Hi readers! It was only two months ago that author Christine Combe was here celebrating her sixth release – Three Brides for Three Cousins. And now she is back to celebrate the release of her SEVENTH book – Why I Kissed You! Which sounds like it is a Pride and Prejudice variation with a forced marriage scenario. 💍 

As you might guess, Christine is keeping quite busy with her writing. She even prepared a  Q&A to share today about being an author and her books. We hope you enjoy! 📝

Greetings, fellow Austenians! I’m so excited to be visiting Austenesque Reviews again to share a little about my latest book, Why I Kissed You—I’m so grateful to Meredith for fitting me into her always busy blog schedule!

Now, here’s a little question and answer session to tell you a little bit about me…

What inspired you to write your first book?

I’ve wanted to write for a very long time. I started writing Star Trek fan fiction in my teens, and when I was about 20, I started writing a romantic suspense novel I’d titled The Princess Spy. I think I got about seven or eight chapters into it before I stopped writing; I don’t recall the reason why I stopped, but I would certainly love to find the notebook it’s written in so I can polish it up and finish it.

Of course, that’s a contemporary romance/romantic suspense story and not a JAFF novel. My first forays in professional writing were in paranormal romance and romantic suspense under my own name. JAFF — or Austenesque literature, as some authors like to call it — is where I seem to have found my niche, because it’s the genre which has actually earned me some money. I was inspired to write my first Austen variation, The Correction of Folly, when I was researching how it was legal to even write such books and not get sued for copyright infringement.

How did you come up with the title of each book?

I think of the theme of the book to create a title, or sometimes it’s a line of dialogue or prose that strikes me. I’ve also considered lines of poetry or quotes from Austen novels for future books I want to write.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I suppose that if there is a message in Why I Kissed You, it’s one of forgiveness. Also, don’t hold fast to a first impression — as Elizabeth learns in Austen’s original novel, and in my story, getting to know Darcy not only improves her opinion of him, but she comes to see a whole different aspect of his character that she didn’t even know existed. At the same time Elizabeth’s recriminations and his own observations teach Darcy how wring it is to interfere in the choices of others.

Are experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Not in any of the JAFF books I’ve written so far, but I was in a car accident some years ago that I wrote into a romantic suspense novel published under my own name.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries/thrillers influence me — and of course historical romance, especially the Regency era. I know these are genres and not individual books, but I really couldn’t put a finger on any one particular book or books that have influenced me more than any other. I think any book that I read and really enjoy influences me in some small way.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

For my Austen variations, the “mentor” is obvious — Jane Austen herself. I try to emulate her style while writing my own versions of her stories. I must also give some credit to the fellow Austenesque authors I have become friends with, whose input and support means so very much to me.

What book are you reading now?

Not really reading anything at the moment, though goodness knows I have a dragon’s hoard worth of books on my TBR list. I’d like to get to a point where I’m reading at least one book a week, so I can start sharing reviews on my blog.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Since entering the JAFF community, I have met some incredible authors. I’ve read some of their books, so I would say Maria Grace and J. Dawn King for authors who have been around a little while. For newer authors like myself, I like Jayne Bamber and Clarissa Joy Thomas. I’ve even met and conversed with some of these wonderful ladies through Facebook.

What are your current projects?

Well, I’ve literally just released a book, so there’s that, lol. I have a book in progress — about nine chapters or so — under the working title The Safe House, plus one or two others with maybe a prologue or chapter written. And of course, I am going through my very long list of ideas to try and settle on one to write next.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your books?

