A friendly meeting place to read and discuss anything Austen...
Hello, readers! It's a treat to be back at My Jane Austen Book
Club to share about my newest release. My eleventh novel, ‘Just Between
Us’ is available for pre-order, and at the end of this post I’ll be sharing
an excerpt from this Pride & Prejudice retelling….
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From the Author
For those unfamiliar with my work, I love reimagining Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, crafting new and captivating adventures for Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. With nearly fifty titles in my growing catalog, I’m always eager to explore fresh narratives that stay true to the heart of these beloved characters.
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In 1812, Elizabeth Bennet, eager for her first visit to the seaside, accompanies her beloved sister Jane and her new brother, Charles Bingley, to Ramsgate. Their retreat, the Lake House, offers an ideal location for Mrs. Bingley, whose delicate condition requires rest and care by the sea.
ABOUT THE BOOK
For centuries Jane Austen's
classic novel, Pride & Prejudice, has been dearly loved the
world over. However, few people know the truth about Mr. Darcy's closest
friend, the affable Mr. Bingley–who is much more than he appears on first
impression.
Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be is the previously untold story of a young man who unwittingly uncovers an evil cabal among the British Empire's aristocracy. Bingley confronts an enterprise so nefarious that he cannot help but act to redress it, even if it costs him his own reputation and the love of his life, the angelic Miss Jane Bennet.
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Hello and happy Sunday, dear readers! Today I'd like to invite you to step into a world where Regency elegance meets thrilling intrigue! In this upcoming release, Crime & Culpability: A Jane Austen Mystery Anthology, some of your favorite Austen characters find themselves entangled in captivating mysteries, with clues hidden beneath the surface of every story. Whether it’s Darcy investigating a murder or Emma Woodhouse solving an art heist, each tale invites you to join the sleuths and unravel the secrets within. Ready to discover how Austen’s timeless charm blends seamlessly with a dash of mystery? Scroll down and dive into this unique anthology where the game is afoot! MG x
Long before Bridgerton enchanted our screens, a young writer named Jane Austen was already setting hearts ablaze across England. Her timeless tales of love, societal expectations, and sisterhood continue to resonate today, and now, fans of Austen’s work have a new reason to rejoice.
What’s Happening at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey?
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) is bringing Austen’s beloved novel Sense and Sensibility to life with a stage adaptation by the acclaimed Jessica Swale. This production promises to overflow with humor, style, and the unmistakable wit of Austen herself.
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Dear Janeites,
Prepare yourselves for a new journey into the heart of Regency England with MJ Stratton's latest release, Thwarted. If you’ve ever wondered what might happen if Mr. Darcy faced an insurmountable obstacle in his pursuit of love, this novel is sure to delight and intrigue you.
MJ Stratton, a devoted aficionado of all things Austen, brings us a fresh and imaginative tale that seamlessly intertwines the beloved world of Pride and Prejudice with a tantalizing new twist.
Today I’m very glad to feature an exclusive
interview with Benjamin Fife, a seasoned narrator whose captivating voice
brings literature to life. He started his career in the world of narration from
a young age, honing his skills through dramatic readings and exploring a
diverse range of genres. Today, he is best known for his narration of Maria
Grace's Jane Austen’s Dragons series and is celebrated for his
versatility in tackling everything from Fantasy to Health and beyond.
Get ready for an insightful conversation with a
narrator who has mastered the delicate dance of bringing words to life through
the power of the spoken voice.
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IN WESTMINSTER’S HALLS: DARCY’S ABOLITIONIST ROMANCE
What inspired you to set the characters of Pride and
Prejudice against the backdrop of the British abolitionist movement?
I am one of those oddities: my favorite Austen book is Mansfield Park, at least when it comes to dealing with the social questions of Austen’s time. However, while I liked the thematics either overt or implied, in the book, I found the characters to be rather pale. However, that’s where P&P came in…Darcy and Elizabeth are dynamic. I also wanted to see how Mr. Bennet would act when principle forced him from his library.
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Thank you for having me at My Jane Austen Book Club! I am so happy
to be here to share my upcoming novel. Learning
to Love is a Pride and Prejudice
and Little Women crossover! In it,
Amy and Laurie keep up a lively correspondence and grow closer through their
letters.
We all know how digitized our world has become. I’m always texting, emailing, scrolling. As a writer, I used to write all my stories in notebooks. But I transitioned my writing from pen and paper to my laptop a few years ago. It’s more efficient (no more typing out what I’ve written) and I can type faster than I can write by hand.
Explore the world of Fitzwilliam Darcy like never before with Kelly Dean Jolley's new novel, Darcy's Struggle. This romantic and reflective story offers a fresh perspective on the classic tale, probing deep into Darcy's internal conflicts and emotions as he navigates his feelings for Elizabeth Bennet. In the following excerpt, we witness a pivotal moment where Darcy's perception of Elizabeth begins to shift, illuminating his struggle between intellect and heart.
