Mary Lydon Simonsen Interview

1. What was your inspiration for Searching for Pemberley?

I have long been interested in my family history. My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents lived/grew up in Minooka, a coal-mining town in the Poconos, and I am a coal-miner’s granddaughter. So I wanted my main character, Maggie Joyce, to come from that town. I’m also a baby boomer. I was fascinated by the stories I heard from family members from the World War II generation. I was the annoying kid who was always asking questions. That time period provided the setting for my novel, and my love of Pride and Prejudice is the thread that holds the story together.

2. Did you do any significant historical research for Searching for Pemberley?

I’ve been reading about the three time periods, World Wars I and II and the Regency Era, for decades, so a lot of the history was already in my head. After I finished writing the first draft, I went back and fact checked everything, and I was pleased with how accurate I was.

3. Maggie and Michael are so different from Lizzy and Darcy, yet they are just as compelling. Did you model them on any couple (fictional or real)?

Maggie was modeled on my mother and three aunts, all who went to Washington, D.C. to work during World War II. They grew up in a town where the Catholic Church was the dominant factor in their lives. At night, their pastor used to walk around with a shillelagh banging the bushes, looking for kids who were out after curfew (which he had imposed). But now these young ladies were living in a city filled to overflowing with servicemen and government workers from all over the country. Leaving Minooka and working in Washington gave them the confidence to do other things. My Aunt Mim went to work for the State Department in a devastated Berlin in 1945, which I included in Searching for Pemberley, when Maggie goes to work for the Army Exchange Service in Frankfurt. As for Michael, he’s very close to my husband, Paul, in personality, someone who will love me no matter what, but not looks. Paul actually looks like Rob, the other guy.

4. I think every Jane Austen fan wants Lizzy and Darcy to have been real. Is there any other fictional couple you would love to bring to life?

I absolutely adore Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man series, but since I don’t/can’t write mysteries, I’ll have to go back to Jane Austen. I’ve written a parody of Persuasion in which my Anne Elliot is a lot feistier. After being written off by her family as a woman doomed to spinsterhood, she becomes her own person, and through her own investigations, exposes her cousin, William Elliot, as a fraud. When Captain Wentworth returns after eight years at sea, she has blossomed into someone who would be strong enough to sail the world with him.

5. What is up next for you?

I have two more novels coming out with Sourcebooks. From Longbourn to Pemberley (working title) is a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining in which a romantic, teenaged Georgiana and a not-so-fragile Anne De Bourgh move Darcy and Lizzy through the story to their rendezvous with destiny at Pemberley. The second is More Than Tolerable (for now) in which Darcy realizes how rude he was to Lizzy, apologizes immediately, and that sends their romance in a completely different direction.

My favorite book is: Lonesome Dove

What book would you never read again even if was the only book left in existence: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

My favorite movie is: Casablanca

The author who influences me the most is: Jane Austen

If I received a free trip to anywhere in the world where would I visit: Amalfi Coast

If I could do any job in the world, I would: Even though I can’t sing, a Country Western singer with the big tour bus

My favorite word is? Serendipitous

My favorite historical time period is: 1928 to 1948

Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester: Easily Mr. Darcy

If a genie granted me three wishes, I would wish for:

I assume you mean other than an end to all wars and health and happiness for my family, so I would wish for a year (or longer) in Italy, a long visit to Ireland to find my family’s roots, and to be physically fit without exercising.

Thanks for having me!

SEARCHING FOR PEMBERLEY—IN STORES DECEMBER 2009

Set against Regency England, World Wars I and II, and postwar England, three love stories intertwine in surprising and fateful ways

American Maggie Joyce, touring Derbyshire in 1947, visits, Montclair, an 18th century Georgian country house, that she is told was the model for Jane Austen’s Pemberley. More amazingly, the former residents of the mansion, William Lacey and Elizabeth Garrison, were the inspiration for the characters of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

Through letters, diary entries, and oral history, Beth and Jack Crowell, a couple who lives in the nearby village of Crofton, share stories of the people they say inspired Jane Austen. They also tell their own love story, made difficult by their vastly different backgrounds—she was one of the social elite while he was the son of a servant. When their son, Michael, travels home from his RAF station in Malta, Maggie may have just found her very own Mr. Darcy.

