Friday 2 March 2012

LINDA WELLS - DARCY AND ELIZABETH ... AT THE CORE OF IT ALL IS PASSION - GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY


Linda Wells worked for years in the environmental engineering world until she traded her career as a geographer and technical editor for one as a mom to a challenging and really great son.  After seeing the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice, she bought a copy of Jane Austen’s novel and found JAFF.  Eventually, a story of her own started nagging at her until she finally wrote it down.  It has become a wonderful experience to stretch her imagination, but the true reward has been the friends she has made along the way.
  
While she has no blog, she is always happy to hear from people on her author page at amazon.com/author/lindawells She is also on Facebook, or welcomes emails to lindawellsbooknut@gmail.com


Darcy & Elizabeth ... at the core of it all is passion 



I was thinking about Jane Austen, the author.  While it is wonderful knowing the details of her life, where she grew up, her family, her experiences; it is Jane Austen’s imagination that I treasure.  She did not marry her Mr. Darcy.  She did not become the mistress of a grand estate, or have a lost love return to sweep her off her feet, but what she wrote about, and imagined, was passion.  It might have been expressed, or perhaps suppressed is a better word, gently, like Jane Bennet’s feelings for Charles Bingley.  Or it could be furiously spoken as in the wordplay of Elizabeth and Darcy.  But in the end, it proves that an author need not experience a situation firsthand to give it life in her writing. 



When I fell into writing JAFF, I was no expert in the life and times of the early nineteenth century, although I have learned a great deal since I began, but I was deeply attracted to the timeless and universal characters Jane Austen created.  And for me, it is Darcy and Elizabeth who drive my imagination.  Jane Austen gifted me with the desire to find the layers beneath these characters.  No matter how I look at it, how I chose to begin a story, how I change the circumstances and have them meet, at the core of it all is passion. 

I love the idea of Darcy being an impossibly handsome and noble man striding into Elizabeth’s limited world and opening her eyes to what life could be.  And him, used to spending his time standing stiffly in corners making the proper polite conversation, where laughing is frowned upon and order is expected, coming face to face with this sparkling, challenging woman who is not the ideal beauty, but for him glows and turns his world upside down.  That is the heart of the stories I like to tell.  I completely believe in their love being at first sight, even if they don’t realize it.  I love the struggle of them both wanting each other despite their differences.  It is all passion. 



Another word that applies here is trust.  For a man such as Fitzwilliam Darcy to allow himself to love and be loved, and even more to marry Elizabeth Bennet is an exceptional show of trust on his part.  He had to believe that this woman who had absolutely nothing to offer but herself was the only choice for his wife and the future of his estate.  And for Elizabeth, upon opening her heart to this man who was tearing her from everything she knew, and bringing her into a society she could hardly imagine, had to trust him to care for her with the love and respect she both needed and deserved as she learned her role in his world. 

Linda Wells 
The book 

Trust and passion are the driving forces in Imperative.  All of the characters experience it on one level or another through their various trials and dramas.  But it is Darcy and Elizabeth, and their love, that is at the center, and through them everything revolves. 



In Volume 1 of this variation, Fitzwilliam Darcy is a man with a great many secrets to keep, one involves his sister, and the other involves his heart.  The problem is, he cannot just keep the secrets.  They demand attention, and action, and in hopeless times, a good man does not always think things through, even when he is desperately trying to do the right thing for the two most important women in his life.  

In Volume 2, Fitzwilliam Darcy has survived threats to his mind and body, exposure of his deepest secrets, and endless challenges from his family. He could never have come so far without Elizabeth Bennet by his side. She has accepted and excelled in the position she has taken, and is the reason why he is so clearly the Master of Pemberley. Now he must finish the task he began the day they took their vows. He must safeguard his sister while protecting his estate, his family, and their future. Hope is their byword, love is the key.

This story contains scenes of a mature nature between a happily married couple.  The entire story is 1500 pages.

