Happy 10th Birthday, “Return to Longbourn”!

Return to Longbourn is 10 years old, and I want to celebrate with a short story, games, and prizes!

I’ll never forget the fun I had writing this book, even though (or actually, especially because) it didn’t go at all the way I had planned.

I set out to following up my first very successful P&P sequel (The Darcys of Pemberley)  with a second. Jumping ahead about five years more in time, I wanted to finally answer the question first raised by Jane Austen herself 2oo years ago. What will happen to the the Bennet women when Mr. Bennet dies, since the Longbourn estate is entailed away from the female line? That’s the basic problem posed at the outset of Pride and Prejudice, and it’s only partially resolved by the end of the original novel.

In The Darcys of Pemberley, I unceremoniously knock off Mr. Collins (sorry, folks), but that changed nothing; the girls still couldn’t inherit. So when Mr. Bennet does (sadly) die, what happens to Mrs. Bennet, her two unmarried daughters, and the Longbourn estate?

It happens that Mr. Collins has a younger brother, who emigrated to America as a very young man. He is the new heir to Longbourn. So with Mr. Tristan Collins on his way to England to claim his property, Mrs. Bennet decides that he simply MUST marry either Mary or Kitty.  A dubious honor? Well, when the man in question turns out to be quite a catch after all, the contest between the sisters is on. Which one do you think will have the upper hand for ending up as the next mistress of Longbourn?

Oh, but wait. There’s a dark horse (or possibly more than one) entering the scene to muddy the picture. That’s the part I didn’t expect when I began writing this book: the dark horse contingent. What I had envisioned as a simple love triangle had morphed into a much more complicated geometric design.

The next thing I knew, one of my characters flatly refused to confine himself to the supporting role I had assigned him; he unaccountably went charging off into “leading man” territory instead. And yet, the way he was behaving, he certainly didn’t deserve that honor. Suddenly, the entire anticipated ending of the book was in jeopardy!

How had it happened? After all, I am the author, right? It’s my book. Wasn’t I supposed to be in control? But that’s the magical part of writing. Sometimes the story takes on a life of its own. It gallops off in an unexpected direction, and the author just has to hold on tight! That’s what made Return to Longbourn so much fun to write and also a much better book!

One more thing that didn’t go according to plan: I intended that RTL would be the middle book of a Pride and Prejudice trilogy of sequels. But when I finished it, all the loose ends were so neatly tied up that it left nothing to spin into a third book. Oh, no! But don’t worry; all ends well. Read how I got “My P&P Trilogy” anyway!

So that’s a little bit about how I wrote  Return to Longbourn ten years ago. Now for games and some giveaways!

Game One: Just for fun, follow this link to do an online jigsaw puzzle of the full wrap-around paper back cover of Return to Longbourn. (You can adjust the number of pieces if you want to make it more or less challenging.)

Game Two: I’m sending you on a scavenger hunt through chapter one of RTL. If you don’t own the book, you can read it in the free sample at Amazon. (You don’t have to play to win, but it will double your chances by being entered in the random drawing twice!) This is what you’re looking for:

1. Mr. Bennet’s age when he died
2. Where Lydia has been living
3. Mary’s chief consolation
4. At least one of several lines/phrases from P&P incorporated into this chapter

I’m giving away a signed paperback, 3 Kindle books, and 5 audio codes – whichever one of my books you choose! (Unfortunately, only the audio codes are available to non-US residents. You don’t have to have an Audible membership to redeem your audio code, just have access to either Audible US or UK.)

To enter, leave a comment below – your scavenger hunt answers or whatever else you’d like to say. Have you read Return to Longbourn or its predecessor The Darcys of Pemberley? If so, how long ago? If not, would you like to?

Winners will be announced here and on the Austen Variations FB page on Monday, June 26th, so be sure to check back. And thank you for celebrating RTL’s 10th birthday with me!

6/26/23 UPDATE! The winners are: Laura H, is the winner of the signed paperback. Kim P, Lois, and Linda A have won Kindle copies. And the audio codes go to DarcyBennett, Anna W, Janet Day, Deborah, and Betty Campbell Madden. Congratulations and happy reading!

To claim your prize, contact me at shannon (at) shannonwinslow (dot) com (subject line “RTL winner”) or by direct message on Facebook, if we’re friends (and if we’re not, we should be!) to give me the pertinent info. First of all, which of my books do you want? It’s totally up to you, although I would highly recommend you read The Darcys of Pemberley before Return to Longbourn.  (Browse my titles at Amazon. ) Then I’ll need to know how to get your book to you: a mailing address for the paperback, the email address you use with Amazon for the Kindle books and audio codes. Also, for the audio codes, which marketplace (US or UK).  Hope that’s clear.

Important Notes: Audio codes will be substituted for other formats for non-US residents -OR- if you would just prefer it. Also,  if you don’t hear back from me promptly, please try again. My email doesn’t always do its job properly!