Thursday, March 28, 2019

Leigh Dreyer...The Path Less Traveled

Leigh Dreyer stops by on her blog tour for The Path Less Traveled, her latest release. Leigh asked if I would like her to write something special for my blog. I wanted her to write about something of interest to her. This might not have been her first choice,but it is an excellent choice about the influence of war on Jane Austen and vice versa. It was certainly something interesting to me. I think you are going to enjoy reading her post and hope you find it interesting too. 

Welcome, Leigh! I'm glad to have you back for a visit!

Blurb

In this modern Pride and Prejudice continuation and sequel to The Best Laid Flight Plans, 2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Bennet and Captain William Darcy are facing trials after the events of Elizabeth’s last flight. Darcy’s proposal lingers between them as Elizabeth becomes almost single sighted to her rehabilitation and her return to pilot training. A secret is revealed to Elizabeth about Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s past that throws all she has known to be true into a tail spin. The romance between our hero and heroine begins to blossom through military separations, sisterly pranks, and miscommunications. Can Darcy and Elizabeth come together or will flying in the Air Force keep them apart?


 Janet asked me to write about something I particularly like or enjoy writing about. Considering I spend the vast majority of my writing time writing speech notes and assessments as a speech pathologist, I didn’t think that would be of any particular interest to anybody (except maybe Karen M Cox—Speech path shout out!). Something I do enjoy that may be of interest in the Austen space is the influence of war on Jane Austen and, additionally, of Jane Austen on war.

                Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817. The American Revolution began the same year in 1775 and ended when Jane was eight in 1783. The war of Britain against Napoleon started in 1799 and ended in 1815. At it’s peak in 1804, approximately one-fourth of military age men joined volunteers to fight against Napoleon. Simultaneously, the War of 1812 raged against the United States from 1812-1815. The number of British war dead alone in that time period is approximately 345,000 or around 4% of the total population of Britain in 1801. Famously, two of her brothers were in the Navy, while another was in the militia. Her sister Cassandra’s fiancĂ© served as curate on a ship in the Navy and died of a fever in 1798.

While Jane Austen’s day-to-day life was relatively unaffected by violence taking place across the Channel, it was nevertheless influenced. Her writing, characters, and themes of her novels reflect its influence with militia, Navy men, Army officers, etc.  While most of her writing appears to be romance, she also highlights social structure changes made by

Rudyard Kipling wrote “The Janeites” to highlight Jane’s impressive influence on veterans in World War I. In 1942, during WWII, Penguin published special editions of Northhanger Abbey and Persuasian to be sent to the troops. Jane Austen has a power to connect men and women of all social standings and across more than two hundred years. Her books and words are powerful reminders that people are all the same and can connect through conquering pride and prejudice.

Like Jane, we have lived in a world which has been in a constant state of war. Depending on your age, the Korean War, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and Bosnia to the Global War on Terror (which has lasted nearly twenty years), I have been in a country at war for most of my life and certainly all of my adult life. Jane Austen’s works and JAFF in general have helped me through deployments, temporary deployments, moving across the country six times (while pregnant four of those moves and with a six week old one of them), late nights and early mornings alone.

I know many men and women who leave their families each morning and are actively participating in a war zone by the afternoon. Today only 1.7% of Americans serve in the military—a huge change from the 25%+ in Austen’s time, but the things that unite us are the same as they once were. A love of country and a willingness to serve…that free college and solid housing plan and healthcare sure doesn’t hurt to the Wickham-types of the world.

Jane Austen has a power to her writing that is interesting for an author. At once she is satirical, funny, romantic, smart, and authoritative without ever letting on that her writing is any of those things. How many articles have been written about how Pride and Prejudice is more than a romance? To me, Jane Austen and works inspired by her are a simple (and complex) comfort in a time of war.


Author Bio

Leigh Dreyer is a huge fan of Jane Austen variations and the JAFF community. She is blessed to have multi-generational military connections through herself and her husband, who she met in pilot training. She often describes her formative years in this way: “You know the ‘Great Balls of Fire’ scene in Top Gun (‘Goose, you big stud!’), where Goose and Meg Ryan have their kid on the piano? I was that kid.” Leigh lives with her pilot husband, a plane-obsessed son, a daughter who will one day be old enough to watch romantic movies with her, and another little one expected in September 2019.



Flight Path Less Traveled Links

The Best Laid Flight Plans Links

Contact Information

Author Name: Leigh Dreyer
Facebook: Leigh Dreyer
Facebook Page: @leighdreyerauthor

Social Media Information

Hashtags:
#TheFlightPathLessTraveled
#LeighDreyer
#JAFF
#AustenInspired

It is great having you come back to my blog, Leigh. From everything I've read, it sounds like your book is doing really well. Congratulations! Thanks for the awesome post. I enjoyed reading it and I'm sure my readers did too. Thank you for bringing the influence of war on Jane Austen to us.

Leigh is giving away one eBook and the giveaway is international. Leave us a comment and tell us what you think about the post, Leigh's book, or just leave her some love. The giveaway will end on the 4th of April at 11:59 P.M. Good luck to all. Best wishes to you, Leigh Dreyer!

