Today’s Inspiration Award goes to Anna Elliott!
Anna is the author of the Twilight of Avalon Trilogy (book three comes out this September), and she has recently gone the indie route with the publication of her new book Georgiana Darcy’s Diary. Welcome Anna!
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I’ve read Pride and Prejudice many, many times, and seen the various movie adaptations more times than I can even begin to count. (Colin Firth is my favorite Mr. Darcy!). I love Elizabeth and Darcy’s love story, of course–it’s a testament to Jane Austen’s genius that it truly stands the test of time and feels as compelling now as it did 200 years ago. And yet, strangely, it’s always been Georgiana Darcy’s character that stays with me the longest, each time I read the book or watch one of the films.
Georgiana’s character is almost a plot device in the book–proof of Wickham’s villainy, since he tried to seduce her when she was only fifteen. She’s described as ‘exceedingly shy’ and we never actually hear her speak a single line; any dialogue she has is summarized by the narrator. And yet I’ve always wanted to know more about her–how did she really feel about George Wickham? What was it like growing up as Mr. Darcy’s younger sister? And most important of all, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what might have happened to her after the close of Pride and Prejudice. Did she ever find her own happily-ever-after?
Georgiana Darcy’s Diary was born out of all my wondering. I chose a diary format to tell Georgiana’s story, first because I’d never written a diary form novel before, and wanted to challenge myself to master the form. But mostly that was just how I heard Georgiana’s voice in my head: a shy girl, pouring herself onto the pages of the private journal that—at the beginning of the story, at least– serves as her only real confidant.
I absolutely loved writing Georgiana Darcy’s Diary, and I hope fellow Jane Austen lovers will enjoy spending a little more time in the Pride and Prejudice world.
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Mr. Darcy’s younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after…
The year is 1814, and it’s springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.
Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy’s fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she secretly cares for will never love her in return. Georgiana’s domineering aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has determined that Georgiana shall marry, and has a list of eligible bachelors in mind. But which of the suitors are sincere, and which are merely interested in Georgiana’s fortune? Georgiana must learn to trust her heart-and rely on her courage, for she also faces the return of the man who could ruin her reputation and spoil a happy ending, just when it finally lies within her grasp.
Check out Anna’s blog and her other books: http://annaelliottbooks.com/
Georgiana Darcy’s Diary is available at Barnes and Noble: Georgiana Darcy’s Diary Amazon US: Georgiana Darcy’s Diary and Amazon UK: Georgiana Darcy’s Diary
And thanks to Suzanne Tyrpak for my own Inspiration Award. You can find her at: http://ghostplanestory.blogspot.com/2011/04/big-thank-to-my-fellow-author-and.html
Thanks so much for having me, Sarah!
Truly, my pleasure 🙂