Interview with a Janeite, with special guest Jeanne Garrett

Welcome back to Interview with a Janeite, the feature where we interview some of Jane Austen’s biggest fans. This month we sat down with Jeanne Garrett, who had a lot of fun anecdotes to share. Her host this month is Leslie Diamond, so I’ll turn it over to the ladies!

AV: What was your introduction to Jane Austen?

JG: I don’t remember the very first time I read Austen’s P&P. I don’t think it was in school. I know after the ’95 movie, I determined that I would read all her books, there were several that I had not read and was glad to re-read the others. After seeing Sleepless in Seattle, where she said she read P&P every year… it dawned on me that I could do that too… and have ever since.

AV: Tell us a little about your family:
JG: I am the oldest of three [two brothers]. In fact, I was the only girl in my family until I was 21-years-old. You might say I grew up a bit rough around the edges. I call it survival instincts. My brothers and I might fight amongst ourselves, but woe be to those who came up against one of us. Bother one and you had three to deal with. The neighborhood was also full of boys so I had to be tough. Of course, when we played Tarzan and Jane… I was always Jane. Just once… I wanted to be Tarzan. Dang, I had his yell down pat. Jane sounded so helpless and girly, no one wanted to be her.

AV: What job experiences have you had?

JG: There are a few fun jobs that I’ve had throughout my life: when I was a junior and senior in high school, I worked during the Christmas Holidays at a little five and dime [discount store] called Ben Franklin’s. I worked in their Toyland section wrapping gifts. To this day, I still love wrapping presents.

After high school, I went to work at the telephone company. I was a telephone operator for five-years and worked on a cord board where the locals would call the operator for assistance with their long-distance calls. This was before 1-plus dialing. I was working the night our area did the cut-over to one-plus dialing. It was really exciting when people could dial long distance by themselves. The board I worked on is now part of our local museum. Years later, one of the social studies teachers at the school where I worked, would ask me to speak to his class when he reached the technology section of their studies. I would speak to high school kids, who could not imagine not having their technology, about what it was like back in the day. I would explain how the telephone had evolved over time and how we made long-distance calls, operator to operator, as we built the connections/circuits necessary to make a call across the US. And, the steps necessary for making a trans-Atlantic or overseas call.  It was wild.

When we lived in Kansas, I volunteered at a Christian radio station out of Medicine Lodge, Kansas. I had my own program that reached listeners in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. I also did substitute teaching in the local school system. One day the Cartoon Network came to our school and needed volunteers to be their cartoon characters. They had costumes for the Flintstones, [Fred, Wilma, Barney Rubble, and Betty] and others. Because I was taller than most of the teachers, I was able to wear the costume for Sylvester the Cat. I made it fun by pretending to stalk and chase Tweedy Bird. Let’s just say, after a short time, that costume became really hot. Thank goodness, we were outside so I kept turning into the wind so air would come in through the mouth opening. I learned very quickly that elementary children love to pull Sylvester’s tail. I had to keep one hand on the length of tail in order to keep them from pulling it off. Whew, that was fun.

AV: Have you ever thought about writing?

JG: I’ve always wanted to write. When I was a kid, I’d stay up late at night [with a candle no less] and write stories. It’s a wonder I didn’t burn the house down. I shudder to think about it now.

When I was in high school, we had a writing assignment and, as I listened to a volunteer read his sample, I realized [for the first time] the transfixing power of the written word. He was a strapping male and had a voice for seduction. I could vividly see the picture he was painting and was so moved by his words. I realized right then and there that I did not have the life experience necessary to write in that vein or of that caliber. It broke my heart and I put my writing pen down and it would be over twenty years before I picked it up again.

I soon learned a valuable lesson about the human imagination, it will not be suppressed. I may have tamped it down, pushed it aside, stuffed it into the dark recesses of my brain, and, in a sense, nailed the door shut; however, it would not be restrained. I don’t remember what started it, but I needed to use my imagination for something and I gently pried open the door just a crack in order to retrieve a small sample. Instead, it suddenly burst forth on me with such a violent rush that I remember recoiling in abject horror as my mind exploded with ideas that I could not stop. I decided right then, to never tamp it down again.

In college, I submitted a writing sample and the professor shook his head and said he didn’t know what to do with it. I was still learning and he was no help at all. In a creative writing class, the next professor was a little more encouraging. At least that was a little more soothing to my fledgling bruised ego.

I have been published in several magazine articles, first person stories, a kitchen blooper in one of the cooking magazines and I wrote our little community newspaper brevities [ask your grandma] while the reporter was on family leave. Now that was fun and I became very creative in telling the community that Mrs. Smiley had company over the weekend. I didn’t realize relatives in other states [who still subscribed to the local paper] looked forward to reading the news regarding their relations back in Kansas, until we started getting feedback from my articles. It was a hit.