About the Author

Mary Simonsen grew up in North Jersey with the exciting venues of New York City easily accessible. She is especially interested in American and European history and 19th Century novels. In Searching for Pemberley she was able to combine her love of history (World War II and postwar England) with Austen’s characters, Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, and being a romantic, the novel includes three love stories from three different time periods, all thanks to Jane Austen. She lives in Peoria, Arizona. For more information, please visit http://searchingforpemberley.weebly.com/

Update to Review Policy

I have to update my review policy again. This is getting tedious but it is a good thing, I promise. I just got my new Sony Reader Touch Edition,so, I am opening up submissions for e-books. I will still only accept books that I think will appeal to me in some way and all other parts of my review policy still apply but I will now accept e-books in all formats.

Will Read: E-books,literary fiction, historical fiction, romances, classics, Jane Austen sequels, some self-help, some political (moderate to liberal only). I will review self published books.  I am not particular about violence or sexuality. Generally, I will read anything. Give it a try you never know what I may like and what I won’t.

Won’t Review:  politically conservative books, racist or sexist books, Christian books, any type of religious books, books about the economy or the recession, economics, science, health, math.

Sony Reader Touch Edition-Meet Mr. Spock

Well, everyone, I finally got an e-reader. Never thought it would happen. I have been one of the most critical people around about e-books. It has been one of my secret desires to get an e-reader. I was considering a Kindle but don’t like that it is proprietary and I didn’t want to wait for the Nook.

I have owned the Reader for about a week and it is the best thing I have ever done. Don’t get me wrong, I still carry piles of paperbacks but I find myself reading the e-reader more. It shocked me too. Mr. Spock (I name things) and I have become quite good friends for the brief period we have known each other.

Touch Screen-I absolutely love the touch screen. It is sensitive but not so sensitive that every time you touch the screen it does something you don’t want it to do (like my demon spawn cell phone). I do wish that the page turn would be it bit more sensitive because you have to be really precise to get it to work. I just prefer to use the page turn button.

Reading-Usually I have the hardest time reading on a screen. Not with the Sony Reader. It feels like a book. I was reading Pride and Prejudice on the Reader and barely even noticed. The screen feels like paper when you are reading. I also love that I can use any format without having to go through any hassle.

Notes/Dictionary-I love the notes feature. It is so useful. I have never been one for margin notes. I am paranoid about writing in books but with Mr. Spock, I have been obsessively note taking. I think it is because it exports into your computer in a separate file. I might still be paranoid if it exported in the same file. I cannot figure out how to use the on-board dictionary (Oxford American or Oxford Dictionary of English). Any help with that would be great.

Expandable Memory-I love the expandable memory. I currently have a 16gb memory stick in the Reader and it is about 1/2 filled. It’s lovely being able to carry that many books with me. I tend to switch from book to book to book and now I do not feel at all stuck with whatever book I decided to read that morning.

Library/Free Books-Free books…what can be better than free books? I have never been one to borrow books from the library…Sounds strange coming from a future librarian but I don’t like giving books back once I have read them. With the Reader, I have been maxing out my Library Card with e-books. I also raided Project Gutenberg for classics. So if anyone tells you they can’t find free e-books, they are really, really wrong. I also bought the complete Sookie Stackhouse series from the Sony E-book Store which seems to have a really nice selection.

Overall, Mr. Spock is just about the best thing to have ever happened to me. Unless they invent a super reader that can actually transport you into the book, I will most definitely not be switching.

Grade: A

*The Sony Reader Touch Edition was provided for me by me and the review was not paid for by anyone but me.

