Writing Austenesque fiction means the ghost of Jane Austen always feels near. (Hopefully not preparing some deliciously cutting remark on the impropriety of this young* man who dares play with her characters.) Ms Austen never reveals herself, … [Read more...] about Meeting Jane (almost)
“A male writer needs to be…aware of the dangers of writing female characters”
Most fiction in the Jane Austen universe focuses on the gentry, much like the original novels. So I was intrigued to see Don Jacobson's recent Austenesque publication - paired novellas in Lessers and Betters - also includes the servant … [Read more...] about “A male writer needs to be…aware of the dangers of writing female characters”
A Map of Hunsford
Thought you might enjoy the rough map of Hunsford I used when writing The Darcy Ring and The Lovesick Maid. (Not to scale!) You can see the parsonage bottom right, cunningly placed to allow our upstanding rector, Mr Collins, to monitor the Rosings … [Read more...] about A Map of Hunsford
Colonel Brandon’s emails
Since I was doing Marianne's emails, it seemed only right to do Colonel Brandon's at the same time. The Sense and Sensibility story retold from our dour bachelor's perspective: … [Read more...] about Colonel Brandon’s emails
Introducing “The Darcy Ring”
Charlotte's back! The Darcys have arrived at Rosings and all is well. Or not well, as it turns out. Time for Charlotte to leave the parsonage and deal with the trials and tribulations of Hunsford once more. In The Darcy Ring (available now at … [Read more...] about Introducing “The Darcy Ring”
Marianne Dashwood’s emails
I did Elinor's inbox a while back. This time, I challenged myself to retell the entire Marianne thread within Sense and Sensibility. With a subtle homage to Leonard Cohen thrown in for good measure: … [Read more...] about Marianne Dashwood’s emails