Monday, January 19, 2015

Secrets, Secrets and C.P. Odom...Don't Miss This One!

I have been looking forward to this post for quite some time. C.P. Odom is being interviewed by...C.P. Odom. Yes, you read correctly. He explains in his first paragraph. This interview is delightful and definitely 'not to be missed'. I laughed out loud numerous times. I know you will all enjoy it as much as I did. Oh, by the way,...did I mention that there is a giveaway?!

Thank you, Colin, for stopping by on your busy blog tour to be my guest today. I hope you will have much success with this new release. I have now purchased it and am looking forward to some much needed and desired reading time! You have me intrigued! :)

I want to thank Janet for hosting me here at More Agreeably Engaged to talk about my new novel, Pride, Prejudice, and Secrets.  When we discussed what the content of my blog post should be, she stated that she didn’t have any specific thoughts, especially since she hadn’t yet read the book.  But she went on to say that she wished we could do something different from what we did for my previous two guest appearances and which would be fun for me and the readers.  So I came up with the idea of generating a Q&A session where the interviewer would be me acting as if I were running a blog and was asking me questions.  Since I’m a guy and have certain experiences in rather rough and tumble endeavors, some of the following questions rate rather low on the civility scale and perhaps might even seem abrasive.  But what else could you expect from someone who left college to join the Marines during the Vietnam War because he was afraid the war would be over if he waited until he graduated?  (Yes, I was that dumb!  Too much testosterone, obviously . . .).  So, here we go:

Q1:  The first question I’d ask a guest would be, “What all of us want to get is a complete synopsis of the plot, with all the little twists and turns outlined in exquisite detail.  Are we going to get that, Mr. Odom, or are you going to stiff us like certain other authors who shall remain nameless?”

A:  Of course I’m going to stiff you!  If I give away all my little secrets, then an unknown number of people might well say, “I know everything about PP&S.  Perhaps I’ll spend my hard-earned money on some other book.”  Since I’m trying to separate you from your entertainment cash, it’s obvious that I want to give you just enough information to whet your appetite without giving away so much that that same appetite is satisfied.  And remember, the name of my novel is Pride, Prejudice, and Secrets.  In fact, the working title actually was Secrets during the writing and much of the editing process until my editor pointed out that I would be competing with about a dozen other books of the same title.  She urged me to change the title so that my tome didn’t disappear into the crowd.

Q2:  Secrets, huh?  What secret are you trying to conceal from us?

A:  Actually, it’s not a secret but rather multiple little secrets.  One of the thoughts that inspired me to add that particular slant to my novel was a memory from the 70’s of a newspaper column written under the nom de plume of Miss Manners (actually, I just checked, and not only is the columnist still alive, she’s still writing columns—except that I haven’t seen one in 40 years).  In that column, a reader challenged her that it was always better to be completely frank and tell friends, family, and loved ones the truth, the complete truth, and nothing but the truth.  Miss Manners’ response was that such an approach was an excellent course of action if one wanted to spend their life alone, in splendid isolation.  She opined that “little white lies” had gotten a very bad press, because they were the grease that kept the relationship wheels turning without squeaking.  Some people may disagree with this point of view, but I was already suspicious of the social “goodness” of the “let-it-all-hang-out” mantra of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.  Her column made me sit back and think about how so many people who reveled in being “frank” were actually being rather cruel.  Accordingly, given the nature of Elizabeth Bennet’s unintended engagement with the proud and brash Fitzwilliam Darcy, I could see numerous occasions where I could put Miss Manner’s advice to good use and let my characters choose silence rather than complete disclosure.

Q3:  What?!?  That sounds like we’re not going to get a Hunsford confrontation!  Isn’t Elizabeth going to tell off Darcy like he so richly deserves?  Isn’t she going to tell him he’s the last man in the world she would consider marrying?

A3:  What do you think, given what I said previously?  If Elizabeth decides not to break the engagement, what useful purpose could be served by such brutal language?  And note that if Elizabeth doesn’t charge Darcy with thwarting the hopes of a most beloved sister, he’ll continue to think that Jane was indifferent to Bingley and will not be inclined to try to rearrange a meeting in which Austen’s second most pleasing match occurs.  But then, I’ve never been a Bingley fan.  He has no depth of passion like Darcy and no constancy; in short, a lightweight.  He doesn’t deserve Jane.

