March 4th, 2010 — 3 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Estranged, Gambling, Gentry, Gothic, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Regency
Duty and Desire takes places during the majority of the silent period. It is the second book in the Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman Trilogy. The first is An Assembly Such as This which ended in London at the beginning to the silent period of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Darcy is in quite a pickle. He's managed to successfully divert his friend from near disaster, but his mind won't stop resting on the delights of Elizabeth Bennet. Thinking Pemberley will help orient his mind, Darcy finishes his business in London and hies home. There he meets his sister, Georgiana much changed from her misfortunes of last summer. Bright sunny and remarkably mature, Darcy can hardly believe his eyes. He's worried that one wrong move on his part will ruin all of Georgiana's progress.
Christmas comes to Pemberley and Darcy is caught more than once daydreaming about Elizabeth's fine eyes. He knows he must do something about his wandering imagination and fast. Determined to erase her presence from his thoughts, Darcy decides to enter into the hunt for a wife. Leaving his sister in the care of family and his best friend Dy, Darcy goes to a reunion house party of old Cambridge and Oxford mates.
There he meets his cousin's fiancee and is at once charmed and disturbed by her flirtation. He finds solace in the dark beauty that is his host's half-sister. As his thoughts war between Sylvanie and Elizabeth, both gray eye beauties, a dark nearly Gothic mystery begins to unfold. His host is in dire need of funds, a piglet is slaughtered and made to look like a human baby, personal affects are stolen, and more. Fletcher, Darcy's valet, is the only one he can trust to help unwind the threads of this coil.
I guessed immediately who was behind everything, but had not guessed at the second mystery that was present in the writing. It took me by surprise at the end during the revelation. In hind-sight I can see the clues that I could not before. A masterful tale, if a little drawn out. Would have preferred more Bingley in this part of the story, as it was there was very little. I suspect Dy and/or Colonel Fitzwilliam love romantically the sixteen year old Georgiana. My suspicions will have to wait until the next and final chapter of Mr. Fitzwilliam, Darcy Gentleman Trilogy.
Review: 3 Stars
Buy: Duty and Desire
Find and buy more Pamela Aidan novels.
Originally posted 2009-07-02 03:04:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 10th, 2010 — A-C, Great Britain, Guest Blogger, Time Travel
by Laurie Brown, guest blogger and author of What Would Jane Austen Do?
1. No planes, trains or automobiles -
So that means the main mode of transportation would be horses. Beautiful to look at, but smelly. Lots of horses in London meant lots of you know what in the streets. Also a horse drawn conveyance would be so slow by our standards. If I had to ride in a carriage to work it would take me four hours to get there.
2. No electricity -
No computer, no television, and no electric lights. Instead there would be a number of oil lamps and candles. If you've ever tried to light up a room enough to read during a blackout, you know how many candles it takes. The fuel in the lamps would be fish oil, olive oil, whale oil, sesame or nut oil. All of which would leave a lingering scent, especially since household fabrics in drapes, rugs, and in furniture was seldom cleaned and only 'aired out' once a year. Gas lighting using coal oil was invented in 1804 and a few houses and streets in had been converted but it was still advanced technology.
3. No cell phones -
The main method of communication (for messages traveling farther than across the room) was letter writing. A lost art, true, but immediate contact has so many advantages. It doesn't take days (or even months across the ocean) to send a message and get a response. A loved one could die before others even knew they were ill. Postage was expensive because independent agents delivered the letters. The recipient paid for the service. Rates became standardized when the fist stamp wasn't issued in 1840. The cost decreased, transit times reduced, and mail volume increased dramatically. But it still isn't as fast as picking up the phone to tell your best friend that Bloomies has just marked down a ton of designer shoes. Imagine having to send a letter.
4. Lack of modern dentistry -
Not just the fact that medically trained dentists were rare but that the barber or blacksmith was considered an appropriate substitute. There were toothbrushes of a sort. Some were mass produced as early as 1780 but were generally made of boar's hair and wood. (I didn't even know boars had hair.) Toothpastes were unknown but toothpowders were made by the household or by an apothecary. The powders might contain bicarbonate of soda, charcoal, salt, sugar, burnt alum, cinnamon and/or cloves. They might also contain brick dust, crushed china/earthenware, ground cuttlefish, or dragon's blood. No wonder there was such a market for false teeth.
5. Lack of modern plumbing -
Chamber pots. Outhouses. No toilet paper. No sanitary products. Need I say more?
6. Lack of bathing -
I know this relates to plumbing, but it goes beyond the sheer lack of running water. They had tubs that were laboriously filled by buckets, but people of the early 1800's just didn't believe in bathing. Some even thought it was dangerous to your health to get wet all over. Others believed a wash once or twice a year was sufficient. No need to wonder why heavy perfumes and nosegays were popular.
7. No modern medicine -
Sort of along the same lines as dentists, but so much more encompassing. Doctors of the day were no fonder of bathing than their patients. Until Florence Nightengale noticed during the Crimean War (c.1854) that cleanliness increased the odds that a patient would survive, doctors rarely washed their instruments between patients much less sterilize them. Medical knowledge was so far behind what it is today. Many children died in infancy, and many women died in childbirth. Jane Austen died in 1817 at age 41 from a disease that didn't even have a name, wasn't recognized. Today a diagnosis of Addison's Disease is serious but not a death sentence.
8. Uncomfortable clothing -
If they didn't complain of being uncomfortable that's just because they didn't know anything else. Girls were put into corsets as young as the age of two. Many women wore stiff corsets 24 hours a day because after so many years their muscles could no longer hold them upright without support. Shoes had no left or right but were made the same for both feet. Unless they were made of the softest leather or fabric, they just had to have rubbed blisters. There were few sizes to choose from and if your feet were in between the lasts, (as a cobbler's shoe-making forms were called, generally made of wood) then you could either stuff the toes with cotton or suffer the pinch of a too tight fit. If you were rich enough you could have your shoes made to a personal last that had been carved to match your foot. The same went for men. Many men wore corsets and padded clothing. Fashionable collars were stiff and came up around their ears so high that they couldn't turn their neck.