40 comments:

  1. Congrats on the release. I look forward to reading this one.

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  2. Interesting post! Wow! Moving is hard as is it, and you did it while pregnant or with small children five plus times! That's an amazing feat in itself. Many thanks to you and your family for servicing our country.

    Congrats on this newest release!

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    1. I'm happy you stopped by, Candy. Wouldn't it be hard moving under those circumstances? I don't envy her at all.

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    2. Hahaha it's just part of that Air Force life. I'm grateful my husband has been home for every delivery and that the paternity leave (a pretty new phenomenon) is so generous. It helps a ton! I'll take moving every time over him being deployed and coming home to a 6 month old he's never met.

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  3. Loving this book. I'm about half way through. Congratulations Leigh on your new release! Jen Red ♫

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    1. I appreciate you stopping by and letting us know you are loving it. Thanks, Jen.

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    2. Yay! I'm glad you're enjoying it, I know how busy you are, so there's no time to waste on a bad book. Thanks!

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  4. As a Janeite and a PROUD Air Force mom, I thank you for your service and wish you much success with your book. Aim high!

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    1. Hi Mirta, thank you for stopping by and commenting. We appreciate you.

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    2. Thank you! Good luck in the giveaway. Tell your baby thank you for their service as welL!

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  5. Congrats again on your second book in the series! Looking forward to reading it.

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    1. Thank you and good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. I hope you get to read it soon, Dung Vu. Good luck!

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  6. So enjoyed your insight and looking forward to reading both books. Yes, I can see the comfort Jane Austen's novels gave/gives to those in times of war. We have yet to learn from history...unfortunately, I don't think we ever will. Congratulations! Thank you for a chance at the giveaway!

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    1. We really never learn, do we? Good luck and thank you for stopping by!

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    2. Hi Carol. Thanks for your comment. Wouldn't it be great if we could learn from history.

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  7. I enjoyed the discussion of the element of war on Jane Austen's life and writing. Makes sense to set a modern retelling with a military flare. Congrats, Leigh!

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    1. It does make sense. Good premise! Thanks, Sophia Rose.

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    2. I figured it out one time and Jane Austen and I are like 1 year apart for on-going wars during our adulthood which made me feel a little closer to her. Thank you!

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  8. My heartfelt thanks to all who have served and are currently serving. I have always had a soft spot for those in the military. When I was a teenager we wrote letters to an 'unknown soldier' stationed in Vietnam. It was to boost their morale; however, I wonder what a teenage girl could say that would encourage them. It probably gave them something to laugh at or just give them a taste of home. I was writing about church, what was going on around us, weather... see... a taste of home. Thank you and your family for serving our country and for your sacrifice of comfort as you moved so many times and were separated by distance I can't even imagine. Blessings to you and yours. Thanks also to Janet for hosting.

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    1. I bet your letters were an inspiration to the 'unknown soldier.' I'm sure it made them feel good to get a taste of home. Thanks for telling us about it. It was my pleasure to host and I'm glad you stopped by!

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    2. When my husband was deployed he received some of those types of letters and he really enjoyed it. It doesn't so much matter what was said, just that someone *saw* them and they didn't feel so quite forgotten. Thank you for your support! It means a lot!

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  9. What an interesting article!
    It's great to think that good writing,from the pen of our beloved author,had the power to encourage,motivate and ease the many burdens officers faced in W.W.2.
    Best of luck with your new book,Leigh.ivd treated myself to book one but have yet to read it.
    Thank you,Janet,for hosting.

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    1. It was an interesting article, I agree! Thank you Mary for commenting! Good luck in the giveaway.

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    2. I really think that Austen has such a power to her writing that simultaneously makes us forget our current situation and allows us to look at our lives more critically. I'm sure for the officers that escapism was brilliant, but look at the leadership qualities of Darcy and Wentworth, etc. I'm sure it helped them think about themselves as well.

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  10. I had never given thought that Jane Austen life was also coincidedith so many wars. We have, too, but social media, 24 hr news, internet allows war to be in out lives instantly. Thank you for the giveaway.

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    1. I actually think that the wars being out of the news is a bit of a crime, but that may be because I am so close to it... Thank you for posting and good luck in the giveaway!

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  11. Thanks for visiting, Eva. Good luck!

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  12. Enjoyed the first book. Would be fun to read the second one.

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    1. Hi Ria. I hope you get to read the second one soon. Maybe you will be the winner!

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    2. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Best Laid Flight Plans. Good luck in the giveaway!

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  13. This is a fascinating topic considering that you grew up in a military family and are married to one, Leigh. Thank you for sharing an aspect into Jane Austen's life which was not talked about in her novels.

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    1. I have ALL the pilots running around! Thank you for commenting!

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    2. Thanks, Sylvia. I appreciate your thoughts!

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  14. I always enjoy seeing how writers translate P&P to a modern setting, and you have done so very well. I know the next 2 are going to be more original, but I'm still looking forward to them.

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  15. I am looking forward to reading this. Thank you for sharing parts of what inspired and hank you for the give away.

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