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Before I start the interview, just look at the cover of Robin's latest book. Isn't it beautiful! Her daughter is a gorgeous young woman and makes the perfect front cover picture of Elizabeth. I love it!
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How and when did your interest in
Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice take
root?
I was always
a bookish person. I read Austen’s books as a teen and young adult, but the 1995
miniseries really revived my love of Pride
and Prejudice, as well as the other books. Yes, I’m a huge Firth fan. He
brought Darcy to life for me. (Now I’ve aged myself.)
Goodness! If that ages you, then I'm aged, too. The 1995 miniseries started it all for me and sent me back to Pride & Prejudice. I've never looked back. Since you are a 'bookish' person, what drove you to start writing your
own books? Did you write other things before writing PnP variations?
My sister
Gayle introduced me to JAFF stories online. We bought the books together at
bookstores, too. I still have the first Austenesque books I ever bought -
Pamela Aiden’s Fitzwilliam Darcy,
Gentleman series. A little later, I also bought the mystery books written
by Carrie Bebris, the Mercy’s Embrace
series by Laura Hile, and Susan Kaye’s Frederick
Wentworth: Captain books.
Soon after
reading those books, I decided to write my own. I published Guardian in 2011 and have since published
six more Austen-inspired books.
Before I
started writing fiction, I wrote a column for a local newspaper and was
published in several poetry anthologies.
I have all the Austenesque books I have bought too. I need a new bookshelf! When you write, 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 definitely
depend on my muse. My outlines are extremely short and general. I actually fill
them in as I write. Posting my
stories on our forum (with Wendi Sotis and other authors), Beyond Austen, helps
to keep me motivated, and the reader feedback is vital to me.
That is great that you have the instant feedback of a forum. I can see where that could help. Is there any setting that is more
inspirational to you when writing?
I write best
in my messy office when I’m home alone, though I keep a small notebook with me
everywhere I go. If an idea comes to mind, I write it down.
Let's don't talk about messy offices. I'm sitting in one right now and it's not yours! Let's talk about something more fun! What about the Regency era is
appealing to you?
The
televised, “moviefied” version of the Regency era is appealing to me, but I
doubt the reality of living in that era would be as pleasant as our idealized
versions. I explored that idea in my Yours
by Design series. Regency Darcy and modern Darcy switch places in time. I
had fun with that. (Just think of Regency Darcy waking up from a horrific horse
riding accident in a modern hospital in Atlanta. Women are working as nurses!
Wearing pants! Touching him!)
I love the
idea of courtesy and manners – knowing what is proper and what isn’t. I like
the clothing and style.
In reality,
however, I would miss modern bathrooms, the freedom of modern clothing and
class structure, my role as a twenty-first century woman, and modern
conveniences. I depend on labor-saving devices. Sometimes, my house is humming
with all of them running at the same time. (Right now, in fact.)
Air
conditioning is necessary to a comfortable life in the South. I grew up without
heat or air conditioning. Sorry, Darcy, but you take a back seat to my comfort.
It would be hard to do without our modern conveniences but I do love the romantic version of the Regency era. The manners, the proper way of doing things, I think those are worthy and sometimes sorely missed in this era. Tell us something about your newest book
that you love most.
(if you can without giving anything away)
I love
presenting Elizabeth as a strong, intelligent equal to Darcy. They fall in love
over chess. I love to thaw the man out just a bit.
Interesting thought...to thaw the man out just a bit! I believe a strong Elizabeth is one thing that attracts Darcy. Moving on to you, what have you learned from writing
that has helped you in your daily life?
I’ve learned
to be more organized with my time. Jobs, church work, and my family all come
before my writing. (Housework is always last on my list.) I’ve had to be
careful about wasting my free hours. Because of that, I’ve had to prioritize. I
had to decide what was important – what could stay and what I needed to discard
in my life. I allow no negativism to stay in my mind. Reviews are great, but I
don’t dwell on the bad ones. Those are that person’s opinions. They don’t
define me. Writing has strengthened me.
