JAV Author Spotlight with Shannon Winslow

Happy Friday, everyone! I’m excited to announce a brand new feature here at Austen Variations: a series of interviews with our very own JAV authors! Today, I will be interviewing Shannon Winslow, who, coincidentally, celebrated the 10th anniversary of her first book The Darcy’s of Pemberley just this week!

Since then, Shannon has published a total of ten novels, plus one work of non-fiction: a Jane Austen devotional entitled Prayer and Praise.

So, let’s dive in and find out a little more about this Austenesque author!

Hi, Shannon! I’m so excited to get to chat with you today. I’m always curious to learn how readers (and writers) came to Jane Austen fan fiction. How did you initially discover Austenesque fiction, and what inspired you to try writing your first Austen-inspired novel?

I was late to the party on all fronts! – late to discover Jane Austen and even later to figure out that there was a whole cottage industry writing her fan fiction. In fact, I had written my first JAFF novel before I learned that such a thing existed! But what I lacked in knowledge I made up for in enthusiasm. After discovering Austen and reading all her novels, I was addicted and desperate for more. So I sat down at the computer one day to attempt to write what I most craved: a faithful sequel to Pride and Prejudice. A few years later, in 2011, The Darcys of Pemberley was published and became an immediate success. That started me off, and the rest, as they say, is history!

That’s so interesting! So, did you ever try to search for published Pride and Prejudice sequels (or sequels to any other Austen novels) before you decided to write your own?

I tried the library and Borders, asking for an author who wrote stuff like Jane Austen. I finally did find a P&P sequel by a modern author, but it wasn’t at all what I had envisioned. In fact, I violently disliked it! I’m really grateful for that, though, because if that book had been everything I’d hoped for, I might never have been inspired to write my own!

Had you written anything previously? Had you always wanted to try writing a novel?

No, not at all! I had worked in other creative mediums (art, music) but never had attempted any creative writing. So nobody could have been more surprised than I was that I turned out to be a novelist!

Describe your writing process: How often do you write? Time of day? Special location? Music or silence? Longhand or on the computer?

If I’m in the middle of a book, I write nearly every day, but not on a firm schedule. Life happens, and I have to be flexible. I do my best work, though, in the morning, in my writing studio, at my computer, and with nothing to distract me, not even music. I usually begin by reviewing what I wrote during my last session. I can’t seem to move on until I’m satisfied with what came before, which means I never write a genuine “rough draft.”

I like quiet and no distractions when I write as well, but I’m not much of a morning person. 🙂 So, are you saying that you revise and polish as you go, and once you get to “The End” you’re pretty much finished?

Pretty much. At that point I’m ready to send it out to some beta readers, but there aren’t usually any major revisions. And I’m not really a morning person either. I’m talking 10am – after our morning constitutional and hopefully before any interruption can occur. If the story is flowing, I can hardly wait to get to my computer.

Are you a plotter or pantser? Do you outline your books before you write them, or go wherever the idea takes you?

I’m as hopeless at plotting as I am at rough drafts. I’ve tried, but I just can’t do it. So although I usually have a vague idea where the story is heading, I just cross my fingers and leap off the cliff, flying by the seat of my pants all the way. That’s when the magic happens! Often the story takes unexpected twists and turns, or one of the characters will charge off in a surprising direction. The book I end up with is usually far more entertaining (for myself and my readers too, I trust) than the one I set out to write in the first place.

Yep, pantser here, too! I WISH I could get the hang of outlining, but, alas, I usually have no idea what I’m writing until I finish!

When it comes to Austenesque novels, I’ve heard you say you prefer writing sequels as opposed to variations. Why do you think that is? Do you think you’d ever attempt a variation?

I can’t guarantee that I will never attempt a “variation,” but so far what I’ve written expands on (or supplements) Jane Austen’s stories instead of changing them: sequels, prequels, minor character’s stories, alternate points of view, missing scenes. It’s kind of a “world-building” approach, which seems to work best for me. All my Pride and Prejudice novels, for example, agree with each other and with canon. I think it’s because I’m just sappy enough to want to believe that there’s one true story for the characters I’ve come to know and love, and that’s the one Jane Austen wrote. So for now I’m sticking with that philosophy. (You can read more in this Austen Variations post: The Same, Only Different.)

I can totally understand that! And I think that’s common with a lot of people who are new to reading JAFF/Austenesque fiction. I know in the beginning, I only wanted to read sequels or stories that stuck very close to canon (and only Regency), but once I had devoured all of those books, I needed to branch out to feed my addiction. 🙂

Okay, I know this might be an impossible question to answer, but of the books you’ve published so far, do you have a favorite? And which of your books took you the most time to write (or was the most difficult to write) and why?

I have to take these two questions together. No, I couldn’t pick a favorite; like my children, I really do love them equally. But one book stands out – not as the favorite but as the one I’m probably proudest of: The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. (Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose says it’s my masterpiece, and Meredith of Austenesque Reviews calls it “Utterly brilliant.”) It’s definitely the most complex of my stories, weaving together Jane Austen’s life and her novel Persuasion, and it took the longest from the point of inspiration to completed novel. I set myself a pretty tall task when I began: to write for Jane Austen the romance and happy ending she so carefully crafted for all her heroines. I hope I succeeded and that she would have approved.

I need to read this one! It sounds fabulous!