I decided to join the community group/club while living in Kansas. They took one look at me and declared ‘fresh blood’ and installed me as president. I served the office until we moved back to KY.

Now that I am older, I’m not sure I could handle a writing career as easily as a younger person would. I don’t tweet, face, insta-whatever, blog or use any of the current technology or social medias… they terrify me. Also, as someone with social anxieties, I could never travel a writing circuit or bear the crowds of a convention or face long lines of people. I simply could not handle it and it would be so very bad to have an anxiety attack in such a venue. I know there are writing partners, groups and contributors, perhaps that is the answer. I have lots of ideas; I want to write, but there seems to be something missing and I haven’t found the key yet that unlocks this problem.

After retirement, I began writing reviews. Sheila M and I began exchanging comments on Amazon and she suggested I check out GoodReads. I was so impressed that I joined in ’16 and have been having a ball ever since. I have developed many friends around the world, have met many authors and have exchanged comments with fellow reviewers. What a wonderful community. During 2016 I read over 200 books. In 2017… over 300. I don’t think I will reach that this year. I’ve branched out a bit and am enjoying historical books as well as my first love… JAFF.

AV: What about your family? I believe you have your own Mr Darcy?

JG: I have been married for 47 years to a semi-Darcy type. He has the quiet taciturn persona down pat and when he had his heart-attack, the nurses called him stoic. Can you imagine Mr. Darcy in the ICU after a four-by-pass surgery? We were not blessed with children [sometimes God says no].

On a personal note: we tried adoption but failed on numerous occasions, to the point we gave up. Back in the day, the adoption lines were long and there were age restrictions. In the private adoption sectors, girls often changed their minds and society was experiencing the ramifications of Roe v Wade. Girls began aborting babies rather that give them up, even when couples were waiting. My heart was broken. Somewhere in this world, there is a 40-plus year-old man that would have been my son. After his birth, his mother changed her mind and decided to keep her baby. I hope he had a good life. I wonder if he married, had children of his own that would have been my grandchildren. I wonder if he is a grandfather now himself?

I also know I have a child in Heaven. Although I was denied the opportunity to be its mother, I have prayed for the girl who chose to deny us that opportunity. What she must have gone through to make her choose such a decision, I cannot know. I had a hard time forgiving her, but eventually realized that she was a child herself. I needed to turn that over to God and let Him handle it. After receiving the call… that the child was gone… I turned to my Bible and found comfort for my grief in Isaiah 54: where my broken spirit heard: She who is barren will have more children than she who can conceive, [a poor paraphrase, but it strengthened me]. I later became a teacher for students with special needs. There I became a mother/grandmother figure to hundreds of children.

Teaching: With an elementary degree under my belt, I headed into the work force and found there was a shortage of special education teachers in the local school systems. KY required teachers to have a master’s degree, so I decided to concentrate in the area of special education [LD/BD] learning and behavior disorders. I worked in a high school behavior unit for three years [students with emotional behavior disorder/learning disorders or EBD/LD units]. Like my college experience, I was mamma or grandma to my students. A large percent of learning difficulties occurs in males. Having grown up around boys, I was able to understand their thinking and what made them tick. I then worked in smaller or resource rooms where we provided additional help to students who struggled with basic learning. Students might have problems in comprehension, reading/writing difficulties, or need additional help with basic math skills.

This was an experience of a lifetime. There were good days and bad. The good days were where I could see that light come on in a student’s eyes that showed understanding. I had to be creative in demonstrating a concept, to explain something in its minutest form for their understanding. It was pure joy and worth every effort. The hazard to working in my choice of field was burn-out and I was not exempt. At 65, it was time to leave. Since retirement, I am finding it hard to assimilate back into an adult environment and adult interactions. I still get strange looks when I am talking to someone.

I learned Maslow’s hierarchy of needs first hand when I discovered one of my students living in their car. According to Maslow, we have to meet their basic needs before they can progress. I kept water, snacks, and a blanket on hand for him. I had him first class of the morning and attempted to hydrate him, feed him, and get him warm before I could ever get him to the point of learning what was needed for the day’s lesson. I would also send him to the student resources office for basic supplies for himself and his family. This poor student was locked in that trap where families were caught up in the throes of the drug culture and lost their home and all they owned.

In my earlier comment, where I stated that sometimes God says no, I want it abundantly clear that God does not make mistakes. I thank Him daily that I did not have my own children. My life is so different because we were childless. I was able to become a teacher/ mother/ grandma to hundreds of children and have an influence [good or bad] on their lives. I rejoice in that opportunity and know that my life’s work is not over. I still have a job to do and look forward to this new phase of my life since I retired.

And now, it’s Jeanne’s turn to interview Leslie Diamond:

JG: How do you cope with the pressure (of writing and publishing)?