I also
learned that I can do things that are important to me if I write and publish.
It’s empowering. I’ve put new floors in my house, bought new living room
furniture, traveled to Japan, and purchased a car with my royalties. Since I
want to remodel my bathrooms and kitchen and put new carpeting in my bedrooms,
I am highly motivated to keep writing.
Then there’s
that pesky retirement looming large in my future. We’ll need money for Larry’s
nursing home. (That’s a running joke between us. When I forget anything, he
asks, “Have you chosen your nursing home yet?” He’s a Knightley, not a Darcy.)
Can you teach me to be more organized with my time? I'm trying to prioritize but I'm not doing so good. I do think it's wonderful that writing has allowed you to do things important to you. I'm especially impressed that you allow no negativism to stay in your life. That is truly awesome. Those are some special things...is there anything else special about
yourself or your writing that you would be willing to share with us?
I can’t
write anything that goes against my religious beliefs. My conscience is very
tender, and my books are in the church library. I teach music to children of
all ages. They follow me wherever I go, and I won’t write what they can’t read.
My books are my legacy. I hope they will remain after I’m gone. In that sense,
I suppose I’ll never stop talking.
I admire you for your convictions and find them/you inspiring. Do you have a modern day author that
has inspired you? If yes, what was it about their writing that was an
inspiration?
Though I
don’t write fantasy that contradicts my beliefs, I do read it. I realize that
it’s a product of imagination, not an attack on religion. As such, I enjoy the
works of believers and non-believers. C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia, Out of
the Silent Planet) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord
of the Rings) have inspired me, as well as Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga), Susan Ee (Penryn, End of Days Trilogy), Tahereh
Mafi (Shatter Me), Sarah Maas (Throne of Glass books), Suzanne Collins
(The Hunger Games), Veronica Roth (Divergent series), and others. These books
all have fantasy or sci-fi elements. I am amazed at the creativity and
outpouring of imagination. Also, they have appealed to younger and older
readers alike. I want to do that. I want my books to be loved, I want them to
challenge, and I want them to leave my readers thinking in a different way
about life. I want to engage the reader’s imagination. That’s why all of my
books (so far) have a paranormal element.
I like your thoughts on modern day authors that have inspired you. I feel the same about several of them. Your desire to have your books loved and to challenge is a worthy goal. I have a feeling you most definitely engage your reader's imagination. Now for a very important question, we
all have our special reasons for loving Mr. Darcy, what are your reasons?
Mr. Darcy
(as portrayed in the original Austen novel) is intelligent, handsome, wealthy,
and family oriented, but he isn’t perfect. He’s opinionated, conceited,
stubborn, class-conscious, proud, and meddlesome. His self-importance is off
the charts. How wonderful that Austen wrote a man who needed to change and did
so!
I’m shallow
enough to require a handsome hero, but I’m deep enough to want him to have
faults. Perfect people really get on my nerves, and in the end, they really
aren’t as perfect as we think they are. Something is being hidden from the rest
of us, and it always comes out eventually and unpleasantly.
I know that
I have faults. I can list them in detail. Therefore, I could never love a
perfect hero, because I would never deserve him. He wouldn’t love me.
I love Darcy
for his imperfections. And, of course, he’s very handsome, intelligent, and
rich. I’m SO shallow. (sigh)
Oh, you have me laughing on that last note, Robin. I'm shallow right along with you! I think most of the Darcy lovers fit right in the same category. Oh, dear. Now am I stereotyping? How dare me! lol Seriously, your answers inspired me and I feel that your wishes on your writing legacy will come true. It was great having you visit again, Robin. I'm so pleased you came by. I invite you to come back anytime.
It's giveaway time! Ms. Helm is generously giving away 1. International; an eBook of her latest, Understanding Elizabeth 2. US only; an eBook or paperback, winner's choice of Understanding Elizabeth. Isn't that great! Readers, that's two of you that will have a new book to read! Thank you, Robin. Leave a comment and your contact info below. We would love to hear your share in the conversation. The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM on the 19th of June. Good luck to all.
