Victoria Kincaid and Redemption found for Elizabeth in Darcy’s Honor: An Interview
by Barbara Tiller Cole
I am happy to welcome Victoria Kincaid to Darcyholic Diversions today. I enjoyed getting to know her during this interview and through her recently published novel, Darcy’s Honor. Victoria is giving away to an international winner either a paperback or ecopy of her book, winner’s choice. So be sure to leave a comment below. Extra entries will be given for sharing this post link on Facebook, twitter, liking this blog, my author page, and friend requests on Facebook for either me of Victoria. Will be drawing the winner next Thursday.
Victoria, tell us a
little bit about how and when you first discovered any of Jane Austen's novels.
I read Pride and Prejudice in college, but I don’t think the
novels really spoke to me until I was a little older—when I could appreciate
the subtlety of what Austen was doing.
Was it one of Jane
Austen's books, or one of the Austen movie adaptations that really began your
love affair with Austen?
I do think the 1995 adaptation of P&P helped to inspire
my love of Austen and made me turn back to the books. It helped me remember how brilliant Austen is.
What is your favorite
of Jane Austen's novels?
P&P is my favorite and I think it’s the most accessible
in terms of writing JAFF. I love
Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility as well – and have a soft spot for
Mansfield Park. I have trouble
really loving Emma, although I understand intellectually why people think it’s
a brilliant book.
How did you first
discover JAFF/Austen-inspired literature?
I wanted more Austen!
I started with the P&P variations that were available at my
library. When I had read all of
those, I went to Amazon. It
eventually got to be expensive to buy so many print-on-demand books, so JAFF
was responsible for the purchase of my first Kindle. 😊
How has your career
or your hobbies influenced your writing?
It’s funny. I
have a Ph.D. in English literature, but my specialty was 20th
century drama, so I didn’t actually study much about Austen’s time period in
graduate school. Of course, it did
give me some tools to analyze literature and become a good writer (and editor). I’ve also been a playwright since my
undergraduate years—and I teach playwriting in Washington DC. That gave me a lot of experience in
writing, but it was also a little strange switching gears to writing novels. When you’re writing plays, all the
information must come out in the dialogue, so I had to get used to writing
narrative and description. Writing
novels has been a lot more rewarding than writing plays; however, and I’m very glad I made the
switch.
What inspired you to
write your first novel?
My story is probably similar that of a lot of JAFF
writers: I was reading all this
JAFF, and I was inspired with an idea to write my own. I wasn’t necessarily planning to write
a second one, but my first novel was well received, and I had ideas for more
P&P variations running around in my head.
What was the
inspiration for your new release, Darcy's Honor?
It’s hard to remember now because the idea has been
simmering on the back burner for so long.
I think it was partially inspired by P&P itself and Lydia’s
story—the idea of what happens if a woman does lose her reputation. I wanted to write a plot in which a
woman’s reputation was regained.
What helped you
determine the characteristics of your non-canon character added to your story,
Lord Henry? What did you like and
not like about him?
I needed a villain who was out to compromise Elizabeth’s
reputation. He had to be high-born
and powerful—so Lord Henry was the result. I would have liked him to be a more sympathetic
character—more human—but I have trouble seeing the “good” side of someone like
him. So he ended up being pretty villainous, but I don’t think that hurt the
story.
Without giving away
anything from your story, there is an interesting twist in the story involving
Lady Catherine. Care to tell your
readers anything about the inspiration for this?
Some of it was driven by plot. I needed someone to deliver a particular piece of
information about Lord Henry. But
I also liked the idea of Lady Catherine doing something unexpected. At the same time, her attituded toward
Elizabeth isn’t radically different from her usual contempt.
Are you currently
writing thing new you would like to discuss?
I am writing the first draft of my next P&P variation,
which will be my first modern variation.
It’s both exciting and nerve-wracking. 😊
Anything else you
would like to share with the readers here at Darcyholic Diversions?
Thank you for having me as a guest!
As they rounded a bend in the road near Longbourn, Elizabeth
disengaged her hand from Mr. Darcy’s arm, rather more reluctantly than she
would have expected. It felt unaccountably natural there. She turned to Mr.
Darcy with words about a headache on her lips; however, before she could open
her mouth, a shriek emanated from the direction of Longbourn.
“Lizzy! Lizzy!” Elizabeth turned to see her mother, hands
bunched in her skirts, rushing toward them. A coach and driver waited outside
Longbourn’s entrance. Presumably her mother had been about to embark on an
outing when she spied them. What horrid luck!
Her mother stumbled to a stop in front of her, puffing and
out of breath. “Lizzy! What on earth is the matter with you?” She gestured
wildly at her daughter, apparently oblivious to Mr. Darcy’s presence. “Your
hair! Your clothes! You look as if you have been tramping through the woods.