Q4:  Hasn’t this variation on Pride and Prejudice, with Elizabeth Bennet accepting Darcy’s first proposal at Hunsford been done before?  And probably by better authors, I might add.

A4:  Boy, your Mama didn’t teach you to watch your tongue too much, did she?

Q5:  Don’t you insult my mother, you girly-mon author, you!  I’ll bet that you’re resorting to insults because you can’t answer my question.

A5:  <Sound of gritting teeth for several seconds before . . .>  Sigh.  I suppose this premise has been attempted, but I can’t comment on how many times it’s been attempted.  I’ve only seen it once, and that was a story where Elizabeth’s acceptance just pops out of her mouth for some inexplicable reason.  It didn’t really seem believable.  Thus, while I did have a long-dormant plot idea with an unintended acceptance as a premise, I had not been able to come up with a way to make that accidental acceptance believable.  In fact, I really never expected that plot to make it to the light of day until one evening when I was watching a news story about some medical scare.  My left-brained elder daughter (who’s majoring in computer engineering with a 3.7 GPA) was watching with me and made the idle comment that she didn’t have to worry about that disease because “I don’t get sick, Dad.”  Suddenly, I remembered that obscure plot idea and instantly saw that it would give me a way for a robust Elizabeth Bennet, who also “never gets sick” but has been laid low by influenza and fever, to give Darcy a nod when he proposes marriage.  A nod which he could easily—and honestly—interpret as acceptance.  Because she was hazy and not thinking clearly, she would likely be dumbfounded when Charlotte bursts into the room and congratulates her on her good fortune.  So dumbfounded that she could not formulate a “Wait a minute” comment and, before she knew it, Elizabeth could find herself bustled off to bed while the rest of the world quickly comes to believe she is engaged to Fitzwilliam Darcy.  So that casual comment by my daughter is really what got this book written.

Q6:  <Sniff>  Whatever.  Is this going to be a repeat of Consequences?  Are you going to put us through the Angst Wringer?

A6:  The quick answer is, “No” and “No.”  While there will obviously be some strain associated with the basic premise of an unintended engagement, remember how difficult it was to break an engagement in Regency times.  No less a personage that the Duke of Wellington married a woman he loathed rather than suffer the impact to his honor associated with “crying off” his engagement (I wonder where that metaphor came from.  I found numerous references to it, but none which revealed its background).  And remember that Darcy never was as loathsome as Elizabeth thought at Hunsford.  It’s one of the reasons she later felt so ashamed of the unfairness of many of her accusations.

Q7:  So this novel is going to be among the HEA (Happily Ever After) variants, huh?  In that case, why would I waste my money on your effort rather than another author’s?

A7:  I could say because of my sterling character and the superb writing, but we former Marines are well known for our humility, so I won’t go there.  But I might mention that I attempt a few rather unusual subplots, one involving a somewhat unusual match that proved to be very difficult to deal with.  In fact, coming up with a resolution that satisfied my editor brought on the first case of “writer’s block” that I’d had to deal with.  Usually, the words come fairly easy for me, but I was stalled for several weeks and had to totally drop the effort and just do other stuff before I finally worked through the block.  But, difficult as it was, I’m very grateful to my editor, Christina Boyd, because her pushing me on this point and others made this novel better than it would have been.

Q8:  Are you going to kill off Wickham again?  I always love it when that scoundrel gets his just desserts.  I assume that you’ll at least have him arrested and put in debtor’s prison.

A8:  Actually, I’m going to try to do something that came to me after I was well into the writing of PP&S, and that’s to rehabilitate Wickham.  I agree with you about him being a scoundrel, so it was a stretch to come up with something that could cause him to change his behavior and mend his ways.  Since I was well into having the characters maintain a discreet reticence about divulging all the details of topics better left untouched, I came up with a suitably fearsome antagonist who could deal with Wickham.  For those who have followed other stops on the PP&S Blog Tour, you might have read an excerpt that hinted at Wickham, upon hearing the stunning news of Elizabeth Bennet’s engagement to Darcy, deciding that the only possible opportunity for any gain was to convince Mary King to elope with him before her uncle arrives to take her to Liverpool.  I will only say that my new character was that uncle and that he is not at all the man Wickham would have expected.

Q9:  Rehabilitating Wickham?  Hah!  I’ll believe that when I see it!