Giveaway

1 complete set of the ebooks to a non US reader.
1 complete set of either the ebooks or Volume 1 of the paperback to a US reader.


The name of the winners will be announced on March 9th. Leave your comment + e-mail address + country of residence to enter the giveaway contest.

The ebooks are available at Amazon (worldwide sites) and Barnes and Noble, $9.99
The paper books are available only at Amazon.com, Volume 1: $24.00, Volume 2: $22.25

Volume 1

26 comments:

Phoebe's Sisters said...

Great post! Thank you for sharing. Wow! 1500 pages of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth... I'd love to have the chance to savour them :-)) Thank you for the giveaway.

faridamestek@yahoo.com (Ukraine)

Gayle Mills said...

I agree. Passion is the key word in these stories. Lovely, mind-expanding passion. Nobody does it better than you, Linda.

A chance to win the books? Yeah, baby.

Gayle
scmema at yahoo dot come

Candy @ So little time... said...

I would LOVE to win this! I have all of Linda's other books and can't wait to read these! Thanks for the chance to win them!

canapple7(at)cox(dot)net USA

Janet T said...

This is a great giveaway. I liked your post and agree that passion is what stirs our souls. I can't imagine 1500 pages of Darcy and Lizzy!

jbtaylor12@gmail.com
usa

GranJan said...

oh my goodness - could it get any better? a chance to win Imperative - woohoo! I have budgetted in for April to get Vol 1 and vol 2 in May for my birthday - but I might win it now - major woo-hoo!

week by week, every Wed and particularly every Sunday, reading the next posting was a highlight. (still miss you as a companion for my Sunday brunch). I am very anxious to sit down, book in hand, and read the final version, chapter after rolling chapter with only RL to cause a pause.

Linda, you know how much I love your D&E and all your characters; their dialogue and interactions are some of the very best put to paper.

I do so hope your sales go well because you definitely rank up there in the very top of JA inspired writers.

araminta18 said...

Sounds really interesting! Can't wait to read them!
araminta18 at gmail dot com
United States

MonicaP said...

Wow, 1500 pages! I have heard such wonderful praise of Linda's stories but have yet to read them myself. I definitely look forward to doing that, and would be thrilled to win a copy. Thank you for the opportunity :)

monicaperry00 at gmail dot com
(I'm in the US)

Ana Rebecca said...

Hi!
I met Linda's work recently and I loved all about it. English isn't my first language so, reading fanfics has been a chance for learning and her creativity is very inspiring!

e-mail: ana_rbk_22@hotmail.com
Brazil.

Rita Watts said...

Linda,

I already bought your book on Kindle but I would LOVE to win a paperback copy. What you must know is why I bought it. I already have enough e-books from JAFF to keep me entertained for months but I have a small book club on facebook where we talk all things Jane & JAFF. The other girls live in Brazil but they know a lot more about JAFF than I do and made me buy your book so we can read it together (they also bought on kindle). We also watch movies and series together to comment online. They started reading your book before me and can't stop talking about it. I have some catching up to do. Off to Imperative here I go!

Thanks,

ritalacerdawatts@aol.com

Nina Benneton said...

Congratulations on publishing your latest, LInda.

I just LOVE those covers. Your cover artist did an excellent job!

junewilliams7 said...

Wow, Linda -- even your comment about PP makes me feel your passion for our favorite couple. Your stories are not tales of infatuation but of true mature love, tested by families, enemies, and circumstances (like cliffs). My Sunday and Wednesday mornings are still reserved for your updates.

e-mail address is junewilliams7 at yahoo dot com (U.S.)

Linda Wells said...

My goodness, so many comments!

Thank you, Farida! Yes, I have a reputation for long stories, so there is a lot of D&E in this one. I really love this particular couple.

Hi Gayle! Oh, thank you so much, you are too nice!

Candy, wow, thank you for telling me that you love the stories!