9. So Not Equal Rights -
Women were rarely educated except to entice a husband, and to run his household after marriage. Although women could own property, if they married, all control went to their husbands. Arranged marriages were considered not only acceptable but desirable. A woman was expected to grow to love her husband after marriage and children. Not the plot of a good romance novel that's for sure.
And the #1 reason for not traveling back in time even if it were available--
No Chocolate -
At least not as we know it. They did have a bitter hot cocoa beverage that was served in the coffee houses and some homes (nothing like the modern version) but chocolate as in candy bars was not invented until 1847.
[insert shameless plug here] In What Would Jane Austen Do? Eleanor Pottinger faces all of the above and more when she travels back in time. Does meeting the hero, Lord Shermont, make it all worthwhile?
Thanks reading my reasons for not going back in time. Do you have others?
Originally posted 2009-04-29 05:28:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 6th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, France, Georgette Heyer, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Virgin Heroine
Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is enchanting and will assuredly transport you to another world. Georgette Heyer, praised to be the new Jane Austen, was born in 1902 and her tales are quite old but hold the same classic feel as any one of Austen’s novels. I can picture the whole novel as a movie and am surprised that I’ve not seen it made into one. Of course I haven’t checked in at IMDB so I could be quite wrong about its silver screen status.
This is my first time reading Heyer and such I found it tough to start (as such it's affected my rating). The writing while at first difficult to read and to get into because of the level of vocabulary and particular word phrasing which is unusual for today’s standard’s. However it gets easier the more you read. By the end of the book you’re practically flying through the pages trying to get to the end of the story and see the leads get their happily ever after.
In the true spirit of a Regency novel, this novel includes a secondary romance to entertain us. Neither romance goes to the bedroom, in fact the first and only kiss mentioned is at the very end of the tale. My one fault with the story was there was much too much time spent on ditherings going on around the leads and not nearly enough time focused on them. They were more thrown together in the beginning when Dominic kidnapped poor Mary than later.
Mary Challoner is determined to save her sister from scandal and intercepts a letter from Marquis of Vidal to her sister Sophie arranging an illicit tryst. A daring scheme to take her sister’s place and fool Vidal comes to her and Mary rushes through with it, barely thinking out the consequences.
When Vidal finds out he’s most upset and assuming her to be like her untoward and loose sister, Vidal forcibly takes her the rest of the way to France. Once there, Mary is able to make her true nature known and flummoxed Vidal is forced to do the one thing he never thought to do – propose marriage. Imagine his surprise when Mary refuses! What’s a Marquis to do?
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Buy: Devil's Cub
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Originally posted 2008-09-02 05:43:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 27th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, ARC, Contemporary, Dukes and Earls, Entrepreneur, Ghost, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Memory Loss, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Scarred Hero, Survival, Teacher, Time Travel
WWJAD is quick fun read. The story is flirty and cute just like the hero, Lord James Shermont. Read it in the bathtub, on the beach, while waiting in line at the post office, wherever, it’s sure to make you smile and leave you eager to turn the page.
Eleanor Pottinger (yes it is unfortunate that is her real last name) is a fan of Jane Austen. We meet her trying to get a room at a Jane Austen convention only to be told the room she booked has been given to somebody else. Luckily there was a newly renovated suite that was available…if she didn’t mind ghosts!
Of course Eleanor changes her mind about ghosts the minute they materialize. Sisters Deidre and Mina from the time of Jane Austen need Eleanor’s help. They are stuck as ghosts and can’t move on without her help. Eleanor jokingly offers to help if they can guarantee she can meet Jane Austen. They agree and before Eleanor can cry “Just Kidding!” Deidre and Mina have transported Eleanor back into the past.
When Eleanor wakes up she is stuck in the Regency era and is believed to be the girls’ widowed cousin Ellen who was arriving from America. Eleanor plays along and gets away with it because they haven’t seen the real Ellen since childhood. The ghosts tell Eleanor her tasks are to keep them out of the clutches of Lord Shermont, a rakehell of the worst sort, and to make sure their brother, Teddy, doesn’t enter into a duel with Shermont over their reputations.
Eleanor was once foolish enough to try and make a Mr. Darcy out of a Wickham, is she smart enough not to do the opposite? What would Jane Austen do?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: What Would Jane Austen Do?
Originally posted 2009-04-28 05:47:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 21st, 2010 — 5 Stars, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, Jane Austen, P-R, Teacher, United States of America, Writer
Jane Austen fan or not you can not help but love Abigail Reynolds’ Pemberley by the Sea. I devoured this four hundred plus page book within days, it was so good. Based on the plot and characters of Pride and Prejudice, this novel is truly one of the best renditions of the tale. Taken to a modern level, Pemberley by the Sea explores science and art equally.
Let’s start with the heroine: Cassie Boulton is a marine biologist on tenure-track with a small liberal arts college. She spends her summers in Woods Hole working on research and taking in the salt marshes. Life hasn’t been easy for Cassie, there are things in her past she doesn’t want anybody to know for fear they’d think of her differently. Cassie presents herself as the golden girl; she was the top of the class and one of the few lucky ones to land a prestigious job and research grant right out of school.
Cassie’s best friend is Erin, who is looking to join biotechnologies instead of academia. Erin is the conventional pretty one: long limbed, blue eyes, and blonde. Erin has been unfortunate enough to have in her past one particularly nasty boyfriend so when she meets Scott at a local dance, Erin convinces Cassie to come pass judgment on him over lunch the next day. This is where Cassie is formally introduced to Calder, our hero, though of course if you know the story of Pride and Prejudice you know they’ve met before at the dance.
Our hero Calder Westing, hates the publicity and fangirls that follow him due to his last name. His father Joseph Westing is a senator, his brother is in the House of Representatives and Calder he’s the first Westing to eschew politics all together. Instead, he writes under a pseudo name and publishes his books despite his father’s disproval. Calder is intrigued by Cassie from the very beginning but his quiet, withdrawn and taciturn nature gets in his way from expressing himself. This must be a first for a published author. Wink.
Cassie can’t believe Calder is actually interested in her. She thinks he tolerates her presence because he’s watching out for Scott and because he’s bored. She’s surprised to find herself drawn to Calder and unable to resist his kisses. When they make love it overwhelms her but when the passion clears Cassie is horrified to have given in so easily. She doesn’t do casual sex and she just gave herself to a man who is surely going to think of her as another notch on his bed post. Upset she leaves Calder behind and makes excuses to not see him.
