Hi readers! I’m so happy to have author Penelope Swan come visit Austenesque Reviews today! As some of you may know, Penelope has published several Pride and Prejudice inspired novels and novellas in the last year! Her first Austenesque work, The Netherfield Affair, Dark Darcy Book 1 was published just one year ago! Penelope is here to tell you a little bit about herself, her discovery of Jane Austen, and her novels! I hope you enjoy her fascinating post!
I’m sure that all of you here who love Jane Austen will say that her books have inspired and comforted, amused and enlightened you many times in your lives. In my case, Jane’s books literally taught me about life – about love and marriage, loss and greed, irony and prejudice, society and people and power and folly…
You see, I grew up in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and back then, it was little more than a few dusty buildings in a wide expanse of sand, clinging to the edge of the Arabian Gulf. There were no glamorous shopping centres and luxury hotels, no gourmet restaurants and glitzy skylines… and not many books either.
Well, not many books that made it past the censors, that is.
Today, Dubai is a trendy tourist destination, liberal and Westernised, where you can wear a bikini at the beach and sip a cocktail at a bar – but when I was growing up twenty-five years ago, it was very different. And like a lot of Islamic societies, media in Dubai was heavily censored. TV programmes and movies were cut to remove all kisses and embraces (I never saw a kiss on screen until after I left the U.A.E. at nineteen to go to university in England) and books were only allowed in the country if they were deemed “clean” and the covers decent.
So, in a way, I missed out on a lot of the things that most teenagers learned naturally growing up. And I had very limited reading – most of the books available in bookstores were “dry” classics from the likes of Thomas Hardy and George Elliot.
And then one day I discovered Jane Austen. I still remember picking up that first copy of Pride and Prejudice and staring at the elegant lady on the cover – then turning to the first page and reading those immortal words: “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”
And I was hooked. Not only were these charming characters and delightful stories but they seemed to reflect so much of my own life.
Living in Dubai at that time was not unlike Regency England in some ways – especially when it came to the expected “proper” behaviour for girls and women. Your reputation was everything and young unmarried ladies were chaperoned everywhere; you couldn’t be seen in inappropriate places (such as hotel lobbies… oh my God, only a certain type of woman hung around hotel lobbies!) nor stay out too late at night. And you certainly didn’t fraternise with men you didn’t know and hadn’t been properly introduced to – not if you were a “lady”.
I loved the novels and read and re-read them constantly. Through the pages of Austen’s wonderful stories, I learned about all the things that I couldn’t experience, living the sheltered life that I did.
I admit – I went through a bit of an obsessive phase in my teens… well, don’t we all? Except that my thing wasn’t dyeing my hair green or dressing only in Goth black or listening only to heavy metal…
…my thing was to talk and dress like a Regency lady. Just like in the pages of Jane Austen’s stories. I wanted to charm like Elizabeth, grieve like Anne, play piano like Marianne and write like Fanny.
I drove my mother crazy insisting that I wanted to have an Empire-style gown. In those days, Dubai had very few shops (nothing like the shopping mecca it is now!) and most of our clothes were made by buying fabric and then getting them made up by the local Indian tailors, based on patterns found in McCalls.
Finally, my mother caved in and agreed to let me have the dress made for a special Christmas party. Of course, the poor Indian tailor had no idea how to make a Regency-style, high-waisted gown and I didn’t buy the right fabric for it either (I chose this hideous gold lamé fabric… yes, I know, what was I thinking?! ) so the result was a bit of a disaster.
But I wore it very proudly anyway. 🙂
Even after I grew up and finally left Dubai, my love affair with Jane Austen continued. I went to university at Oxford and lived in England for the next eight years and delighted in being so much closer to the world that I’d loved.
I watched every TV and movie adaptation I could find and even now, re-watching the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth as Mr Darcy is a sacred bi-annual ritual! 😉
When I became an author, I discovered a wonderful world that I never realised existed before – the world of Jane Austen variations. Although actually – thinking about it – I’d read and enjoyed many books & movies through the years which were all re-tellings of Austen’s novels – even Bridget Jones’s Diary is really a modern version of Pride and Prejudice (with its very own gorgeous Mr Darcy! 😉 ).
So I embarked on the wonderful adventure of writing my very first JAFF novel – and suddenly, I discovered that all those early years of reading and re-reading nothing but Austen stood me in good stead! I knew half of the books verbatim (and delighted in inserting quotes from the originals in new contexts in my stories) and found that the style and “voice” of 19th century Regency English came very easily to me.