Brilliant, sensitive, and private, Fitzwilliam Darcy finds himself
at the Meryton Assembly, consciously troubled by recent events in Ramsgate and
unconsciously troubled by himself. He insults Elizabeth Bennet, at whom
he has only glanced.
It is not until she appears at Netherfield—full of life, skirted in mud, and eager to attend to
her sick sister—that Darcy
truly looks at her. When he does, he knows she is the woman he has been
searching for, the elusive her of his heart. He falls for her
completely…despite her apparent unsuitability to be the Mistress of Pemberley
and his half-hearted efforts to convince himself he can live without her.
Shortly before Elizabeth leaves Netherfield,
Darcy apologizes for what he said at the Assembly. Will that apology and the
depth of his sudden but durable feelings give him hope with Elizabeth? Might
George Wickham’s arrival frustrate his hopes, especially after Darcy blunders
into a marriage proposal to Elizabeth?
Romantic, reflective, and ironic, this is a
story told from Darcy’s point of view, a story of the struggle from intellect
to heart—a deliberate character study and a delicate love
story.
Read an Excerpt
Darcy finally stopped staring.
It took
an act of will. Normally, Darcy had willpower in abundance. This time, it took
all he had.
When he
turned, Miss Bingley was staring at him. She had been staring at him staring at
Miss Elizabeth. He realized Miss Bingley had been aware of his staring since it
began—since Miss Elizabeth had entered Netherfield.
Bingley’s
sister always strained the world through his reactions, and he had forgotten
that. His reactions normally determined hers.
Behind
him, he heard Miss Elizabeth's voice, now fully contrite and containing no
trace of the challenge that had been in her eyes. She spoke softly to the
servants. “I am sorry. I tried to clean them before I knocked on the door and
believed I had, but the November mud is like glue.”
“It’s no
problem, ma’am,” one of the servants said, responding softly in kind.
Miss
Bingley turned as Darcy reached her, shaking her head in disapproval. “She walked here. What would she be about?”
Darcy
glanced at her, but only after he finally looked away from Miss Elizabeth. “She
has come to help care for her sister. An errand of kindness.”
She went
on shaking her head.
Tolerable?
Darcy
could now hear the question in his voice—in foro interno, as it
were: the voice of conscience.
Did I
say that? Was I that insensible? That inattentive? That
mistaken?
He
replayed the scene at the Assembly in his memory again. He had noticed Miss
Elizabeth before Bingley pointed her out, and he had glanced at her several
times during and after his exchange with him. But Darcy had not actually paid
attention to her—he had noticed the peculiar brightness of her eyes, and that
was all.
Tolerable?
Like saying Shakespeare had a minor gift for phrases.
He had
seen her now—truly seen her—and he would not judge so poorly again. She might
have inadvertently trailed mud into Netherfield, but she had also brought life
into it.
“Go and
sit down, Mr. Darcy. Join the others.” Although Miss Bingley managed a faint
smile, her tone was tense, hovering between request and command. “I will go
back and see that Miss Eliza finds her way to Jane's room. The apothecary
remains there.”
He nodded.
He did not glance back at Miss Elizabeth until Miss Bingley was walking toward
her and could not see.
When he
entered the drawing room, he realized his hands were clammy.
It was a new sensation.
***
His personal copy of Johnson's Rambler was
open on Darcy's lap and his eyes were fixed on the page, but he managed to read
nothing.
He
remained distracted.
Miss
Elizabeth. Her. Her?
Darcy
had never had any patience for those who believed that regard, love, could
spring from a first interview or show itself before two words had been
exchanged. A fantasy.
He had
always believed, to the contrary, that love was the result of less interesting
but more promising modes of attachment: knowledge of character, esteem—or even,
perhaps, gratitude. These were trustworthy foundations of love.
If any
love was possible before two words had been exchanged, it would have to be love
without knowledge of character or love without esteem, a house built on sand,
the result of passion outstripping virtue, taking reason hostage.
His
parents had loved and esteemed one another, learning to do so during a long
courtship, and their example of wedded harmony had shaped Darcy's hopes,
creating his understanding of connubial bliss.
He knew
Christopher Marlowe’s lines—Where both deliberate, the love is slight: Who
ever loved, that loved not at first sight?—but he rejected them. He
expected a deliberate love, like his parents’. A fine, stout love, solidly
three-dimensional, capable of withstanding the contradictions and varieties of
life.
As a
result, he had never imagined meeting her as involving
immediate recognition, of a vision with sudden, compulsive power. He had expected
to come to know her as her, as the woman, slowly,
over time, after first discovering that she satisfied his demands for her
situation and connections, that she was eligible. Eligible for
Pemberley. Perhaps she would even have a title. Only then could he begin to
ascertain whether she was the woman for whom he was searching.