My favorite part in the whole novel has to be the bioluminescent water play. My second favorite section is reading Calder’s book Pride and Presumption as he struggles to explain in writing where verbal communication failed him. This part is so sweet it just jerks your heart. With Cassie reading his true feelings and feeling the same in return, I wondered how on earth the novel could continue for a few hundred more pages. But it does and the novel beautifully unfolds as Cassie’s fears, Calder’s fears and his family all try to break apart the lovebirds. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet had it easy in comparison. Even Jane and Bingley had it easier than Scot and Erin if you can imagine!
Contemporary lovers, Jane Austen fans, I recommend wholeheartedly this book to you. Abigail Reynolds will draw you in and keep you there through all the twists and turns. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I hope this gets made into a movie and that Matthew MacFadyen plays his contemporary counterpart like Colin Firth did with Bridget Jones's Diary
as Mr. Darcy.
Rating: 5 Stars hands down.
Originally posted 2008-11-03 09:16:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 7th, 2010 — Big Misunderstanding, Guest Blogger, Jane Austen, P-R, Regency
by Abigail Reynolds, guest blogger and author of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World
Darcy and Elizabeth are wonderful characters for variations because Jane Austen leaves so much unsaid and unexplored about them. Depending on which passages you choose, you can form very different impressions of them. Part of the fun of writing variations is finding new aspects of their characters to explore in each book. Each Darcy and Elizabeth in my books is different.
Does this make the dynamics of their relationship different? My answer would be yes and no. There are certain basics about the Darcy/Elizabeth pairing that can’t be altered without destroying the basic dynamic, the one that makes them so magnetically drawn to each other. For example, Darcy avoids talking about his feelings and assumes Elizabeth knows more about them than she does. Elizabeth is lively and loves to tease, but because she does that with everyone, it is difficult for Darcy to guess what she means by it. And, of course, there is the profound sexual attraction – Darcy is fascinated by Elizabeth’s intelligence and wit, but that doesn’t stop him from meditating on her light and pleasing figure.
But within that dynamic, there are details that can change depending on which features I highlight. In Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, Darcy’s lack of ability to read social signals, especially from Elizabeth, plays a prominent role. In most of my other books, Darcy is driven to pursue Elizabeth, but in this one, he withdraws. That means Elizabeth has to take more risks.
Elizabeth is complex, drawing on some passages in Pride & Prejudice often overlooked by readers. Jane Austen focuses her attention on Elizabeth’s lively spirits, but she makes it clear that her normally cheerful heroine also passes through periods of low spirits. During her weeks at Hunsford following Darcy’s proposal, Elizabeth ruminates at length on both her own failures and those of her family:
In her own past behaviour, there was a constant source of vexation and regret; and in the unhappy defects of her family a subject of yet heavier chagrin. They were hopeless of remedy….When to these recollections was added the development of Wickham's character, it may be easily believed that the happy spirits which had seldom been depressed before, were now so much affected as to make it almost impossible for her to appear tolerably cheerful.
After she returns to Longbourn after Lydia’s elopement, she mourns the loss of Darcy in a way that again depresses her spirits and keeps her awake at night:
The present unhappy state of the family, rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary; nothing, therefore, could be fairly conjectured from that, though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she known nothing of Darcy, she could have borne the dread of Lydia's infamy somewhat better. It would have spared her, she thought, one sleepless night out of two.
© Both Excerpts: Abigail Reynolds, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2010
So in this book, I wrote Elizabeth with a wider range of emotions than I’ve written in my other variations where I focus more on Elizabeth’s impertinence and her tendency to speak a little too much of her mind, but in this book, I worked from Austen’s original description of her reaction to Bingley and Darcy’s minor argument during her stay at Netherfield. At first Elizabeth participates in the fray, but once she perceives Darcy to be somewhat offended, she checks her laughter out of concern for him, even though she doesn’t like him. She is impertinent, but she also modifies her behavior out of a desire not to cause pain. Thus my Elizabeth, when forced to marry the man she still despises, holds her tongue when possible to avoid conflict with Darcy, who she still perceives as ill-tempered and prone to holding grudges.
Writing a quieter, more careful Elizabeth was a challenge for me, but it paid off when the inevitable confrontation between Darcy and Elizabeth takes place, and even more so as they learn to love and trust each other. I think it gives the ending more power and more joy, but then again, I love all my Darcy/Elizabeth pairs. After all, who couldn’t love them?
Thanks for inviting me!
MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY: THE LAST MAN IN THE WORLD
IN STORES JANUARY 2010!
In this sexy Jane Austen sequel, Elizabeth Bennet accepts Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, answering the "What if...?" question fans everywhere have pondered
" I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."
Famous last words indeed! Elizabeth Bennet's furious response to Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal has resonated for generations of readers. But what if she had never said it? Would she have learned to recognize Mr. Darcy's admirable qualities on her own? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy follows Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find their way through the maze of their prejudices after Elizabeth, against her better judgment, agrees to marry Darcy instead of refusing his proposal.
Two of the most beloved characters in English literature explore the meaning of true love in a tumultuous and passionate attempt to make a success of their marriage.
About the Author
Abigail Reynolds is a physician and a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast. She began writing The Pemberley Variations series in 2001, and encouragement from fellow Austen fans convinced her to continue asking “What if…?” She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit http://pemberleyvariations.com/
Giveaway: I have 2 copies of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World up for grabs thanks to Abigail and Sourcebooks generosity. That means 2 winners! Open to US and Canadian readers only. Enter by sharing what you love best about Darcy and Elizabeth. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends January 14, 2010.
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December 29th, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Great Britain, Jane Austen, P-R, Regency
Abigail Reynolds writes Pemberley Variations. For the uninitiated this means that she takes the classic story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
and plays a what-if scenario. For instance in From Lambton to Longbourn the what-if is what if Darcy and Elizabeth disclosed their feelings before parting ways after Lydia’s fall from grace? The characters in this what-if scenario all bear the same names, and read fairly familiar, but ultimately are recreated and reintroduced. Attraction is played up and scenes Jane Austen would never write appear involving kissing – great kissing, but a staunch Austen fan will probably feel that even this small break in propriety is too much.
