Darcy’s Hope ~ Beauty from Ashes
A WW1 Pride & Prejudice Variation
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A WW1 Pride & Prejudice Variation
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Escape to the
era of Downton Abbey and experience all the drama of World War 1 alongside literature’s
iconic Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy. You'll watch their tender love
unfold as they learn to work together and reconcile their differences amidst
the carnage of war.
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1916. World War I has turned French chateaux into bloody field hospitals,
British gentlemen into lice-infested soldiers, and left Elizabeth Bennet's life
in tatters.
Her father is
dead and her home destroyed. Never again will Elizabeth depend on a man to
secure her future!
But when an
opportunity arises to advance her dreams of becoming a doctor, she is
elated—until he arrives....
Heartbroken.
Devastated. Captain Fitzwilliam Darcy is left rejected by the woman he loved and
reeling from the slaughter of his men on the battlefield. “Enough!” Darcy vows.
“No more sentimental attachments!”
But arriving at
a field hospital to pursue a covert investigation, Darcy discovers his beloved
Elizabeth training with a dashing American doctor and embroiled in an espionage
conspiracy.
With only a few
months to expose the plot, Darcy is forced to grapple with his feelings for
Elizabeth while uncovering the truth. Is she indeed innocent? Darcy can only
hope….
•Cameo
appearance by John Thornton (of Gaskell’s North
& South).
•Rated PG. Clean
romance, mild language, some war scenes.
• Darcy's
Hope has a happy ending but will continue in Darcy's Hope at Donwell Abbey,
coming in February 2017. In the sequel, readers will experience the full
resolution of the mystery, and our beloved couple's love will face a new,
tragic test.
Interview with author Ginger Monette
Downton Abbey! Julian Fellowes’
creations have numerous similarities with Jane Austen’s characters: a house
full of girls with no heir, an entailed estate, a landowner living in a grand
house, a crotchety female matriarch, and high society characters falling in
love with, well, those not so high society. It was remarkable to me how little
British culture had changed in 100 years. I could see Darcy dining with Lord
Grantham with little change in decorum. Besides, the turbulence of the Western
Front seemed a fitting and colorful setting for a romance between two
characters known for clashing. And so a plot was born.
Most Americans know nothing more about World War I than trench warfare and
trench foot. How did you research such a broad topic?
With the only sources I could trust as
historically accurate—diaries. What made research difficult was that diaries
aren’t written to instruct a future audience (complete with topic headings and
index). Consequently, their vantage point assumes an acquaintance with their
present culture—social mores, current news, general ways of doing things, gender
roles, etc. Since I am not from that era, all those little details had to be
gleaned from hints here and there—and that required hours and hours of reading.
I read six hours a day for nine months and compiled over 200 pages of typed
notes.
That’s a lot of reading! Didn’t you tire of such tedious research?
No. Actually I became obsessed. Those
folks back then were a lot smarter than I’d given them credit for. In addition,
I found the history fascinating and the people inspiring!
How were they inspiring?
Machine guns, poison gas, airplanes, and
tanks made their debut in WWI inflicting destruction and horrific wounds on an
unprecedented scale. Men lived in squalid trenches and saw their comrades
dismembered and slaughtered on a daily basis, yet they remained cheerful and self-sacrificing.
And everyone did something to aid in the war effort. Hundreds of women volunteered
as nurse’s aides, others wrote letters, sent care packages, and knitted socks.
Men too old to serve as soldiers became stretcher-bearers and ambulance
drivers. They fashioned splints from scrap metal, turned church halls into
hospitals, and emptied bedpans. These small acts of kindness repeated over and
over made an enormous difference. As a result, I am challenged to be cheerful
amidst trying circumstances and to offer my own small acts of kindness even
when they seem insignificant.
Did you face any particular challenges in writing Darcy’s Hope?
Yes! Weaving a romance into a complex
setting unfamiliar to most readers, with both the hero and heroine experiencing
significant character evolution, all in the context of a mystery was a HUGE
challenge. I’ll never try to combine that many elements again.
I hear you've put together a special
photo album to accompany Darcy's Hope. Can you tell us about it and why
you compiled it?
Most Americans know almost nothing about
WW1. I was no exception. But after researching, it dawned on me that my own
understanding of the Great War had been greatly enhanced by photographs. What
if I shared some photos with my readers?
After combing through a thousand or more
WW1 photos, I selected nearly a hundred that not only represented the culture
and technologies of the war and era, but also of the people and places depicted
in the story. I dressed them up like an old fashioned album, and I’m really
pleased with how Lizzy's Scrapbook turned out.
I'm offering free access to Lizzy's
Scrapbook as a special blog tour bonus to anyone who orders the book during
the tour, Nov. 1-22. All they have to do is purchase Darcy's Hope, then
visit my website (GingerMonette.com) and follow the prompts for Lizzy's
Scrapbook.
Your last book, Tree of Life, Charlotte
and the Colonel, had a Christian theme. Can we expect that again?
Not this time. But the story does have
themes. The primary theme is deception—people, circumstances, and situations
are not always what they initially appear to be. Even the subtitle, Beauty from Ashes is a paradox, a form
of deception. Another theme, the barriers one erects to protect him or herself
from pain, are also a kind of deception. They end up delivering more pain than
protection.
