Hi friends! I’m very excited to welcome back author Caroline Cartier to Austenesque Reviews today!

As you may have seen, Caroline has had a busy month releasing not one, not two, but FOUR books in a new series titled – The Victorian Vagaries! 🤩🎉

And as your probably can guess, this is a series that takes place in another time period – the Victorian Era! 👒 

What would like be like for the Bennets if they were born several decades later? Would they travel an entirely new course? Or would some things inevitably be the same? 🤔

Even with the releases of four new books this past month, Caroline found time to prepare a Q&A to share today about being an author and her books. We hope you enjoy! 📝

 

How were you first introduced to Jane Austen’s works? Did you love it immediately, or did your love come later? I believe I read Jane’s works around eighth grade. I liked Pride and Prejudice well enough, and Sense and Sensibility, but my focus as a reader at that time was very focused on the Tudors, Mary Queen of Scots, and Tolkein. My reacquaintance came perhaps ten or twelve years later. I recently acquired a new appreciation for Persuasion, but Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Mansfield may perhaps never be favourites.

When did you first discover Jane Austen-inspired literature? I believe it was when I was about seven and twenty when I came across a copy of Mr Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange in a bookshop. I was completely enchanted by the concept. I didn’t even know JAFF existed, or that there was more of it. Over the next few years, I pulled them out and read Pride and Prejudice followed by Mr Darcy’s Diary a few times a year. It was in 2017 that I obtained a Kindle Unlimited Membership, and sometime that year I came across another JAFF in a bookstore, and thought to look it up on KU. KU opened a whole new world of JAFF, and I’ve been reading voraciously ever since. And our authors are so diligent, that I’ve never run out of material to read on KU, and I’ve read hundreds of them now.

Would you call yourself a ‘Janeaholic’?  Why or why not? Oh absolutely. I have to force myself to read other genres at this point, and Jane Austen is basically my whole personality now.

Do you use a pseudonym? If yes, why did you choose it? Well that’s funny, because for a while I thought about using just my first and middle name. Then another JAFF author started writing under that exact first and middle name with no last name. She mentioned in a conversation we had that it was a family name, obviously I had to pick something else. Then some other authors online in a group talked about using names from their ancestry, and that sounded good to me because I was stumped. I ended up taking my maternal great-great-grandmother’s maiden name, which I have become so fond of. I use my ancestry account now to find names for characters too, particularly tenant characters. I’ve traced one line back to 1490s England, and there are some incredibly interesting and authentic first names there. My favourite one is Hopestill. My books are littered with first and last names found in my family tree from Regency England and earlier.

Your Elizabeth is very different from canon.  What was your inspiration for her character? I think that Elizabeth is not so very different from essentials in The Victorian Vagaries. I believe she is much as one might expect her to be, considering her different circumstances. Her devotion to her family is every bit as strong. Stronger, in fact, because, since she is in a much better position to help them, she feels her obligation all the more. Perhaps she has a few uncommon interests, such as riding or fencing, but I think we can all agree that in another setting, with proper riding mares and a diligent teacher, Elizabeth may well have become an accomplished horsewoman.

Jane Austen started showing her writing talent very soon in her life. Were you also a young girl who loved writing? I actually attempted my own sequel to Little Women when I was 15, but after my writings fell into the wrong hands, I stopped writing. Then for years I didn’t even think of it. I was so busy raising a family. I didn’t begin again until I was one and forty, when my daughter was grown, and it was time to start a new chapter myself!

Was there a scene you particularly liked writing in Avarice and Affection? Oh Gosh! That is a hardone! I loved writing every part of Avarice and Affection! I really think that it is my favourite of my books. I don’t think I could choose a particular favourite scene, but I can safely say that any scene with Mr Carter is a great deal of fun. The scene where Lydia befriends her curmudgeonly Greek tutor over tea is a tremendously fun scene.

