Welcome P O Dixon to Darcyholic Diversions!
Hi,
Darcyholics! I am very happy to introduce to you, Pam. I first got to know her as she was posting stories online, but am very happy to have a chance to get to know her better. I hope you will enjoy her post as much as I have!
Don't forget to read any posts from June you might have missed as it has been busy! There are many give aways that will be drawn later this week! Included in that list of give aways are posts from Kara Louise, Becky Thumann, Sharon Lathan and Shannon Winslow as well as Laura Ann Nattress; as well as the posts from Gayle Mills, Jan Ashe, Stephanie Hamm and Krista Bagley. Read ALL of them and don't forget to comment! Comments are your entries to WIN those giveaways!
July 3--Jennifer Petkus
July 6--Karen Aminada
July 8--Aimee Avery, June Williams and Enid Wilson
July 10--Marilyn Brant
July 13--Meredith Esparanza
July 17--Lori Smith
July 20--Bernadette
July 24--Barbara Tiller Cole: Christmas in July
July 27--Amy Cecil
July 29--William Deresiewicz
July 31--Maria Grace
August 3--Wendi S.
August 7--Moira B.
August 10--Barbara TC and the DBF
August 14--Colette S.
August 17--Regina Jeffers
August 21--Sally Smith O'Rourke
August 24--Amber Godat
And Many more to come!
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Pam is proving a giveaway of one paperback (US only) and an ecopy (International) of her book Bewitched, Body and Soul. Comments on her post will also enter you into the monthly drawings here at Darcyholic Diversions. Winners will be selected along with other June winners, at the beginning to July. 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 via Google Friend Connect (GFC) (See the left hand column on the blog to join!), sharing this on Facebook or your blog, Friend me on Facebook, clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook page, Join Darcyholic Diversions Facebook Page or following BarbTCole on Twitter.
I am P O Dixon, and I am a Darcyholic.
The 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie sealed my fate as an ardent Darcyholic. I
credit my obsession to Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy, and cite its
onset with the instant he ‘appeared’
in Lady Catherine’s parlor. To me, that moment was magical. I am so fascinated by the scene,
even to this day, that I endeavor to recapture its essence in my stories.
My initial viewing of the movie was in 2007
on HBO on Demand. I would watch it daily for weeks, sometimes twice a day.
Alas, its run on HBO ended. For the first time in my life, I knew how it must feel
to suffer withdrawal. Dazed, confused, it one day dawned on me that I might
find relief by reading the book. Ah, Barnes and Noble.com tempted me with a
hardcover edition of Jane Austen’s Pride
and Prejudice for only $9.99. I succumbed.
What a delightful experience. I consumed
the book in a few days. Still, I needed to learn more about Mr. Darcy, so I
went back to Barnes and Noble.com. It had served me well before; surely, it
would do so again. Did it ever! My search revealed Linda Berdoll’s stories. Excited,
I bought and read both of Berdoll’s books. Wow! That led me to Pamela Aidan’s
books, and what I fondly refer to as another turning point. The Q&A section
in the back of the first book in the trilogy referenced online Jane Austen fan
fiction. From then on, there was no turning back for me. I realized that if I
were to have time enough to read every Pride
and Prejudice variation I came across, life as I knew it had to change.
It is a good thing I had spent so much of
my professional life managing, prioritizing, putting first things first, and
perfecting the art of saying ‘no.’ To be truly proficient in my obsession, I needed
to give it my all.
It’s wonderful when obsession combines with
passion as it has in my case. When I shared my first P&P ‘what-if’ story with others on a popular
fan fiction forum, I was thrilled. It was only after I published my story and
confided to someone in the real world what I had done that I was reminded that
I had written and shared stories with others during my teenage years.
Indeed, the pursuit of advanced business
and technical degrees and professional career objectives literally had
relegated my earliest writing endeavors to the furthest recesses of my mind.
During all those aspiring years, I could not have imagined that watching a
single period film should prove to be such a life-changing experience. My hope is that having lived with it
and having enjoyed it for the past five years, my addiction to Mr. Darcy never
ends.
By the way, I have two copies of the 2005 film—the
original DVD and the fabulous Two-Disc Collector’s Edition. I am no longer
beholden to HBO on Demand. Now, all I need is a version where Darcy actually
kisses Elizabeth at the temple. One can always dream!
Matter of Trust is my current WIP. It will be available this Fall. Readers can be directed to check my Pinterest page for details, to track progress, etc.