There’s nothing major that I can think of, but if I were so inclined, I might re-word a few scenes to make them work differently.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I don’t really know how or when, except my earliest memory involving writing goes back to when I was in grade school, and I’d written some short story (just a few paragraphs, I imagine) that was apparently good enough to be brought to the principal’s attention. It involved dinosaurs. But ever since then, when I’ve had to do any creative writing, I’ve strived to make it interesting.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

With Austen variations, the key is writing your own story with her characters while keeping their personalities intact. Well, sometimes you can change the characters’ personalities — like writing a good Wickham, as I have done before — but for characters like Elizabeth and Darcy, they must essentially stay the same.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Sometimes it’s getting started, sometimes transitioning from one event to another, sometimes it’s getting finished. I first started writing professionally ten years ago, but unfortunately my first forays weren’t very profitable, and that led me to consider giving up. Also, some years ago I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and clinical depression, which really explains a lot to me in why I sometimes find it hard to get interested in anything even though it is something I really enjoy doing.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Writing and editing and character development are hard work. Keeping the plot flowing and tying everything together really does take a lot of effort. Writing isn’t just sitting down and writing; there’s so much more involved than just typing or writing the words—especially if you’re an indie like me and you have to do most of the post-writing work yourself.

Also, I’ve made my books available in paperback before, but now KDP offers a hardback option. I do my own covers (my years and years of photo editing experience helps a lot). The proportions for the hardback cover are different than for the paperback, so it was a learning curve getting the scale right.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Go for it. If you have an idea rolling around in your head, sit yourself down and write it. Just get it all out, even if it’s just notes or a rough outline, and worry about making it presentable later. I also highly recommend forging connections with other writers in your preferred genre if you can, because they can give you great advice and support. You also want to connect with readers of your genre so that you can get an idea of what it is they like to see in the stories they read.

Is there any musical group or singer that inspires your writing?

Oh, absolutely. When I’m writing, I like to think of songs that would make for a good soundtrack to certain scenes, just like in a movie. I often hear 3 Doors Down, Linkin Park, and Nickelback in my head, and I’ve also thought of Hunter Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, and Patty Loveless, among others. I’ve made lists of the songs that got me through my books and plan to get them up on my blog one of these days.

That said, when I am sitting down to write Austen, I usually set YouTube to classical music or will play a marathon of film/TV adaptations on my second monitor. I very rarely write in complete silence.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

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I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know me with this interview. Thanks so much for taking part in the blog tour for my latest novel!

~ Book Description ~

Although she vehemently refuses the marriage proposal of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet soon learns that an unexplainable moment of passion that occurred between them has led a furious Lady Catherine de Bourgh to demand she be thrown out of Mr. Collins’ house!

Fitzwilliam Darcy, although his pride was wounded by Elizabeth’s rejection, finds he cannot allow her to be harmed by his aunt’s fanciful ambition for a marriage between him and her daughter. Fearing further action may be taken to damage Elizabeth’s reputation, he knows that marriage is the only form of protection he can offer her.

Elizabeth and Darcy travel to London to begin the arrangements for a wedding that for all intents and purposes shouldn’t be taking place. In the midst of shopping for wedding clothes, sharing the news with family, and meeting Darcy’s noble relatives, Elizabeth is coming to learn more about who Darcy really is than she ever knew before. At the same time, Darcy is navigating the intricacies of realizing how wrong it is to interfere in the lives of others and how to deserve forgiveness from a friend.

Though they act quickly to begin a new life together where one person is in love and the other now unsure of their feelings, Elizabeth and Darcy can’t stop one final attempt to keep them apart forever. But faith and love—and a little bit of luck—will play their part in determining whether there is a chance to pursue the happily ever after that both of them desperately want.

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Why I Kissed You is now available from Amazon in eBook, paperback, and hardcover editions!

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Connect with Christine

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About Christine

Christine, like many a JAFF author before her, is a long-time admirer of Jane Austen’s work, and she hopes that her alternate versions are as enjoyable as the originals. She has plans to one day visit England and take a tour of all the grand country estates which have featured in film adaptations, and often dreams of owning one. Christine lives in Ohio and is already at work on her next book.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Christine is generously giving away 1 ebook edition of Why I Kissed You! And she will also be giving away grand prize of a signed paperback of Why I Kissed You to one lucky reader who is following her blog tour Woot woot!  📕✨

To enter this giveaway leave a comment, question, or some love for Christine below!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Christine!
• This giveaway ends March 22nd!