Amy Cecil ~ Answers Our Questions For Authors

Amy Cecil ~ Answers Our Questions For Authors

Our Grateful Thanks To Amy Cecil for Answering Our Questions For Authors

1) Your own favorite Austen character and why?

Mr. Darcy, definitely. I know when I read about or watch a fictional character, I put him (or her) up against my ideas of perfection. We all know that as human beings, none of us are perfect, but when we are dealing with a fictional person, they can be as perfect as we want them to be. Therefore, Fitzwilliam Darcy is my idea of the perfect man. Now, do not get me wrong, we all know he has his faults; 

however, the man has so much more. He is, above all (including his good looks), honest and honorable. He acknowledges his faults and makes every effort to correct them. He is devoted to his one true love and places her above all. Need I say more?

2) Your Favorite Austen Book?

Pride and Prejudice

3) Which actor would you choose to be YOUR Mr. Darcy and why?

I know there is much debate about Colin Firth and Matthew McFayden and I truly do not intend to debate that here. However, I have to say that I cannot think of any other actor playing the role of Mr. Darcy than Matthew McFayden. To me, he showed a softer, more vulnerable side to the character while at the same time displaying his arrogance. When I think of Mr. Darcy and when I write of Mr. Darcy, it is Matthew McFayden I see.

4) Who would be your perfect Elizabeth?

I think Keira Knightly has captured my idea of Elizabeth perfectly. She has all her spunk and wit that Ms. Austen described in her book, but she adds just a bit more to the character. Now, if I was to pick any actress, I think it would have been a real treat to see Vivien Leigh portraying Elizabeth. Can you imagine a combination of Scarlett O’Hara and Elizabeth Bennet all tied into one, very formidable woman?

5) Your favorite book of all time by any author?

This is a tough question, cause I love so many books, it would be too hard to pick just one. If I were to pick my top five, they would be:  Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, The Harry Potter Series (yes, all of them, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was my absolute favorite), Persuasion and on the more tragic side, Anna Karenina.

6) Your favorite Austen film or TV adaptation?

I would have to say that based on my responses above, this is pretty obvious. Definitely the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice.

7) You are having a dinner party and can invite four Austen characters, who would they be?

The exclusive dinner party would consist of Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Colonel Brandon and Captain Wentworth.

8) Why have you chosen them?

Four very handsome and attractive men, must I explain? Seriously, I am hoping that the two colonels and the captain will be occupied in their discussions, which would leave Mr. Darcy all to myself!

9) Which character would you like to play in a film?

Elizabeth Bennet, definitely, but only if I am play opposite Matthew McFayden.

10) Tell us about your next planned book?

My next book is to be released in 2013 and it is called Relentless Considerations. Think of a situation when you have wanted something so badly but duty and honor cause you to hesitate. Then, you finally decided that your happiness comes before duty and honor, only to find (or to think that you found) that someone else has beaten you to it.   Amy Cecil

Questions For Authors ~ P.O. Dixon Replies

Questions For Authors ~ P.O. Dixon Replies

Our Thanks To P.O Dixon for Answering our “Questions For Authors” Questions

1) Your own favorite Austen character and why?

My favorite character is Mr Darcy. As a man of his time, he is just what a wealthy gentleman of aristocratic bearing ought to be.

2) Your Favorite Austen book?

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austen book. My second favorite is Lady Susan.

3) Which actor would you choose to be YOUR Mr Darcy and why?

When I close my eyes and envision Mr Darcy, it is always Matthew Macfadyen that I see. I have tried to picture other actors but with little success. I owe my discovery of Pride and Prejudice to Matthew’s portrayal of Darcy. I suppose it is fitting that no one can take his place in my mind.

4) Who would be your perfect Elizabeth?

Likewise, Keira Knightly is my choice as the perfect Elizabeth. I can see why she was nominated for an award for her portrayal of the literary heroine. I loved her performance.

5) Your favorite book of all time by any author?