Elizabeth finds out to her dismay how deeply in love with Mr. Darcy she is when the news of Lydia’s foolishness breaks. How could she in all good consciousness expose his sister to her family? She worries a lot about Darcy’s good opinion of her and how the current affairs will certainly provide him with enough ammunition to dislike her from hereafter. To her surprise, Darcy is not at all inclined to think ill of her. He wants her to keep correspondence with his sister, Georgiana, as it his only way to communicate with her. He would marry her tomorrow, no today, if only he could be certain of her regard.
Some provocation on both their parts leads to them sharing their first kiss, part comfort, part passion. One kiss melds into the next and then the worst happens – Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle discover them! Elizabeth does not want to trick Darcy into a connection with her family and he is once again unsure of himself in her affections. This happens a lot actually throughout the novel as they go along their tangent journey toward love and ultimate happiness.
Their insecurities are a little over the top, but ultimately are not distracting from the tale. Reynolds has a way with words and I look forward to reading another Pemberley Variation soon.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars
Buy: From Lambton to Longbourn: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Originally posted 2008-12-04 09:22:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 23rd, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Comedy of Manners, Gentry, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Marriage of Convenience, P-R, Rape/Abuse, Regency, Virgin Heroine
Abigail Reynolds delivers again! The Last Man in the World is a Jane Austen variation of Pride and Prejudice. As a variation there are some things that must be accepted before you start the novel. The first is that for this variation to take place something must not be canon. This something is Elizabeth’s stunned silence when Darcy first proposes at Rosings.
In fact, much of the drama in Last Man in the World comes from Elizabeth’s self-enforced silence. She keeps her silence because of Charlotte’s mentoring earlier in the novel. It was along the lines of: Darcy likes you; you don’t like him, but if he knew that just think of how miserable he could make you. Hold your tongue, keep the peace, and you can learn to be happy. So Elizabeth does.
This novel is a tragedy and a comedy of manners all at once. Darcy and Elizabeth work at cross purposes throughout the entirety of the novel. Neither one quite knows what to do to make the other happy. Neither quite believes the other about their expressed feelings. Both are hurting and the solution is one of those simple yet nearly impossible ones to acquire.
I started this novel very late at night and gobbled it up in one sitting. Consequently I only have three hours of sleep the next day. It’s quite addicting and you’ll really want to know what happens next.
Depending on how you view Elizabeth’s characterization, you will either love the novel or you won’t. I personally thought this Elizabeth, while different in some ways is remarkably like the original.
Rating: 4.5 Stars.
Buy: Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World
December 17th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Gentry, J-L, Jane Austen, Regency
Sharon Lathan Q&A
Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One
LRP: Would you say your versions of Darcy and Elizabeth match closer to the actors' portrayal of the characters in the 2005 movie of Pride and Prejudice or to their personalities in Austen's original writing?
Sharon: Ah, the controversial question right off the bat! Let me see if I can answer without upsetting someone! I was inspired by the movie, absolutely, and I proudly proclaim this. So, yes, when I began writing it was with Keira Knightley's and Matthew Macfadyen's general appearance in mind, as well as how they were directed to portray Miss Austen's written characters. That is where I fell in love with P&P. I adore Lizzy and Darcy in the movie! I fell utterly in love with them and wanted to tell their love story, even before I read the novel or watched the other versions. Therefore it is their story I am telling to a very large degree, yes.
The interesting aspect of this question, the unspoken assumption if you will, is that the characterization in Joe Wright's adaptation is vastly different than how Austen wrote them. I do not agree with this opinion and here is why: Before I wrote one word, I scoured through dozens of Austen fan-sites where the debates and/or arguments regarding aspects of the text (including but not exclusively the characters' personalities and motivations) were hashed over without agreement. After reading the source novel myself, reading tons of JAFF, and reading the endless forum discussions, it became clear to me that there was a wide variance in how folks interpreted details of the novel. Of course, this is normal, isn't it? I know that when I reread a novel I always see something I never saw before, have a new revelation, or feel toward it in a way that is altered from how I felt before. And when I talk about a book or movie with someone else? Well, how often do two people see it precisely the same way? The point is, I love how the movie portrayed the novel - all of it - and although it was truncated and creatively rearranged, I do not think it missed the essence of Miss Austen's novel or perverted the characters.
LRP: When writing, who speaks to you more clearly - Darcy or Elizabeth?
Sharon: Strangely, it is Darcy. I suppose that is because I am like him. I understand his character as I too am shy, uncomfortable in unfamiliar crowds, and bad at casual conversation! I am quiet and reserved. I am much more relaxed with a few close friends or just alone with a book in my hand. His character, as portrayed in the movie especially, called to me. Perhaps some of that is my empathy as well. I felt sorry for Darcy. He struck me as this sad individual that not only needed to be brought down a peg or two, but also needed the love of a good woman! I really adore his mixture of strength and intelligence, with softness and humor.
LRP: What was the hardest part of writing your book? Easiest?
Sharon: Although I did not realize it when I started this venture, the hardest part is emotionally dealing with the too often hateful attitude among the Austen purists who despise anyone touching Jane or have rigid conceptions of how it 'must be.' I had no idea that attempting to humbly give her creations additional life for fans of all kinds to enjoy was considered taboo. Criticism is rough. I now know it is part of the process and my shell is thicker, but I do wish people would think twice before they cruelly attack with their words. I shall say no more!
The easiest part is the writing itself! I have hit a few blocks, but for the most part it has been effortless and incredibly fun. It is natural, and a tremendous joy, to create this happy existence for the Darcys.
LRP: What is your favorite aspect of writing? Least favorite?
Sharon: My favorite is the research. I have always adored history, so delving into a past world is marvelous. Secondly it is the language. I do not claim to attempt an Austen-style, but I am crazy about vocabulary and a well-written page. I prefer reading a book that makes me think, that draws me in with vivid descriptions, and that captures me as if I am standing right there. The thrill in accomplishing this with my words is incredible. Thirdly it is pleasing the fans of this timeless love story who never tire of journeying with the Darcys.