What a fun interview! I really enjoyed Understanding Elizabeth and love that Robin used her daughter's photo on the cover. Such a beautiful woman. Thanks for featuring Robin today. Jen Red PS I already have Robin's book so no need to put me in the drawing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jen Red! I think Janet and I both had a good time with the interview. Getting to know another Austen fan better is such a pleasant way to spend an afternoon! I hope you enjoyed Understanding Elizabeth. :)
DeleteRobin
Fabulous interview. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Charlene. Good luck!
DeleteRobin
Great interview Janet and Robin. You made so many great points I have to agree with. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI already have the book (and I love it), so please don't include me in the drawing.
Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment, KateB!I hope you enjoyed Understanding Elizabeth.
DeleteRobin
I love Robin Helm's stories. I loved the switch in the series Yours By Design. Seeing the past Darcy in the present and vice versa was so much fun. I loved the interview. Robin's daughter does so look like an Elizabeth. I love it. Looking forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeleteForgot to add my email: skamper25 at gmail dot com
DeleteThank you for leaving a comment, Deborah Ann. Melanie has always been my model for my Elizabeths. Much of her childhood is written into Guardian.
DeleteGood luck!
Robin
I already own the eBook of this but I'd LOVE having a paperback copy! Such a talented author!
ReplyDeleteHi, Leah! The paperback of Understanding Elizabeth is definitely my favorite cover of all my books.
DeleteThank you for the compliment, and good luck!
Robin
Very nice interview. Always like to get to know an author better.
ReplyDeleteHello, Alp! I'm so glad you enjoyed the interview.
DeleteGood luck in the giveaway!
Robin
Great interview. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteForgot my contact info: jadseah4 (at) yahoo
DeleteHi, darcybennett. Thanks so much for stopping by. Good luck in the giveaway!
DeleteRobin
DeleteI enjoyed the interview, ladies. Insightful about a writer's life, priorities, and treating writing like a legacy which I see it as, too. I've enjoyed Robin's time swap stories and have her paranormals on my shelf (eventually).
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com
Hi, Sophia Rose! Great to "see" you. Thank you for the lovely comments. I think we agree on many things.
DeleteGood luck in the giveaway!
Wonderful interview. No need to enter me.
ReplyDeleteHi, BeckyC. Thank you for commenting!
DeleteRobin
Excellent interview, ladies.
ReplyDeleteThis cover is GORGEOUS! Please don't enter me as I have this in my library already.
Hi, Joy! Thank you for your wonderful comments about the cover. Because of your earlier comments, I submitted it to a cover contest. I hope the judges like it as well as you do. :)
DeleteRobin
Lovely interview and thank you for the giveaway! ;)
ReplyDeletedanielaquadros at gmail dot com
Hi, Daniela! I'm glad you liked the interview.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in the giveaway.
Robin
Thank you for this interview. I must confess that I am also shallow when it comes to Darcy! I read your Guardian series and would love to receive a copy of Understanding Elizabeth. Thank you for the giveaway. evamedmonds(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI think it's Darcy's imperfections that make us fall in love with him! Yes,he's rich,intelligent and quite handsome but it's the fact that he's not the perfect gent that he believes himself to be and his willingness to alter his haughty behaviour to gain Elizabeth's love that make us swoon again and again!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture on the cover!!
Can't wait to read your latest book and can just imagine the chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth as they fall in love over chess!
Best of luck with your book. Hope it's well received by those who love Jane's work.
Cheers for the giveaway!
I loved the interview! I enjoy learning more about the lovely writers of JAFF books. I applaud your decision to write books that all ages can read, Robin. If I had any writing talent, I would do the same. 😊. I'm also thrilled to know that someone else puts housework at the bottom of their to-do list!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book! Your daughter is lovely.
I enjoyed the interview. Thanks for doing this, Robin and Janet. As I have not read any of Robin's books (but there are on my tbr list), does that mean she doesn't write any sex or sensual scenes? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteevangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com