Postscript from Pemberley-Rebecca Ann Collins

 Publisher’s Description:

Seventh in the bestselling Jane Austen sequel series from Australia

Young Darcy Gardiner has fallen for Kate O’Hare, a newcomer to Pemberley whose beauty and intellect fascinate him.

Kate is more interested in discussing the merits of Darwin’s The Origin of Species than the latest fashion in gowns. Her unladylike involvement in the scientific controversies of the day invite malignant forces from her past that pose grave risks for her friends. But in her very difference lies her charm, especially for young Darcy Gardiner.

The original Jane Austen characters—Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane—provide the framework for new characters and unfolding events set against a backdrop of the social issues of the time. This next generation proves as lively and complex as Darcy and Elizabeth’s own.

My Review:

This is one of my favorite series ever…excluding Sookie Stackhouse and Anne of Green Gables. Odd combination, I know. This series is not simply a Jane Austen sequel. It is so much better. It is historical fiction, romance, social history, and comedy all mixed into one.

This one was one of my favorites in the series. I loved that it focused a bit on Julian and gave him the happy ending he deserved. I thought that Jessica Courtney was the perfect match for him. I also enjoyed the story of Darcy Gardiner and Kate albeit not as much as Julian and Jessica’s but enough that the story maintained an interest level even when Julian and Jessica’s story was over and Darcy and Kate’s began.

My favorite part of the book is how historically rich the novel is (and by extension the whole series). I love how Collins expects something out of her readers. Yes, we do read Jane Austen sequels for the smushy romance but she never talks down to us. I really appreciate that because it would be very easy to just focus on the romance and nothing else.

I really love this series and I can’t wait to continue it with the next book.

Grade: A

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for review. My opinion is my own and has not been influenced in any way.

Kathryne Kennedy Guest Blog

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Grace. It’s truly a pleasure to be here and to have the opportunity to talk to you and your readers.

When I was asked to blog about my own choice of topic regarding my upcoming release, I couldn’t resist the idea of talking about two of the sweetest little inspirations for a character in my book.

In my upcoming Victorian romance book, My Unfair Lady, I have a little Chihuahua named Chi-chi that my heroine rescued from Arizona (she rescues all sorts of ‘critters’, as she calls them). My inspiration for Chi-chi came from my very own Chihuahuas. Tiny little dogs with enough personality to make you laugh at least once a day, they can also be very ferocious and territorial. Although my dogs have never attacked anyone’s boots as Chi-chi does in the book, they will often place themselves protectively between a stranger and me…er, and sometimes my husband. I have one that is longhaired, her name is Precious, and she’s very attached to me, and rarely allows anyone else to pet her. The short hair is named Baggins, and she loves anyone who will pet her, and the longer you keep it up, the more she’ll love you.

I admit, I’m goofy about my dogs. Is it any wonder they wound up in one of my books?

My heroine, Summer, has such a soft heart she can’t resist an animal in need, so she winds up with quite a menagerie. They brought a comic relief to the story that I hadn’t anticipated…and also a scene that was difficult to write. One of the baby foxes she rescued doesn’t make it and it stirs all of Summer’s fears of being abandoned by those she loves. That scene also made me fall very deeply for my hero, who, despite his masculine ego, comforts Summer over the loss of an animal that, during the time period, many considered vermin. His actions spoke more than his words, and I knew at that point that my heroine needed him as much as he needed her.

Chi-chi adopts the other baby fox and they live happily ever after, of course. But like my own two Chihuahuas, Chi-chi will often forget that she’s a dog and not a person. She will bite off more than she can chew (or drag, given the size of the bone), will forget her size and think she can scare anyone off with just her bark, and will not be able to fall asleep unless some part of her body is touching Summer’s.