LLD: Not as well as I would like. Usually when I’m in the final stages of publishing a book, my children know to give me some room to breathe. Swimming and working out helps a lot. I’m usually able to shut off that part of my brain when I’m in the pool, which is a major stress reliever. When frustrated, I’ve also been known to manically do yard work or housework. My family doesn’t like it when I get crazy about the house because then they get pulled in.

JG: Where do you get your ideas? I know… everyone asks that.

LLD: It is asked a good bit, but it can be such a varied answer between authors so it’s definitely a relevant question. Honestly, it depends upon the story. When I was a little girl, I used to make up stories in my head to go to sleep and it’s not that much different now. Usually, it begins with a scene. For Rain and Retribution, I simply thought of Darcy finding Elizabeth in the rain after she flees Longbourn. Then, I had to backtrack a bit and get them both to that point.

For A Matter of Chance, I was having one of those frustrated fits, mowing the yard and thought of a scenario where Elizabeth did the same thing. I was in the middle of getting my art degree in the time, so Elizabeth became an artist and the entire story came from that one scene.

I think The Earl’s Conquest was the most unusual. I just decided to write the dowager’s story, so I had to take the bits and pieces I mentioned in An Unwavering Trust and weave them into a bigger plot. I thought it would be difficult, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I originally thought. It was a lot of fun.

JG:How does your family put up with the screaming plot bunnies that demand attention and your time?

LLD: It was a lot harder for them at first. When I wrote my first few stories, I sat on the computer every free minute writing. I don’t know how I tuned them out, but my husband would get annoyed because he would start talking to me and I wouldn’t hear a word of it. I’m a lot more easily distracted these days and life has become a lot busier as the children have gotten older. Sometimes I’ve taken my laptop to swim practice (when I’m not swimming obviously 😉  ) and edited or even written if I needed the extra time. Especially when I’ve been crazy busy and just couldn’t make myself do it while they were at school. I do try to get most of my writing and work done while they’re at school so I can be more here for them when they get home.

JG:How long does it take [the time frame] from inspiration to the final launch of a book?

LLD: It really depends on the story. I have a folder called “Plot Bunny Sanctuary” in my documents with ideas and scenes that I’ve had that I intend to start writing one day. I also have several started stories on my desktop that need finishing or rewriting. I know one of them has been here for four years and I haven’t touched it since then. I started it right after we moved to the UK and were in temporary housing. When we were moved into a house, I just lost the momentum and started An Unwavering Trust. The Earl’s Conquest would have to be my quickest inspiration to publication. I wrote it while I was editing An Unwavering Trust (published May 2015). The first word document I have for it was February 2015 and I published in October 2015.

JG: Fan fiction has been hit pretty hard recently with plagiarized works flooding the market. How are authors coping?

LLD:We’re coping as best we can. JAFF has some of the best and most loyal fans out there and usually it is our amazing fans who find those plagiarized copies and complain relentlessly with us until the work is pulled down. I know some have left the online story boards because of it, but even those who do not post on those boards have been plagiarized.

 We write and publish because we love it or we wouldn’t do it. It’s disheartening but the wonderful community we have definitely makes up for it.

JG: Has anyone ever stolen your work?

LLD: Not that I am aware of. I do find places that claim to have pirated copies of my books, which are just as insidious and difficult to prevent. As long as I’m writing, I’m sure it will happen eventually. I hope it doesn’t, but I’d be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen to me.

JG: Perhaps, what is the strangest question a fan has ever asked?

LLD: I don’t know that I’ve had any that are truly bizarre that I can think of. I did get asked once if I feel more “Jane Austen-ish” since moving to the UK. That was probably the most interesting. 😉

Thanks, Jeanne!

L.L. Diamond is more commonly known as Leslie to her friends and Mom to her three kids. A native of Louisiana, she spent the majority of her life living within an hour of New Orleans before following her husband all over as a military wife. Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and now England have all been called home along the way.

After watching Sense and Sensibility with her mother, Leslie became a fan of Jane Austen, reading her collected works over the next few years. Pride and Prejudice stood out as a favourite and has dominated her writing since finding Jane Austen Fan Fiction.

Aside from mother and writer, Leslie considers herself a perpetual student. She has degrees in biology and studio art, but will devour any subject of interest simply for the knowledge. Her most recent endeavours have included certifications to coach swimming as well as a fitness instructor. As an artist, her concentration is in graphic design, but watercolour is her medium of choice with one of her watercolours featured on the cover of her second book, A Matter of Chance. She is also a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Leslie also plays flute and piano, but much like Elizabeth Bennet, she is always in need of practice!

Leslie’s books include Rain and Retribution, A Matter of Chance, An Unwavering Trust, The Earl’s Conquest, Particular Intentions, Particular Intentions, and Particular Attachments. She is currently editing a modern Christmas Pride and Prejudice adaptation due out for the holiday 2018 season and writing a modern adaptation from comedy shorts she originally posted here at Austen Variations.

Visit Leslie’s website lldiamondwrites.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @lldiamond2