Thank you so much for having me, Maria Grazia! Hello to all the readers of My Jane Austen Book Club! I have been loving getting to be a part of so many wonderful Jane Austen book review blogs and getting to meet fellow Austen fans. Feel free to say hi in the comments, and make sure to look out for the giveaway below!
Elizabeth Gilliland
What
exactly is What Happened on Box Hill?
Out of all of Austen’s characters, why did you decide to make Catherine Morland/Caty the focus of your novel?
I think anyone who’s read Northanger Abbey would agree that Catherine Morland has the spirit of a detective! I feel a bit bad for Catherine, because so much of her story revolves around people telling her that she’s wrong and trying to convince her that she doesn’t understand things, when she actually understands quite a lot. She’s innocent to the ways of the world, but she’s also very observant and has good instincts about people overall (except for maybe Isabella, but I think we can attribute that to loneliness and needing good friends around her).
In my take, Catherine becomes Caty, and she still has a lot of the same qualities. She’s naive in some ways, but she also sees through a lot of the facades that people put up. She might not always understand the social context of what she’s seeing, but she sees through to the heart of people (for the most part. There might be one or two mistakes along the way…)
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Of all of Jane Austen’s characters, who would you most want to be sitting next to at a dinner party?
Here’s an excerpt from when the guests/suspects first start arriving at the dinner party. (Just as a tiny bit of background, Emma has taken Caty under her wing as her protege and is helping her with the investigation):
On the evening
of the party, the weather proved to be exceptionally accommodating, with
blustering winds and the ominous rumble of thunder in the distance. It was just
the sort of ambience one might have ordered for a murder-themed dinner party,
though it was one of the few aspects of the evening that Emma had not carefully
cultivated. Not even a Woodhouse could control the weather, though she would
gladly take credit for the atmosphere it so helpfully created.
The first to
arrive was Tilney, uncharacteristically early, and bearing a bottle of rum. For
someone attending a dinner party that could at best be described as
“suspiciously timed,” he seemed remarkably cheerful, in a way that might have
even been deemed “ghoulish” in someone less charming. As it was, he gave Emma
his most winsome smile as he handed over the beverage, looking over her
shoulder to wink at Caty. “Ladies. I thought a dark liquor might set the tone.”
Emma looked
less affronted by the callous treatment of Isabella’s death as some great
adventure, than by the alcohol extended in her direction. “Kappa is a dry
house,” she reminded him.
“Emma, darling,
we’re breaking into Sorority Row during a university-wide shutdown to
investigate our peers for murder. I think we’ve crossed that line.”
There was
little arguing with that. Tilney swept past Emma, pausing in front of Caty. He
lowered his voice a little, the enjoyment in his eyes diluted for a moment by
real concern. “You doing all right, Veronica Mars?”
She managed a
smile. “Holding up.”
He reached out,
squeezing her forearm. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” Over his shoulder to Emma, “I’ll
see myself into the dining room, shall I?”
When he was
gone, Emma looked to Caty with a frown. “So, Tilney. He’s the one you—?”
Caty, quite
unexpectedly, blushed. Even hardened murder detectives got a bit embarrassed
about their crushes, it seemed. “Yeah.”
“He’s very . .
. colorful for a Sigma Rho...”
If you’d like to read more, you can find the prologue and first chapter here, buy the book here, or enter the giveaway for the chance to win 1 free e-copy.
Author site Buy link Twitter: @egilliland7 Facebook Newsletter
About the Book
What would happen if you combined all of Austen's characters into one modern-day novel?
Murder, of course.
When Caty Morland's roommate, Isabella, falls to her death on Initiation Night, Austen University is quick to cover up the scandal and call it a tragic accident. But avid true-crime lover Caty remains convinced that Isabella didn't fall; she was murdered. With the help of Pi Kappa Sigma President Emma Woodhouse, Caty organizes a dinner party with the most likely suspects, including familiar faces such as Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Knightley, and Marianne Dashwood. The theme of the night is murder, and Caty has three courses to find out what happened to Isabella—and to try to keep the killer from striking again.
What Happened on Box Hill is Book 1 of the Austen University Mysteries series.
About the Author
Elizabeth Gilliland is a
writer, Dr., wife, mom, and lifelong Jane Austen fan. She is a playwright
(whose plays have appeared off-off Broadway), a screenwriter (with a master's
in screenwriting and production), an academic (with a PhD and a dissertation on
Jane Austen adaptations), and now a published author! When she isn't writing or
grading papers, she is most likely reading a good book, binge watching the
latest hit, working on a puzzle, or hanging with her cute kid.
9 comments:
Thanks for having me, Maria! I hope people enjoy, and good luck with the giveaway! - Elizabeth
Sounds like an intriguing series.
this is on my tbr
I can definitely see Catherine Morland as a modern student. Thanks for sharing an excerpt. All the best with this book.
I do enjoy moderns and love it when an author combines the characters of the JA universe. Congratulations.
Thank you for the excerpt.
Congratulations on your book. This is an enticing story , mystery with all our favorite JA characters.
Thankyou for the giveaway
The Austen University Mysteries is a fascinating series, Elizabeth. I cannot wait to learn who the murderer is what is his/her motive for wanting Isabella dead. I applaud your decision to select a different amateur detective for the second and third book.
Thank you for choosing me.
Teresa
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