Hello dear readers, I am so delighted to welcome author Jane Odiwe back to Austenesque Reviews today! She has been one of my favorite Austenesque authors for years, a lovely friend and supporter to Austenesque Reviews, and the very first author to contact me for a review, unsolicited! I’m so happy Jane visits today and shares a tasty little morsel from her new timeslip novel, Project Darcy!
Meredith, thank you so much for hosting me on my Project Darcy book tour-it’s so lovely to be here 
again!
When I first read about the archaeological dig at Steventon that took place a couple of years ago on the site of Jane Austen’s childhood home, I was fascinated. The idea of a group of volunteers discovering new information and artefacts connected with Jane Austen’s first twenty five years of life really interested me and I couldn’t help thinking that if time travel to Jane Austen’s time was at all possible, this might be one of the best places to achieve it. I wanted to write another timeslip novel and the setting fired my imagination. Combining a modern story with undertones of Pride and Prejudice alongside a tale in Jane Austen’s past was a book I’d wanted to write for a long time.
Ellie, Jess, Martha, Cara, and Liberty, are five friends just leaving university and in this excerpt they are just setting off on their adventure. They are all looking forward to their trip for very different reasons!
~~~
The coach picked them up from the university. It was already half full with an interesting mix of people who, like themselves, had volunteered for the dig. There was a group of male students from another university occupying the row at the back of the coach, and Ellie had to stop Liberty from marching up to them before they’d even found where they were sitting.
‘We’ve got allocated seats, Liberty and Cara,’ Jess called, pointing at the two in front of her. Martha sat next to Jess, which Ellie had agreed beforehand, so she wouldn’t feel left out. As the coach headed out of Winchester, Ellie watched the urban sprawl gradually left behind: lanes of verdant green replaced shops, houses and flats. Fields and meadows, with tiny farmhouses in the distance looked like toy farm sets with cows and sheep grazing under oak trees dotted amongst the hedgerows. She was looking forward to the trip in many ways, and hoped there’d be some opportunities for her to paint. Google Earth had thrown up some beautiful images of the countryside around Steventon and Ellie loved nothing more than trying to capture a landscape in watercolours. It had been her ambition to study illustration for as long as she could remember and becoming a freelance illustrator was her goal. She was nervous about the future, but she’d already had a few commissions. Perhaps being in Jane Austen country would be an inspiration for her painting.
Ellie could hear the guys at the back, some of them talking far too loudly, showing off whilst evidently trying to get the attention of Liberty who was constantly looking round. Dressed like any other student, nevertheless, everything about them suggested out of the ordinary affluence and confidence exuded from every pore. Rather too much self-assurance, Ellie thought, and decided they were arrogance personified – snobs of the worst sort. It crossed her mind that perhaps she was being a little unfair but it seemed to her they expected everyone to be impressed by them. Ellie made up her mind, right then, to give them a wide berth.
‘Isn’t it exciting?’ Jess’s face materialised in the gap between the seats in front, a halo of short blonde curls giving her an elfin appearance. ‘I can’t believe we are going to be walking on hallowed ground tomorrow.’
Ellie nodded back as enthusiastically as she could for Jess’s sake. It was fantastic to see Jess animated and looking well again. This last twelve months she’d been to hell and back. No one else could have suffered so much with such strength and courage. Ellie had watched her best friend grow pale and thin before her diagnosis, and then witnessed her growing sicker with every session of chemotherapy. When Jess’s long, golden tresses had fallen out in clumps, it was Ellie who’d cried. Jess had borne it all bravely, saying what a relief it was not to have to fuss about with hairdryers and hairstyles. But, that was the type of person Jess was – never thinking of herself, only trying to make things better for everyone else. Her fellow lecturers and students were full of admiration for the girl who had managed through it all to hang on to her dream of becoming a teacher like her mum and dad. She’d had time off from university, but nothing was going to stop her from going back and completing her course.
‘I hope we find something exciting. Can you imagine going to all the effort of digging and nothing of any interest turning up,’ said Ellie. ‘
It will be enough for me just to walk in Jane’s footsteps,’ said Jess, a dreamy expression spreading over her face. ‘I think they are supposed to be determining exactly where the house stood, initially. There’s some debate about what the house looked like and its position on the land. Hopefully, the geophysics will be done by now and they’ll have an idea where we can start digging!’
Liberty’s head popped over the seat. ‘I’m so glad I came,’ she said, with one eye on the boys at the back, ‘though, there are more old people than I expected.’
Martha made a shushing sound. ‘You never know when to be quiet, do you, Liberty? I like the fact there are lots of different ages here. It’s wonderful to think that not all people in their seventies are gaga and are still reasonably mentally alert.’
Ellie wanted to disappear into the fabric of her seat. The silver-haired woman sitting opposite them looked across disapprovingly and muttered something about ‘the youth of today’ under her breath.