Unfortunately, all the eligible women he had so far met had quickly proven not to be the woman he was looking for.
He had
not known what she looked like, but experience had taught him a great deal
about what she did not look like. The words of one of his Cambridge tutors came
to mind: “Plato asks the question that became the Learner’s Paradox. If you
don't know what you are searching for, how can you recognize it when you find
it, and if you do know, why is searching necessary? Either way, learning seems
impossible.”
But when
Miss Elizabeth tracked muddily into Netherfield with November on her hair and
in the color of her cheeks, eyes aflame, what Darcy saw had sudden, compulsive
power. She was herself a lesson. It was her. He had not known who
he was searching for, yet he knew it was she.
But it could not be. She was ineligible.
Did you enjoy this excerpt? Grab your copy then and immerse yourself in this delicate love story and character study, where every glance and gesture holds significance. Darcy's Struggle is a tale of transformation and self-discovery, perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice and anyone who enjoys a deep, introspective romance. Don't miss out on this compelling new release!
Amazon Universal Buy Link
About the Author
Kelly Dean Jolley, a professor at Auburn University, has penned several novels. His first, Big Swamp, is a detective novel, which he followed with a Christmas mystery, The Vanishing Woman. He also composed a book of poetry, Stony Lonesome.
Using the pseudonym Newton Priors, he released three additional novels: Balter (A Retelling of Pride and Prejudice), Tides of Bath (A Retelling of Persuasion), and a Western, Heaven and Hell: A Romance.
Professor Jolley has made contributions to many academic publications as well. He is the author of The Concept 'Horse' Paradox and Wittgensteinian Conceptual Investigations, the editor of Wittgenstein: Key Concepts, and has published over forty academic articles. He is a past Alumni Professor and currently the Goodwin-Philpott Endowed Chair in Religion and Professor of Philosophy.
Contact Information
Coming Soon from Kelly Dean Jolley and Meryton
Press
Pride, Prejudice, and Pretense
(A spy novel, a romance, and a character study)
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Welcome to My Jane Austen Book Club! Today, we have the pleasure of hosting MJ Stratton, author of the captivating Sense and Sensibility variation, "What Ought to Have Been." In this intriguing tale, Stratton invites readers to explore a world where the Dashwood sisters take fate into their own hands, seeking justice and redemption amidst the challenges of love and society.
Welcome, Austen Admirers! Today, we have a
special treat for you as we welcome the talented author Elizabeth Famous to our
cozy corner of the internet. With her recent publication, Pemberley Beach, a contemporary
reimagining of Jane Austen’s timeless classic Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth
has captivated readers with her fresh take on beloved characters and themes.
We invite you to join us in exploring Elizabeth’s creative process, her love for Austen’s work, and the delightful twists and turns she introduces in Pemberley Beach. This interview is not just a conversation between author and interviewer; it’s an invitation for all of you to participate. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and favourite Austen moments in the comments section below. After all, what’s better than discussing literature with fellow enthusiasts? So, brew a cup of tea, settle into your favourite reading nook, and Elizabeth Famous as she shares insights into her literary world and her passion for all things Austen.
I’m here today celebrating a double book
release! A Little Bit Foolish is a collection of Pride and Prejudice
April Fool’s stories, and Swipe Right for Mr. Darcy is a modern
retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
In 2021, I began a new tradition of releasing a new comedy story on April Fool’s Day with my short story Unconventional, an Austentatious Comedy that Defies Expectations! The following year, I wrote An Unexpected Party. Last year, my plans for a short story were interrupted by the release of my full-length variation A Favorable Impression, and thus I did not complete an April Fool’s story in 2023. Therefore, this year, I decided to release a whole collection, including 3 brand-new stories!
Dear Austen Admirers,
Are you ready to dive back into the enchanting world of Jane Austen's beloved characters? Brace yourselves because a new exciting journey awaits as we're on the brink of revealing the cover for "Crossroads", a collection of four new novellas by MJ Stratton. Here we go!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Jane Fairfax knows she is truly fortunate. Most orphans face lives of hardship, whereas she was adopted by doting surrogate parents who elevated her place in society and love her as their own. Yet even they cannot shield her from the grim realities of life without a suitable marriage. In moments of despair, Jane comforts herself with a well-worn memory: that of a young man whose kind words when they were children once soothed her heartbreak. But now that boy has grown into a dashing gentleman―and their lives could not be more distant. Frank Churchill is a prisoner of his station. His inheritance is held in the balance by his demanding aunt, and the weight of her expectations is suffocating him. But when a chance encounter brings the lovely Miss Fairfax back into his life, he discovers what it is to truly live. As the pair secretly become acquainted amid the confines of society’s strict rules, their friendship blossoms into love. But in a world ruled by unyielding traditions, endeavoring to build a life together would mean inviting a scandal that would shake the very foundation of the ton.