JT . . . LOL Yeah, 1500 pages for this one, can you believe that I was proud it came out shorter than my other epic, Memory? I thought that was a great accomplishment.

Hi Jan! Ohhh, you are making me shy, thank you for the very kind praise, I do appreciate it so much. I hope that you enjoy the story again (hopefully much better than the original) whether you win or not. It’s so nice to be considered birthday gift worthy!

Araminta, thanks! I hope that you enjoy the story.

Hi Monica! Well it’s nice to know that you’ve heard good things about the stories! I hope that you will enjoy whichever one you decide to give a try, and thanks!

Hi Ana, wow, thank you! I am forever impressed with how many readers I have whose first language is not English, and you are not alone in using fanfic as a great way to learn.

Rita, LOL, so you were forced to read Imperative? That’s great! I thank your group of friends who twisted your arm. I hope that you are soon caught up with them and that you think it was a good read!

Thank you, Nina! Congratulations to you, too. And my cover artist is me, so I guess I’ll pat myself on the back.

June, thank you. I don’t think that I could spend the time writing the stories if I didn’t feel strongly about the characters, and Darcy and Elizabeth are a very passionate pair. Cliffs and all! I look forward to starting to post the next story and giving you sleepless nights again! We officially began yesterday.

gailw15 said...

Love the story behind your writing Linda - your stories are so wonderful!

gailwarner(at)verizon(dot)net
USA - ebook (either Nook or PDF)

BeckyC said...

I have read several of your other books and loved them. I am intrigued by this as well. 1500 pages of D&E! Bring it on! Thank you for the giveaway. Would love a chance to win an ebook set. (US)
cherringtonmb(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Linda Wells said...

Thank you so much, Gail! I'm just a big romantic escaping RL with the writing.

Hi Becky! I'm glad that you enjoyed the other stories! I know, it's a long one, and it only covers one year, but it's a really, really eventful year!

cyn209 said...

this sounds like such an awesome read for Austen fans!!!!

thank you for the giveaway!!!

i would LOVE the ebooks of the set.........i'm in the US.....

cyn209 at juno dot com

Linda Wells said...

Hi cyn209! Thanks, I'm pretty happy with it, and I hope you will be happy, too! I really want to continue the story one day and see what happens to this couple.

Literary Chanteuse said...

I like the covers. Very inviting.

Canada

Margaret
singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sue said...

1500 Pages of Elizabeth and Darcy sounds like a treat! It would definately keep me busy for awhile. I have my fingers crossed!
Thanks so much.
Sue
US-ebook

Linda Wells said...

Hi Margaret, thank you! Whenever I get stuck in the writing I go looking for cover pictures.

Sue, thanks! I wish you good luck! It's a nice long read!

BrendaNZ said...

Cover-love! :) The covers are beautiful and the stories sound fantastic. Can't wait to read them :)

brendapwood@gmail.com (New Zealand)

Linda Wells said...

Thank you, Brenda! If you go on Facebook and look me up, you can see the whole covers. One of my readers drew a beautiful picture of some important places in the story and I put it on the back of the second book. If I could post it here, I would.

Krista said...

Sounds like Darcy and his secrets get him into trouble. Sounds like a wonderful read. The cover is wonderful. Recently I read a post on people judging thier books by the covers and I think this one would pick me. Can't wait to read it!
U.S
bookreviewclub@yahoo.com

Linda Wells said...

Well, not quite, Darcy's secrets just give him a lot of trouble, and he really needs Elizabeth to help him to find some good solutions, I'm so glad that you like the covers, thanks, Krista! I love the mystery of the partially open door since the first half of the story is pretty dark, and then the warmth of the open door as things slowly improve in the second part.

Jennifer W said...

I have all your books and have enjoyed reading your stuff on meryton.com. I look forward to reading Imperative.

Jennifer W
jandjwebb@msn.com
USA

Linda Wells said...

Thank you for telling me, Jennifer! I imagine you have already read the original story, so I hope that you like the "new and improved" version.