After giving this some thought, and with so many literary greats from which to choose, I must leave this question unanswered.

6) Your favorite Austen film or TV adaption?

My favorite is the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film.

7) You are having a dinner party and can invite four Austen characters which would they be?

The invitees would be Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennet, and Caroline Bingley.

8) Why have you chosen them?

Lady Catherine is set in her ways. She is awfully proud of her own opinions and with good reason. Who else is as proficient as she is in arranging the lives of others? She would be astounded by the clueless wit of Miss Emma Woodhouse, astonished by the audacity of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and appalled by the pretentiousness of Miss Caroline Bingley.

The evening would be quite diverting. I believe Emma and Elizabeth would emerge from the dinner party unscathed but alas, I pity poor Caroline.

9) Which character would you like to play in a Pride and Prejudice film?

I have no acting ambition but if forced to make a decision it would be Elizabeth. No one else enjoys the enviable position of winning Mr Darcy’s hand.

10) Tell us about your next planned book (whether Austen related or not)?

My current work-in-progress is titled Matter of Trust. Darcy and Elizabeth, our beloved couple, endure a forced marriage scenario of sorts. In a rare departure for me, George Wickham enjoys a particularly prominent role. An intriguing new character is introduced, as well. Readers are welcome to follow my Pinterest board or my blog spot for progress updates. 

I am truly excited about Matter of Trust. Its release date is late Autumn 2012.

Interview With An Author – Karen Wasylowski

Interview With An Author – Karen Wasylowski

Karen V. Waslowski’s Website

Karen V. Wasylowski, author of “Darcy and Fitzwilliam, a tale of a gentleman and and officer”

1) Your own favorite Austen character and why?

Karen:  Lady Catherine de Bourgh is certainly one of my favorites and a very misunderstood character to be sure. The older that I get the more I understand her irritation with the youngsters around her and their new fangled ideas about love and romance. She is so very pompous and so opinionated that she borders on the laughable and that’s how I see her – an eccentric old aunt about whom everyone must…up with put. (Can’t end a sentence with a preposition, you know.)

2) Your Favorite Austen book?

Karen:  Pride and Prejudice is nearly perfect in my mind. There is something about the elegant, handsome, superior male being brought to his knees by the clever, witty, and very beloved female that is very satisfying to behold. Darcy’s second proposal is tender and human and Elizabeth’s new found love and respect for him (and Pemberley) is poignant. All the characters are so normal – I can see sitting down with any one of them (except Reverend Collins) and enjoying a nice chat.

3) Which actor would you chose to be YOUR Mr. Darcy and why?

Karen:   That’s a real puzzler. I loved Colin Firth in the mini-series and enjoyed watching his falling in love with Elizabeth. However, I did enjoy Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal also. There was a defensive shyness about Darcy with Macfadyen where Colin’s was more of a pride of his position.

4) Who would be your perfect Elizabeth?

Karen:  I hated Kiera Knightley’s look in the 2005 movie, as compared to Jennifer Ehle. Kiera looked like an unmade bed half the time where Jennifer looked perfect. In reflection though the Bennet’s were poor gentility so their clothes and their home would be rather shabby and they would not have the finest of maids to do hair. Aside from that Kiera just glowed as Lizzy. She was lit from within – a cliché that just seems to apply to her in all of her movies.

5) Your favorite book of all time by any author?

Karen:  Hands down – Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

6) Your favorite Austen film or TV adaption?

Karen:  I loved the 2005 movie of Pride and Prejudice for the actors. I enjoyed the mini-series much more however because it followed the book so closely. There were times in the movie it was even hard to understand what they said, and the story had been manipulated and so much was left out. Of course, it was a movie so they had to edit. I also loved Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility, especially the scene where she finds out Edward isn’t married. I cry every time she does. And Persuasion is the most romantic of all, with Anne and Wentworth finally together at the end.

7) You are having a dinner party and can invite four Austen characters which would they be?