I spent weeks happily wallowing in all the minutiae of the Regency era, learning the difference between pelisses vs spencers , how Dukes and Earls were to be addressed, the etiquette for balls and dancing, how many servants an average household was likely to have (butler, housekeeper, cook, kitchen maid, parlour maid, lady’s maid, scullery maid, footman, tiger, groom, gardener… whew!)… it was all for book research, honest! 😉
And when my books were published, I discovered a wonderful community of readers who shared my love of Austen and her characters and stories. I’ve been very lucky to earn some wonderful reviews and accolades, such as: “Jane Austen would have been proud of this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Classic, witty and romantic with mystery and intrigue. Beautifully written with vivid descriptions.”
And it’s even more wonderful that I can now live out my Regency fantasies through my books rather than through the local tailor’s nightmares! 😉
I’ve always loved mysteries and so my Pride & Prejudice variations often include an element of mystery or suspense. The first books I wrote, the Dark Darcy series, is a retelling the original Pride and Prejudice story, with number of mysteries woven into the storyline: Is Netherfield Park really haunted? How did Wicked Wickham the highwayman infiltrate the Netherfield ball? Who is trying to poison Lady Catherine at Rosings Park? And what sinister secrets at Pemberley does Georgiana discover? As Darcy and Elizabeth solve the mysteries together, they slowly grow to trust, respect and fall in love with each other.
My later standalone books, such as Darcy Revealed , Darcy’s Wager and Darcy’s Christmas Wish are more focused on the romance ( although still with a dash of suspense!) – between Lizzy and Darcy, Jane and Bingley – and even quiet, studious Mary meets a man who steals her heart! 🙂
In Darcy Revealed, for example, an unexpected mix-up leads Elizabeth Bennet to renewing her acquaintance with the handsome Mr Darcy during her stay in London. Amid a whirl of society balls, fashionable promenades in Hyde Park and dangerous flirtations, Elizabeth find herself unwittingly drawn to the haughty gentleman. But does Darcy return her feelings or does his heart belong to another?
I hope you’ll check out my books and enjoy reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!
Thank you, Penelope! Your story is amazing! How fortuitous that you discovered Jane Austen when you did! Like you, I discovered her during my high school years and her characters and world became my obsession too!
Connect with Penelope
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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Penelope kindly brings with her the opportunity to win ONE of her books in paperback (winner’s choice!) for me to give away to ONE lucky reader!
To enter this giveaway Penelope is asking readers to comment below and share who their favorite Austen character is and why!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Penelope!
- This giveaway ends March 14th!
At the moment I have two favourite characters – Mary Bennet because I believe she is misunderstood and the Colonel – just because he’s the Colonel
My favorite is Lizzy. I’m a lot like Lizzy: I speak my mind, care deeply, any many other things.
Love your story of your life. So relatable in in this past-paced life.
Denise
I love Anne Elliot now but Elizabeth was my favorite in younger days. I do find that one of the joys of Austen is that she has so many well loved characters that you can have different favorites at different stages of life!
I recently read Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad and your growing up in Dubai was very interesting with the similarities of a repressed society and the importance of reading. Thanks for sharing your story.
I’m going to have to be predictable, and say Mr. Darcy, ’cause he’s just so dreamy! My favorite Jane Austen book is “Persuasion”; I just love that story. But I don’t pick Capt. Wentworth as my favorite, because he belongs to Anne. And even though we all insist that Mr. Darcy can be with no one but Elizabeth Bennet, I think we feel like we’d each have a chance with him too.
Mr. Knightly because he’s a true gentleman, compassionate and a man of sense.
Thank you for this lovely & great story 🙂 I’ve read many Jane Austen variations ( jane Odiwe , Tracy Kiely, Syrie James, , Beth Patillo , Stephanie Barron , Pamela Aidan!!… ) but I never had the pleasure of reading any of Penelope Swan books and I would love to discover them 🙂
My favorite Austen character is Anne Elliot ! She touche me because she’s thoughtful , she ‘s not proud and arrogant like her family , It’s a young woman intelligent and melancholic she’s sensitive and attentive to the others ,she’s lucid and responsible !! She restores self-confidence in her when a second chance is given to her to find find happiness 🙂
Merci pour ce beau concours 🙂
Miette
I’ve always loved Eleanor from Sense and Sensibility. She and Colonel Branson have always pulled at my heart strings for some reason.
