MR DARCY'S BOOKSHOP, A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE VARIATION BY SUMMER HANFORD. INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Today, here at My Jane Austen Book Club, we have the pleaatting with Summer Hanford, the brilliant mind behind the new Pride and Prejudice Variation, Mr. Darcy's Bookshop. Welcome, Summer! Could you start by telling us what inspired you to explore the idea of Fitzwilliam Darcy as a bookseller?sure of ch

Hi Maria Grazia! First, thank you so much for hosting me today. I’m very excited to be here at My Jane Austen Book Club. Thank you for putting together such a nice gathering place for the Austenesque community.

But to your question, I wanted Mr. Darcy to have a job, and one that clearly put him below Elizabeth without changing her status, so I selected shopkeeper. Once that decision was made, it seemed only logical that if Mr. Darcy was going to work in a shop all day and sell something, it would be books. Obviously, bookselling also creates an obvious tie in back to the Bennets. Plus, as an added bonus, it gives me every right to give him spectacles.

How has Jane Austen's work influenced your writing, and what drew you to explore variations of Pride and Prejudice?

I’ll answer the second part first. Renata McMann drew me to explore variations of Pride and Prejudice. She and I used to be in a writing class together. How she stumbled into this world, I’m not entirely certain but I believe she started with Abigail Reynolds, as everyone should, and as I did as well, with the exception of looking over Renata’s novellas for her. We had been in the writing class together for years, so when she decided to begin writing variations, she asked me to edit them for her.

I insisted she needed more emotion. She decided I should add it because she didn’t want to. Thus, a partnership was born.

So you see, I came to Austen’s work the wrong way round. I only read her work after Renata asked me to collaborate with her. I’d seen several movies, of course, but I had never read Jane Austen’s work. So, the first thing I did was put the complete works of Jane Austen on my kindle, and read them. Then I read The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds, and who wouldn’t be hooked at that point?

As to how Jane Austen’s writing influences mine, it’s safe to say that I do not attempt to imitate her writing style (because I would fail catastrophically). What I do try, and never fully master of course, is to capture some of her wit. Her ready banter. Her undertones of sarcasm. Those are all things I love and attempt to emulate.

The influence of Darcy's powerful relations and the absence of Darcy from Pemberley seem to add a layer of intrigue to the story. How do these elements contribute to the plot and the challenges faced by the characters?

So, this touches on the ‘big change’ in this book, to angle it away from Pride and Prejudice. In this variation, The Earl of Matlock, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, and George Darcy are alive. None of their wives are. The three, all powerful men, take the idea of Darcy and Anne de Bourgh marrying very seriously. It is escape from their insistence on that union that drove Darcy to become a bookseller.

This accomplishes several things. For one, it creates a sort of ‘hidden prince’ scenario, in that Darcy is secretly heir to a great estate, even though he appears to be a bookseller (and he does get a kiss shortly before transforming). The removal of Darcy from Pemberley also sets up a void in George Darcy’s and Georgiana’s lives, and I think we can all guess who cheerfully steps in to take Darcy’s place in any way he can.

 Mr. Darcy's Bookshop sounds like a delightful variation with laughter, love, and a happily ever after. Without giving away too much, can you share what readers can look forward to in the journey of Darcy and Elizabeth?

Readers can definitely look forward to a happily ever after. I would never take that away from them. In this variation, you can also expect a more competent, self-aware Darcy. I’ve written my share of the opposite, and I thought it might be nice to give Darcy a chance to be a better man for a change. He faces some internal obstacles, but in this variation most of his challenges are external.

In contrast, Elizabeth is a touch less sure of herself and has time for introspection.

Mr. Darcy's Bookshop offers a unique twist to the Pride and Prejudice narrative. How did you approach blending your own creative ideas with the established world and characters created by Jane Austen?

I did my utmost to keep the characters true to canon. The changes to them are the result of the changes to the plot, and how those changes would shape the canon characters. For example, this Bingley is less polished than usual, but that is because he hasn’t been under Darcy’s influence as they don’t even meet until the start of the book.

Now, of course the three powerful gentlemen had characters open to interpretation, which I did, making Matlock and George Darcy men accustomed to being powerful and obeyed. Sir Lewis is quite similar to Lady Catherine, on the assumption that they liked that about one another. He varies in one important way, however: how he raises their daughter. This alters Anne’s character greatly, but not if you go with the idea that she was always a bit of a malleable block of clay waiting to be molded by her mother. This Anne has simply been molded by her father instead.