Karen:  Aunt Catherine, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Wentworth

8. Why have you chosen them?

Karen:  Darcy and Wentworth are the most romantic of Austen’s men in my view, and I love Colonel Fitzwilliam from my own book, Darcy and Fitzwilliam. I took Austen’s few words about his affability and charm and he emerged into a full blown character in my mind, trouble is I forget that other people don’t see him as I do. Aunt Catherine would need to attend so the men don’t suspect that I am a stalker.

9) Which character would you like to play in a film?

Karen:   Lady Catherine – can’t you tell? I get a kick out of her, besides I am too old to be an ingénue.

10) Tell us about your next planned book (whether Austen related or not)?

Karen:  I have begun a continuation of Darcy and Fitzwilliam with the two cousins’ now married and fathers and both seemingly headed for Parliament. The tentative title is “A Parliament of Owls.” 

I also have a more contemporary story started about a horrible first date.

More from Karen Waslowski Here

A Big Thank You To Karen

If you are an Author and would like to Be Included In ‘Questions To Authors ‘- Click on the Questions To Authors link at the top of the page and go for it! 

Interview With An Author – Regina Jeffers

Interview With An Author – Regina Jeffers

Regina Jeffers Website

1) Your own favorite Austen character and why?

Regina:  I have lived with and loved Mr. Darcy since I was twelve years of age. It is not likely that I would desert him now. I think the act that solidified my admiration for Darcy was that out of respect for his father, he kept Wickham’s miniature displayed at Pemberley. He does not possess the implacable resentment of which Elizabeth accuses him. He is a man of honor.

2) Your Favorite Austen book?

Regina:  Needless to say, Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book – although I have a strong preference for Persuasion, as well.

3) Which actor would you chose to be YOUR Mr Darcy and why?

Regina:  Matthew Macfadyen has been my favorite actor long before he played Darcy in 2005. I took a liking to him in Perfect Strangers and in Warriors. Actually, his smile at the end of Wuthering Heights caught my attention before he had leading roles.

4) Who would be your perfect Elizabeth?

Regina:  I have said this previously in another blog. It is terrible to say. I easily imagine certain actors taking on the roles of the characters in my books, but I never imagine certain actresses assuming the lead roles. I see them as ordinary women – with foibles and flaws.

5) Your favorite book of all time by any author?

Regina:  That is a difficult question to answer. I have “different” favorites at different times in my life. As a young teen, I marveled at the ingenuity found in Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. In college, I took a liking to Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. My mother and I read Ronald Joseph’s trilogy The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory together. I love it for sentimental reasons. While in college, my son took Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and made me a book with his pictures instead of those from the original illustrator. 

When I taught school, I loved teaching Chinese Cinderella (Adeline Yen Mah), The Songcatcher (Sharyn McCrumb), Welcome to Vietnam (Zack Emerson), Heroes (Robert Cormier), The Little Foxes (Lillian Hellman), God’s Favorite (Neil Simon), Dark of the Moon (Howard Richardson) and The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien). Each had an important message.

6) Your favorite Austen film or TV adaptation?

Regina:  I refuse to argue which is the better version of Pride and Prejudice; both have their redeeming qualities. My preference is Persuasion 1995. It comes the closest to what I saw in my head when I first read Austen’s work.

7-8) You are having a dinner party and can invite four Austen characters which would they be? Why have you chosen them?

Regina:  

Henry Tilney – Having spent 40 years in the public classrooms of three different states, Tilney’s teacher-ish qualities appeal to me. Catherine is but 17 years of age. I am used to dealing with those of a like age. I could share my insights with him.

Charles Bingley – Mr. Bingley represents the rising middle class. He is from a “respectable family in the north of England. I would choose him for his affability. With Mr. Bingley, conversation would never lapse. Plus, I feel a certain affinity with the man. His family worked hard to rise to a better way of life.

Mr. Knightley – This man most consistently maintains the image of a “gentleman” among Austen’s characters. He converses well and is not averse to doing so with those below him in both social and economic situations. He is sensitive to the needs of others. Possibly, Henry Tilney might learn something from Mr. Knightley on how to handle immature young ladies.