A9:  That comment has been made during this tour, so if you buy my book, you’ll be able to make up your own mind.  Perhaps if you post a review at Amazon.com or Goodreads.com I’ll be able to assess my success or failure.  Rest assured that it was an ambitious goal, since Wickham had had many years in which to groove his lack of morals and honor, and I reasoned that it would take a soul-shattering event, or, in my case, sequence of events, to cause him to relinquish his normal modes of behavior and make a transition to a more admirable personage.

Q10:  What was that “unusual match” that you mentioned in a previous answer?  Matching Jane with Colonel Fitzwilliam?  You already did that in your fan fiction story, Determination.  How about giving us poor readers a little insight into the contents of this book you’re wanting us to buy instead of doing nothing but floating teasers in front of us!

A10:  But floating teasers is such fun!  But perhaps you’re right and it’s time to provide a little more information.  I commented in another blog stop that I enjoy playing with the character of Colonel Fitzwilliam because Austen provided very little background to him.  He appears briefly at Hunsford, is described as “about thirty, not handsome, but in person and address most truly the gentleman,” and his most significant conversation is in unwittingly alerting Elizabeth that Darcy played the main part in separating Bingley and Jane.  After that, he departs the stage, never to re-appear.  This gives me a lot of leeway in fleshing out his character, and I portray the good colonel as far more robust and manly than I believe Austen would have done.  But, as a parson’s very proper daughter, I doubt that she would have paid much attention to such things and would have been more influenced by his gentlemanly behavior, especially since that attribute was so significant in Pride and Prejudice.  So, since Col. Fitzwilliam needs to pay some attention to money when he marries, I attempt to match him with one character from the book who matches that distinction and is available, to wit, Caroline Bingley, who is likely still unmarried because she has spent possibly several years in futile pursuit of Darcy and is rather obnoxious to boot.  This is a tall order, almost as ambitious as my Wickham endeavor, because Caroline’s manner is not going to be any more attractive to Col. Fitzwilliam than it was to his cousin.  In fact, this proved more difficult in execution because I was not as familiar at just what might be needed to induce a woman to change than I was in what might do the same for a man.  As I mentioned previously, my editor wasn’t convinced by my first effort and challenged me to do it differently.  She wasn’t able to offer as much guidance as I would have preferred—she was just firmly of the opinion that significant changes and additional information was needed, so I kind of flailed about in the dark for several weeks before finally accomplishing this task to both our satisfaction.

Q11:  Another unlikely attempt to generate some false excitement for a rather lame excuse of a book, and I’ll believe that one when I see it too!  So, let’s sum it up:  No Hunsford fireworks, no suffering Darcy to find redemption through pain, you’re probably not going to match Jane with her beloved Bingley, and then you’re going to try to distract us with a couple of feeble subplots.  Is this an accurate summation, sir?  Is this the best you can do?

A11:  Yeah, pretty much, I suppose, for a person with the perception of a grapefruit and the civility of a long-time politician.

Q12:  Nice talk for sensitive, new-age author-type of dubious manhood!  How about we step outside and settle this like men?

A12:  That would be difficult to do, since there’s only one man here, and he’s the one answering the questions.

Q13:  Oh yeah?  Well, let me tell you . . .

A13:  <THUNK!>  <Silence for several seconds>  Oops!  It appears our interviewer didn’t have as hard a head as he appeared to.  So, Janet, thank you for the opportunity to discuss my book, and pardon me for the mess I left behind.  At least, all he appears to have is a bump on the head.  Perhaps it’ll improve his disposition.  And, since our dormant interviewer never got around asking about my future plans, I’ll mention that I a number of plot ideas to ponder as well as four stories I published as fan fiction that might well be turned into published novels if my publisher, Meryton Press, is interested.  Which brings up another point that may not have been clear previously, which is that this novel is completely new and was never published in any form, fan fiction or otherwise.  And, since the novel is rather long, at 345 words, the reader will have sufficient text to decide whether or not I succeeded in those premises which so offended our comatose interviewer.  Maybe he’ll learn some discretion before next time . . .




C. P. (Colin) Odom Author Bio:

By training, I’m an engineer, born in Texas, raised in Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma following a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps.  The next thirty-five years was spent as an engineer in Arizona with my first wife, Margaret, where we raised two sons before her untimely death from cancer.  Six years later, I married Jeanine, and we are raising our two girls that we adopted from China.  I have always been a voracious reader and collector of books, and my favorite genres were (and are) science fiction, historical fiction, histories, and, in recent years, reading (and later writing) Jane Austen romantic fiction. This late-developing interest was indirectly stimulated when I read my late wife's beloved Jane Austen books after her passing.  One thing led to another, and I now have three novels published:  A Most Civil Proposal (2013), Consequences (2014), and Pride, Prejudice, and Secrets (2015).  After retiring from engineering in 2011, I currently live in Chandler, Arizona with my family, two stubbornly untrainable dogs, and a quartet of very strange cats.  My hobbies are reading, woodworking (which helps with bookcases for all those books), college football (no NFL gladiatorial arenas for this citizen!), and Formula One racing (no NASCAR – at least they turn both ways in F1).

Links:

Colin Odom Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/colin.odom



C. P. Odom page at Meryton Press site:  http://colinodom.merytonpress.com/

Purchase at Amazon and B&N

Other books by C.P. Odom:

Amazon and B&N
Amazon and B&N

Wasn't that an entertaining interview? I LOVED it! Thank you, C.P. Odom for popping in and making this a very fun start to the week! I hope you had a good time writing it! You certainly lived up to my expectations and then some!  

One eBook is the giveaway and it is international. Please leave a comment or 'question for the author' below. Be sure to include you email so I can reach you should you be the lucky winner of this book! The giveaway ends at midnight, January 25. Good luck to all!

50 comments:

  1. I think this is the best interview I have ever read! Clever and a lot of fun. I have always enjoyed Colin's stories and look forward to reading this new one.

    Thanks for the giveaway. My email is gail.warner(@)Verizon(dot)net

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    1. Thanks, Gail. I hate to pat myself on the back, but I really had fun generating this post. Perhaps I get tired of being nice all the time and like to go back to my roots . . . In any case, I hope you enjoy the book.

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    2. Wasn't it great, Gail!? I love it and hope to have it repeated in the future. Please pat yourself on the back, Colin. You deserve. I'm glad that it was fun for you too.

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  2. I enjoyed this interview; Colin interviewing himself. I found it quite humorous.I am intrigued by the book and am looking forward to reading it. I have enjoyed all of Colim's bioks so far. If I do not win a copy I will be purchasing it.
    skamper25 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  3. Thanks, Deborah Ann, and good luck in the giveaway.

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  4. I was uber excited when I saw you had published a book I knew nothing about! woo-hoo! A new Odom book! You are one of my top 5 authors to follow and I have never been disappointed in your creations. Your attention to detail, characterization, personalities, and plot scenarios always satisfies and inspires. I have bought the book and look forward to a readathon this weekend! couldn't get wordpress to connect so logged in anonymous ... janashe

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    1. Yup, it's a brand new book, just written last year (2014). I hope you enjoy your readathon!

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  5. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and cannot wait to read the book. I also enjoyed finding out that I amnot the only person who can have an interesting conservation with myself.

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    1. I think it's the schizophrenic side of my personality kicking in . . . :-)

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  6. What a fun and unusual way to conduct an interview!

    I'm really looking forward to reading this book, especially as to how Wickham gets rehabilitated. Still find that hard to believe!

    angmardee(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. If you find Wickham's rehabilitation hard to believe, Anji, just imagine how I felt when the idea popped into my head from who knows where. It wasn't planned during the plotting stage. I was actually writing a scene where Wickham is shocked to learn of Elizabeth's engagement to Darcy and wondering about where to go with the scene (my plot just included that scene and then abandoned Wickham). I had this sudden idea of doing something with Wickham unlike anything I had done previously. I rejected it several times because I couldn't figure out how to make it work before finally coming up with my "solution." I hope you find it believable.

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  7. I really enjoyed reading this interview, very amusing. I wasn't expecting such confrontational questions when I clicked on the link!

    I'm interested to see why Wickham reforms... I'm sure he could, but I'm not sure what would motivate him to.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed the interview, Ceri. It was 'diverting'! I want to know what might change Wickham too. Must read, must read!

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    2. Yup, Ceri, now you know I can do confrontation! There has to be something left of that young man who went off to war in 1970 . . . and wound up as an instructor in a technical school! As for Wickham, rest assured it was no desire of his to reform. It occurs involuntarily as he is blindsided by Reality.

