Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Jeanna Ellsworth...some promises are meant to be broken!

Jeanna Ellsworth, debut author of Mr. Darcy's Promise, is my guest this week. Her answers to my interview questions are diverting, entertaining and touching. Her honesty and openness are to be admired. I greatly enjoyed reading your answers and getting to know you better. Thank you for sharing your loves, your thoughts and your innermost feelings. 

There is a giveaway so be sure to read about it at the bottom of the post! Please join me in welcoming Jeanna Ellsworth.

        1.  How and when did you become interested in Jane Austen and Pride    & Prejudice?

I’ve liked Pride and Prejudice for many years but I admit I preferred to watch the movie until my sister, KaraLynne Mackrory (author of Falling for Mr. Darcy and Bluebells in the Mourning), would send me her chapters as she finished them. She was so good at drawing me into the story that I began to be impatient for the next chapter. A writer can only write just so fast and she was not fast enough for my insatiable thirst for a good romance. I had been divorced for almost a year and had even less romance for at least ten years before that. Mr. Collins had more romance in his life with Elizabeth than I did . . . so . . . once I realized how my love life had been on a serious decade long fast, and nearly in dormancy,  and that it suddenly was being fed (one tantalizing but WAY too short chapter at a time), I begged her for more. I remember her saying, “Well if you like my book, why don’t you read this book”, then she suggested “that book”, then she turned me onto entire authors like Kara Louise and Jan Hahn. So I started reading and reading and reading. I read online books, rented every book from the library, and Amazon.com stock went up as I learned that KaraLynne’s addiction for Darcy and Elizabeth was contagious, worldwide, and that an addict found where she could get her blunt!

        2. What drove you to start writing your own books? Did you write other things before writing  PnP variations?

Do hallucinations count as a driving force? Ha Ha. If so, then I’d have to say I would have conversations with 200 year old fictitious characters and suddenly I would have plots and scenes come to me both awake and when sleeping. Of course this was over 50 JAFF books into my addiction. I was really beginning to be concerned that I was going crazy. I now believe a true Janeite must be a little crazy but I didn’t learn this until recently. The words “indeed” and “shall” and phrases like “are you ill?” began seeping into my vocabulary. So I asked for advice from my one sister who knew what I was feeling. Addicts attract addicts. I asked her what to do. She suggested a plot outline, then encouraged the first chapter to be written “just to see” how I liked writing. Two months later I had finished writing an entire novel. I admit it was never a dream to write. In fact, I am a nurse and we do very little writing in our professions. Certainly not dialogue or romance scenes. I had taken a creative writing class in high school and dabbled in writing short stories that could be counted as blogs. Even started a personal history once. I have loved writing in a journal though. I think if I give any credit to being able to express what I want in writing it would have to be because of my journal writing. 

            3. Do you have a muse that causes your story to lead you at times or do you use an outline and follow it religiously? What is your writing routine?

I love this question. I would say I know basic key plots but mostly it is muse and the energy I feel when I write. I remember in Mr. Darcy’s Promise, writing Darcy teasingly saying “I insist you tell me what you are thinking.” And then Elizabeth says, “Or what, Mr. Darcy?” My fingers paused at the end of that sentence and I thought, “Or what? What will Darcy, a man who is madly in love with Elizabeth, threaten her with?” I was on a TRAX commuting train and paused just contemplating what to do with the scene from there. An idea came to me. Mud. Of course! Why not mud in a Regency romance!?!? Mr. Darcy then threatens to throw her in the mud. It turned out to be one of my favorite scenes even though I never intended it in the book. So I very much let my fingers do the walking as I write. Occasionally I have to remind myself of my goals and refer back to the plot outline but mostly I just write what flows into my fingers.

           4. Is there any setting that inspires you to write?

My girls inspire me. I have two teenage daughters and a 7 year old daughter who laugh and cry and swoon with me on everything. They have been my constant in my life. I dedicate Mr. Darcy’s Promise to them. More often than not, it is them that request a chick flick and rarely is it me who suggests the BBC version (all 6 hours) of Pride and Prejudice (I try to limit myself). But we watch it 4-5 times a year. My 7 year old can nearly quote parts of it. I want so badly to have them find their own Mr. Darcy’s when the time is right.

      5. Why does the Regency era appeal to you?

Besides the breeches and sexy knee high boots? Ha Ha. Back then a lady was really a lady and a man fought to defend his honor as well as hers. The subtlest of looks and the briefest of touches meant so much! I enjoy the idea of a gentleman doing everything in his power to show that a lady’s reputation was more important than his own. I love that a single dance could communicate admiration. I love rules. But what I love the most about Jane Austen’s Regency Era was that rules were sometimes broken, and sometimes that was the best part! Darcy should never have written to Elizabeth after her refusal but he did! She should never have accepted a letter from someone she did not have an understanding with but only because the rule was broken did the relationship change. In Mr. Darcy’s Promise, there comes a time when my Elizabeth gets quite irritated with Darcy’s gentlemanly rules and promises. After all, some promises are meant to be broken.

