Hi readers! I am very excited to welcome Carol Pratt Bradley, author of the very recently released Sense and Sensibility sequel titled – The Making of Margaret Dashwood, to Austenesque Reviews. This is Carol’s debut Austenesque release, and I am very happy to have this chance to chat with her about writing, Margaret Dashwood, and Jane Austen.

Hi Carol, thank you so much for visiting Austenesque Reviews! Why don’t we start off with you telling us a bit about yourself. How long have you been writing? When did you first encounter Jane Austen?

I’ve been an avid reader all my life and aspiring author, but it wasn’t until my youngest child became a teen that I began to write seriously. As a youth, my favorite reads were historical novels, so despite knowing it was one of the most difficult genres to write, I tried anyway. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, I found a publisher who liked my stories. My first novel was released in 2014, and subsequent novels in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021. In four of my novels, the main characters are taken straight out of history: Daniel from the Old Testament, Anne Askew in 16^th century England, and Susanna Hutchinson in 17^th century Boston, Massachusetts. Their stories are already established so I knew their endings. That’s a very structured way to write–the need to stick to real people while finding historical events to fill in the gaps. I love to flesh out the stories of those who lived in the past. It teaches me much about life and how I should live my own.

Sadly, I didn’t grow up knowing Jane Austen. I discovered her in my thirties when a good friend lent me her 1995 five-hour adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen films became my go-to whenever I wanted to put myself in another time and place. I especially loved the adaptations of Sense and Sensibility and the plight of the Dashwood sisters. I purchased a thick volume containing all her novels to set on my bookshelf but didn’t read them much.

Yes! Jane Austen films are a go-to for me too. How wonderful that your friend interested you to them. Can you tell us a little about The Making of Margaret Dashwood? What made you want to tell her story?

The idea for The Making of Margaret Dashwood came during the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020. My fourth novel, Daughter of Anne-Hoeck, was released in February, just before the world shut down. One quiet afternoon, I again watched the 2008 BBC version of Sense and Sensibility. I turned it off and wondered. What about the younger sister Margaret? How did she respond to all that happened to her older sisters? How would that have shaped her? What happened to her after the novel closed? Her sisters got their happy endings, but not Margaret. Austen never returned to those characters so I would never know.

I got out my big book of Austen’s works and read all of Sense and Sensibility. Margaret Dashwood was portrayed as a young, naïve girl who was not very promising. That didn’t seem fair. Why should Margaret get short shrift? Austen wrote that Margaret had imbibed much of her sister Marianne’s sensibility and over-emotion and her romantic ideas about life and love. How would Austen have portrayed her as she grew older and came out into society?

At the end of Sense and Sensibility, Margaret was said to have reached the age where, according to Mrs. Jennings and Sir John Middleton, she might be supposed to have a lover. Did she? I closed the book. I wanted to write Margaret’s story. The first thing that came was the title: The Making of Margaret Dashwood. Titles don’t usually come to me first thing. Now all I had to do was write the book. And that was sheer joy.

I agree and have also felt the same curiosity about Margaret. So many possibilities to explore! As an author of biographical novels what drew you to write Jane Austen-inspired fiction? How was this writing experience different or similar to other projects you’ve worked on?

In attempting to write Austenesque fiction, I combined two loves: History and Jane Austen. Two things intersected–I was reading a biography of William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery in Britain as well as watching Austen films. I tend to compartmentalize history but this time I realized that Austen and Wilberforce lived in the same time period. An idea came that perhaps I could take a fictional character from a beloved novel and set her alongside historical characters. Jane Austen lived in a complex time: the Napoleonic wars and the fight to end slavery, as well as the stark inequities between the rich and poor of society, and opportunities for men and women. I could set Margaret Dashwood inside those happenings.

In a letter to her sister Cassandra, Austen wrote about her novel, Pride and Prejudice: “The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade. . ..” She said she should have put in more “things of substance…. the history of Bonaparte… or anything that would form a contrast.” In writing about Margaret, I could add some of that shade.