Fitzwilliam Darcy – I would like an evening to match wits with Mr. Darcy – an evening when he was not focusing his energies on Elizabeth Bennet. I would enjoy “capping” one of his caustic remarks with one of my own.

(Oh, my Goodness! It would be four gentlemen and I. How outrageous!!!)

9) Which character would you like to play in a film?

Regina:   I am certain that I would fit none of Austen’s characters. I am a lead, follow, or get out of my way type of person, which would send me in the direction of Lady Catherine, but I am too romantic to be like the great lady.

10) Tell us about your next planned book (whether Austen related or not).

Regina: In October 2012, Ulysses Press will release Christmas at Pemberley, which is a festive holiday novel in which personal rivalries are resolved, generosity rediscovered and family bonds renewed. That will be followed by a P&P mystery after the first of the year. 

I am self-publishing the next two books in my Realm series. These follow The Scandal of Lady Eleanor and are entitled A Touch of Velvet and A Touch of Cashémere. I hope release them on eBook later next week, along with a novella about Adam Lawrence from The Phantom of Pemberley.

More from Regina

And Here

And Here

A Big Thank You To Regina.

If you are an Author and would like to Be Included In ‘Questions To Authors ‘- Click on the Questions To Authors link at the top of the page and go for it! 

Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sharon Latham

Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sharon Latham

Two Shall Become One

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continues...

Sharon Latham in her forward says that she had never read Pride and Prejudice when she went to see the 2005 adaption with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

She says she came out sporting a heart swelling with romantic sentiment and warm fuzzy feelings running amok.

And that is exactly what this book is. Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy (two shall become one), it’s a good sized book at 309 pages.

It covers the time from the wedding for six months until May.

It chronicles every caress, every kiss, every lingering look and every steaming interlude of which there are very, very many.

Christmas and mistletoe adding a helping hand.

Unusually in this version  Darcy and Lizzy are both virgins on their wedding  and learn together as the weeks pass.

The only exciting plot line in the story does not happen until page 241.

So if you like loads of Romance and are not worried about lots of action you will enjoy reading this.

The story just focuses on Lizzy and Darcys growing love and affection all the other familiar characters are secondary and most don’t even put in an appearance in this book which is centered at Pemberly as they start their married life together, totally infatuated with each other.

So, now it’s onto the next installment ‘Loving Mr Darcy’ where they head to London for their first season as Man and Wife.

http://www.sharonlathan.net/

My Mr Darcy Story

My Mr Darcy Story

I was lucky enough to grow up and go to school in Winchester, Hampshire, England, the very city to which Jane Austen went once she was ill and in need of medical help.

She was buried in Winchester Cathedral, a place I was lucky enough to visit on many occasions, such a majestic place.

I was at a School called Queens Meade, and just across the road was Montgomery the boys school where my brother Guyon went to school. In my brothers class was a chap called Colin Firth, yes THAT Colin Firth.

There I was just over the road and although I met many of my brothers school friends I do not recall ever meeting Colin, which is probably a good thing because it would have spoilt the effect if I had known him as a spotty kid.

Now, I know the purist among you hate the films and TV series being equated with the book, but once you have an image in your head it is there.

So, I could not have Laurence Olivier as Mr Darcy as he is already my Max De Winter from Rebecca.

Colin Firth from the 1994 BBC mini series got me through my piles of ironing on a Sunday afternoon.

I really, really hate ironing on a Sunday afternoon, so I saved it up and treated myself to the whole series, while I slogged through.

I so, don’t miss the days of 3 lots of school uniforms and sports kits and a husband that wore shirts and suits everyday.

And, as for Mr Matthew McFadyen he’s cute, but he does not look much older than my son and also a little more sulky than brooding if you ask me.

There will be others I am sure and I await them eagerly but in the mean time it’s still Colin for me.