There was a sudden crackling noise from loud speakers and a lady brandishing a microphone at the front of the coach stood up to make a welcome speech, introducing herself as Melanie Button, and thanking the volunteers for their participation. ‘I hope you’ll all be happy with the accommodation that’s been arranged. Most of you will be staying in the village where you’ll meet some of the local volunteers this evening at the reception party. According to my list, I believe Jess Leigh and her friends have made their own plans and also Henry Dorsey and Charlie Harden. Am I right?’
Jess waved and gesticulated in their direction.‘Yes, we’re all sorted out, Mrs Button, thank you. We’ll have use of a car and be walking in too, I hope. We’re at Ashe, just a mile away.’
One of the students sitting with the Oxford group raised his hand. ‘Charlie Harden here, Mrs Button. Henry and I are staying together – we’re in Deane so we’re not far, either.’
Ellie saw Jess looking at Charlie with interest. He was good-looking in a fresh-faced way with a mop of sun-bleached curls that looked even lighter against his tanned skin. He had the sort of piercing forget-me-not blue eyes that don’t look quite real and it was easy to see why Jess looked at him, albeit in her own covert way. At least he seemed to have some manners, which was more than could be said for his friends. The one called Henry, by contrast, seemed to scowl at her when she caught his eye.
‘Do call me Mel,’ said Mrs Button, smiling broadly at Charlie and Henry, ‘let’s not stand on ceremony. We’re going to be working very closely together.’
Liberty barely stifled a giggle and whispered to Cara, ‘She’s old enough to be their mother. Look at that gorgeous Charlie, he looks frightened to death at the thought of being personally intimate with Ms Button.’
‘Now, we’re all meeting in the village hall at seven thirty,’ continued Melanie. ‘We are enormously excited to have Greg Whitely and Will MacGourtey of Dig your Ancestor fame arriving to kick off the party, and tell us what’s been accomplished so far. Are you digging that, ladies?’
There was a ripple of laughter from some of the older female volunteers and a few groans from some of the young men. And then the coach stopped. ‘Ashe Rectory,’ called the driver.
~~~
I hope you enjoyed the taster – I’d love to know what you would hope to find if you went on a Jane Austen archaeological dig!
Don’t Jess and Ellie sound lovely?? Such wonderful characters you get to spend time with in Project Darcy! Thank you for sharing, Jane!
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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Jane kindly brings with her one BEAUTIFUL paperback copy of Project Darcy for me to give away to ONE lucky reader. Woot Woot!
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment, an answer to Jane’s question, or a question of your own!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Jane!
- This giveaway ends November 27th!
DOUBLE your chances of winning by coming back FRIDAY and leaving a comment on my review!
If I could go on a Jane Austen dig, above all I’d like to find a metal box with another
manuscript of hers!
I love the concept of this story (and no need to enter me in the giveaway, because I already have the book, have read it and adored it)!
I would love the opportunity to go on a Jane Austen dig. I think Steventon must be the most emotional place to be, and it would be lovely, as Susan mentions above, to find a missing manuscript. However, I think I am going to say that I would love to go on one at Chawton Cottage. Deep inside, I have this ever-lingering hope that Cassandra didn’t really destroy all those letters and that they are buried in the garden in a tin just waiting for someone to discover them.
I agree with a previous post I would love to find another manuscript of Jane Austen’s!
Susan, Cassandra, and Tresha- wouldn’t a missing manuscript or letters be fantastic? I often think with the occasional Jane Austen treasure coming up for auction, that surely there must be more letters or something else we don’t know about hiding somewhere…
That’s such a neat idea for a book. If I were digging around there I think I’d be happy with any little thing I found. A button would be a treasure.
Difficult choice between a manuscript or letters! First Impressions and Elinor and Marianne please…along with letters explaining the changes(and why!) Jane Austen made to them to become P&P and S&S.
How wonderful it would be to actually hold in my hands (gloved, of course) items that I can now only visualize and imagine. I time travel in my head all the time and in so many Austenesque novels – I’m waiting for it to actually happen someday!
I sensed immediately that Jess and Ellie will have a similiar relationship as Jane and Elizabeth. Thank you for the giveaway, and who wouldn’t want to find something of Jane Austen’s at a dig! Count me in, too.
I was wondering did you get the idea of the dig because you have been on one or are you interested in archaeology
this is a unique and wonderful idea. An item and treasure which would be unforgettable, a lace hanky, a manuscript. thanks for this great post.
Sounds really interesting! A new manuscript would be wonderful, but I also wouldn’t object to finding the burned letters in the garden, like Cassandra suggested!
Like many of the other comments, I would hope to find all of Jane Austen’s missing letters or another one of her manuscripts! Thanks for the giveaway!!
I would love to find a long lost trinket that I could treasure as knowing it once was looked upon by Jane. What I would most like to find though are secret letters that tell more about her.
Excellent, It sounds very good throughout this book. I am interested to read this story.
Thank you for the opportunity of obtained a copy.
