This week is one of firsts for me, including now the blog's inaugural author interview. Shannon Winslow is the author of Murder at Northanger Abbey, one of the rare Northanger Abbey fan works in existence, let alone published. I discovered her through the fan fiction website Austen Variations when she began posting excerpts from her then upcoming book.
When I contacted this author, she was kind enough to write back immediately despite our never meeting before (online or otherwise):
"Although Northanger Abbey wasn’t published until after Jane Austen’s death, she actually wrote it first, in her early twenties. Knowing this helps us to appreciate the novel’s unique place in the Austen canon and its teen-aged, somewhat naïve heroine. Austen conceived the story when she was quite young herself, before she had experienced much of the world. Thus, her parody of the Gothic novel brims with youthful fun and early examples of Austen’s patented ironic wit. It's one of my favorites!"
That blurb alone was enough for a post, but she also agreed to answer a few questions I had about Jane Austen, fandom, and her own writing. I've added links to some of the works she mentions, but otherwise kept her words as provided. Please read to the end for purchasing information if you'd like to get Murder at Northanger Abbey or any of her other books.
I first "discovered" Jane Austen about 15 years ago when I, on impulse, picked up the 1995 mini-series of Pride and Prejudice at Costco one day. I don't know why I bought it, since I hadn't really been interested in period dramas before. Maybe it was Colin Firth's pretty face. ;) Anyway, I watched it and was hooked - on the language, the manners, the story, Austen's style. So I went on to read the book, and then ALL the books and still wanted more. That's what really inspired me to start writing my own stories a la Austen - to fill my own need for more of what she wrote. Once I'd began, I never looked back. I discovered I had a flare for Austenesque language and no shortage of story ideas!
When I wrote my first novel - The Darcys of Pemberley - I had no idea that such a thing as JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction) even existed. It was only after the book was published that I started getting connected with fans and other authors in the genre. So I bypassed the boards, where so many other authors have gotten their start.
I love playful tone of the book, as well as Catherine's and Henry's distinct personalities - she so naïve and he so mischievously fun-loving. I happen to think Henry Tilney is very sexy too! So it was delightful challenge to write the two of them now as husband and wife, making it clear they are enjoying the benefits of married life without being so obvious as to be explicit. I'd never written a murder mystery before either, but it seemed clear to me that that's what this story should be about. Plus, it gave me the chance to eliminate at least one of the nasty characters from the original. (BTW, in the same vain, I made killing off P&P's Mr. Collins my very first literary act!) In Murder at Northanger Abbey, I did my best to reprise the mischievous spirit of Austen’s original spoof on the Gothic novel, while giving Catherine a genuine murder mystery to solve.
It's one of my goals to write at least one novel related to each of Austen's six. I've got P&P well covered with five novels. I have a Persuasion book (The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen), and my NA sequel. I count Leap of Hope as my Mansfield Park book. I'm currently working on a Sense and Sensibility book focused on Colonel Brandon, which will leave only Emma. My most recent release was a Pride and Prejudice piece called Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words, which casts a lot more light on Darcy's personality and behavior, his past, and what he's doing during the course of the original novel. You might be surprised all that was going on behind the scenes!
Thanks again for appearing on my blog, Shannon! You can find Murder at Northanger Abbey, as well as her other offerings, over at Amazon; you may also support her on social media on Twitter @JaneAustenSays and Facebook. She recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of her first book's publication, and her latest hit online shelves back in May: congratulations!
So, readers, time for you to chime in. Have you read any of our featured author's scribblings? Or do any pique your interest? What do you look for most when reading JAFF?
