What genre of books do you enjoy reading? Who is your favorite author(s)? Why?
I enjoy a wide range of books – women’s fiction, historical novels, romance, fantasy, science fiction, the whole gamut. My favorite author? Jane Austen, of course! I love her wit, her outlook on life, and her amazing characters.
When did you become a fan of Jane Austen? Do you have a favorite Jane Austen novel? Character?
Pride and Prejudice is my favorite, followed by Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility.
I’ve loved Austen’s books since I was a teenager, which was a long time ago. My favorite copy of Pride and Prejudice is falling apart from too many re-reads. Darcy is my favorite character because he’s so complex and leaves lots of room for imagination.
What inspired you start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?
I’ve dabbled with writing since I was in middle school, but I never took it seriously until I started writing Austen-related fiction in 2001. My first book was From Lambton to Longbourn, and it was intended to be a one-shot deal. I didn’t realize how addictive writing could be!
What prompted you to start writing “Pemberley Variations?” Which is your favorite variation and why?
It’s an odd story, actually. I’d read a few on-line Jane Austen fanfics, but I didn’t really turn to them until right after 9/11. Because of my job, I couldn’t get away from 9/11 all day, and I used Austen fanfic to escape from it. I’m a pretty fast reader, though, and I went through there was at that time in a couple of weeks. There was nothing for it but to write my own!
My earlier books like Impulse and Initiative tended to be light-hearted romances, and over time my books have become more complex. They’re still primarily love stories, but I do more exploring of complex characters and some of the difficulties women faced in Regency times, the kind of thing Jane Austen took for granted that her readers would know about but that modern readers miss. My favorites are probably the last two I wrote, Mr. Darcy’s Obsession, which is coming out this fall, and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, because I enjoy the complexity of them.
[Meredith: I cannot wait to read Mr. Darcy’s Obsession, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy remains one of my favorite variations!]
You have written a lot of variations of Pride and Prejudice, how did you come up with diverse and unique enough scenarios for each book?
The question is how to stop coming up with scenarios! I have a file full of ideas. Austen leaves so much to the imagination that there are uncountable directions to go and aspects of her characters to explore. Sometimes I’ll take an idea and discover that it turns out the same as the original, and there isn’t much point to writing that, since Austen did it far better than I ever could. I pick the ones that seem to provide interesting sources of conflict between Elizabeth and Darcy.
Why write about Pride and Prejudice? Would you ever consider writing a variation of another Jane Austen novel?
To be honest, I write about Pride and Prejudice because it’s there and it’s my favorite book. I’ve written a modern novel that’s partially based on Persuasion, but Darcy and Elizabeth are the characters that I love having in my head.
What inspired your plot for Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Last Man in the World?
In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Elizabeth are both in situations where they are extraordinarily free to choose their partners. If Darcy’s parents had still been alive, they would have never allowed him to marry Elizabeth. Mr. Bennet is inclined to go along with whatever his Lizzy wants, but that wasn’t the norm at the time. Most fathers would have more concern for their daughters’ futures, and likely wouldn’t allow one of them to refuse someone of Darcy’s standing. So Jane Austen picked a truly extraordinary scenario where most of the norms of the time didn’t apply on either side.
That made me wonder what would have happened if Elizabeth, like many Regency women, had to marry a man she disliked. In the original, Elizabeth’s view of Darcy is changed first by his letter and later by the testimony of his housekeeper, but could she have overcome her prejudice against him without those? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, is my answer to that question.
Are there many differences between the self published edition of Last Man in the World and this edition of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy?
Mostly the differences are minor, except for one change to the scene that takes place the morning after their first lovemaking. My editor suggested some changes there, and she was quite right. There’s more bonding between the two and less distrust now, and it makes the story flow much more smoothly.
What are three words you would use to describe Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Last Man in the World?
No fair – I’m terrible at this kind of thing! I’ll say heartwarming, engaging, and powerful.
[Meredith: Those words describe it perfectly, I couldn’t have chosen better!]
What scene did you have the most fun writing? What was the most difficult thing about writing this book?
There’s a scene where Darcy comes home from a ride injured after Elizabeth has just realized she loves him. They both have such joy in that scene that it was a pleasure to write. The hardest part was trying to put myself in Elizabeth’s shoes at the beginning of her marriage. She believed Darcy was ill-tempered, resentful, and proud, and knows he has complete control over her. She treats him like an unexploded bomb. I knew Darcy was great, so it was hard to get into that point of view.
Can you share with us, your writing routine, schedule or a typical writing day?
I don’t have a typical writing day! Between job and family demands, I squeeze it in anywhere I can, usually late at night when everyone’s asleep. Unfortunately, that makes it rather hard to wake up in the morning!
What it your favorite thing about being an author?
I love hearing from readers about how my books affected them. My books are comfort food reading, and it makes me happy when somebody tells me that my books got them through a hard time. What more can you ask for?
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
I’m tempted to say “sleeping.” I enjoy reading, making jewelry, spending time with my kids and pets, and theatre.
If you could ask Jane Austen any question today, what would it be?