How long does it generally take you to finish a manuscript, from first word to publication?

A solid year. I’m slow but steady.

Did The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen take you even longer?

I don’t think the writing itself took any longer, but I did a lot of thinking and puzzling beforehand while I was working on something else, trying to solve a major question that could have derailed the whole project. Once the answer came to me and I knew I could make the story work, then I dove in and actually wrote the book.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I treasure time spent with family and friends, of course. (So glad the Covid restrictions are finally lifted now!) I like getting out for morning walks with my husband 6 days a week. (We’re fortunate to live in a beautiful park-like area with great walking trails!) I enjoy puttering in my yard – not so much the actual work, you understand, but I’ll pull a few weeds and take some pictures of whatever’s blooming. I sing in a community choir too. And although writing consumes most of my creative energy now, I still occasionally pick up a paint brush, especially when it’s time to design a new book cover. That’s where my love of literature and love of art intersect.

So, you’re an artist as well as a writer, then? Have you designed any of your own book covers?

Yes, I’m very involved in the cover design process. I’ve done the artwork for several of them, and then I work with my nephew on the design. He’s a graphic artist and knows how to do all the technical stuff that I don’t. (More on that HERE).

What are some of your favorite books, NOT in the Austenesque genre?

Hmm. That’s easier to answer than if you’d asked for my favorite JAFF books, since I read almost none – partly because I wouldn’t want to be accidentally influenced by other active author’s ideas and partly because of my “one true story” answer above. I love selected classics (Little Women, Anne of Green Gables); anything by Georgette Heyer; James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small books; and Jan Karon’s first three Mitford Series novels. Some other more recent standouts: The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein), The Boys in the Boat, (Daniel James Brown ), I’ve Got Your Number (Sophie Kinsella), The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion ), and Me Before You (Jojo Moyes).

It sounds like you read pretty broadly! I really enjoyed Me Before You and I’ve heard great things about The Art of Racing in the Rain. And you can’t go wrong with Sophie Kinsella. 🙂

Can you tell us a little bit about your most recent release, Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words? How did you come up with the premise? Is there anything about that book, or the writing process, that might surprise us?

After doing a Northanger Abbey book (Murder at Northanger Abbey), I wanted to get back to Pride and Prejudice – something from Darcy’s point of view this time, I thought. Reading through the novel yet again with that in mind, I started noticing two things: 1) How frequently Darcy travels back and forth (Pemberley, London, Hertfordshire, etc.), often without explanation, and 2) How much of the time he’s absent from the page altogether. Jane Austen accounts for all Elizabeth’s doings, but not Darcy’s. I love filling in the gaps present in what Austen wrote, as I mentioned before, so I set out to discover what Darcy was up to all that time, why he seemed to be always dashing here and there, and also what could account for the way he behaved. It turned out, surprising things were happening behind the scenes, things that Elizabeth and Austen’s readers knew nothing about – much of it to do with a woman named Amelia. By the way, since I don’t really plot my books ahead of time, it actually does feel like I’m discovering the story as I go along!

I love the idea of filling in the gaps within the story, and giving readers a chance to see what Darcy was up to when he was absent from the page.

Yes, and I also realized that some of the important events that shaped Darcy’s character and behavior happened before the scope of P&P (his childhood friendship with Wickham, his father’s expectations, his parents’ deaths, Wickham’s attempted elopement with Georgiana). That time period was another important gap that needed filling in, so part of this book is prequel material.

Can you share a little bit about what you’re working on now?

Sure! It’s barely started, but my next will be a Sense and Sensibility novel focused on Colonel Brandon, probably using the …in His Own Words format again, since I really enjoy writing in first person. Right now, I’m researching what his military years in India might have been like.

That sounds great! Do you find it easier to write in first person? Or does it just depend on the type of book you’re writing?

It depends on the book. For my direct sequels, it seems most appropriate to carry on in the third-person omniscient voice that Jane Austen used in her originals. But I’ve gone with first person for most of the others.

LIGHTENING ROUND!

Coffee or tea? I’ll take tea, please. But truth be told, I’d actually prefer hot chocolate.

Cats or dogs? I’m a cat person. I’m supposedly I’m allergic, but I don’t let that stop me.

Early riser or night owl? Night owl for sure.

Wine or beer? Not much of either, but I’ll drink an occasional glass of white wine.

Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, definitely chocolate.

Paper books or e-books? Both, plus audio. I’m pretty addicted to audio books, actually.

Cake or ice cream? Crazy question. I have to have both, of course!

Reading or writing? Can I answer “both” again, or have I already used up my quota on that one?

City or country? Definitely country.

Fruits or vegetables? Okay, this is another one for the “both” column. I fix a mean salad, and the secret is adding in some fruit (fresh and dried) to make the veggies more interesting.

TV or film? Film

Pool or ocean? Yes, please… and a lake too!

Winter or summer? I’m going to be contrary again and say spring. That’s my favorite season, partly because of all the flowers that bloom then.

Thanks so much, Shannon, for being our first spotlighted author! I loved getting the chance to chat with you and to find out a little bit more about your background, your books, and your writing process. 🙂

If you’d like to learn more about Shannon, you can visit her website at shannonwinslow.com. To check out Shannon’s books, visit her Amazon author page.

Until next time!

Jennifer Altman