Now that you’ve done so much research on World War I, can we expect more novels
set in this era?
Yes. Darcy’s
Hope ~ Beauty from Ashes has a happy ending but will continue in Darcy’s Hope at Donwell Abbey (yes,
that’s the home of George and Emma Knightley’s descendants), now available for pre-order. In the sequel, readers will
experience the full resolution of the mystery, and our beloved couple’s love
will face a tragic test.
In addition, I’m planning a Great War
Romance series. Several of the characters that readers encounter in Darcy’s Hope will have stories all their
own including Colonel Fitzwilliam, John Thornton (yes, John Thornton from North & South), Robert Knightley and
a few more. Stay tuned!
Is there a way readers can get updates on future releases?
Yes. They can sign up at my website GingerMonette.com to receive email
updates and “like” my Facebook page, Ginger Monette Author.
Anything else you would like readers to know about Darcy’s Hope?
As you can guess, historical accuracy
was important to me. And although I tried to keep the romance between Darcy and
Lizzy the story’s primary focus, I hope readers will finish Darcy’s Hope with a taste of what it
would have been like at a field hospital near the Front.
Readers may also be interested to know that
the chateau-turned-field-hospital in my story is based on one that actually
existed, even down to the swans in the water feature! The Messines Ridge blast
and Darcy’s “going over the top” at the Battle of the Somme were actual events.
Also, chaplains really did occasionally assist in the operating room, and the
two outlandish stories told by the colorful Scotsman are true as well.
But most of all I hope readers will love
the story! Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog
: )
About the author - Ginger Monette
The teacher always learns the most.
And in homeschooling her children, Ginger Monette learned all the
history she missed in school. Now she's hooked—on writing and World
War I.
When not writing, Ginger enjoys
dancing on the treadmill, watching period dramas, public speaking, and
reading—a full-length novel every Sunday afternoon.
Her WW1 flash fiction piece,
Flanders Field of Grey, won Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's 2015 Picture This grand prize.
Ginger lives in Charlotte,
North Carolina, where she happily resides with her husband,
three teenagers, and two loyal dogs.
Giveaway
Buy the Book
Giveaway
13 comments:
I just finished a serious of books about WW II and i can't believe how much I learned! I look forward to reading this
Lynn, I hope you learn as much about WW1 from Darcy's Hope! It's sad how here in the US, WW1 is just glossed over. Now that I've researched it so much, I found it to be a fascinating period in history that shaped much of the culture and technology of the 20th century.
Thank you, Maria, for hosting Darcy's Hope today!
Great interview! I really enjoy gleaning historical detail through reading fiction, so long as I know the author has done her research and it doesn't overwhelm the story. Ginger's book strikes that balance beautifully--loved reading it and highly recommend!
love the setting of WW I for the variation, the plot sounds wonderful
denise
Thanks for such an interesting interview, ladies. Being a Brit myself, I already know quite a bit about WWI from school and other sources, but I love reading historical fiction where the author has taken the trouble to do some proper research. I often end up going and doing more myself after reading a book or watching a historical drama on the TV.
It sometimes seems to me that, here in the UK at least, WWI marked the beginning of the end of the traditional class system. So many male members of all levels of society ended up on the battlefield together and the women ended up as nurses or factory workers. Then afterwards, a considerable number of the men came home with lungs damaged by mustard gas, or "shell shock", which we would now probably call PTSD.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this all mixes in with the familiar story of Darcy and Elizabeth.
Hi again! I don't know if this is significant ot not. I've just logged into the Rafflecopter form to add today's blog comment in but it won't let me add anything else. It still looks as it did yesterday after I'd filled in all three elements then. Is this right?
Hey Anji,
Between Maria and me, we'll try to find out about Rafflecopter.
Regarding research: I'll give you guys here a little historical sneak peek--the chateau turned field hospital is based on a real one. You can read a bit about it on my website here http://www.gingermonette.com/chateau-history
Regarding the beginning of the end of the class system: Keep following the blog tour! On Nov 14, Darcy's Hope visits More Than Thornton blog for a Q&A about John Thornton and his role in the story and this very issue comes up. Here's a hint: Darcy was a gentleman and Thornton was a man in trade....
Thanks for your great comments!
~Ginger
Thanks, Ginger, for a great post, a great P&P variation and, last but not least, an awesome giveaway.
WWII is a very moving time period with family stories that are often very emotional. So I can imagine that WWI would have many of those same historical feelings. I would really love to read this.
Love the looks of this one. And oh that cover. Those eyes could could look right into your soul!
Hi Ginger, I've really enjoyed your interview. It's a fascinating idea to move P&P events to this time in history, when the remains of the old society were still in existence, but were about to crumble, to open a path to the modern world.
Just one question. I already know, that you're writing a continuation story. I hope we are going to have HEA in this one. Are we? Pretty please.
This story sounds great!
I believe that John T as well as our beloved P&P characters makes an appearance! Can't wait to read it.
Very interesting post!
Thanks to all concerned!
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