Author site: http://podixon.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/podixon
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/podixon
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/podixon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/podixon
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/podixon
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/podixon/
We may love a different Darcy, Pam, but we love the same things about him -- his shy nature, his loyalty to family and friends, his willingness to finally view his arrogance with an eye toward overcoming it, his gorgeous brown curls (Oops! That would be my Mr. Darcy - LOL).
ReplyDeleteWhatever inspires you to write, I'm all for it. I love your stories and your commitment to excellence.
Thanks for the post.
Gayle / S.C.Mema
Yes, Colin Firth's gorgeous brown curls... He may not be 'my' Mr. Darcy but that does not stop me from swooning over him every time I see his face.
DeleteThanks so much, Gayle. I'm glad you enjoy my stories.
Hi Pam! Yay, for team Matthew! The 2005 P&P was my start too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara, for hosting all of these wonderful Darcyholic stories. It's fun hearing them.
I already have a e-copy of BB&S! Loved it! Thanks!
Watching the movie, over and over and over, changed my life in the most profound way. I'm so glad it was my first exposure to P&P. Go Team Matthew!!
DeleteThanks, Candy. I'm delighted you enjoyed BB&S.
I am more Team Colin but, as Gayle said, Darcy-love is Darcy-love, and I'm happy that the 05 film inspired so many fabulous JAFF writers to compose and share their stories with us. I have seen the 05 film a few times and lately have been wanting to watch it again (seeing as I already own it) to see if maybe I'm just missing something in it that so many others are seeing. Lol And I'm all for a film what-if adaptation involving a kiss during the Hunsford proposal - yay!
ReplyDeleteTrue confession time - I have seen the BBC version on YouTube and I have watched the clip where Darcy and Elizabeth meet at Pemberley more than once or twice.
DeleteI'm also grateful the 05 film has been inspirational for so many. As much as I love the film, I suspect I would not have been half as smitten if not for the 'American' ending. **swoon**
Thanks so much, Monica! I'm hoping you will enjoy BB&S very soon.
Tweeted this post https://mobile.twitter.com/jaffobsession/status/219547240929304576
ReplyDeleteI follow Barbara on Twitter and follow DD blog.
Thanks, Monica, for tweeting this post and helping to spread the word. And thanks so much, Barbara, for inviting me here to tell the story of my love for Mr. Darcy!
DeleteWonderful post, Pam. My Darcy is Colin Firth, but the ideals are the same.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I love your writing. If you write it, I will read it, usually in one or two sittings.
I'll tweet this, too.
You are right, Robin. We are all fortunate that MM and CF, both, made such lasting impressions upon us with their portrayals of Mr. Darcy.
DeleteThanks so much for all you do!
I think the key here is the "Passion" you feel for a character, in this case Darcy, in some other case a different character. When the purity of his or her soul inspires you, you want to see that passion grow into something even more beautiful! For those of us given the gift to see such passion, I can't think of anything greater in this life as I think it is the DNA of love!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments—passion, ardent devotion and, in this case, so many Jane Austen fans who are equally inspired to keep asking ‘what-if.’
DeleteThanks!
Great post. I too am obsessed with Darcy -- the Colin Firth edition. Yum. When he looks at Elizabeth singing and playing the piano in his music room at Pemberley, my heart goes all gooey. In my obsession, I too turned to fan fiction, including Pamela Aidan (genius) and Linda Berdoll (hot). I even attended a course on Jane Austen at Christ Church College, Oxford University in England and visited Chawton House, Austen's final residence, as well as her grave in Winchester Cathedral. I highly recommend the course. Alas, there is no Darcy since, as we all know, he was a Cambridge man, but one can always hope.
ReplyDeleteYou’re right; one can always hope. I empathize with having favorite scenes in the movie that leave you all gooey. I enjoy many such moments in the 05 film, so much so that I always find myself hoping the scenes will go on and on and on.
DeleteThanks, Rebecca!
Loved this. My Darcy will always be Colin Firth.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gerri. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I love how we love Mr. Darcy, and how we are unwavering when it comes to Matthew vs. Colin. ;~)
DeleteMy Darcy is Matthew Macfadyen and, as other people in this post I read several 'what-if' since I re-discovered Pride and Prejudice two years ago when I saw the 2005 film version. Then, I started reading 'what-if' in Italian (unfortunately I found only Pamela Aidan's trilogy and Amanda Grange's "Darcy vampire") and then all the others in English.
ReplyDeleteI'm always eager to read everything new about this subject :))))
I applaud your choice! Matthew is amazing. :~)
ReplyDeleteMy list of To-Be-Read Pride and Prejudice ‘what-ifs’ grows with each passing day. I’m delighted to know that you are such an ardent fan of the genre, as well.
Thanks, Sonia!
While I truly enjoy an appreciate all the film adaptions to the book and it is beyond fun to read all the fan fiction and published Austenesque, there is just nothing like reading the original. Austen leaves him so much to our imagination in so many ways. Thanks for sharing your Darcy love, Pam!
ReplyDeleteThe witty humor in P&P is priceless. I am amazed by the number of LOL moments I have whenever I reread the book. I agree with you. Jane Austen certainly leaves much to the imagination. For instance, what was Mr. Darcy up to all those months leading up to his trip to Kent? I wonder.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sophia!
Pam:
ReplyDeleteThanks again for taking the time to post! I, too, had little idea how watching a mini series while recovering from surgery would change my life! But it did! I had had a couple debates about whether Mr. Darcy was really shy? Or if his conceit, as he called it himself, caused him to isolate himself from others. I do believe he was an introvert. And that it too Elizabeth to bring him back out of his self and be willing to change for the woman he loved. That, and yes his gorgeous curls (which lets you know MY preference) were what brought me to the foot of Mr. Darcy... LOL.
Thanks for your perspective and your sharing of your story with us.
Barbara
It's been a great pleasure! Thanks again, Barbara, for inviting me here to share my story with such ardent Darcyholics.
DeleteI got into Austen when they had their Austen Fest on P.B.S. a few years ago. At first it took me a while to get into the Regency period because I was used to Victorian stories. In the Regency era they spoke more formally and I also had to get used to the way they dressed. I looked up books on Amazon and found out about Austen sequels. Now I collect them, especially the ones from Sourcebooks.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of your books before, but I'd love to win one.
spookycat72(at)gmail(dot)com
I imagine your collection is quite impressive. Sourcebooks JAFF authors are fantastic.
DeleteThanks, Michelle. I hope you will have opportunity to read and enjoy my stories soon!
Hi Pam. I have read several of your books and enjoyed every one of them. I got the first one when it was listed as a free Kindle book on Amazon. That had me and I then continued to get what books that I could as I could. I think my favorite to date is, "Darcy and the Young Knight's Quest: He Taught Me to Hope" I truly loved it. I also read the Christmas continuation and enjoyed it too.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my Mr. Darcy is Colin Firth, I did enjoy the 05 movie too. There were scenes in it that were exquisite and MM was very good. I have watched the CF BBC miniseries so many times and like so many others, never tire of it. There is just 'something' about Mr. Darcy that grabs us and holds us in his power. I read anything that I can get my hands on and have also had to 'rearrange' my life to deal with this obsession! :) Isn't it a wonderful obsession to have!
Thanks for your interesting post and the giveaway.
Thanks Barbara, for giving us the chance to get to know so many other Darcyholics, authors and fans alike!
Yes, this is the sweetest obsession ever! I can't imagine my life without it.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post. I am also delighted you loved "He Taught Me to Hope." From start to finish, writing it was such a fun endeavor!
Thanks so much, Janet, for reading and enjoying my stories!
I have done all the required things except Tweet. Hate to admit but I am not a good Tweeter. I will try to get that done and comment when I do!
ReplyDeleteYAY!!! I Tweeted!!! :)
DeleteHope i can still get in for the giveaway. I would love to get a copy thanks!
ReplyDeleteMargaret
singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks, Margaret, for commenting. I hope you'll have a chance to read and enjoy Bewitched, Body and Soul!
DeleteI never met a Darcy that I didn't love!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother fun post!
Thanks, June! I'm glad you enjoyed the post!
ReplyDeleteYes, so many Darcy's! But then what is that to a true Darcyholic! I love all of your books, although I must say I'm still partial to the Knight's tale. I really like stories with children that show the nurturing side of our favorites. Thanks for all of your writing! ~Jen Red~
ReplyDeleteJen, I'd like to thank you, as well, for letting me know how much you enjoy my books!
DeleteI enjoyed reading your story and thank you for sharing it with us. So glad you started writing JAFF that prolong our time with Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, please put my name for the international giveaway. Thanks.
DeleteThanks, Lúthien84. I'm glad you enjoyed!
Delete