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  8. Great to see a new book from you, Colin! And I loved the interview. Elizabeth's acceptance of Darcy's proposal sounds somewhat like her acceptance of his invitation to dance at the Netherfield ball. Clever! Welcome to your first case of writer's block. And caused by your editor? For shame, Christina. I get it from simply sitting down at my desk. Good luck rehabilitating Wickham. I tried for years. Don't underestimate parsons' daughters when it comes to noticing robust and manly men in uniforms. I speak from experience. The colonel and Caroline? Now I see why you had writer's block! Please take these silly comments tongue in cheek. Your book sounds delightful, Colin, and I can't wait to read it.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Jan. Coming from you, they mean a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the interview, but I guarantee you I did NOT enjoy finding I'm just as susceptible to writer's block as other authors. I thought, since I'm doing this writing mostly for fun and not to put food on the table, that I wouldn't run into writer's block but I was wrong. I hope you enjoy the book.

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  9. To tell the truth, Colin, after reading this book I am not the least surprised by this interview. Both are well done! The way that you wrote both Wickham and Caroline was believable and required no great stretch of imagination to see it through as a reader. Thanks for that!

    I fell in love with a new literary character in your story. A manly man who makes women swoon and sigh. How in the world did you, as a gentleman, write such a character? After I told my husband, John, about your book and about this man, he nodded his head and I realized that this is the kind of person that John would have as a close, trusted friend. Well done!!!

    Janet, this was a hoot and a half. I think that it takes a brave soul to allow this author that much creative control. However, the end result is joyous. Thanks!!!

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    1. Do you know if this is available in print yet? - Joy

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    2. I think it's become available to order in paperback from Amazon within the last few days Joy.

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    3. Joy, I don't see it at Amazon in paperback yet. I imagine it will be available within the next few days. I will let you know if I hear otherwise. Did you see it, Ceri? It may be out sooner where you are.

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    4. I can see it on both the UK and US sites, but it says temporarily out of stock on the US one. It still seems to let you order it though. I'm not sure if it shows me something different than you guys since I'm outside the US. Perhaps try searching on the ISBN, 1936009382

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    5. Thank you so much for checking, Ceri and Janet.

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    6. My understanding is that the initial order sold out. Shortly after it first popped up on Amazon, I went so far as the point where you enter your credit card info to buy it without any indication it wasn't in stock. But it's certainly not in stock right now.

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    7. I'm gratified by your opinion that my presentation of Wickham and Caroline, Joy. It was a worrisome point because I knew I was pushing the envelope. Thanks.

      I'm also glad that you liked Captain Fitzwilliam, RN. As for how I came up with him, it came from my experience, based on a Marine officer I knew in 1972. He was a Captain who looked and acted as if he had just stepped out of a recruiting poster, graduated with honors from Purdue with an engineering degree, and had a beautiful wife and four children that he adored. I didn't know him personally, since I was only an enlisted puke on a single enlistment and he was a career officer, but I didn't have to search far to find a model for Captain Fitzwilliam. Like your husband, I believe I would have liked that Marine officer for a friend.

      As for the hoot and a half interview, I hope Janet allows me similar freedom the next time she hosts me. Thanks, Janet!

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    8. I give you my word right now that I will allow you similar freedom next time you visit. This has been exactly what I was wanting...fun, fun, fun and a great change of pace. Thank you, kind sir!

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  10. LOL! That was a hoot! Thanks for the fun interview!

    *Please don't enter me in the giveaway, Janet!

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    1. Wasn't it a hoot! Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Sophia Rose.

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    2. And thanks for your review on your site, Sophia. I also appreciate your posting your review to Amazon & Goodreads. An honest review, as you said.

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  11. I am really looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for the blog tour and all of the interesting interviews! I would be thrilled to win this giveaway.
    GinnaSaisQuoi at verizon dot net

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    1. Good luck with the giveaway, and I hope you read my book whatever the outcome!

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  12. Enjoyed the intereview - I have already been converted as I have decided to buy a copy but Jane doesn't get Bingley, and the Colonel and Caroline??? Can't wait

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    1. Thanks, Vesper. I had fun playing with these subplots--I hope you find them entertaining.

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  13. That was a fun interview. A reformed Wickham and the poor Colonel paired with Caroline?? Plop!!!

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    1. Thanks for your comment. And I hope you don't think the Colonel is "poor" after you read it. As I said to Janet below, would I match the good Colonel with an unworthy spouse?

