Happy Valentine’s Day: A Darcyholic!!! Am I One? By Sandy Cook

A Valentine’s Day Guest Post 

by Sandy Cook
A Woman Who Found her Very Own Mr. Darcy!

Hi, Darcyholics!  How we discover Mr. Darcy and Jane Austen Inspired Literature may be different for many of us.  Any of you who have ever written and posted stories online, or have read comment threads, have read posts from my friend Sandy. I couldn't think of a better poster for today’s Valentine’s Day post! I am very happy she agreed to share with us today.

Upcoming Guest Posts Are As Follows:

February 17--Nancy Kelley

February 21--Janet Taylor

February 24--Nina Benneton

February 28--Maria Grazia (My Jane Austen Book Club)

March 2--Rita W.

March 6--Ruth Oakland
March 9--Jennifer Hickling (michchick)
March 13--Lynne Robson
March 17--Mary Simonsen
March 20--Jan Hahn (release of The Journey)
March 23--Jeane Alvarez (P&P2005 blog)

March 27--Lucy S. 
April 6--China Fuentes-Montero
April 13--Regina Jeffers

And Many more to come!

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Comments on Sandy’s post will be included in the drawing for 2 autographed copies of my book, Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy--to be given away at the end of the month from all the comments on the blog this month. Entries will be based on comments on blog posts; but additional chances will be given for joining this site, tweeting this post, Joining this site as a member!, sharing this on Facebook or your blog, Friend me on Facebook, clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook page, or following BarbTCole on Twitter.  Please note any of these things that you do in your blog post for extra entries.

A Darcyholic!!! Am I One?

Let’s see…

I read a few of Jane Austen’s books years ago but never thought too much more about them until I sat down one night back in 1995 to watch a tv series on A&E. You see…that was a pretty dark period in my life. I had recently gone through a very bad divorce and was trying to recover myself after going through months of sickness. I have never been one to read romance stories and after what I had been through, romance was the furthest thing from my mind. I kind of viewed Pride and Prejudice as from a period so long ago that it shouldn’t remind me of anything bad that happened recently in my life (I still don’t read moderns even today). So I decided I would give it a try. I was immediately drawn into the world of Pride and Prejudice, especially Colin Firth as Darcy. And Wow…was I hooked. I just wanted more. Darcy had become my ideal man. So I sat down and re-read the book.

It just so happened that this was also the same year two of my co-workers and I started  up a brand new Bulletin Board System with access to the internet…the first in Southern West Virginia. Well…of course with this new technology available to me, I immediately started looking on the internet for anything to do with Pride and Prejudice. I wanted more of Darcy! I first found a site that had a couple of unfinished stories that were written about Darcy and Elizabeth and I was so impressed that people could do this and make the stories so interesting…I just wanted more. So I re-read the book again!

I searched and searched on the internet. I looked for anything about Pride and Prejudice or anything about Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Finally, one day, I found a website that was devoted to the wonderful world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction. I didn’t know such a world existed and then…there were many more sites and many more stories. I devoured every one I could find. Over the years I have seen some of these sites go through many changes and some that are no longer available. Some of the stories, thankfully, have been reposted or were posted at more than one site. Those we still have and can enjoy but others are gone…lost forever and that makes me very sad. I started saving copies of all of my favorites. I even created my own little database on my home computer so I could keep track of the ones I love so much. I also have electronic copies of Pride and Prejudice on both my laptop and Kindle and I find that whenever I want a real look at Darcy…I re-read the book once again!

Darcyholic…now that’s a word I never really thought about…I just thought I was in love with Pride and Prejudice. When I think of Darcy, I immediately picture Colin Firth with his black dress clothes and his white cravat and his big black top hat! Or with his flowing coat trailing behind as he races his horse across the fields at Netherfield! Or the beautiful, soft and loving look that he gave Elizabeth as they listened to Georgiana play the pianoforte at Pemberley…now that’s swoon worthy! Ahhh…Darcy! Strong, shy, so good looking, and eyes that are to die for! Honorable to a fault, intelligent, lonely and once he is your friend…it takes a lot to make him dislike you and even worse to anger him to violence. A man forced to grow up and take on the role of master and father at such a young age. Believing anything less than perfection to be unacceptable…and yet…a man so full of flaws. Ahhh…what’s not to love! Darcy may not be perfect, but when I look on the screen or re-read the story…I find that he may not be perfect but he is perfect for me in my own mind! So I read as much of Darcy as I can.

Now I have to tell you…I am not a writer but once I became aware of the world of JAFF, I looked for any regency story I could find and gobbled them up like candy. Then, suddenly in 2004, I met my own Mr. Darcy. 

He wasn’t jealous of my Firth Darcy…instead…we developed a very unusual love triangle…me and my two Darcys!  Thanks to my own Mr Darcy…I can now enjoy my Firth Darcy on the big screen in the privacy of my own living room…and BluRay, no less! Does that mean I’m a Darcyholic? Hmmm….!

When I decide to get a little exercise, I can enjoy reading JAFF stories about Darcy and Elizabeth on the HDTV ‘My’ Mr Darcy set up on the wall in front of my treadmill. There’s even room for my Kindle to read JAFF books or I can hook up the laptop to the same tv and read on the internet. Does that mean I’m a Darcyholic? Hmmm…maybe!

When I drive up in my car, the front has a plate that says FIRTH LADY and when I drive away you see MS DARCY on the back license plate! These were surprises from ‘My’ Mr Darcy. Does that mean I’m a Darcyholic? Hmmm…could be!

‘My’ Mr Darcy is such a great sport about my…um…er…obsession. He doesn’t read the stories but he does love the comments even though he thinks we’re all a little crazy! I think it’s why he keeps feeding my obsession, and my love of chocolate covered cherries!  

Even though I don’t write, I have enjoyed reading all of the stories for years now. Stories about Darcy and Elizabeth have seen me through sickness and health and pulled me through some of the worst times in my life and some of the best!

Am I a Darcyholic…well…on a scale of 1 to 10 I think I just might rank about a 20! What do you think?

Happy Valentine’s Day

 to Sandy and her Mr. Darcy, Jim!