That’s easy: What was Darcy doing and thinking between the first proposal and when he meets Elizabeth at Pemberley? I’ve always wondered that.
[Meredith: Awesome question!]
Can you tell us what projects you are working on? I know from your website that you have a new variation titled Bounds of Decorum, can you tell us a little bit about that book?
It’s been renamed Mr. Darcy’s Obsession and will be released in October. Elizabeth is called home from Kent before Darcy has a chance to propose to her, and he takes it as a sign of fate and lets her go. A year later he finds out that Mr. Bennet has died and Mr. Collins has dispossessed the Bennet family. Elizabeth, who is now several notches further down the social ladder from him, is living with the Gardiners as a sort of governess for their children. Darcy meets with her once to reassure himself as to her situation, but is quickly as bewitched as ever, but with more than ever working against an alliance between them. Darcy’s extended family, who are a story in themselves, come into play with a surprising showdown at the end.
I also see on your website an excerpt for Morning Light can you tell us a little about it? Is it a modern adaption of Persuasion?
Morning Light is both a modern Persuasion and a sequel to Pemberley by the Sea, including a lot of follow up with Cassie, Calder and the Westing clan. Artist Annie Wright is one of Cassie’s closest friends, and has given up on men after her husband’s tragic death. Then Jeremy, the man she fell in love with before she married but couldn’t have, appears unexpectedly on the scene. She falls for him again, only to discover that he plans to marry another woman. In the meantime, Cassie becomes pregnant, just as the Westing family faces a major crisis. Both couples come to a crisis at a fundraiser for homeless dogs run by Annie, but as always, it comes to a happy ending.
Thank you so much for participating in this interview, Abigail! It has been a real treat to have you answer my questions!! Best of luck with the release of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World!
MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY: THE LAST MAN IN THE WORLDIn 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.
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!! Thanks to Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks, Austenesque Reviews has not one, but TWO lovely copies of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy to give away to you wonderful readers! (US and Canada only)
You can enter the giveaway by commenting on this post with a question/comment for Abigail Reynolds OR a comment about which other Austen novel you would most like to see an author pen a variation or “what if” novel for.
*To have your name entered twice, become a follower of my blog (if you are already a follower, please let me know)
**To have your name entered three times, post, sidebar, facebook or tweet about this giveaway (please let me know if you did this).
Well done, Meredith! Great interview. I’d love to read more variations about Persuasion, my favorite among the six. But I can’t miss the opportunity of winning a lovely free copy of “Mr Fitziwilliam Darcy”!
I am a follower.
I’ll post about your giveaway on my sidebar on Fly High and My Jane Austen Book Club. OK?
I love reading the new stories about Mr Darcy and yours sounds wonderful.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com
I just became a follower of your blog.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com
I am very much looking forward to reading more of Morning Light, Abigail.
Interesting to hear you turned to FF after 9/11. I wonder how many had a traumatic reason to turn to FF? It is very theraputic for what ails a person.
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again here. Congrats on becoming published, A. It’s lovely to see your writing get the recognition it deserves.
Very interesting interview. I’ll post and tweet about your giveaway of blog.
Fantastic interview. Many questions that have popped up over the months regarding Ms. Reynolds were answered and I’m very excited to hear about the new books and those in the works.
I would like to extend a personal thank you to Ms. Reynolds. The Pride & Prejudice Variations helped me through a very difficult time in my life. My best friend died of cancer last year and I retreated into Ms. Reynolds books. They were an excellent diversion from the stress and grief.
Thank you!
Side note: I’d love to see Sense & Sensability ‘what ifs’!
Lovely interview! “Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy” sounds fantastic.
I would love to read any kind of variation about Sense & Sensibility!
I would like to see a “what if” sequel to Sense and Sensebility — What if Elenaor ended up with Colonel Brandon? (I always thought they would be an interesting match…)
Also, I am going to be posting a link about this giveaway on the Facebook fanpage for my own novel, Conviction.
Great interview Meredith! Abigail has been such an inspiration for me and I adore her work – Lampton to Longbourn being my absolute favorite.
I was wondering if there were any changes between The Last Man in the World and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and this interview and provided me with that info. This book broke my heart when I first read it – I hate to see Darcy suffer. I can’t wait to see what changes were made between the two versions.
I would love to see more variations/what if? stories, especially for books other than P & P. How about Northanger Abbey? It seems like some twists and turns could be contrived for that tale.
I’m already following, very happily I might add.
I’m already a follower on facebook and I just signed up to follow on twitter.
This is a wonderful interview. At first I swore I’d never read Jane Austen fan fiction but now I can’t get enough. There are so many now it’s hard to keep up. I think I would like to see more about Persuasion.
Felicia
Lovely interview, Meredith :).
Abigail, congratulations on this book!! I’m so excited Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is out at last, and that we’ll all get to enjoy it! Looking forward to catching up again soon…
Great interview, Meredith!
I would love to see a Manfield Park variation. A “what if” involving Fanny and Mr. Crawford. I think that would be a very interesting spin.
Great interview! I would love to see a new what if on Sense & Sensibility. Thanks for the giveaway!