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  14. Well, I thought that the interviewer asked great questions; it was the author's responses that left much to be desired! Loved the format. I enjoyed your other books and look forward to reading this new one. I must confess that I will need to be convinced after reading about the subplots. Wickham reformed? I don't think so. Thanks for the giveaway. evamedmonds(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. As the interviewer, I am gratified by your compliment. As the responder, what do you mean left much to be desired! :-)

      I must admit to an understanding of your doubt about Wickham--he is such a scoundrel, after all, and I've had him imprisoned in two of my stories and even killed him off in two more. It would take a soul-shattering shock to change THAT man . . . which I tried to provide. Time will tell how well I did.

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  15. What a great interview! Looking forward to reading the book!

    Thanks for the giveaway! :-)

    Pamh5230(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Good luck with the giveaway and with your read, Pam, no matter how the giveaway goes. Based on your tagline, might I guess you're a fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Me too -- except I have to buy the suger-free version these days. Old age is not for sissies, as the actress Bette Davis was fond of saying.

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  16. That was a grand interview - clever and funny - and I just can't wait to read the book.
    Thank you for the giveaway!

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  17. Colin, I'm still mulling over the Good Colonel with Caroline Bingley. I keep feeling sorry for him and thinking he deserves better. I will be anxious to see how you went about changing Caroline. I should think that would be a daunting task.


    By the way, I feel I must apologize for your treatment by the interviewer. (even if it was very delightful as an observer) You are pardoned for the mess you left and it has been cleaned up. The interviewer's disposition is much improved and he only suffered a minor bump! He was rather provocative, wasn't he!

    Thank you for continuing the conversation and letting us know you have more books coming! Good, good news.

    Great post!

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    1. Please let me know how you feel after you actually read the book, Janet. And rest assured that playing with Colonel Fitzwilliam's character is one of my favorite pastimes when writing, both because of his military background and because Austen treated him so briefly that an author has lots of latitude. Would I match up on of my favorite characters with an unworthy spouse? Perish the thought!

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    2. Will do, Colin. No, I guess you would not match him up with someone unworthy. He is one of my favorite characters so it will be fun so see how this plays out with Caroline. (one we all love to dislike)

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  18. Lately I've been feeling the same way as this comment- "But then, I’ve never been a Bingley fan. He has no depth of passion like Darcy and no constancy; in short, a lightweight. He doesn’t deserve Jane."
    I'm sure I've read a JAFF book where Bingley ignores Darcy & Caroline's advice and pursues Jane anyway but I can't remember the title... it's annoying! I think it's just that I've read so many books they are all blending together now!
    I would actually like to read a story where Jane, who is all that is good and kind and lovely, gets together with a was-once-bad-but-now-reformed hero. I think she would be a balm to a hero who had had a rough life and was deserving of some peace and love finally.
    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. I admit I have been stalking this book through the blogs! :)

    brendapwood at gmail dot com

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    1. I'm glad we agree on Bingley - definitely a lightweight. I don't think I've read a JAFF story with a persistent Bingley, though, so I can't help you.

      But as for your wish for Jane to provide healing balm for a hero who has had a rough life, that is an interesting thought, and I hope you don't mind if I tuck it away among my plot bunnies for future reference. But the hero would have to be deserving; a good, solid man who has just had misfortune, perhaps at the hand of an unscrupulous woman who has virtually ruined him and left him deeply reticent and disinclined to ever trust a female again. That might be fun.

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    2. I was thinking more of a hero who ruined himself and redeemed himself and in his new humble frame of mind didn't think he deserved someone like Jane but she chose him anyway. It might be interesting to see Jane doing some pursuing rather than being the passive pursued. She has the temperament to extend grace to any human being. But that would be very out of character for Jane!

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  19. I look forward to reading your book, but I had to stop reading your self-interview because you were giving away too many secrets!

    Best of luck with your new title... lesliebdougherty@gmail.com

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    1. Oops! And I said I wasn't going to do that in my interview. My bad.

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  20. I don't think you are giving away too many teasers, Colin. I'm in the minority where I prefer spoiler to the story more before deciding whether I should read it or not. So thanks for giving an insight into PP&S. It's on my wish list.

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. Wonderful interview. I have been having a lot of fun following your blog tour. Thank you for the giveaway. Cherringtonmb at sbcglobal dot net

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