What have you been getting into now? What if someone should see you?”
Elizabeth felt her face heat, no doubt turning all shades of
red. She did not even know whether she was more embarrassed by the rebuke or
her mother’s lack of decorum.
“Indeed, madam,” Mr. Darcy intoned. “It is almost as if she
had been rushing about the countryside shrieking loudly.”
Mrs. Bennet turned to Mr. Darcy and blinked at him, not
comprehending his sarcasm.
The situation likely was unsalvageable, but Elizabeth fell
back on her manners anyway. She gestured to Mr. Darcy. “Mama, you may remember
Mr. Darcy?”
Her mother’s mouth formed a perfectly round “o” of surprise.
“Mr. Darcy! Oh! Oh!” She fluttered her hands and then executed an excessively
deep and clumsy curtsey which threatened to pitch her into the dirt. “What has
Lizzy been about this time, sir? Has she been causing you trouble? She is such
a sly, headstrong creature!”
Elizabeth had not believed it was possible for her face to
get hotter. I must be
as red as a tomato now!
Mr. Darcy returned the curtsey with a stiff bow; his blank
face betrayed neither disgust nor amusement at her mother’s behavior. “Indeed,
madam, Miss Elizabeth has done nothing wrong.” Elizabeth felt a rush of
gratitude that he did not mention the horse theft.
Mrs. Bennet took another look at Elizabeth’s disheveled
state and sniffed loudly in disbelief. “Such a troublesome girl!” she exclaimed.
“She is quite a trial to me!” Then her face lit up as it occurred to her that
Mr. Darcy’s presence was an opportunity. “Why don’t you come into the house for
a cup of tea, and you can converse with some of my other daughters?”
Elizabeth suppressed a desire to roll her eyes. Her mother
was not nearly as subtle as she believed.
Mr. Darcy stiffened. “Not today, I thank you. But I will
take the opportunity to call another day.”
As he mounted his horse, Mrs. Bennet took the opportunity to
voice effusive offers of welcome and exclamations over the virtues of Cook’s
poppy-seed cakes. Before he turned his horse toward Netherfield, Mr. Darcy’s
gaze caught and held Elizabeth’s as if he intended to communicate some
important message to her. But it was lost on Elizabeth. Seconds later, he had
bidden them farewell and rode away.
Darcy’s Honor Book Blurb
Elizabeth Bennet is relieved
when the difficult Mr. Darcy leaves the area after the Netherfield Ball. But
she soon runs afoul of Lord Henry, a Viscount who thinks to force her into
marrying him by slandering her name and ruining her reputation. An outcast in Meryton, and even within
her own family, Elizabeth has nobody to turn to and nowhere to go.
Darcy successfully
resisted Elizabeth’s charms during his visit to Hertfordshire, but when he learns
of her imminent ruin, he decides he must propose to save her from disaster. However, Elizabeth is reluctant to
tarnish Darcy’s name by association…and the viscount still wants her…
Can Darcy save his
honor while also marrying the woman he loves?
I love the 1995 version of P&P as well. Thanks for sharing another excerpt. Looking forward to reading your latest release!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Barbara and Victoria. I've read the excerpt before somewhere so it's nothing new.
ReplyDeleteShared the link on:
1) Facebook
2) Blog
3) Like your FB author page
4) Friends with you on FB (as Sylvia Claire Chan)
5) Friends with Victoria Kincaid on FB
6) Joined Darcyholic Diversions FB group
This is an excellent interview! I have read several books by Victoria and always admire her creativity. I enjoyed reading of her background and learned a few pointers about how to read literature in general. Her newest addition looks very interesting.
ReplyDeletethe 1995 version is not my favourite, last time I tried to watch it I had to give up after the first episode
ReplyDeleteshared on twitter - https://twitter.com/Vesper1931/status/863009565226520576
ReplyDeleteshared on FB - https://www.facebook.com/vespermeikle/posts/1900558300228554?pnref=story
ReplyDeleteFriends with you and Victoria, member of Darcyholic Diversions FB Group, liked and follow on FB, subscribe to blog
ReplyDeleteLovely interview, delicious excerpt. I already follow/friend/like both of your pages on FB and am a member of Darcyholic Diversions group, which I enjoy very much. Thank you for the post and the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennet is just so enjoyably (for the reader) oblivious!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the interview and excerpt. Liked an earlier book by Victoria.
ReplyDeleteI am also a member of the Darcyholic Diversions FB group.
Great interview and excerpt! I am very interested that Victoria teaches playwriting. Any chance of a P&P play? Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDelete