Pemberley Manor … Darcy and Elizabeth, for better or for worse.

By Kathryn L Nelson

From Sourcebooks Landmark, April 1, 2009

From a review by Dana at Reading Romance Books:

Kathryn Nelson was incredibly successful in importing the Regency era into my mind and then whisking me away into the world of the Darcys’ new marriage. The characters were true to the original and the issues they faced far from any happily-ever-after fairytale endings we might have conjured on our own. 

Thanks for inviting me to join your blog today. I never tire of spending an hour with one of the most romantic couples I’ve ever met. For me, the allure of Jane Austen’s best-known couple, Darcy and Elizabeth, is that while they are drawn together by a fierce chemistry, they are held apart by lofty principles, spiced with a good measure of lies and misunderstandings. And in spite of Austen’s hasty wrap-up in Pride and Prejudice, wherein all differences are explained and all grievances forgiven, I didn’t buy the idea that there would be no further disturbances between these two lovers.

I hope that doesn’t leave the impression that things end badly for the Darcys in Pemberley Manor. What kind of a romance would that be? It did, however, take Darcy and Elizabeth a full year to work out the bumpy barriers to true marital felicity. Take, for instance, the surprising turn of events on their wedding night. Darcy’s long-repressed passion is unleashed a little too quickly and he frightens the bride.
Elizabeth misunderstands the problem, as she is wont to do, and is ready to give up before they’ve even begun:

“It can serve neither of us to continue as man and wife when there are so little grounds to suppose we could offer one another any reasonable hope of future happiness. Indeed, it seems certain that our expectations of one another are wholly irreconcilable.” 

Needless to say, they manage to overcome that hurdle, but troubles continue to arise. After an uncomfortable piece of family history pops up, Darcy takes a rather self-centered turn and Elizabeth is forced to point out the flaw of his logic: 

“Fitzwilliam Darcy, do you really see yourself as the only injured party in this tragedy? Can you find no room in your heart to pity anyone but yourself…You once extolled to me the superiority of your reason. Is it reasonable that they should have created a world of misery for the pleasure of making you unhappy?” 

Elizabeth is by no means blameless, as Jane Austen so artfully demonstrates in Pride and Prejudice. She leaps to conclusions that are often founded on her own wishes rather than fact, as in her acceptance of the villain Wickham’s lies. Because he flatters her, she believes him honest, and its corollary: because Darcy does not, he must be a liar. When she discards a firmly held belief, she has barely enough shame to produce a blush.

I’ve attempted to help Elizabeth mature and Darcy relax in Pemberley Manor. He makes a valiant and successful effort at wit as the honeymoon continues, much to Elizabeth’s surprise: 

“You had the advantage of catching me completely off guard this time, for I had not thought of wit as one of your gifts, but rest assured that I, having had more practice, and being now forewarned, will never be content until I can cause you as much discomfort as you have caused me.”

“I am happy to see you have regained your wit at last,” he replied, still breathless with laughter, “but I will not take the blame for causing you grief, for your own nature has brought this upon you. Did you not confess just a few moments ago that your judgements are hasty and flawed…?”

Well, honeymoons are all very well, but then life creeps in, and as the couple returns to Pemberley, the Darcy family’s past comes tumbling out of the closet. The disapproval of neighbors and the meddling of Caroline Bingley add seasoning to the stew. Elizabeth’s stubborn optimism does battle with Darcy’s ghosts.

Does love conquer all – or even most? I’d love to hear from readers. 

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of author Sybil Baker’s Blog Tour with WOW! Women On Writing. Stop by The Muffin today and comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Sybil’s book! Sybil will be checking in to answer your questions, so be sure to take advantage of the opportunty. Her book is one that I know you all will love.

I know some of you must be wondering…what exactly is a blog tour?
 
A blog tour is similar to an author’s book tour, but it’s hosted online, instead of at, say, a bookstore. The touring author visits a number of blogs (otherwise known as “blog stops”) over a set period–typically, a month.

Authors use this format to buzz their book, connect with readers, and have fun! It’s a wonderful way to network with a readership the author might never get to meet in “real” life. For instance, this tour takes us across the U.S. to Italy and New Zealand, all in one month! Even the most gregarious traveler couldn’t conquer that much territory in such a short time. But it’s not about the territory covered, it’s about the interesting people you meet along the way.

(Photo Right: One of Sybil’s travels to Athens, Greece)

The author we bring you this month is a wonderful writer, and a new friend. She’s traveled all over the world and is sharing her experiences with you.Are you excited? I am! Come and join us on this fabulous journey! Let’s meet the author, shall we?

About Sybil:

Sybil Baker grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech where she was the features editor and humor columnist of the student newspaper, The Collegiate Times. After a few years working around Virginia, she moved to Boulder (Colorado) where she earned her MA degree in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

After five years in Colorado she moved back to Virginia and worked there as a technical editor before moving to South Korea in 1995. For the next twelve years she lived and taught English in South Korea and traveled extensively around the world, especially in Asia. So far she’s been to more than thirty countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Indonesia, Peru, and Turkey.

During her travels, she became increasingly interested in the allure and alienation of American travelers and expatriates, and this has heavily influenced her writing. Her novel, The Life Plan, was released this month (March 2009) from Casperian Books.

Sybil Baker’s fiction and essays have appeared in numerous journals including upstreet and Segue. Her essay on American expatriate literature appeared in AWP’s Writer’s Chronicle in September 2005. In 2005, Sybil completed her MFA in Writing from The Vermont College of Fine Arts, and in 2008 moved to back to the States to teach creative writing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she is an Assistant Professor of English. She currently lives with her husband, Rowan Johnson, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Learn more about Sybil by visiting her websites:

Sybil Baker’s website: www.sybilbaker.com
Sybil’s Blog: An Ex-expatriate’s Musings on Writing, Teaching, and Travel

I’ve been catching up on my reading. My TBR pile is huge. LOL.

I was reading a book that was very emotional. It went through all spectrums of emotions from exhilaration to tears. It made me laugh one moment, gasp the next, breath hard when it got sexy and tear up at the sad moments. To me that is the sign of a great read. One that brings all my feelings out. Makes me live each moment like I am part of it. This was so effortlessly done that I was living each emotion like it was my own. The book had me flipping pages wondering what was going to happen next. I read it in one sitting. Couldn’t put it down. I love writers who do that to me.

They are another sort of writer that makes my automatic buy list. And I re-read their books over and over again.

Who are some authors that give you an emotional read?

McKenna Jeffries
http://www.mckennajeffries.com
…. sensual, edgy, unexpected

Blog: http://www.mckennajeffries.com/blog
Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McKennaJeffriesList

Conquering Jazz - What’s a woman to do when she unwittingly makes a tantalizing proposition to her best friend?

Be brazen, bold and set some ground rules.

Her offer. One night of carnal bliss. No emotion allowed.

His counter offer. A continued affair to fulfill all their sexual cravings.

His hidden agenda. Conquer to make sure their affair never ends.

Buy here at Liquid Silver Book.

“Psst. You. The one with the chocolate-fingerprinted keyboard. Will you give me a scene already? I’m dying here.”

“Kill me off? You think you can kill ME? We’ll just see about that.”

I am Jeannie Ruesch, and I admit the above sentences are actual thoughts that have run through my head… not, I am compelled to point out, when I’m sitting at my computer praying for my characters to show their faces.  No, that would be normal.

I’m talking about completely inopportune moments, such as standing in line at the grocery store, toddler strapped into the seat, checkout person waiting impatiently for my money.  THAT is often when my characters decide to confess their deepest thoughts and finally admit to that motivation that stemmed from something that happened when they were three.  Three? Are you serious? I have to stop what I’m doing and write out their back-story from the time they were practically born?

Ludicrous, right? I can jot it down when I get to the car or even when I get home.  However, my characters are quirky that way.  If I don’t give them their due time when they want it, tantrums will ensue or worse, silence.

Characters, at least the ones rattling around in my head, are fragile things.  If I had to label them like schoolchildren, mine would be the ones in the back of the classroom.  The rebels.  They tend to do what they want when they want, and if they aren’t happy with my rules and dictates, more than one has upped a finger at me.

About now you are thinking (go on, admit it) I need a good shrink more than anything else.  You may be right, for here is my ultimate confession – I choose to talk and think about my characters like they are people.  In order for me to write about and understand them, they have to be.

I was thirteen years old when I read my first romance novel.  I couldn’t tell you what the title was, who wrote it or really even much of the plot.  What I do remember is that I identified with the teenage heroine struggling to find the courage to talk to the boy she liked.  Boy, did I get her.  At the time, like every other girl in the school, I had a huge crush on the most popular boy.  His name was Tommy.  (Hmm, now that I think about this, I wonder if it’s coincidence that the villain in my upcoming novel is named Thomas…)   And just like the girl in the book, I did some humiliating things to try and get his attention.

While I failed miserably, the book’s plucky heroine got a better ending.  I’ve never forgotten her.  As a reader, I identify with characters because of their quirks, because they are real, because they make me feel like I could actually know them.  So as a writer, I knew I had to relate to my characters the same way.  I had to give them voices.  I had to let them become friends, so I could understand better who they are.  And yes, I talk about them as if they are sitting in my living room, eating my popcorn and watching American Idol.

Because, really.  They are.

Jeannie Ruesch

SOMETHING ABOUT HER, available April 10, 2009, from The Wild Rose Press
~ “…a rich, well-presented story.”~RT Book Reviews
~ “A wonderful debut!” ~NYTimes bestselling author Gaelen Foley

He is the one man she knows she shouldn’t trust.  She is the one woman he knows he can’t have…and the only one he wants.

Read chapter one at www.jeannieruesch.com