There truly is nothing about writing itself that I dislike. Except that I find less and less time to be able to do it! I suppose it is the work required to publish, maintain a website, correspond with fans, market, and even write guest blogs that, although wonderful and amazing and fun in its own right, is also time-consuming and not exactly relished. It keeps me from doing what I desire to be doing 24/7: Write! The proverbial catch-22 I guess.
LRP: What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
Sharon: Writing in the first place! I am still scratching my head in bafflement as to how this has happened. I remember enjoying the obligatory college research papers and English compositions, was actually really good at it, but never translated that into having a gift for writing. Too focused on my nursing career and then raising a family to think of creativity. So, taking the leap from swirling visions and conversations in my mind to putting them into words, and then posting it on the internet for all to see....Yikes! That was scary.
During the course of writing my Darcy Saga, I have forced myself out of the comfort zone many times. I have a perverse attraction to a challenge! Guess that is why I work in an intensive care unit! Writing action sequences, such as a duel that takes place in Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, was a challenge. All along I have striven to stretch myself beyond just writing about the main lovers. I think this is more evident in the volumes beyond my first novel as the Darcys travel away from Pemberley. Action and encounters vary widely with the diversity of peoples and situations immense.
LRP: What is your greatest weakness in writing dialogue?
Sharon: Finding the balance between making it essential to the story and keeping it natural. By that I mean I want to avoid inane conversation that serves no purpose, so I try to have a focus or direction to the dialogue. However, random discourse is a normal part of life! In order to maintain the essence of my tale - i.e., a life being lived - I have to provide the mundane, even if that is pointless. On the other hand, I love all my characters so much that sometimes it is fun to just let them out of their cages now and again! Let them speak, laugh, tell jokes, pontificate, whatever. But if I am not careful they will take over the scene and before I know it they have been chatting for pages with nothing of any use having been said! Some of them are horrid show-offs, so I have to rein them in and remember what the intention of the scene was. See, balance.
LRP: How do you define love?
Sharon: Love is a feeling. But not primarily that. As the Bible teaches, love is about reaching beyond the emotions of the moment to the deeper foundations. Commitment to the person you love no matter what emotion you are experiencing at the time is a key factor. It is unconditional. We love our kids no matter how bratty they may be acting because there is a bond between us that is unbreakable. It can, and should, be the same for our life partner.
Love is selfless. Humans are inherently selfish creatures. But, we also divinely have the infinite capacity to open our hearts to others; to share of ourselves; to need that connection. To lose oneself, to sacrifice our desires and comforts, to give in order to please the one we love is the greatest blessing and joy.
LRP: What makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Sharon: Ha! Good thing you clarified the 'written' part!! Obviously folks differ in what they want to read in erotic scenes, so I can only speak for my preference. For me it is the emotion that is attached to the act itself that is central. I figure my readers know the mechanics and body-part names, so I have no need to get too specific! LOL. Whether Lizzy and Darcy are caught up in sheer animal lust, feeling frisky and silly, or experiencing a deeply bonding lovemaking session, my goal is for the reader to appreciate the interlude for what it signifies - that is, the exceptional relationship these two people possess. I do not add bedroom scenes for gratuitous titillation, but to convey the amazing love, marital affinity, and supreme happiness that Lizzy and Darcy have found with each other. And, hopefully, thus instill faith that it can happen for the reader.
LRP: If you could be one of the characters in Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One - who would you be?
Sharon: There is actually a character who shows up in my second novel, Loving Mr. Darcy ~ Journeys Beyond Pemberley (release date September 2009) that has the panache, quick-witted humor, and eccentric confidence I wish I possessed. He is my favorite character and I can't wait for the readers to meet him!
In this novel I suppose I'll go for the obvious and chose Lizzy. I may be like Darcy, and I love him so have no problem with that, but who wouldn't want to be fiery Lizzy?! She has spunk and spirit, a quick intellect, and sharp wit that I would love to have. She is loving, kind, graceful, and passionate. And, let's face it: Who doesn't, just a teeny bit, want the fairy-tale dream of the handsome rich man who sweeps you away to his luxurious castle... Pemberley...where you will be lavished with finery and reign supreme with servants at your bidding? Or maybe I am saying that because right now I would give anything just to have a housekeeper!
LRP: Name one guilty pleasure that you indulge:
Sharon: Just one? You're killing me here! Truthfully, I am a pretty boring individual whose big excitement is catching a movie and dinner with my hubby! Lately I have developed a serious addiction to Facebook that is threatening to take over my life. LOL! Otherwise it is fairly average stuff: chocolate anything, food, the espressos homemade by my dear heart every day, way too many TV shows (thank the Maker for TiVo), and the Saturday afternoon snuggly naps with my own Mr. Darcy that keep me functional and satisfied.
LRP: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Sharon: First off I have to thank Keira for giving me the opportunity to share my ideas, speak from my heart, and talk about my novel. I am so proud of what I have accomplished with Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One, and the entire Darcy Saga for that matter. I am a firm believer in romance and living happily with one's soulmate. If we women didn't believe in that potential, why would we keep reading romance novels? Yet, perhaps there is a fear that the ending will not be happy after all. I have endeavored, and I believe succeeded, in showing that marriage can be wonderful. That the romance can live on. I have taken the passion highlighted in the movie and carried it forward into the life of the Darcys.
I am convinced that Jane Austen would have wanted a happy life for her characters. But we have to ask ourselves if her opinion, especially since we have no way of knowing it, really matters. Her tales are timeless and they belong to everyone who has read and loved them on down through the centuries. Fan-fiction in all its incarnations is an expression of that devotion. Isn't it utterly fantastic that in the Austen realm, as in all literature, there is something for everyone's taste? I say YES, and if it is an everlasting honeymoon you desire, then my Saga is for you.
LRP: That concludes this author interview! I want to thank Sharon for taking the time to sit down and answer all these nosy questions. 
Be sure to check out her website for more information on the Darcy Saga.