I am a follower
muse_in_the_fog@hotmail.com
Great interview, Meredith. Really enjoyed it.
P&P is my favorite Austen novel and I never tire of sequels . . . but if I had to choose a different tale for a “what if” I think “Sense & Sensibility” would be a great choice. So many possibiliies.
I would love to win a copy of this book.
I am a follower and I posted a link on my blog to the contest, as well as on my Twitter page and Facebook.
Thanks for the opportunity!
~ Lori
I absolutely love anything about Jane Austen, her works and her characters that still continue on to this day. I am looking forward to your book coming out to add to my collection.
Thanks for the warm welcome! I’m glad to meet so many enthusiastic Austen lovers.
Glad to hear there are some readers out there who would like a Persuasion or Sense & Sensibility variation! I’ll have to tell my publisher. The current view in the publishing business is that books about anything but Pride & Prejudice aren’t marketable. That’s why Morning Light is sitting on my hard drive instead of becoming a book, though I’d really love to have it out there. If I could somehow turn it into a Pride & Prejudice book, I could get it published, but my characters are notoriously resistant to changes for marketing reasons, and Persuasion just doesn’t want to become Pride & Prejudice. Hopefully someday the market will shift to allow more non-P&P Austen-related novels!
Sans Foster, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when a reader tells me that my books have helped them through a tough time. I picture my books as comfort food for the soul, and writing them has served that purpose for me. I wrote By Force of Instinct one summer in my son’s hospital room while we weren’t sure that he’d recover from a terrible accident. All day I’d be running around helping with his therapy and making arrangements, then, once he was asleep, I’d retreat into the happy world of Lizzy and Darcy. That’s probably is why Elizabeth and Darcy both have such issues about losing people in By Force of Instinct. Some things just won’t stay out of the writing.
Skylar, good to see you again! I’ll have to look up your fan page (*Abigail squirms guiltily because she’s been promising to make her own fan page for months and months*).
Alexa, I think it would be great fun doing a what-if on Northanger Abbey. The hard part would be narrowing down what to change, since there are really limitless possibilities! Maybe someday….
Vicky, you shouldn’t tempt me so! Henry Crawford is the character in Mansfield Park that fascinates me, and I don’t much care for Edmund Bertram.
Thanks again to Meredith and all the readers here!
Congratulations, Abigail! Great interview Meredith. I would love to read more about variation of Persuasion too.
Really Angelic
I read Pemberley by the Sea last year and would like to enter your give-away. I have become a follower of your blog.
I have recently become a follower of your blog. I would like to see a variation of P&P or S&S….there are just so many options…will Twitter about giveaway as well! Thanks so much!
What other characters would the author consider reincarnating from other authors works?
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com
Google Friend Connect follower.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com
Thank you, everyone, for not only reading the interview, but for also leaving some comments and entering the giveaway!! I love seeing that there are so many people out there interested in S&S and Persuasion variations. I think S&S can lend itself to different variations very easily. What if Willoughby’s aunt found out later about Eliza Williams and Willoughby proposed to Marianne? Or what if Edward told Elinor about his secret engagement? But I definitely would love to read a Persuasion and Mansfield Park variation too!!!
Abigail – it has been such a pleasure to interview you, thank you so very much for answering my many, many questions!! I’m afraid I have one more if you can stand it, and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of putting it in the interview! I was wondering what inspired you to include intimate/romantic scenes between Lizzy and Darcy in your books? (I love them btw) Some readers, as I’m sure you are aware, don’t feel they belong in a Jane Austen related novel, how do you react to them? What purpose do you think they serve in your books?
Thanks again!
This was a great interview. I would like to see Sense and Sensibility and what about Persuasion!
mystica123athotmaildotcom
It’s extraordinary that after all these years people are still touched by and interested in exploring the worlds of the Austen novels. They’ll live forever!!
I’d like to see more variations and works inspired by Jane Eyre.
* I’m a follower of this blog, name is Bani.
* Tweeted giveaway here http://twitter.com/baniclips/status/8477458677
wakeupangel at gmail dot com
(Not technically savvy enough to blog etc so hope I can still comment ok.) I was really interested to see the upcoming books. I’ve read most of Abby’s books and she ranks among my fav authors. Last Man in the World has made me cry a couple of times (so touching). How exciting to be published! Congrats!
Dee (medeeow@yahoo.com)
I’d love to see a “what if” of Emma. I think it would be interesting if Emma actually hooked up with Frank Churchill!
donnyandshelly at yahoo dot com
I follow your blog on Google.
Shared on Facebook:
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I would love to see Mr. Rushworth get a novel. I have been asking around but no one seems to have done one. Maybe I should myself?
email salamandergrey@gmail.com
Salamandergrey- I would love to read a book about Mr. Rushworth!
There’s definitely not enough “what if” novels based on Northanger Abbey. That novels seems to be the most ignored when it comes to “fan fiction”.
email: misled.ghosts@gmail.com
I would like to read a “what if” sequel to Persuasion.
I love the question she would ask Jane!! I have wondered that too! Great interview!!