Do you have a favourite Austen novel? And who are your favourite heroine and hero? I think I can always be counted as a hardcore Pride and Prejudice fan. Lizzy and Darcy will always be my favourite.

What was your research process for Avarice and Affection? Did you have to research anything in particular? Near the end of the volume, I was writing about some weeks of unseasonable weather that risked the fortunes of the region. I did need some advice regarding what sort of freak weather might be expected in Hertfordshire in December, and what crops might be ruined by it. I found some friends at the Three Rivers Museum Trust in Hertfordshire who were a wealth of information regarding crops, weather, and train travel. They have acquired a set of diaries belonging to an 1800s farmer, John White (1813-1904), that have a great deal of information from the actual time I was writing in. If I ever visit the UK, I hope to visit the museum and learn more about the history of Hertfordshire, since I anticipate writing about it so much in the future.

So, Mode? What’s up with that? LOL… I was totally on a The Devil Wears Prada kick when I wrote that. The movie is a total masterpiece. I wanted Lydia to be an independent spirit, a woman who makes the most of her opportunities in the Victorian era, much like Elizabeth, but most importantly, with her own sense of style, interests, and skills. I think we can agree that if any Bennet sister would be voted most likely to become a leader in fashion in different circumstances, it would be Lydia. So it was obvious to me that it was a perfect fit, and I hope the readers will agree. Lydia, the Fashion Magazine Editor is my favourite yet! My graphic design artist helped me make up this Magazine mock-up for fun. It’s a promo image of Jena Malone from The Hunger Games, but I thought it was perfect, since I adore her as Lydia. I simply had to add some nerd nuggets from Cranford and Lark Rise to Candleford in it, I hope everyone will enjoy those.

What’s this rumour about a Taylor Swift mash-up? I suppose I have to admit here that The Victorian Vagaries are very much a product of anything other than Jane Austen that I’ve been in the mood for since I’ve started writing. Everything from Call the Midwife, to Anne of Green Gables, to The Devil Wears Prada takes a turn in the inspiration department. I am three and forty, so I am not exactly what you’d call a Swiftie. As a matter of fact, when my daughter was young, and Taylor was in her young girl phase, I didn’t care much for her music. However, having been a Girl Scout Troop Leader for 10 years, I am a huge fan of girl power and strong women. Taylor caught my attention slightly before the Eras Tour began. She’s in the news so much, and if you look into her credits and achievements, you have to admit that she is an incredibly intelligent and impressive woman. I like quite a bit of her newer music, and I had just gained a fresh appreciation for her song “Enchanted.” It had that girlish angst that I was vibing about while writing, but a much more compelling version of it than her earlier music. I think I listened to that song two hundred times a day that week. Then I recalled a conversation I had when plotting with Jayne Bamber, when she said she was considering a number of titles inspired by Taylor Swift, and I had confessed that I was thinking of making a series of Taylor Swift/P&P mashup reels to share on my author page. Suddenly I had this inspiration for a meeting scene inspired by the story in the song. I really think it was an excellent first meeting scene for a young Lydia and her first crush.

Are you working on another book?  Want to give us any hints? I am! Up next, you can look forward to A Mutual Accord, where Elizabeth & Darcy will come to appreciate one another much earlier than we are used to. Before a proposal happens, however, we travel to Eastbourne, where the Count of St Germain assists their party in preventing a French invasion! If you have never heard of the Count of St Germain, look him up! He’s an incredibly interesting legendary historical figure, and whether he is real or a myth, his story lends so much scope for the imagination!

 

Thanks so much for sharing this Q&A, Caroline! I loved learning about what your Jane Austen and non-Jane Austen interests are! Best of luck with your new series – The Victorian Vagaries.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Caroline is giving away 1 ebook Not Without Affection (a previous release – not part of The Victorian Vagaries) to one lucky commenter!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment below and fill out the Rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Caroline!
• This giveaway ends September 10th.