And now that you know of my admiration for my Chihuahuas, I’d like to share one of my favorite moments. Both Precious and Baggins were on our large patio when a pigeon dared to enter their domain. Please keep in mind that this particular pigeon topped them by at least four inches. They both tore off after the bird, barking up a storm, little nails clattering on the cement. Unfortunately, the pigeon didn’t realize he was supposed to be frightened and fly away. He just stood there cocking his head at my dogs. When Precious and Baggins realized the bird wasn’t running away from them (and the look on their faces at that moment will be burned into my brain forever), they both put on the brakes, little legs trying to backpedal as fast as they could. I swear there are still skid marks on my patio. Then the pigeon finally got wise, and flew away. My dogs let loose some triumphant barks, stuck their noses and tails in the air, and proudly sauntered away. But it was touch-and-go for a moment there.

If you would like to see a few photos of my two ‘girls’, I’ve posted them on my blog here: http://kathrynekennedy.blogspot.com/2009/10/take-peek-at-photos-of-my-adorable.html

So, what kind of pet do you have, and what makes them special to you? Or do you have a favorite story you’d like to share about your pet? I’d love to hear about them!

With my very best wishes,

Kathryne Kennedy

My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy—in stores December 2009!

He created the perfect woman…
The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…

For the arms of another man
Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart…

About the Author

Kathryne Kennedy is the author of the Relics of Merlin series, acclaimed for her world-building and best known for her historical paranormal romances. She has also written a fantasy romance and this Victorian historical romance. She has also published nearly a dozen short stories in the SFF/Romance genre, receiving Honorable Mention twice in the “Writers of the Future” contest. She has traveled a great deal and has lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S. She is a business owner and currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons. For more information, please visit http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

My Unfair Lady-Kathryne Kennedy

Publisher’s Description:

A wild west heiress, Summer Wine Lee knows that she’s not an acceptable bride for her fiance’s knickerbocker family. She grew up in an Arizona mining town, cares more for critters than people, carries a knife under her skirts, and, worst of all, she has a highly improper secret from her past. But she also has high hopes that a real English Duke can teach her how to be a lady…

Were it not for his father’s gambling debts, the Duke of Monchester would never have stooped to civilize Summer. But the more time he spends with her, and the more social scrapes he has to rescue her from, the more he finds it impossible to change her into a proper lady. How could he, when he’s falling in love with her just the way she is?

My Review:

I was so excited to read this book. Pygmalion is one of my favorite plays and I loved the Audrey Hepburn movie. I tend to disregard the latent misogyny in favor of the squishy romance. The idea of a man “taming” a woman should really disturb me but for some reason, it doesn’t and frankly, I am quite disappointed in myself.

I thought that both Summer (I refuse to call her Summer Wine) and Byron were great characters. In a book like this, they could become caricatures of themselves but Kennedy kept the characters real and relatable. The constant push and pull between them was really great. I love it when there is that constant conflict between the two main characters and as I mentioned before, I call this the Darcy Complex.

The only issue I had was Summer’s name. I mean Summer Wine…really? To me that seemed like naming your child Hops Barley. It did succeed in creating a dichotomy between the various lords and ladies of England and the transplanted Americans. I think despite the initial shock of the name, it really worked with the rest of the story. Byron was also an excellent hero despite his flaws and he was the perfect match for Summer.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting take on Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sequel to a non-Jane Austen book.

Grade:A-

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for review. My opinion is my own and has not been influenced in any way.

Searching For Pemberley-Mary Lydon Simonsen

Publisher’s Description:

Set against Regency England, World Wars I and II, and postwar England, three love stories intertwine in surprising and fateful ways

American Maggie Joyce, touring Derbyshire in 1947, visits, Montclair, an 18th century Georgian country house, that she is told was the model for Jane Austen’s Pemberley. More amazingly, the former residents of the mansion, William Lacey and Elizabeth Garrison, were the inspiration for the characters of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

Through letters, diary entries, and oral history, Beth and Jack Crowell, a couple who lives in the nearby village of Crofton, share stories of the people they say inspired Jane Austen. They also tell their own love story, made difficult by their vastly different backgrounds—she was one of the social elite while he was the son of a servant. When their son, Michael, travels home from his RAF station in Malta, Maggie may have just found her very own Mr. Darcy.

My Review:

I have been very lucky with Jane Austen sequels lately. They have all been so good. This one is no exception. It was unlike any other Jane Austen sequel I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I really liked that this was a mix of historical fiction and a Jane Austen sequel. Two of my very favorite genres mixed into one book. The premise of this novel was also really great. The idea of Lizzy and Darcy being real people made me do a mini-happy dance. I think that it is a dream every Pride and Prejudice fan has…that their hero and heroine really had that beautiful love story. I also thought that the romance between Maggie and Michael was really well done. I really liked that their story did not mirror Lizzy and Will (Darcy) because I think that would have been the easy way. They had their own feel and were much more easy going than Lizzy and Will.

The history geek in me feels that she must comment so she will. I really thought that the use of diaries and letters helped to bring the story of Lizzy and Will to life. I did not feel as if they were specters from the past but real people with an interesting and quite smushy romance. Maggie was also great to follow during her research. It was so fun to follow her quest for knowledge about the real Lizzy and Darcy and as a reformed historian, I think the historical research was the most fun part of the book.

Overall, this was one of the most fun experiences that I have had reading a Jane Austen sequel in a while. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something really different. I can’t wait for Simonsen’s next books.

Grade: A

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for review. My opinion is my own and has not been influenced in any way.

Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict-Irene Vilar

Publisher’s Description:

Irene Vilar was just a pliant young college undergraduate in thrall to her professor when they embarked on a relationship that led to marriage—a union of impossible odds—and fifteen abortions in fifteen years. Vilar knows that she is destined to be misunderstood, that many will see her nightmare as an instance of abusing a right, of using abortion as a means of birth control. But it isn’t that. The real story is part of an awful secret, shrouded in shame, colonialism, self-mutilation, and a family legacy that features a heroic grandmother, a suicidal mother, and two heroin-addicted brothers. It is a story that looks back on her traumatic childhood growing up in the shadow of her mother’s death and the footsteps of her famed grandmother, the political activist Lolita Lebrón, and a history that touches on American exploitation and reproductive repression in Puerto Rico. Vilar seamlessly weaves together past, present, and future, channeling a narrative that is at once dramatic and subtle.

Impossible Motherhood is a heartrending and ultimately triumphant testimonial told by a writer looking back on her history of addiction. Abortion has never offered any honest person easy answers. Vilar’s dark journey through self-inflicted wounds, compulsive patterns, and historical hauntings is a powerful story of loss and mourning that bravely delves into selfhood, national identity, reproductive freedom, family responsibility, and finally motherhood itself—today, Vilar is the mother of two beautiful children.

My Review

I don’t know quite what to do with this book. I am as liberal as the next pro-choice advocate. I firmly believe that every woman has the right to do what she wants with her body. This book challenged my beliefs quite a bit. And not in a good way.

Before I read Impossible Motherhood, the idea that a woman would use abortion as a form of birth control seemed fairly ludicrous to me. With all of the other options available, why go to such extreme lengths? Why have 15 abortions when you can take a pill? Vilar classifies this as an addiction. I don’t necessarily agree with that. It seems to be more of a compulsion than an addiction. She also seems to consider this self-mutilation. I wholeheartedly disagree. She took down 15 lives during her “self-mutilation”.

There were some portions of this book that pushed me to the point of rage. First of all, it’s not that this woman did not have access to the pill, she just chose not to take it. She chose to be irresponsible. Also, did she even consider the doctors that were under constant attack from anti-abortion groups. When her doctor told her that his clinic had just been attacked with acid, she just kept going. That completely mystified me. This is coming from an abortion supporter, you must remember. Vilar did nothing other than abuse the right other women had fought for. Women’s rights are constantly challenged, especially with abortion, do we really need to fuel the fire.

The writing in the book was generally good. I could appreciate this book for her writing style if nothing else. It was conversational and engaging. I wanted to feel some sort of empathy for Vilar but I just couldn’t. I sympathize but I can’t understand.I tried to separate my emotions when reviewing this book but found I couldn’t.

Grade: D+ (Review Policy)

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for review. My opinion is my own and has not been influenced in any way.

General Illness and Update

I have decided that since I have been sick for pretty much the past two weeks (I have had a kidney stone and a cold which turned into a chest and nasal infection at different times but both equally as painful) and I will be playing catch up both with my reading and reviewing.

I have a huge amount of reviews coming up that have been delayed because of my generally bad health. Oddly enough I have been reading more than ever lately but have been so sick that reviews just aren’t happening. Among those review coming this week are:

• Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict-Irene Vilar
• Ecoholic-Adria Vasil
• Thinner Than Thou-Kit Reed
• This Lullaby-Sarah Dessen
• The Book Thief-Markus Zuzak
• The Work of Wolves-Kent Meyers
• Truth & Beauty-Ann Pratchett
• Donorboy-Brendan Halpin
• Candyfreak-Steve Almond
• How I Live Now-Meg Rosoff
• Sexy-Joyce Carol Oates
• Enthusiasm-Polly Shulman

I will be having a readathon all week simply because I need to play catch up. On my reading list this week:

• The Thirteenth Tale-Diane Setterfield
• Water For Elephants-Sara Gruen
• Wild Roses-Deb Caletti
• Honey, Baby, Sweetheart-Deb Caletti
• Permanent Connections-Sue Ellen Bridgers
• A Northern Light-Jennifer Donnelly
• Brooklyn Rose-Ann Rinaldi
• The Nature of Jade-Deb Caletti
• First Impressions-Marilyn Sachs
• Girl, Interrupted-Susanna Kaysen
• The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman-Louise Plummer
• Macaroni Boy-Katherine Ayres
• Cassandra’s Sister-Veronica Bennett
• The Beet Fields-Gary Paulsen
• The Rules of Survival- Nancy Werlin
• You Don’t Know Me-David Klass
• When Jeff Comes Home-Catherine Atkins
• Hero-S.L. Rottman
• Doing It-Melvin Burgess
• Dancing on the Edge-Han Nolan
• Jacob Have I Loved-Katherine Paterson

It’s mostly YA for my class but there is even more YA coming next week when I start my readathon for my bibliography. Most of those books will be YA takes on classics and fairy tales. Yes, some will be based on Jane Austen.

Jane Odiwe Guest Post

Thank you, Grace, for inviting me to talk to you and your readers today about my new book, Willoughby’s Return!

In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, when Marianne Dashwood marries Colonel Brandon, she puts her heartbreak over dashing scoundrel John Willoughby in the past.

When Marianne Dashwood weds Colonel Brandon both are aware of the other’s past attachments; Marianne’s grand passion for the charming but ruthless John Willoughby and Brandon’s tragic amour for his lost love Eliza. Three years on Marianne is living contentedly with her husband and child at Delaford Park, although Marianne’s passionate, impulsive and sometimes jealous behaviour is an impediment to her true happiness. News that John Willoughby and his wife have returned to the West Country brings back painful memories for Marianne along with the possibility of the Willoughbys returning to live near Barton and the surrounding area of Devon and Dorset, a circumstance which triggers a set of increasingly challenging, yet often amusing perplexities for all concerned.

Jane Austen doesn’t really tell us very much about the Brandon’s marriage at the end of Sense and Sensibility, and because of this, I wanted to explore how their lives might be. In creating their marriage, I had to consider their past. Both of them have been in love before and both of these first attachments have consequences for the Brandon marriage.

Marianne first falls in love with Willoughby but has her heart broken by him when she discovers he means to marry someone else. It transpires that he is to marry for money as he has been disinherited and we discover that the reason for him losing his inheritance is that he has seduced Colonel Brandon’s ward. This young girl is the daughter of his first love – so here is the first link in the chain between Willoughby, Marianne and Brandon. I wondered how Marianne would cope with the idea of always having this other family in the background. The Colonel’s first love, Eliza, has been dead for many years, but Marianne knows she bears a resemblance to her. Would she wonder if she is loved just for herself alone, or would she ever think that this resemblance might just be the reason that Brandon has pursued her so relentlessly?

Marianne can be a little self-centered, and I think she might be quite jealous of the fact that Brandon spends any time seeing to the needs of Eliza’s grown-up daughter who has a child by Mr. Willoughby. Eliza’s position in society at that time is a very difficult one – as a single woman with a child she would have been ostracized. Marianne would not really be able to receive her, but in any case, I think she would decide that she didn’t want to meet her at all – the idea of seeing a child that belonged to Willoughby would be too disturbing. Colonel Brandon is a kind and dutiful guardian, anxious to make sure that Eliza and her child have as comfortable a life as possible, which means he has to visit them. This leads to a little friction between the Brandons – Marianne tries to be sensible about the whole affair, but often ignores Elinor’s advice. Her heart still has a habit of ruling her head and she is passionately outspoken on occasion.

Apart from the tensions I wanted to show how very well suited Marianne and her Colonel really are – I enjoyed writing scenes that show their affection for one another. Though ‘grave and silent’ Colonel Brandon is a romantic, like Marianne. I imagined he would always be thinking of little treats to surprise her and that a look or touch between them would speak volumes!

Colonel Brandon looked surreptitiously at his wife over the breakfast table. Three years on from the day they had wed had hardly changed his feelings toward her, although as he sat in secret contemplation on the matter, he swiftly acknowledged his regard for Marianne was altered in every way completely. His love for her was deeper and more passionately felt than it ever had been, he decided, and his covert glances at her over the coffee pot confirmed this in his look of sheer admiration. He watched her as she buttered a slice of toast and stirred her chocolate, before licking the fragrant cocoa from the silver spoon, her eyes closed to savour the moment.

“Marianne Brandon is a very attractive woman,” he thought, “her complexion as brilliant as when first my eyes beheld her, her smile still as sweet and in those dark eyes, her spirit and eagerness are as discernable as ever. Even the most disenchanted soul would call her a beauty.”

© Jane Odiwe, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2009

The best marriages are those where each partner strives to gives as much love as they can in whatever form showing their affection in deeds as well as with words. Partners must learn to give as well as take, and admit when they are wrong. Marianne and her Colonel truly love one another, but sometimes they find it hard to really communicate especially when the subjects are difficult to broach. I took them on a journey and I hope you’ll agree that by the end of my book their marriage is the stronger for it!

I’d like to know what you think is the recipe for a successful marriage! Do you agree that Marianne and the Colonel are made for one another?

WILLOUGHBY’S RETURN—IN STORES NOVEMBER 2009

A lost love returns, rekindling forgotten passions…

In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, when Marianne Dashwood marries Colonel Brandon, she puts her heartbreak over dashing scoundrel John Willoughby in the past.

Three years later, Willoughby’s return throws Marianne into a tizzy of painful memories and exquisite feelings of uncertainty. Willoughby is as charming, as roguish, and as much in love with her as ever. And the timing couldn’t be worse—with Colonel Brandon away and Willoughby determined to win her back, will Marianne find the strength to save her marriage, or will the temptation of a previous love be too powerful to resist?

About the Author

Jane Odiwe is an artist and author. She is an avid fan of all things Austen and is the  author and illustrator of Effusions of Fancy, annotated sketches from the life of Jane Austen, as well as Lydia Bennet’s Story. She lives with her husband and three children in North London. For more information, check out Jane’s blog: http://janeaustensequels.blogspot.com/