—one you would not allow to be edited out of the novel?
Jane: I think the winter scene where Marianne and Margaret go skating on the frozen Serpentine Lake. Without giving too much away this is a dramatic scene which ends at a critical point. I love writing descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed doing the research about frost fair activities held at the time.
She (Margaret) had heard of famous frost fairs in London when the great River Thames had frozen over but nothing had prepared her for the sight of the Serpentine Lake fringed with glowing lanterns in the dim afternoon light, the branches of trees dipping their lacy fingers into the polished, black ice. Crossing and re-crossing the vast expanse skated a myriad of figures in a stately ballet, silhouetted against ribbon streams of sunshine in tints of rosy pink to gild the clouds. There were icemen sweeping and burnishing the lagoon to a gleaming finish, hiring out skates for those intrepid enough to try them. Several booths had been set up from which hot ginger wine, ale, or brandy could be purloined. The costermongers were setting up shop by selling fruit, their wives tempting weary skaters with oysters and hot meat pies. The noise of people shouting, cheering, and laughing echoed in the still air to the accompaniment of cracking ice, loud as a firing musket.
Keira: Tell us a little about Margaret and her quest for a love match.
Jane: Margaret has reached the age for falling in love, but has not met anyone who has yet stolen her heart. I wanted her to be bowled over and fall head over heels despite her initial resistance to the idea. I loved writing the twists and turns on her journey to forming a lasting relationship.
Keira: Which character did you have the most fun writing?
Jane: Mrs Jennings – she is an interfering busybody with a good heart, and I enjoyed writing her character very much.
Keira: How do you define love?
Jane: Love can be defined in so many ways – of romantic love with a partner, I’d say it involves caring for that person with unconditional affection, putting their wants and needs before your own, sharing their triumphs and disasters – being with them!
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jane: Jane Austen’s characters are never caricatures. It was important to me to explore how Marianne and Margaret, not to mention Willoughby and the Colonel would react in certain situations, and to be honest about how they would behave bearing in mind the constraints of the time. There are many unspoken thoughts, conversations and misunderstandings, which change the course of the plot or move it forward. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that Austen employed these devices in her books – it is largely a modern concept that we share our feelings and discuss them openly. In Willoughby’s Return, I try to show how a relationship might unravel if communication between a married couple might break down, but in the best Austen tradition I guarantee a happy ending for all concerned! Thank you very much for the interview Keira.
About the Author
Jane Odiwe is an artist and author. She is an avid fan of all things Austen and is the author and illustrator of Effusions of Fancy, annotated sketches from the life of Jane Austen, as well as Lydia Bennet's Story. She lives with her husband and three children in North London. For more information please visit Jane’s website, and on Twitter.
Giveaway: One lucky commenter will win 1 copy of Willoughby's Return. Open to US and Canadian readers only. Enter by asking Jane Odiwe a question. One entry per comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: November 18, 2009. Increase your chances by reading Jane's guest blog Some Sights and Sounds of Regency Britain and answering her question about Austen fantasies.
Online Stores
