Discovering Darcy with Juliet Archer

Darcyholic Diversions is Honored to Welcome Juliet Archer

Darcyholic Diversions has given me the extreme pleasure of getting a chance to know some of my favorite authors.  Today I am very happy to be able to have Juliet Archer doing a guest post with us.  I hope you enjoy getting to know her! 

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I am also announcing initial plans for a Darcyholic Holiday eBook Festival. 
More Information to come, but send me an email at barbaratillercole@gmail.com if you are an author and would like to participate!!

Upcoming Guest Posts Are As Follows:

September 21--Moira B.
September 23--Barbara Tiller Cole and the DBF
September 25--C. Allyn Pierson
September 28--Juliet Archer
October 2--Rebecca Young
October 5--Jan Hahn and Janet Taylor's Jane Austenland Adventure
October 9--Karen W.

November 2--Amy Patterson

November 13--Karen Doornebos

And Many more to come!

Juliet is giving away a signed copy of Persuade Me and a signed copy of The Importance of Being Emma to two Darcyholic Diversions readers. To enter, just leave a comment below the post, with your email address and your book preference – The Importance of Being Emma or Persuade Me. Juliet has been gracious to open this drawing world wide. Winners will be selected as part of the September give aways in October. 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 Barbara Tiller Cole on Facebook,  clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook Page.

Discovering Darcy with Juliet Archer

Hello from Hertfordshire, England – Pride & Prejudice country!

I’m delighted to be at Darcyholic Diversions talking about two of my favourite subjects, Jane Austen and Darcy. Thank you, Barbara, for inviting me!

I’d also like to give away a signed copy of Persuade Me and a signed copy of The Importance of Being Emma to two Darcyholic Diversions readers. To enter, just leave a comment below the post, with your email address and your book preference – The Importance of Being Emma or Persuade Me.

For this post, in a moment of madness, I have decided to interview myself. It’s not that confusing for me – as a writer, I’m always hearing voices! Here goes:

Q: What does ‘discovering Darcy’ mean to you?
A: Something special that’s been happening for most of my life. Every time I read Pride & Prejudice, or watch one of the screen adaptations, I learn more about Jane Austen’s most successful hero. And Discovering Darcy is also the title of my next novel, the third in my series of Jane Austen modernisations, ‘Darcy & Friends’. Because, in parallel to Elizabeth’s voyage of discovery about herself and about Darcy, we see Darcy growing in self-awareness too. 

Q: How did you discover Jane Austen?

A: My mum passed on her love of Austen to me – perhaps it’s in my genes! I remember discussing the Elizabeth Garvie/David Rintoul adaptation with her, shortly before she died. Many years later I started writing fan fiction on C19, inspired by the BBC’s adaptation of North & South – and particularly Richard Armitage as John Thornton. But I very soon returned to Jane Austen for inspiration. For me, her wit and comic genius set her apart from most other classic authors.
  
Q: What do you like best about Austen’s works? 
A: She portrays human nature in all its splendour and silliness, leaving me with either tears in my eyes or a big grin on my face – or both. And there’s a richness and elegance about her writing that means I never tire of reading her. 

Q: Who is your favourite Austen hero? And if it’s Darcy, which one?

A: It feels like my favourite is always the one I’m updating at the moment, but then I haven’t reached Edmund Bertram or Edward Ferrars yet … So it has to be Darcy. My favourite portrayal of him? Austen’s original, although Colin Firth comes very, very close to perfection and Matthew Macfadyen is pretty good too. If only Richard Armitage could be tempted by the role …

Q: And second favourite?
A: Captain Wentworth. There’s something so romantic about him and his struggles to avoid falling in love with Anne second time round. And perhaps, like Mrs Bennet, I can’t resist a man in uniform! 
www.julietarcher.com

'Persuade Me' on Amazon 
Shortlisted for the 2011 Festival of Romance Best Romantic Read Award
'A stand-alone story of remarkable strength, humor, emotion, suspense, and depth-of-feeling.' Austenprose
‘Archer achieves a fine balance between sharp humour and the keenly felt pain of long-lost love.' Jane Austen's Regency World
 

'The Importance of Being Emma' on Amazon 
Winner of the Big Red Read Book of the Year 2011 Fiction Award and shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance
'An ingenious, often effective and very affectionate tribute to a great predecessor, with some witty contemporary versions of characters that I think Jane Austen herself would have loved.' Joanna Trollope
'Lively, funny and inventive retelling of Emma for a 21st-century audience ... I devoured it at one sitting. Scrumptious!' Jane Austen's Regency World