Darcyholic Diversions: September 2019

A Tea Time Chat with Brigid Huey

by Barbara Tiller Cole and Brigid Huey

It is always a delight for me to get to know a new Austen inspired Author. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to chat over virtual tea with Brigid Huey, author of the recently released A Chance Encounter in Pemberley Woods, during her blog tour. Discovering a fresh new author with an intriguing variation has been a treat! And even more is that we now live just about an hour from each other and hope to make our virtual tea a real one soon! Take time to read the post below. Comment below and don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter drawings!

Grab a Fresh Cup of Tea and a Scone and Join Us For Our Chat

Cole: Hi Brigid. I’m glad to have the opportunity to get to know you today. It’s always a pleasure to meet any Jane Austen enthusiast. But even more so a new author.

Huey: Hello Barbara and thank you for having me!

Cole: You are from Cincinnati I understand. Have you lived there all of your life.

Huey: I have lived here since I was 7 years old, so it feels like it's been all my life. I was born in New York and lived in New Jersey until we moved here. My husband and I did live in St. Louis, MO for three years, but decided to move back after we graduated from college.

Cole: So you are a true Cincinnati native! I am an born and bred Atlanta girl but met my husband while in grad school in Louisville. And we just moved to Crestwood, KY (outside of Louisville) in April.

So somewhere along the line we should get together for a real cup of tea.

Huey: Oh wow! So you're new to the area. I've been in Cincinnati now for over twenty years.
Well over 20 actually!

Cole: My husband is a Louisville native. He’s very excited to be back home. And has family here. So I’ve spent a good bit of time here. In fact I drove through Cincinnati a month ago to help a friend get home whose car died.

I have eaten at Skyline Chili! And I have been to a Reds game. Lol!

Huey: Haha. Good, you've hit up some classic Cincinnati things then.

Cole: Absolutely. So tell me a bit about your family.

Huey: My husband and I met when I was in high school. He was a freshman in college. We got married ridiculously young (I was 22!) while still in college. Now we have two kids, Evy is 9 and Tris is 5. We also have two chickens!

Cole: Are they pets? The chickens I mean. Lol. Do you get fresh eggs regularly

Huey: Yes, they are very much pets. Two bantam hens, Cookies and Chicky. They have just started laying! It's pretty exciting. My kids will come running in the house with the egg to show me! Actually, I just ordered three more birds to add to our little flock. So we'll have chicks soon! I love them.

Cole: Very nice. Our neighbors two doors down have chickens. I just have a dog. But our property has deer, a ground hog, bunnies and a feral cat.

So how did you first discover Jane Austen’s books?

Huey: Back in 1995 my dad heard about the BBC adaptation and made a point to have us all watch it. Both my parents were already fans of Jane Austen, but I had never seen or heard anything about her. We all sat down to watch an episode each night. I was hooked. I was 13, so I don't think I read the book right away. I've read Pride and Prejudice so many times now, I can't remember the first time!

I also fell in love with Emma when that movie came out. My parents took me to see it in the theater. Swoon!

Cole: I love Jeremy Northam! Not as much as much as Colin Firth! But there are days when Darcy betas Mr Knightley just by a nose. Lol.

So when did you discover Austen fan fiction ?

Huey: A couple of years ago I was searching for Jane Austen on my library's e-reader app. A few variations came up and I was intrigued. I borrowed one because I was currious, and I was hooked. The library really only had about ten or so though. So I went online in search of more, and discovered a whole new world!

That favorite story is "Yours Forevermore, Darcy" by Kara Lynn Mackrory, by the way. I am a fan of all four of her books.

Cole: Yes! It is a whole new world indeed. Did you post your story online first ?

Huey: No, I didn't. One of my favorite Austen variations was published by Meryton Press. After I had written my story, I thought, "Why not try?"

Cole: Oo. Interesting. Originally all of Merytons books were originally posted on their site. Exciting that they are expanding.

Well, I am very glad that you did try reaching out to Meryton. I saw your lovely cover recently! It’s gorgeous!

Huey: Thank you! Janet Taylor did such an amazing job! It was so wonderful working with her.

Cole: Janet does do an amazing job! And she just keeps getting better and better!!

So what was your inspiration for your book.

Huey: It’s kind of strange. It just popped into my head. So I was at a friend's house watching my son climb a pine tree. It was a grey, blustery day. Kind of drizzly. And I just started daydreaming about Mr. Darcy (you know, the way we do). I could picture him flying off his horse in concern for Elizabeth.

The rest came from there!

Cole: Well it was a surprising and intriguing beginning to Elizabeth At Pemberley. I don’t officially review other authors works being another author. But I enjoyed your book a great deal. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I enjoyed the first chapter set up!

What specifically would you like readers to know about your story before they read it. Or to tease them to do so.

Huey: I'm going to answer this as a reader of romance. I would like my readers to know that after a little trouble, happiness abounds!

Cole: Always good to let people know that!

I understand you also home school your children. Do the book keeping for your husbands chiropractic practice. Make jewelry and still have time to write. A most accomplished woman.

Are you Wonder Woman ? Lol

Huey: Haha! No, not at all! I think I am able to do all this because my husband and I work very much as a team. The jewelry business started as an artistic outlet after my daughter was born. Also, my husband understands that as an introvert, I need quiet alone time to recharge.

So every Thursday he takes over the homeschool lessons and I head to the coffee house to write.

I do it because I enjoy it so much! And I can be in my own little world.

Cole: A friend of mine home schooled her daughter and she wrote a P&P variation about Lydia when she was 15.

Nice that your husband supports you like that. I was unable to have children of my own but have had many who call me their ideal mom.

I loved your jewelry. I saw a Cinderella piece. Have you thought about doing Jane Austen themed pieces.

Huey: Yes! I do have several in the shop right now. There is a necklace for Miss Darcy, hair pins for Jane Bennet, and I believe a pair of earrings for Mrs. Darcy. I create jewelry based on characters from literature. It's so much fun to imagine what a character might like.

I actually do craft fairs and shows locally, so I have a lot more inventory than what's online. The challenging part for me is taking all the pictures and uploading everything. Too much computer work!

Cole: Yes I can imagine that can be a challenge. I am going to include a link to your Etsy shop so people can visit and find your Jane Austen inspired pieces like ‘Miss Bennett’ and Miss Croft’ ! (Link: Brigid Huey’s Etsy Jewelry Shop)

Do you have any upcoming writing projects you would like to hint at?

Huey: I am currently working on a couple of projects actually! I just finished the first round of edits for a romance novel set in the near future. Not Jane Austen based, but still a lot of fun to write. I do have a story in my head that marries Pride and Prejudice and the classic Cinderella story. I actually wrote my senior thesis on fairy tales in Jane Austen works! So I'd like to write a more obvious Cinderella version of P&P.

Oh! And I want to expand the vignette I wrote this summer for the Meryton Press Summer Blog series into a novel. I have some good ideas for mystery and intrigue

Cole: That’s exciting! I love the Cinderella story. And have enjoyed movie versions. From the Rogers and Hammerstein musical. To Ever After and some of the Disney ones.

Huey: I love Ever After!!

Cole: By the way can I refill your virtual tea cup?

Huey: Yes, please! And an extra scone, if I may.

Cole: Of course. Tell me more about the vignette you wrote and how you might expand that.

Huey: The vignette is about Darcy and Elizabeth traveling to an idyllic place in England, Rydal Mount. It's a beautiful home surrounded by gardens. They go and enjoy the scenery and each other's company. But I would like to expand it into a story involving espionage and family secrets!

Cole: Sounds very intriguing indeed. I have enjoyed some of the mystery Austen variations! Anything else you would like our readers to know ?

Huey: I would just like to extend my gratitude for the warm welcome I have received from my fellow readers and writers. It has been such a pleasure getting to know so many new friends!

Cole: It’s been a pleasure to get to know you. I look forward to a face to face visit in the hopefully not too distant future.

Huey: Thank you! Me too!

Cole: Thanks again for visiting. And I thank Meryton and Janet for asking me to be a part of this.

To all of you who have enjoyed this interview, please check out Brigid’s links. Be sure and comment below! And please link my author page and join this blog! And lastly, don’t forget to follow the rafflecopter link to enter the drawings for this blog tour event!

Blurb:

A surprise meeting

A baby alone in the woods

And a second chance at love

Fitzwilliam Darcy returns to his beloved Pemberley with one thing on his mind ̶ to forget Elizabeth Bennet. Riding ahead of his party and racing a storm, he happens upon the very woman he wants to avoid. To his astonishment, she is holding a baby whose name and parentage are unknown.

Elizabeth Bennet never dreamed she had wandered into Pemberley’s Woods on her afternoon walk. But when she finds an infant alone in the storm, she turns to the last man in the world she wants to see ̶ and the only one who can help them both.

As the mystery of the baby’s identity intensifies, Elizabeth finds Mr. Darcy to be quite the reverse of what she expected. But when the child’s family is discovered, will the truth bring them together, or tear them apart?

Author Bio:

Brigid has been in love with Jane Austen since first seeing the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice as a young girl. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids, and spends her free time reading and writing. This is her first Pride and Prejudice variation, though many others live in her imagination.

Contact Info:

Website: https://brigidhuey.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrigidHuey/

Email: brigidhueywrites@gmail.com

Instagram: @brigidhueywrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrigidHuey

Buy:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Blog Tour Schedule

September 9 – So little time…

September 10 – Darcyholic Diversions