Originally posted 2009-03-12 05:38:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 27th, 2009 — Guest Blogger, Jane Austen, M-O, Regency
by Kathryn Nelson, guest blogger and author of Pemberley Manor
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Of all of the dozens of sequels to and adaptations of Jane Austen's work, none, including mine, claim to approach her extraordinary style and ability to delight and endure, but I see my book as an entertaining adjunct to her work. The reader is quickly drawn into a maze of confusions and missteps which leads them, Jane Austen style, to a happy ending - or does it?
From a review by Laura Boyle in the Jane Austen Regency World Online Magazine:
Scenes of marital felicity between Darcy and Elizabeth abound and are explored in a delicate and tasteful way. Sometimes heartbreaking and often humorous, the story will keep readers intrigued to the last... "
I recently heard a writer interviewed who said he doesn't like to read, and doesn't have time for it anyway. I can't wrap my mind around either of those thoughts, and when the two are put together, I'm lost. If I didn't read, I don't think I would write. My writing is the product of being poked and prodded by things I've read or heard into a new direction of thought. Every answer creates a question for me.
I have to admit that writing a sequel to someone else's story is taking that concept a bit further than I ever imagined. The writing of Pemberley Manor was an obsession that took hold of me after watching the BBC/A&E production of Pride and Prejudice in 1995. Jane Austen's works seem to call out for sequels unlike any other author I know. The works of other great authors often call for adaptations, interpretations, modernizations. Austen has garnered more than her share of those too, but no other author living or dead has, to my knowledge, inspired as many direct sequels - continuations of the lives of her characters - as she has.
I have at times wondered if Jane herself is channeling, stirring the pot to see what people make of her couples. Surely she knew that their lives after marriage would be a different story, and if it wasn't her story to tell, it doesn't necessarily follow that she wouldn't have found it interesting to contemplate.
For me, the struggles and disastrous misunderstandings, the unfolding of a deeper understanding between two people, can't really happen until the happily ever after is well on its way. And Jane Austen gives us scant help in judging how this marriage will work. One day, well into the ramble that eventually became Pemberley Manor I actually spent a day copying out the words of Fitzwilliam Darcy to try to make out his character, following Elizabeth 's example when she danced with him at the Netherfield Ball. Taken altogether, Darcy's words in Pride and Prejudice amount to a very few pages, including one disastrous monologue meant to serve as a marriage proposal and one terribly long letter, only marginally better.
In both cases, Darcy admits unapologetically that he persuaded his friend Bingley to stop romancing Elizabeth 's beloved sister Jane. Did he think that would endear him to her? Did she forget that small detail when she visited his estate in Derbyshire and blushed at the thought of being Mistress of Pemberley?
I find Darcy impenetrable, just as Elizabeth did initially. She, in the meantime, uses her arsenal of alternately witty and angry retorts to hide her own feelings, which she surely must have noticed some time before she saw the extent of his property. Right up until the wedding brings everything around right, Jane takes her characters only a small step toward mutual understanding, from shredding one another to a gentle teasing. Their only serious conversation happens during his second proposal, and once Darcy has laid his soul bare, Elizabeth jumps into the breach and begins to joke again.
I'm banking on a difficult marriage here. Nick and Nora Charles meet Catherine and Heathcliff. Take the wedding night, for instance. Darcy behaves in a most ungentleman-like manner, not for the first time, and Elizabeth throws in the towel, leaping to a conclusion in her usual style:
"Mr Darcy, pray allow me to suggest a remedy for your most evident distress. Since our marriage has not yet been consummated, I believe you would find little difficulty in securing the offices of a good clergyman in the neighbourhood to perform an annulment immediately. It can serve neither of us to continue as man and wife when there are so little grounds to suppose we could offer one another any reasonable hope of future happiness. Indeed, it seems certain that our expectations of one another are wholly irreconcilable."
She was not prepared for the anguish that met her eyes when he raised his head.
"Is that your wish, madam?" he asked hoarsely.
Well, of course that's not her wish, or Pemberley Manor would have been a very short novel. I hope I'll be forgiven for treading on sacred ground. The truth is, I just couldn't stop myself. Thanks for allowing me on board. I'd welcome feedback from your readers on the subject of sequels: are they flattering or flagrant abuse of an author's property?
As a special treat Kathryn Nelson is giving away one copy of Pemberley Manor to one lucky person. Enter by answering her question above or asking her one of your own. This giveaway is open to US and Canada readers only. Winner will be announced April 2, 2009.
Originally posted 2009-04-01 05:54:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 13th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Jane Austen, P-R
This is my lucky day. Two author interviews in one week! It's complete playtime and fun. I hope you enjoy!
LRP: What is it about Pride and Prejudice that keeps you writing in that genre?
I love the characters. I can't get enough of Elizabeth and Darcy.
LRP: I love them too. What do you think the appeal is for readers?
Abigail: Again, the fabulous characters are a big part. The happy ending helps, too! I think for a lot of readers, Jane Austen lets them escape present day stresses. It's also fun to compare all the different Jane Austen-related novels to discover how different writers see them. But it comes down to one thing: Jane Austen didn't write enough books to satisfy her fans!
LRP: Who is your favorite character in Pride and Prejudice and why? In Pemberley by the Sea?
Abigail: Elizabeth Bennet is my favorite character in Pride & Prejudice. I love her spirit, her wit, her sense of the absurd, and that quality of archness mixed with sweetness that enchants Darcy.
As for Pemberley by the Sea, that's a three way tie. I love both Cassie and Calder, and I feel as if they're part of my family. But here's the surprise - the character who really fascinates me and won't let go is Senator Joe Westing, Calder's father. He's such a nasty person that you'd think I'd want to bury him as quickly as possible, but he's actually very complex. He may even be redeemable!
LRP: I thought Joe was interesting too, but redeemable? I'd like to see that pulled off! How do you define love?
Abigail: I wish I had a good answer for that! But that very question is one of the things that keeps me writing love stories, because it's a subject you can explore forever.
LRP: The scene where Calder and Cassie get together for the first time has got to be one of the best lovemaking scenes I've ever read. What do you think makes a great bedroom scene?
