How much of the author is reflected in her work

I am very pleased to be a part of the blog tour for A Peculiar Connection by Jan Hahn. Thanks to Jakki Leatherberry for setting up the tour and gathering all the media information for us and making it so easy. I appreciate your hard work, Jakki.

Dear readers, you are in for a treat with this post. As many of you know, Jan Hahn is a personal friend and as she mentions in her post, she is a private person.  Jan, I for one, enjoyed your post and was touched by your honesty in how much of you may be revealed in your books. I appreciate that you were willing to share those thoughts with us.  Thank you for being my guest today. It is  always a pleasure to have you visit.

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How much of the author is reflected in her work?

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Thank you, Janet, for participating in my blog tour and for inviting me to visit today.  I’m always happy to be your guest and to interact with your readers.  I also want to thank you publicly for the beautiful cover you designed for A Peculiar Connection.  It’s one of my favorites!

The title of this post has intrigued me for some time.  In this genre, writers use characters created by Jane Austen. I often wonder how much of Austen is reflected in her characterizations.  There have been some excellent books on the subject, and I will not address that topic today, but a similar question nags at me.  Can an author write a story without revealing some of him or herself?  Even though I make a conscious effort to remain true to Austen’s portrayals, how much of me seeps into my work?

I fear that I am quite unobservant if and when this happens.  A reader made this comment about my body of work: ‘I admire the consistency of a particular world view in your stories which always includes redemption and forgiveness.’  Until I read her remark, I had failed to even notice that pattern in my work.

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My oldest daughter says I wrote The Secret Betrothal with a desire to “fix” Wickham because for a long time I attempted to “fix” my first love, which, incidentally, should never be attempted.  I’ve also been told that the strong protective nature I give to Mr. Darcy mirrors that of my darling husband.  Perhaps that’s why I always thought of him as my Mr. Darcy. 

Now, lest you wonder if the idea for A Peculiar Connection came about because I fell in love with my brother, let me relieve your minds at once.  Absolutely not!  The truth is I have no idea where the notion came from.  One day, it was just there.  That’s all I can say.  The struggle of Catholics in Regency England and Ireland plays a part in the story, but I am not Catholic.  I did have the benefit of a Catholic beta reader, and that was a definite advantage.  I consciously incorporated names of characters into the story from a BBC television series set in Ireland called Ballykissangel.  It was my own little love letter to the show.

A reader warned that one must read A Peculiar Connection with a box of tissues nearby.  I did not set out to write a sad novel, but I did write the book the year before my husband died.  Because of the wide difference in our ages, ours was a bittersweet love. It was fair to assume that I would most likely outlive him.  That knowledge made our time together much more precious, and the year I wrote this book I was aware of how quickly our love story was drawing to a close.  Among the blessings of our marriage―and there were many―was the fact that we did not take each other for granted.

So, to sum up this post, I fear I do not know the answer to my own question.  I’m a rather private person.  One thing I love about writing is the belief that I can hide behind my characters, but now…I’m not so sure. 

If you’re a writer, how would you answer this question?  Or if you’re a reader who knows certain writers well, have you been able to detect parts of them in their work?  

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Book Blurb:

Will a mysterious note from the past doom the love of Jane Austen’s most beloved couple?

A Peculiar Connection begins near the close of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Bent on preventing the engagement of her nephew to Elizabeth Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh declares that any union between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth would be “a sin against Heaven itself!”  Her shocking revelation, along with a cryptic message written over twenty years earlier, thrusts the couple into a whirlwind of heartbreak and disbelief.

Could a deserted mansion in Derbyshire or a small church hidden in the wood hold the key to solving the puzzle?  And why is Elizabeth inexplicably drawn to the portrait of three young boys in Pemberley’s gallery?  

Determined to confirm or refute Lady Catherine’s accusation, Darcy and Elizabeth are forced to embark upon a twisted trail into bygone days and family secrets.  All the while, they must endure the exquisite torture of denying the indisputable desire that still hovers between them. 

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Author Bio:

Jan Hahn is fascinated by Jane Austen, 19th Century England, and true love. A storyteller since childhood, she's written skits and plays for local organizations and owned a business recording, writing and publishing oral histories. Jan is a member of JASNA and began writing novels based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in 2002.

Jan's first novel, An Arranged Marriage, won the award for Best Indie book of 2011 from Austen Prose. The Journey, published in 2012, was selected by Austenprose as one of the Top Five Austen Inspired Historical Novels of 2012, and it won the Favorite Pride and Prejudice Variation/Alternate Path of 2012 award from Austenesque. Her latest book, The Secret Betrothal, was published in 2014.  Jan is currently working on Stolen Past.

Jan has five children, seven grandchildren, and is a native Texan. In her dream world, she lives in England in a place called Pemberley.

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Author Links:

Facebook

Blog

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Page

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3/30: Review at Savvy Verse and Wit

3/31: Excerpt at Songs and Stories 

4/1: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club 

4:2: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm

4/3: Author Interview at  The Little Munchkin Reader 

4/4: Review at Margie's Must Reads

4/5: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Love for Jane Austen 

4/6: Review at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice

4/7: Guest Post & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged 

4/8: Excerpt at Laughing with Lizzie 

4/9: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time…

4/10: Review at Diary of an Eccentric

4/12: Review at The Delighted Reader 

4/13: Excerpt & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews 

4/14: Guest Post & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm

4/15: Review at Warmisunqu's Austen

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What do you think, readers? Wasn't this an interesting look into how much of an author is reflected in her/his work? This was a rare glimpse into some of Jan Hahn's personal feelings and how those feelings may have influenced her writings. I found it to be both poignant and fascinating. Thank you again, Jan, for opening up to my readers. I wish you much success with A Peculiar Connection. On another note, I'm thrilled that you like the cover. It is one of my favorites but that it is also one of yours, makes it all the better!

Meryton Press is giving away one Trade Paperback of A Peculiar Connection and it is an international giveaway. Thank you Michele Reed. Please leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. Thank you for commenting and don't forget to include your email address for contact purposes should you be the winner. Giveaway ends at midnight April 13, 2015. 

                                                             

Jan Hahn and I are hosting a giveaway for some very special soaps made just for A Peculiar Connection. Evie Cotton of Shirley's Handicrafts on Etsy created a Celtic duo of soaps in honor of Jan's book. I hope you will love them as much as we do. They have the nice clean scent of Irish Sea Fragrance. Each bar is made with olive oil and shea butter soap bases, activated charcoal, cocoa powder, liquid glycerin and gold dust. A Celtic cross of 22 karat gold plated pewter is attached to the ribbon of the brown and gold bar. We are giving away two sets of the duo and this giveaway is for US addresses only. In your comments, please leave US in the comment to be entered in the soap giveaway. Giveaway ending date is the same as the book giveaway. Good luck in all the giveaways.