“Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley” makes her Debut!

Yay! I’m delighted to make Austen Variations the first stop on my virtual book tour for Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley, my new sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

While the book is a true, stand-alone sequel, it is also a variation, not so much of P&P itself but of my own novel, The Darcys of Pemberley – thus the similarity of title and reprisal of the original artwork on the cover (see cover reveal post). The two books go hand in hand, as companions, each one filling in the “off-camera” scenes of the other and the thoughts hidden from view. Together, I trust they will provide a richer reading experience than either one alone.

Lots of variations have been written before; this site was founded on the concept, after all. But for this particular variation (telling Georgiana’s side of the story as outlined in TDOP), you might say I was uniquely qualified since I wrote the original! And I had already been thinking about a way to expand on what I’d written of Georgiana before. She deserved more space on the page than I had been able to devote to her in the first book. So, that’s what started me off.

A variation usually represents an alternate story line or, as in this case, a different point of view. The possibilities seem endless, as demonstrated by the tremendously creative output of the authors here at Austen Variations and beyond. Choose any character or any event your mind suggests as the point of departure, and off you go, traveling wherever your imagination takes you. The sky is the limit!

Well, not quite. Most (if not all) P&P variations, for example, wind up where the original did. Right? Who would accept a story where Darcy and Elizabeth didn’t end up together and happy?

I had the same issue and more so with this project. Although it might have been tempting to sail off into completely uncharted waters, the two books had to agree in the end. And this was not only a variation but a “companion” – my term for the fact that the timelines closely correspond. In other words, what’s described in chapter 6 of book “a” is happening during the same time period as what’s written in chapter 6 of book “b,” and so forth.

Before I began, I thought working within this predefined structure might be difficult or at least a little restrictive. But it turned out there were as many pluses as minuses to the form. It was simply a fresh creative challenge, as each of the other books have been.

I set out to fill in the blanks, to discover what Georgiana was up to all that time she was out of our sight before. I also needed to understand what she was thinking. Beneath that calm exterior, was there grand passion? Was there a secret ambition or a storm of discontent brewing? So I began to explore events from Georgiana’s perspective, and I was amazed how different everything appeared through her eyes. It proved there really are at least two sides to every story!

I had great fun discovering the answers to all my questions about Georgiana and giving her a voice to tell her own tale. I hope you’ll enjoy reading the result just as much!

Here’s the official book blurb:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What’s Georgiana Darcy’s story? Jane Austen tells us so little in Pride and Prejudice that we’re left to wonder. How did the early loss of her parents shape Miss Darcy’s character? And what about her near-disastrous affair with Mr. Wickham? Is that the true source of her shyness? She adores her brother and his new wife Elizabeth, but will their guiding influence be enough to steer Georgiana clear of new trouble as she comes of age and falls in love again?

 

This work is intended as a companion of sorts to The Darcys of Pemberley (sequel to Pride and Prejudice), with the timelines of the two running parallel. Both novels are unique and complete in themselves, but together they supply a richer reading experience than either one alone. The earlier book focused primarily on Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship during their early married life. There was a third Darcy represented in the title, however. Now she and her courtship story take center stage in Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~