My experience writing this novel was different than my other historicals because this time my main character was not a real person. But other than that, it was just like writing my other books. I researched the time, the culture and mores, clothing styles, food, places and people just like I did before. I visited England a second time to see and feel it for myself. It makes a huge difference to immerse myself in the place I’m writing about. I wished I could stay forever.

I like hearing that you aim to bring a little bit of shade or complexity to your Austenesque writing. And that you traveled to England for research! With visits to Bath, London, Brighton and encounters with new acquaintances, it sounds like dear Margaret experiences a lot in this tale. How do you think these experiences changed or influenced her character?

Jane Austen wrote: “If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Austen traveled a lot in her lifetime, and so did the characters in her novels. Margaret needed to leave the cottage in Devonshire in order to see how the world really worked. She’d lived a sheltered life and knew only the circumstances of her own class. Margaret was a most inquisitive young woman and her journeys widened her perspective, adding much to her education. She met people of privilege who showed her the highest circles of society. She witnessed want and ignorance and extreme poverty. All this showed her that she could make a deliberate choice of what kind of woman she wanted to become. She could be like heartless Fanny Dashwood or the charitable Barbara Wilberforce. Which would it be?

Love it! One of my most favorite Jane Austen quotes. True words indeed. What is next for you, Carol? Do you have any other projects in the works?

While writing The Making of Margaret Dashwood, I couldn’t get the words down on the page fast enough. The story just flowed out of me like it had always been there, the characters so real to me and the places vivid. England has always fascinated me. Perhaps it’s the influence of my British ancestors calling to me. It was so natural to imagine early 19^th century Britain.

I feel at home in Austen-inspired fiction and plan to stay. Another manuscript is almost ready, about a character from Emma, plus I have ideas for several more Austenesque novels. Jane Austen and her stories are great creative inspiration!

Fantastic news! I’m trying to guess which character from Emma is your next subject…How about we conclude with some Quick-Fire Questions? That sounds fun!

• What do you love most about Jane Austen’s writing?

Austen possessed such a keen perception of human nature. I think that’s why her novels have such staying power. Her characters are carefully nuanced, possessing both good and bad qualities. Everyone is flawed. Everyone is redeemable. Except Mr. Wickham, I think. He’s just all bad. Yet she portrayed him as having an appearance of goodness. Some people are like that, and she knew it. Her stories are much more than romance, with twists and turns, and when it seems that all is lost, she delivers the happy ending we all need.

• Which is your favorite Jane Austen novel? Sense and Sensibility

• Which Dashwood sister do you best identify with? Margaret. I was a younger sister, too.

• Where would you rather visit during the Regency Era – Bath, London, Brighton, or Cheddar Gorge? Bath, for sure. When I visited there, it felt almost as though I was in the early 19^th century with its charming Georgian buildings and tea rooms. Except I was in pants and a t-shirt, not a high-waisted gown with a bonnet on my head.

• What is one of your favorite scenes from Sense and Sensibility? When Elinor realizes that Edward has not married Lucy Steele, and cannot contain her emotions any longer..

• What is one of your favorite scenes from The Making of Margaret Dashwood? When Margaret visits a session of Parliament.
• If you were to meet Jane Austen, what would you like to hear her say? So, Mrs. Bradley, you are a female author? You are invited to my house in Chawton for afternoon tea, wherein we will discuss what you achieved in your novel and precisely what you could improve upon.

Excellent answers! I love the idea of Jane Austen meeting to share so writing guidance! Thank you so much for answering my question!

Major congratulations on your release of The Making of Margaret Dashwood! 🎉

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Carol Pratt Bradley is generously giving away 3️⃣ ebook copies of The Making of Margaret Dashwood in conjunction with her visit today!  

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Carol!
• This giveaway ends August 21st!