Abigail: Thank you so much! For me, a love scene has to have a certain inevitability about it, a build up, and it has to demonstrate something important about the characters or be important to the plot. Lovemaking scenes that just go through the motions tend to lose my interest. There has to be something else going on, something deeper. For example, Calder has a particular style of lovemaking which reflects his character - pleasing his lover is incredibly important to him. I'm more interested in how a character feels than precisely what is done. As for that particular scene, I have to give a lot of credit to the setting. Anyone who has been swimming in bioluminescent waters can tell you how utterly magical it is.
LRP: If you could pick any actor and actress to play your heroine and hero in a movie, who would they be?
Abigail: Another tough question! I'll go with Jessica Biel for Cassie. Calder would be the tougher part to play - so much happening below the surface - but I'd say Brandon Routh or Christian Bale would be good.
LRP: What's the biggest pressure you face in the whole writing and publishing process?
Abigail: Self-induced anxiety, without a doubt. I'm my own worst critic, and I'm always afraid that what I write next won't live up to what my readers expect. Of course, my readers would probably be happier if I'd just stop worrying about it and write more!
LRP: What is your greatest weakness in writing dialogue?
Abigail: I struggle to keep dialogue simple and natural. Since I started by writing books set in the Regency, my characters have a tendency to speak in long, convoluted sentences with no contractions and lots of semicolons. With my modern books, I have to read the dialogue out loud to make sure it sounds natural.
LRP: I hear you're writing a sequel to Pemberley by the Sea. Could you tell me more about it?
Abigail: Morning Light starts about a year after Pemberley by the Sea ends, and tells the story of Annie Wright, a good friend of Cassie's and an artist who owns a small gallery in Woods Hole. She was widowed after just a few years of marriage and has sworn off romance, but a man from her past makes her question her decision. In the meantime, Cassie and Calder are growing as a couple, and they face challenges from both their families. Caro and Joe Westing make return appearances, and Cassie's brother Ryan is introduced. It culminates at a gala fund-raiser for abandoned dogs (well, you don't think Calder would be at a fundraiser if there weren't dogs involved, do you?) where all the main characters discover that they've all been acting in the dark.
If you're interested, the first chapter is posted at my website, www.pemberleyvariations.com.
LRP: I'll have to go check that out! What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Abigail: I want them to love the characters as much as I do (that's a tall order!), but the biggest thing is that I want them to find comfort and pleasure in the story. I often hear from readers, especially of the Pemberley Variations, that they re-read my books again and again, and they're the books they take out when life is stressful or painful. I couldn't ask for more than that.
LRP: Could you provide a picture of your workspace? I'd love to see where you do your writing!
Abigail: That would require a whole book of pictures! My motto is "Have laptop, will travel." I have two teenagers, one home-schooled and the other with special needs, and I write at their swim lessons, play rehearsals, doctor's appointments, karate classes, and just about anywhere else. The place I associate most with writing Pemberley by the Sea is my son's hospital room. He had a serious brain injury when he was 8 and was hospitalized for months. I stayed with him the whole time, and I wrote big chunks of Pemberley by the Sea there, because at 3:00 in the morning, Cassie and Calder would always be there for me, and the salt marsh was a mental respite from the depressing hospital room.
At home, I don't have a desk per se. I write at the dining room table, on the couch, lying in bed, and just about anywhere else. The only constant is that there's usually a cat on my lap trying to interfere with my typing.
LRP: Is there anything else you'd like to share with Love Romance Passion?
Abigail: I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them!
LRP: Thanks for chatting with us Abigail!
If you'd liked to learn more about her other Pride and Prejudice variations check out her website listed above!
Originally posted 2008-11-05 05:05:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 13th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Jane Austen, M-O
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.
Buy: Willoughby's Return
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.
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November 11th, 2009 — Great Britain, Guest Blogger, Jane Austen, M-O, Regency
by Jane Odiwe, guest blogger and author of Willoughby’s Return
Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to talk to you all about my new book. One of the things I enjoy about writing my Austen sequels is the research I have to do for each novel. I love to set each major scene giving clues to how places looked at the time, as well as considering sounds and smells! Jane Austen did not devote much of her writing to descriptions of places and scenes as she took it for granted that people would know what she was talking about, but I think it is important that I transport my reader back to the 1800’s especially if they know little about the era.
I have Marianne and Colonel Brandon go to London for the season. I read everything I could about shopping, amusements and entertainments of the time and it is very fortunate that so much of the part of London I was researching still exists even if some of the buildings have changed. Helping to transport me back in time was a map from 1803 that I downloaded from the internet. Off I went on the tube to stand in Oxford Street and Bond Street trying to imagine that the cars roaring by were carriages and that the sounds around me were different again.
I wanted to give an idea of how exciting it would be for Marianne’s sister, Margaret, to come to London for the first time. She is a young lady who has grown up in the relative quiet of the countryside:
Fascinated by everything she saw, marvelling at the shops on every side, Margaret exclaimed at all she witnessed. Watchmakers, silk stores, and silversmiths displayed their wares behind sparkling glass, illuminated by the amber glow of oil lamps. Exotic fruit and towering desserts in the fruiterers and confectioners formed a dazzling spectacle; pyramids of pineapples, figs, and grapes cascaded from porcelain epergne. Marchpane castles, rosewater creams, and fruited cake vied for attention on platters of every shape and size. And the crowds of people stretching across the wide pavements, the ladies gathered outside in admiration of the linen shops, draped with silks, chintzes, and muslins were a sight to behold; such fashionably dressed gentility as Margaret had never seen before… After the relative quiet of life in Devon and Dorset, she could not believe how noisy London was to her ears; not only the sound of rumbling carriages and carts, but the clatter of patterns on pavements and the distinctive cries of street sellers rang everywhere about.
I love writing descriptions of interiors. When Marianne and Colonel Brandon visit his sister, Lady Lawrence, at Whitwell, it gave me an opportunity to ‘paint’ the setting. We know from Sense and Sensibility
that Brandon’s sister spent some time in France and I decided that her taste in design would have been influenced by her travels abroad.
The Brandons were shown into a large salon, filled with the most beautiful fittings and furniture. The style was French, the room ornate with gilded chairs, pier glasses, and chandeliers of the finest crystal. The silk-covered walls glowed with coral shades and iridescent hues of shell pink, further illuminating the room in flowing drapes at the floor-length windows, in the decorative ceiling, and in the Aubusson rug, which burgeoned with fat summer roses and green leaf garlands.
