IS THERE ANY HOPE OF REDEMPTION FOR GEORGE WICKHAM? LILY BERNARD ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS ON THE PROTAGONIST OF HER "NEW BEGINNINGS"

Rupert Friend as Wickham in P&P 2005

Wickham is the protagonist of Lily Bernard’s “New Beginnings” . What’s your opinion on dashing George Wickham? Compare yours to Lily’s opinion reading my interview with her especially focused on the character we all love to hate while reading Pride and Prejudice.

1. In your novel Wickham’s aim in life is to revenge against Darcy. Is he even more wicked than in the original version of the story, then? 

Yes, during the course of the story we learn that he is much more wicked than he was in the original. Besides his usual complaints (not having the respect, social standing or wealth that Darcy does), he

vows to destroy Darcy because Wickham believes Darcy is solely responsible for death of his betrothed. He is the protagonist when the story begins but for the remainder of the book he is mentioned only in the context of the ramifications of his prior activities.

CATHERINE BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR GUEST POST: TRANSITIONING FROM KITTY TO CATHERINE

I was asked about Kitty’s transformation in my latest release, CATHERINE: Pride & Prejudice continued… Book Two. At first, I was a bit flummoxed. You see, I never thought of my story in that manner. However, having mulled about this for a few days I came to the realization that this is exactly what I did.

Let me start in this manner. As I wrote the book I was very careful to portray Catherine’s POV (point of view) as being Kitty. When you think of Pride & Prejudice, this is how everyone saw her. Kitty Bennet who followed Lydia in all things. Kitty Bennet who was a silly girl. Kitty Bennet who coughed too much (thank you, Mrs. Bennet for that one). Her character was never fully developed and all we know from original canon ending that she became ‘less irritable, less ignorant, and less insipid’. Oh my.

VICTORIA GROSSACK, IN DEFENSE OF LADY CATHERINE

The older I get, the more I like Lady Catherine. This is partly because, as an ageing woman, I have more sympathy for other older women. Older women are often mocked in fiction: dismissed as silly, no longer beautiful, and frequently poor. Even Jane Austen was not beyond ridiculing them – think of Miss Bates and of Lady Bertram – but Austen also treated many with respect, even when her characters do not (Marianne Dashwood is extremely rude to Mrs. Jenkinson, and Emma is impatient with Miss Bates).

Lady Catherine may be proud, but that is something to be expected of a woman who is the daughter of an earl and the mistress of Rosings Park. And she has, in my opinion, many admirable character traits.

LONGBOURN, FOR REALZ!

Canadian author, Tara Rout,  launches an ambitious Kickstarter campaign to buy Longbourn, or Luckington Court, which is up for sale in the U.K. The property is famous for its appearance in the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice. The property may have captured the attention of Prince Harry, who is believed to have an interest in buying the home.

MARIA GRACE: PRIDE, PREJUDICE & BRITISH MYTHOLOGY + GIVEAWAY

Two of my favorite books as a child were a huge illustrated book of world mythology and an equally huge anthology of fairy tales. I read those stories over and over despite the fact that many of them were rather gruesome with less than happy endings. (Hmmm … That just might be the source of my penchant for happily-ever-afters in my own writing.) So it shouldn’t be surprising that fantastical creatures have always run rampant in my imagination.