Oooh how do I choose between Darcy and Elizabeth? They go together so well that I can’t separate them and will have to cheat and pick both. I just love all the books about them as long as they have a happy ending and have a large number and an even longer wish list. I can sympathise with your dedication in watching P&P twice a year. I have the dvds of that and the film and also watch whenever they are on tv. Thanks for this post and the giveaway and may I say that your dress is not a total disaster
My favorite character is Anne Elliot because of the genuine and sincere character which suits me very much and is admirable. Thanks for this lovely post and great giveaway.
First, I want to thank you for brief history. It is very fascinating. I would agree that Mr. Hardy is rather dry reading. I do have your Book 1 of the Dark Darcy Mysteries which I did enjoy. I have the others on my wishlist as well as the 3 standalones. Hard to pick just one favourite character, but Elizabeth just seems to edge out all the others. Thank you so much for the opportunity to win one of your books!
Not my favorite but I have a special place in my heart for Kitty Bennet. I like the P&P variations where she joins Darcy & Elizabeth after their marriage and blossoms into an interesting young woman with remarkable talents.
It’s hard to pick a favorite, so I won’t, but my favorite cringeworthy character is Mr. Collins. I love to hate him!
I just have to choose a favorite female character – Elizabeth Bennet – and a
favorite male – Mr Knightly! (Not that I
don’t love Anne Elliot & Mr Darcy but
you said CHOOSE). Really enjoyed
reading about your coming to Jane
Austen, and thank you for the giveaway!
My favorite female character is Elizabeth Bennet, and my favorite male character is Fitzwilliam Darcy. I love Elizabeth’s spirit and humor, and I love Darcy’s steadfastness and honor. They’re so perfect for each other.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I love some of the covers of your own Austen books. The Persuasion cover and the one for Northanger Abbey particularly caught my eye. Of the Austen females, Anne is my favourite character. She’s such a gentle caring soul but can be relied on 100% when things go wrong.
My favourite male is Colonel Brandon. He always seems like a lost soul to me and loves Marianne without any expectations. He’s like the male version of Anne, if that makes any sense.
Thanks for sharing your love of Austen with us, Penelope, and also the exciting adventure that brought you there. So fascinating, your life story!
Thanks for the giveaway too. But I just can’t settle on one favourite character. I think for me it has to be a tie between
– Elizabeth, because she’s full of life, optimism and courage and doesn’t suffer fools or clever people’s foolish behavior lightly
– Darcy, because he changes for the woman he loves
– Mr Knightley, because he is as good or even better than post-reformation Darcy from the very beginning, and because he discovered he loved Emma only when he became jealous of Frank Churchill
– and last but by no means least, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for the same reason as Vesper 😉
Wow, I thought college exams were hard! Favourite character, favourite character… This is going to seem cliched but it has to be Elizabeth Bennet. (Holds up hands) I know, I know! But the thing is I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time when I was a kid. To me Elizabeth was amazing! She was witty, loyal, courageous, everything that I wanted to be. There were times I’d ask myself “what would Lizzie do?” and (while that may sound sad) it helped! Now if you don’t mind I’m off to watch Pride and Prejudice for the 6429690th time! 🙂
Jane Austen wrote so many wonderful characters it’s hard to pick a favorite. My favorite tends to what I am currently reading. In a “Emma” mood and love her and. Knightley.
Now that was an interesting ‘how I came to Jane Austen’ story. Thanks for sharing, Penelope. Glad the world of Jane Austen was there for you during the sheltered years.
The mystery blend to the story sounds fun. Look forward to those.
Hmm, since the question is what is my favorite character and not what is my favorite book, I will shockingly say, Fanny Price. I’ve always respected the way she stood on her principles and wouldn’t marry where pushed to even if it meant angering the people who controlled her receiving even her most basic needs. I was disappointed that she was stuck with Edmund, but she wasn’t so guess that’s okay. 😉
Your life history is so very interesting and leads me to want to know if your family was there in business, with family or in the diplomatic services. Frankly, with all we read in the media I am afraid that area of the world is not a place I have any desire to visit.
As to a favorite it has always been Darcy because as others have said, he was willing to change and he helped with the Lydia affair even with no guarantee of a reward – in fact he wanted to make sure Elizabeth didn’t know of that b/c he didn’t want her to marry him out of gratitude.
How wonderful to hear about your journey to Jane Austen and JAFF. Brilliant. I love hearing about how Jane came into anyone’s life, but so far your’s has been the most unique. Thank you for sharing your story.
Oh impossible to pick one favorite. Although, I have enjoyed reading about the reasons behind others’ favorites. Can I just cheat and say…whoever I’m reading about at the moment. I just read one of the best Mary/Kitty/Anne de Buourgh JAFFs, ‘Vanities and Vexations.’ I love the variations that bring a different outcome for the minor characters and redeem them so-to-speak.