Lady Lawrence sat upon a velvet sofa, bolstered with pads and rolls, guarded by golden lion heads on either arm, which seemed ready to spring into life and leap out at anyone who might come to disturb her apparent idle repose. Despite the warmth of the day, she was covered to her waist by a heavy coverlet fringed with gold braid. She did not get up when they entered but excused herself, claiming that the damp of the day was responsible for her inability to stand.
Whilst writing Willoughby’s Return, I celebrated a special birthday and was lucky enough to spend a few days with my family in the house where Sense & Sensibility 
1995 was filmed! It was great fun walking in the footsteps of Marianne and Elinor Dashwood, seeing the spot where Willoughby pulled up in his curricle and where Colonel Brandon helped Marianne cut reeds in the estuary. It was such an enormous treat and great inspiration for my writing.
I had a wonderful time researching Willoughby’s Return. If you could go back in time and star in your own Austen fantasy, where would you like to go? Would you prefer experiencing a vast country house, a grand ball, or perhaps an evening at a Georgian circus like Astley’s?
WILLOUGHBY’S RETURN—IN STORES NOVEMBER 2009
A lost love returns, rekindling forgotten passions…
In Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, when Marianne Dashwood marries Colonel Brandon, she puts her heartbreak over dashing scoundrel John Willoughby in the past.
Three years later, Willoughby's return throws Marianne into a tizzy of painful memories and exquisite feelings of uncertainty. Willoughby is as charming, as roguish, and as much in love with her as ever. And the timing couldn't be worse—with Colonel Brandon away and Willoughby determined to win her back, will Marianne find the strength to save her marriage, or will the temptation of a previous love be too powerful to resist?
Buy: Willoughby's Return
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 follow her on Twitter.
Giveaway: One lucky commenter will win 1 copy of Willoughby's Return. Open to US and Canadian readers only. Enter by answering Jane Odiwe's question about your own Austen fantasy. Increase your chances by reading Jane's interview and asking her a question. Ends: November 18, 2009.
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October 10th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Comedy of Manners, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Movie Reviews, Regency
I’m pretty certain a select group of individuals will think what I’m about to say is sacrilegious. I think that the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland, and Matthew Macfadyen is the best version of this Jane Austen classic made to date. Sorry – sorry! I know the die hard A&E fans loved Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, but I’m going to stick with what I said. The main reason I love the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is pretty simple... better acting! Especially in the way Elizabeth Bennet and the mother are played.
Keira Knightly plays Miss Elizabeth Bennet to a tee. You could not ask for a better actress in this part. Opposed to Ehle who was over the top and rude, Knightly stayed just shy of too much is too much. Knightly plays Elizabeth with sass, a sprinkling of saucy wit, humor, intelligence, and grace. Her remarks are sharp and cutting without getting annoying (think Ehle as nails on a chalkboard grating). Whereas Knightly plays Elizabeth as able to fun herself and others, Ehle played Elizabeth haughty, arrogant, and more than a touch above her company. It is my opinion that Knightly played Elizabeth without overdoing it.
I choose Matthew Macfadyen as the better Mr. Darcy simply on the fact that I love how he says his lines, the emotion in his face, and that he’s my kind of drop dead gorgeous. Firth is quite handsome and plays his part well but saddled with Ehle, it’s no wonder he thought so ill of her at first! Who can withstand the deep-rooted passion that he carries through his tone and posture? I know I can’t! Yowza! You'll have to tell me who you think is the better Mr. Darcy and why! Let's start a list going for pros and cons. I'll even help by giving Colin Firth the pro of the wet white shirt... Grin.
I also find I just enjoy the cast of side characters better in the 2005 version. The mother is by far the best played and I have seen them all – including the Laurence Olivier aka 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice. I can stand Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet even as I hate her (the mother) if that makes sense. Lydia and Kitty and Mary are perfectly well suited. Some will say Mary is too pretty in this version, but I like what the director said about her part. Check out the commentary on this film – I loved it and learned much trivia for future Trivial Pursuit matches.
Mr. Binghley is a delightful boob in this film. He’s so adorable how he stumbles all over himself around Jane Bennet. You’ll love him on sight! He’s eager and open and amiable in all the right ways. He’s just what a young man ought to be! Grin. His sister is perfectly wonderful for her role, again an actress who can play her part without going so far as to gross you out in it.
The scenery alone is enough reason to buy this movie, but think of the many rainy days and cups of tea you will enjoy while falling head over heals in love again and again. What's your favorite version?
Rating: 5 Stars
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Originally posted 2008-10-04 05:21:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 4th, 2009 — Georgette Heyer, Poll, Regency
This post is a counter post to 10 Reasons Why I Can’t Read Georgette Heyer by Zarabeth. I was surprised but not upset with Zarabeth's reaction to Georgette Heyer's writing style. It does take a little getting used to and in my opinion the hardest Heyer to read is your first. This will probably not be the case if you read a lot of historical fiction. Trust me, the pages will soon begin to fly as you read Heyer. Here are some reasons to love her:
- Georgette Heyer novels have characters that steal into your heart and mind.
- Georgette Heyer novels are stories that are worth rereading over and over.
- Georgette Heyer writes farces that make you laugh out loud and shake your head in gentle amusement.
- Everyone seems to have a favorite or two Georgette Heyers they grew up with.
- Where else can you encounter thief cant and learn words like snabble and snaffle?
- Georgette Heyer provides it all from spinsters to female gamblers, from dandy heroes to brooding alphas, and from enemies to best friends. She has a whole gamut to choose from.
- Jane Austen fix. Need I say more?
- Fairly unusual character names like Lizzie Winwood, Marquis of Alverstoke, Vidal, etc.
- Reading Heyer with those glorious new tradeback covers from Sourcebooks is an experience not to be missed. Aren’t they just gorgeous? Strokes glossy cover… yum. Which are your favorites?
- All of Heyer’s novels are filled with sweetness and chastity. Like a fairytale all HEA are sealed with a kiss!
Now if you have read a Heyer and both Zarabeth’s and mine arguments about Georgette Heyer – where do you fall?
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