       6. Tell us something about your book that you love most. (if you can without giving anything away)

I made myself cry in chapter 12 when I wrote it. I seriously did. I knew what was coming. I was prepared to write the scene. It was not a moment I was unprepared for. But when Darcy finally tells her how much he loves her, I bawled. My girls were in the same room as me and they asked me what was wrong. I told them “He loves her! He couldn’t contain it one page longer! He finally expressed his love!” My oldest two understood since they would read each chapter as I wrote them but my tenderhearted youngest just hugged me as if there was something wrong. She was very confused since 20 minutes before I was laughing at my computer screen as I wrote. Laugh. Cry. Swoon? Yup . . . I make myself feel it all! Hopefully you will all feel it too!

      7. Is there anything you learned from writing that has helped you in your life?

No comment. (This is a  game I play when I don’t want to answer a question). No seriously, one thing I am known for is my honesty so I will suck it up and answer this. I learned that not all relationships have to be like the marriage I was in. I learned that a marriage can be based on love, companionship, kindness and generosity. I learned that maybe, just maybe, I might be willing to do a bit of dating and search for my own Mr. Darcy.  All this I learned in a two month period of writing Mr. Darcy’s Promise which is about a forced marriage scenario.

        8.  Is there anything special about yourself or your writing that you would like to share with us?

Everything about me is special! But there were many years I did not believe that. I am healing from years and years of severe depression and have been completely depression free for over 4 years! I celebrate that anniversary day more significantly then my own birthday which is next week!

        9. Tell us about your sister, KaraLynne Mackrory and how her books/writing inspired you.

I am so lucky to have a sister who understands and even feeds my addiction and obsession. She is an inspiration. I have used and abused her opinions, knowledge, experience as a published author, her values etc. as I delved into writing and publishing. She is my Wikipedia with a heart. I still get mad at her that she didn’t put an epilogue at the end of Falling for Mr. Darcy. I seriously hold some animosity. Ha Ha. 

      10. Now for a very important question, why do you love Mr. Darcy?

I love that Mr. Darcy is not perfect. He has such serious faults that he learns about himself and doesn’t just sit back and accept that it is the way he is. He doesn’t offer excuses. He doesn’t dismiss criticism without introspection. Once these faults, his pride and his prejudice, were pointed out to him, he made every effort to fix them. He struggled. It was indeed a heavy load. But at the end of each day, he lives by my motto, “I will be better today than yesterday, and I hope that I can always say that.” 

Thank you for interviewing me! This was great to write! It is so fun to revisit my addiction to a fictitious hero and be able to share it with all of you! I hope this sparked your interest in my book, Mr. Darcy’s Promise, and that I make you laugh, cry, and swoon as much as I hope to! I hope you all follow my blog posts I do to on my website, www.heyladypublications.com. Happy reading!

Jeanna Ellsworth

Jeanna, thank you again for being my guest and for answering my questions. You brightened my day with your energy and spark. I share your addiction with a fictitious hero as do many JAFF fans. I also enjoyed your book and you did make me laugh, cry and swoon! Your Mr. Darcy was most swoon-worthy! I fell in love all over again. Better save the rest of my comments for a review to follow in a few days! 

Ms. Ellworth is giving away one eBook for an eReader or one trade paperback. The giveaway is worldwide and the winner will be selected in a random drawing. Leave a comment below to be entered. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with an (at) instead of @.  Winner will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway ends at midnight, August 19. 

21 comments:

  1. Jeanna, this is such a cool interview - I feel like I know you better. So funny that you cried when you were writing your own story! I love that you and your daughters all watch PP several times a year; great way to teach your girls what kind of man to look for. Now if you can only get your sister to *tell* you the epilogue... XD

    ~ junewilliams7 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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    1. I must admit, no one has ever called me shy... but that doesn't mean telling the truth is hard! And yes! KaraLynne needs to write an epilogue and let me be the first to read it!

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  2. Loved your interview, Jeanna! Loved your honesty. It's great that your depression is gone, and what lovely relationships you have with your daughters. Makes me smile just to read about them. "Addicts attract addicts." How true, especially in the JA world, and I'm so glad you're one of us.