I’d have to Elizabeth and Darcy, because through all the misunderstandings and remarks that shouldn’t have been said, they managed to overcome his pride and her prejudice. He loved Elizabeth enough to change and correct his long held beliefs. He began to listen to his heart and not his brain.
I love D& D&E, of course, but my favorite secondary character is Colonel Fitzwilliam. I love to see any variation where he gets more page time.
Your books definitely sound fascinating and different. I haven’t read any yet. Smiles.. My favorite Austen is Anne Elliott. She’s intelligent, humble, moral, patient, kind, enviable qualities.
I absolutely love your books Penelope! I own every one on kindle.
As for my favourite Austen character, it would have to be Darcy. He’s the silent type, but I like his passion and love for those close to him and the honour he values very highly.
Hi Penelope,
Your post is very insightful, thanks for sharing your story with us, for your sincerity and I´m glad you travelled away and experienced the freedom you talk about in the post 🙂
It´s amazing how a hobbie can turn into a source of knowledge for writing novels as in your case, so congrats!. My favourite character, I know I´m not original but it´s Elizabeth Bennet for her wish of being loyal to her principles. But, also, I admire Elinor Dashwood for her patience and good manners because I think it´s more difficult to keep emotions under control than express them out loud as Marianne does. And, for the same reason, I like Fanny Price because of her inner strenght, trying to keep balance in the middle of the chaotic Bertram Family.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Penelope,
I have your books on my very long TBR. I wish I had more time to read, but I am hoping to retire in less than 2 years and may then be able to make more of a dent in that pile. I wasn’t introduced to Jane Austen when I was young….I was in my mid=forties when my husband introduced me to Jane Austen. I am going to have to say, predictably, that Mr. Darcy is my favorite as I married my very own Mr. Darcy.
My favourite Austen character… Can I pick two? 🙂 They’re Darcy and Anne from Persuasion.
Darcy because though he’s not perfect, makes bad decisions and he’s too proud, he is ready to help those whom he loves without thinking about the consequences. He helps his worst enemy because he cares about a girl that has refused him! Who would do such a thing!?
Anne because she is faithful, she never gives up all hope and she always tries to find something good in the other people. I love the fact that she is strong although she seems weak.
Like you, Penelope, I discovered Jane Austen when I was at secondary school (equivalent to high school in the US, I think). But I didn’t discover the JAFF community until a couple of years ago and believe me, there’s a VERY long gap between the two! Thank you so much for sharing your life and Austen expeirinces with us. It’s amazing how many parallels we can discover between modern life/societies and Regency times.
I haven’t yet read any of Penelope’s books and only recently came across the Dark Darcy series for the first time. They sound most intriguing; the first one even sounds a bit like Mrs Rochester is stuck up in the attic. Thanks for making the giveaway international.
As to my favourite character, that’s a really tough one for me, as with many others. In the end, my favourite female character has to be Elizabeth as her personality is everything mine isn’t and to go with her, there has to be Darcy. Of all Austen’s heroes, he’s the one who has to go through the biggest change in order to make himself a better person and all of that with no expectation that Elizabeth would ever have anything to do with him again.
I have read the first two stories of the Dark Darcy series. I enjoyed them. I do want to read the rest. Thanks for your story. It was enlightening.
My all time favorite character is Elizabeth. Anne is my second favorite.
Capt Wentworth is my favorite the way he love Anna is so romance!! then its Mr Darcy and the way he love Elizabeth. I love all of her characters!!!
My favorite characters were Lady C and Mrs. Bennet. I think they are both fascinating when seen in contrast and comparison that even with money and power, they both have the same motivation in getting their daughters married…it reflects how society dictates a lot of their actions. Hahaha. My mom somehow can be overwhelming but at the end of the day I love her so, and she loves me more.
Wow, I had no idea you grew up in Dubai. Moving to England must’ve been quite the culture shock for you. I love that Jane Austen’s stories connect so many people from diverse backgrounds. I bought Mr Darcy’s Christmas Wish because I fell in love with the puppy on the cover (really!) and I really enjoyed the writing inside the book as well! 🙂 I look forward to reading more of your work.
Forgot to say my favorite character: it’s hard for me to choose between Elizabeth and Darcy. I’m pretty obsessed with them both!
Wonderful interview! Love reading about your background and how you got started on Austen. I still get confused sometimes when reading especially when a character goes by a different name because he’s becomes a viscount or earl.
I haven’t had an opportunity to read any of your novels yet, but I’m looking forward to reading the.
I like Emma, because she has such confidence in herself!