The only other character I feel is greatly changed is Jane. She is a little less perfect than usual, perhaps because she is under the pressure of being the ‘big sister’ while she and Elizabeth are in London, and perhaps because she meets Mr. Bingley away from her family and so does not have to do her utmost to appear as not-silly as possible to counteract the impressions given by her mother and sisters. On top of that, she has already has the scare of nearly being engaged to Mr. Collins to motivate her husband hunting.

Given your love for Jane Austen's works, are there specific Pride and Prejudice moments or characters that you find particularly inspiring or that influenced your portrayal of Darcy and Elizabeth in Mr. Darcy's Bookshop?

Mr. Collins’ proposal is always one of my favorite moments. It is so painful and so horrendous. I like to work in variations of his attempts to marry a Bennet sister whenever I can, and have done so here. This definitely gives Elizabeth a moment to shine.

As for Darcy, I did not want to give up completely on his social blunders because I do find them enjoyable. So there are some sections of him interacting with his cousins that allow him to be more what, in this book, would be his youthful self, before his years in the bookshop helped him grow as a person.

What advice do you have for readers who are passionate about Jane Austen and enjoy exploring variations of her works?

Keep exploring. There are so many amazing variations out there by some many wonderful authors. Find what you like, of course, but keep exploring. And thank you for being readers!

Before we conclude, is there a particular aspect of Mr. Darcy's Bookshop that you think Jane Austen fans will find especially delightful or surprising?

I find Mr. Collins delightful in this book, but not surprising. There is an incident with a buzzard I am quite fond of, and one with kittens. There is also a brief nod to Lady Bertram, purely for my own amusement, and hopefully that of the readers.

Overall, Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop is definitely lighthearted, which does not mean it doesn’t have its weighty moments, of course, and there is also a splash of adventure. Mostly, I wanted lots of fun dialogue, especially between Elizabeth and Darcy.

And there is more kissing than usual, which is not saying much when it comes to me. Only kissing, though. The book still very much falls into the category of ‘sweet’ when it comes to the heat level, as readers can expect from me.

 Thank you, Summer, for giving us a glimpse into the world of your Mr. Darcy's Bookshop and for sharing your insights. We can't wait to discover more leafing through the pages of your latest creation.

Thank you, Maria Grazia, for hosting me here on My Jane Austen Book Club and for such wonderful questions. I hope you, and everyone, really enjoy Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cut off from his family’s fortune because he refuses to marry the woman his father has selected for him, Fitzwilliam Darcy takes up the only employment he deems tolerable, that of bookseller. Darcy is determined to support himself and to marry for love, but his powerful relations use their clout to keep customers and fashionable young ladies away. Worse, Darcy’s absence from Pemberley allows treachery to flourish.

Determined to see her older sister marry as well as possible, Elizabeth Bennet orchestrates their removal to London. Elizabeth isn’t searching for a husband of her own, but she is always looking for a good book. At a pleasant little bookshop in Cheapside, she finds plenty to read, and so much more. But should she give her heart to a bookseller and leave the life of a gently bred lady behind?

Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop asks what would happen if George Darcy and Sir Lewis de Bourgh had lived, and taken up their deceased wives’ quest to see Darcy and Anne wed. This is a lighthearted variation with laughter, love, a touch of villainy, and a happily ever after for our dear couple.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Summer Hanford writes gripping Epic Fantasy, swashbuckling Historical Romance, and best-selling Pride and Prejudice retellings. She lives in the Finger Lakes Region of New York with her husband and compulsory, deliberately spoiled, cats. The newest addition to their household, an energetic setter-shepherd mix, is (still) not appreciated by the cats but is well loved by the humans.

 While Summer’s education is in Experimental Psychology and Behavioral Neurology, her true passion has always been writing. As a child growing up on a dairy farm, she built castles made of hay and wielded swords made of fence posts. She is passionate about gardening, travel, and organizing her closet. Nothing pleases her more than a row of tops broken down by sleeve length and ordered by color, hung on corresponding hangers…except working on her latest novel.

 For more about Summer, visit www.summerhanford.com.

 Social Media Links

Website: https://summerhanford.com/ 

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Follow Links

Amazon: https://viewauthor.at/PridePrejudiceSummer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6627686.Summer_Hanford

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/summer-hanford

 Email: summer@summerhanford.com

 

GIVEAWAY

Win a copy of Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop! Visit: https://summerhanford.com/pride-and-prejudice-variations/giveaways/

 This giveaway is open to all, regardless of location, and will continue for one week, whereupon the winner will be announced and contacted. Thank you for entering!