    Would love to read your book. The cover is beautiful.
    - bennetdarcy(at)austin(dot)rr(dot)com

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    1. I still get goosebumps rubbing shoulders or internet keystrokes with people I so admire! And you are one of them! It feels so surreal to exchange comments between some of my favorite authors!

      I could not ask for a better relationship with my daughters! I'm jealous of myself! I almost, almost, have my daughter addicted. Ha Ha. So far she has only read my sister's and my books and listened to the original book on tape. She loves to hear the latest plots that form in my head though.

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  3. I smile throughout reading the interview. I must say your enthusiastic and joyful responses brightened my day. It's good that you got out of depression. I know what it must be like since I suffered from it too but it has been since many years ago. I hope that you will continue writing because I'll look forward to reading them.

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Depression is difficult. There is so much stigma with it. It never makes any sense when people assume that people encourage or think someone would prefer to be in that state! I worked so hard for so many years to get out and went to bed exhausted just trying to feel sane. Gratitude is one of the key paths that led me out. I also changed a few things in my life that put me in a different environment which changed things. So although I said "no comment" as if I was afraid to disclose the truth... the truth is I am incredibly proud of how far I have come. I am a much different person now. Thanks for your comments

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  4. Not sure that I have read about someone so involved in writing a book - look forward to reading it. Great to hear that depression is behind you

    meikleblog at gmail dot com

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    1. "Involved" is a nice way of saying "obsessed". But I take it as a compliment for sure. I love being an addict.

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  5. It was neat getting to know Jeanna better. That is so cool that she got started because of her sister. Look forward to reading her book.

    sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com

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    1. I am tickled to think I have such a close relation to share my addiction. I'm not starting any rumors....but she has her muse on and I get to read it first! Now that is like getting your finest and most pure blunt for free! Woo hoo!

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  6. Fun interview, Jeanna and Janet! It's always special getting to know someone a little better and how they came to love P&P. Congratulations, Jeanna, on your first book! Since Jeanna sent me a copy of her novel, you don't need to enter me in the giveaway.

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    1. Thanks Kara! But we should put your name in anyway so you can get a chance for a signed paperback! Glad you liked the interview!

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  7. This was such an interesting interview. It sounds like you have a wonderful family, supportive, and with the good taste to enjoy P&P with you! Massive congratulations on being 4 years depression free, it is a hard thing to escape from.

    I'd love to enter your giveaway, I'm at frawli1978(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks! I adore my girls. They have been so supportive through all my obsessions but they didn't take toy quilting obsession as well as pride and prejudice! 4 years is nothing when you are happy. Everyday is no longer a chore. Light is around every corner! How can one not feel inspired with such a beautiful outlook! And thus a book was written....well three to be exact.

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  8. Hi Jeanna,
    I ,like you confess to being a little crazy. I love getting pulled into the story and just feeling like I am a part of what's going on. I also find myself sometimes phrasing things I read in a book. On
    Mr Darcy your right, he is not perfect, but at least he is willing to change for the women he loves. Not like men of today. lol It is why so many of us fall in love with his character.
    Congrats on beating the depression, stay strong and keep writing.
    coolmom715@gmail.com

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    1. I used to hate the word crazy... But now I use it a lot. There are better words like obsessed or fanatic but you still kind of need the crazy adjective to really make it work....crazy obsessed....crazy fanatic...you get the picture...so now I'm perfectly content to admit to my crazy obsession. Welcome to the life of an addict!

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  9. Lovely interview, ladies. Jeanna, your posts are always so much fun to read. It was nice getting to know you better. Congratulations on your new book. I am so excited to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!!:)
    kellik115(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Sure no problem! It was fun to write! I've been told I'm a sharaholic as well as a darcyaholic! Thanks for the congrats on the book! I'm hanging by my fingers to the top 100 regency romance and am beyond words! It has been out for a month! Good luck in the giveaway. You all are so supportive!

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  10. I just want to say thank you to all the commenters and Janet who allowed me this opportunity! This was such a treat! I love hearing how supportive the JAFF community is. I'm not starting any rumors...OK I am...once school starts I get to start writing again. Yippee! Got the plot outline almost finished! Publishing Pride and Persistence will be started in October too for a March release! Can't wait!

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    1. I like this rumor that you are NOT starting! :) I can't wait either.

      A special thanks to you for being my guest and answering my questions. They were both entertaining and poignant. I appreciate your honesty.

      The JAFF community is a very special one and you are right, they are very supportive!

      Thanks again, Jeanna.

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  11. What a lovely interview. I know exactly what you mean when you say words and phrases you wouldn't have said before become commonplace. It happens to me all the time, mostly with indeed.

    Congrats on your book and I look forward to your future endeavors.

    Thanks,
    Liz
    csuexc(at)aol(dot)com

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