Your new novel, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, is steeped in the Gothic tradition of the Brontës. As someone who has written extensively about both Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, how do you think their storytelling styles compare, and where does your own writing fit within that literary landscape?
I am such a huge fan of Jane Austen and Charlotte
Brontë’s work! They are very different, however, most markedly in their tone and subject
matter. Austen, who is known for her
wit, satire, and subtle irony, mainly depicts the lives of the English upper
class, focusing on social commentary, proper
behavior, and comparatively lighthearted romance. Brontë on the other hand usually explores the experiences of
working-class women and explores darker, more dramatic themes of social
injustice, deep passions, and internal conflicts, often including Gothic elements.
As history and
the reading public have shown, there is great admiration for both of these
kinds of stories! My goal as an author is to write books that fit somewhere in
between, retaining my favorite aspects of both styles and genres, to hopefully
create a wonderful and immersive experience that keeps readers turning pages
and introduces them to characters who touch their hearts.
Your heroine, Diana Taylor, is described as “bright and spirited”—qualities that certainly bring to mind Austen’s leading ladies. Did you find any inspiration for her character in Austen’s heroines, or do you see her as a wholly Brontë-esque creation?
Jane Austen’s “bright and spirited” heroines are so charming and well-drawn that I think I can’t help but infuse their finest qualities, as well as some of their flaws, into all my own main characters. (Every character needs a flaw, after all—a way for them to learn and grow and change.)
However, the heroine of The
Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, Diana Taylor,
was also inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, a strong-willed young woman
and an early feminist, as well as another character in that novel—Jane’s
cousin, Diana Rivers, with whom Jane takes refuge during the last part of the book.
Governesses play a significant role in Brontë’s novels, often serving as figures of independence and resilience. What drew you to making Diana a governess, and how does her role shape the themes of the novel?
In Jane Eyre, Diana
Rivers and her sister—both resilient, compassionate, intelligent women—were
born into a well-to-do family but were obliged to become governesses when their
father lost his fortune in a bad investment. I thought that was an interesting
backstory for a character. In the final chapter of Jane Eyre, we are informed
that Diana Rivers married a captain in the Royal Navy, “a gallant officer and a
good man.” I wondered: how did that romance come about? This sparked the inspiration for
the heroine in The Mysteries
of Pendowar Hall. In an homage to Jane Eyre, I named my main character Diana
Taylor, and she becomes a governess at an ancient manor house, working for a
brooding gentleman with “a past.” Apart from this, the storylines are
completely different … this is a murder mystery, after all … however, just for
fun, a careful reader will find a few “Easter eggs” and loving little tributes
to Jane Eyre sprinkled
throughout the book.
In true Gothic
suspense form, I sent Diana Taylor on a mission to solve a murder that puts her
own life in peril. Diana’s presence at Pendowar Hall as a governess gives her
the ability to quietly investigate the family, their history, their neighbors,
and the house itself. I wanted the pupil in Diana’s care to present another
mystery, so I gave the brilliant Miss Emma Fallbrook a learning difficulty that
was quite mysterious in 1849. I hope readers enjoy following Diana’s quest to
solve both the murder mystery and to find a way to help the young student in
her care.
Pendowar Hall, with its secrets, legends, and eerie atmosphere, feels like the perfect setting for a Victorian Gothic mystery. How did you go about crafting such a vivid and suspenseful world?
Ever
since I was a girl, when I discovered Jane
Eyre by Charlotte Brontë in the school library, along with the
novels of Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Victoria Holt, I have been in
love with Gothic suspense. I devoured these authors’ novels, entranced by the
thrilling atmosphere, the twists and turns of the page-turning plots, the
intriguing characters, and the romance—always the romance. Later, I became
addicted to murder mysteries, especially the novels of Agatha Christie.
As
an author, until now, I’ve mainly written historical fiction and romance. But
all my life, I’ve been hankering to return to my first loves, Gothic romantic
suspense and murder mysteries, and to write a series set in nineteenth-century
England, my happy place. It has been such a labor of love to write these
novels!
To
create the suspenseful world of The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, I included
as many of the classic tropes of the Gothic mystery as possible, such as:
· Setting
in an ancient manor house
Isolation
Weather
Supernatural
or inexplicable events
Romance
Byronic
hero/burdened male protagonist
Atmosphere
of mystery
Dreams
Death
A
ghost
Darkness
Damsel
in distress. (Although my damsel usually rescues herself.)
You’ve written about both Austen and Brontë before, and now you’re launching a new series centred around a sisterhood of bold, unconventional women. What can readers expect from The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire, and how does it reflect the legacy of 19th-century female authors?
The heroines in The Audacious
Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire
are indeed bold and unusual women. They have never forgotten their mother’s favorite
saying, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” As grown women, when they
encounter a circumstance that seems wrong, they are unwilling to accept what
they’re told at face value and become determined to investigate.
I hope fans of Jane Austen, the Brontës, Gothic
mystery and suspense, and romance will enjoy this series. They can expect fun,
page-turning rides as they follow smart, audacious women who will stop at
nothing to uncover the truth—with a heart-thumping romance along the way.
Your novels often weave together romance, history, and mystery—three genres that continue to fascinate readers. What is it about this combination that excites you as a writer?
I love a book that grabs me from the first page and
raises questions that I must learn the answers to. Whether it’s a mystery or a romance,
or a combination of both, I’m excited to set a story in the past. I adore
historical fiction because to me, it’s like time traveling, a chance to research,
investigate, and experience a world that captures my imagination but no longer
exists.
I’m delighted to invite readers into the Victorian world of the Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire, which begins with book 1, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, soon to be followed by The Secrets of Thorndale Manor and Danger at Darkmoor Park. It’s my goal to write novels that are difficult to put down, and a thrill to bring each story to life. I hope that readers will get lost in the pages, eager to find out what happens next!
She vowed to solve a
murder.
Now she’s in danger of
losing her heart … and her very life.
Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited
governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honour
a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was
behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a
mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic
but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to
recover from an injury.
As Diana investigates, her feelings
for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar
Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s
Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to
the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What
secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her
heart?
He looks to be entranced by Diana,
even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last
nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into
terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can
discover the truth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SYRIE JAMES is the author of 14 critically acclaimed novels of
historical fiction, romance, mystery and suspense, and young adult
including The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, Nocturne, The Secret Diaries of
Charlotte Brontë, and Dracula My Love that have been
international, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and are published in
more than 20 languages. Her books have been Library Journal Editor's
Picks of the Year, received starred reviews from Publisher's
Weekly and Kirkus, and won numerous awards including the Audiobook
Audie, the Women's National Book Association Great Group Read, Romantic Read of
the Week (Barnes and Noble), Best Novel of the Year (Romance Reviews), and Best
Snowbound Romance (BookBub).
A member of the Writers Guild of
America, Sisters in Crime, Dramatist's Guild, Historical Novel Society, and
Jane Austen Society of North America, Syrie has sold many scripts to film and
TV, addressed organizations and literary conferences across the U.S. and in
Canada, England, and Australia, and her stage plays been produced across North
America .
Syrie James at My Jane Austen Book Club
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