I just love this fun idea for a Jane Austen time-slip story and how the germ of the story came to you, Jane. Interesting things have turned up in ancient rubbish heaps why not a portion of a lost novel or a packet of intriguing letters that didn’t quite burn.
Congrats on the new book and I’m eager to read it.
Please do not enter me in the giveaway, Meredith.
Amanda, a button would be a fabulous treasure, I quite agree!
Kirk, ooh yes, love the idea of First Impressions or Elinor and Marianne!
Lilyane, I hope your wishes make time travel possible!
Eva, you’re quite right! Thank you for stopping by!
Vesper, there was a dig on the site of the rectory a couple of years ago, and that’s what got me thinking. I love watching archaeological dig TV programmes, but have never been on one.
Ellie, it would be wonderful to find something, wouldn’t it? Love your name!
Arjanne, yes, the letters would be amazing!
Kelli, I think those are everyone’s favourites!
Sagan, I love the idea of secret letters!
Warmisunqu’s Austen, thank you for visiting me here!
Well my first thought was letters or another story, like everybody else! Or illustrations of what her characters looked like.
If I went on a Jane Austen archaeological dig, I would hope to find some of her writing that Cassandra forgot to destroy!
I really couldn’t figure out what I’d want to find. I think going on a dig itself would be enough of a highlight…however I’d like to come up with something different. I’d like to find more remnants of household things or I’d like to find a favorite piece of clothing preserved or maybe sketches of family members. I tend to take off to the unusual I guess. I loved your illustration of the ball by the way.
I can’t imagine a better find than a copy of ‘First Impressions’, before it became Pride and Prejudice! Just the thought that there was at least another third of the story that’s been edited out makes me want to scramble for that time machine and beg her not to do it!!!
Best of luck with ‘Project Darcy’, Jane! Pls don’t include me in the giveaway, have it, read it, loved it 🙂 and just popped by to say hi!
Ceri, I love the idea of illustrations of her characters-perhaps Cassandra might have painted them?
June, yes, discovering ‘new’ anything written by Jane would be fantastic!
Thank you, Suzan for your kind comments-I think they found quite a few household objects-shards of blue and white pottery, clay pipes, domestic pots etc. I agree, it would be lovely to find something like that!
Joana, thank you-that’s so kind of you! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it. First Impressions-that would be a find!!
I’d love to be able to discover another manuscript! Thanks for making this open t o all. Much appreciated.
I was intrigued by the excerpt… Sounds like a fun book! I would have to agree with others that finding another manuscript would be the best. Who doesn’t want more Jane!?! But really, finding anything that Jane might have touched or used would be a thrill.
A draft of First Impressions would be great. It would be wonderful to find out how the manuscript changed in all the rewrites until it became Pride and Prejudice. Don’t enter me in the giveaway, I already have a copy of Project Darcy.
Thank you, Mystica-another manuscript would be fantastic! Thank you for stopping by!
Another great excerpt! Thank you Jane! I guess what I would love to find would be Jane Austen’s drafts for her novels. I would love to see how her stories evolved from one version to another.
Thanks for the giveaway and, like Mystica as written, for making it open internationally!
As sappy as it sounds, a long lost love letter to Jane would be a romantic find. I’m interested to check your newest book out at some point. A few weeks ago I was in Oaxaca Mexico for a school trip and boarding vans, guides and living with roomies is ooh so familiar. Congrats on another release.
Thank you, Colleen-it doesn’t sound sappy-it would be lovely to find a lost love letter! It sounds as if you need to write a book of your own!
oooh! I would love to find Jane’s quill.
YES! Everyone has such brilliant responses!! I agree with all of you, finding anything that our dear author owned would be a treasure – even a button or piece of ribbon.
As to letters, first drafts, and manuscripts, I think I’d want the letters more than anything else. The secrets of her life fascinate me, I’d love to know more about her romances and the “silent Bath years.” 🙂
i am just so fascinated how authors have the creativity & guts to write anything P&P-related!!!
thank you & continue writing for us!!!!
I’m so looking forward to getting to know these characters!
Robyn-Jane’s quill-fantastic!
Cyn209-thank you-I love writing these books, and there’s going to be another!
Chelsea-thank you, I do hope you enjoy the book!
A little “lovetoken” that Jane got from Tom(?) would be amazing to find. With a short message, or promise 😀 Something that “proves” she herself once knew romantic love…
I liked the excerpt and I like archaeology too. I have Jane Odiwe’s other books so I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one!
I agree with Susan S! I’d like to see another manuscript, preferably many of them 🙂
A manuscript or the missing letters would be amazing! But also a portrait of Jane. There are not many images of her and I would love to see another 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
I think I would like to find Jane’s own sequel to either P&P or Persuasion. However, a love the above suggestions of Jane and Cassandra letters or Jane’s portrait!
Sounds like a wonderful addition to my JAFF shelf!! Always a pleasure to have a new book to read by an author I enjoy.