Lost in Austen Variations

By Kelly Miller

My writing journey began late in life—years after I took an early retirement from the Postal Service. I stumbled upon Pride & Prejudice fan fiction online and became fascinated with the stories; they were imaginative and compelling. In almost every story though, I found aspects that did not ring true to me. Then the notion came to me to try to write one of my own. To my great surprise, I found that I loved writing. I submitted a manuscript to an indie publisher of Jane Austen variations, Meryton Press. To my delight, they accepted my book for publication. Since then, I have released five additional books with Meryton Press.

Beginning with my seventh book, The Darcy Secret, I parted with Meryton Press and have self-published my books ever since. I much prefer having the freedom that comes with this choice; I can select my own editors and cover artists and review/tweak my work as much as I like. In addition, I can also publish on a schedule that is most convenient for me.

My first book, Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley, released in 2019. The plot centers around a powerful and enigmatic angel of death, Graham, who imposes himself upon Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who has been married to the former Elizabeth Bennet for several years. Darcy is forced to host Graham, whose true motives are unclear. The inspiration for this story came from my love of old movies like The Vicar’s Wife, Heaven Can Wait, and Death Takes a Holiday, in which unearthly beings influence the lives of the main characters.

To date, I have published nine more Austenesque Regency romances—in all, I have nine variations of Pride & Prejudice and one acclaimed variation of Persuasion, titled Captive Hearts. Most of my books have garnered first place awards, including Chanticleer International Book Awards, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, and Indies Today Book Awards.

One might wonder how I can keep creating new variations of Pride and Prejudice, but the possibilities are endless. My favorite genres as a reader include romantic suspense and mystery, and Agatha Christie has been a favorite author of mine since my childhood. Thus, several of my books, The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. Darcy, The Darcy Secret, and Accusing Mr. Darcy, include murder mysteries in the plots.

And as an animal lover, I often include dogs or horses in my books. I had horses in my younger years, so I can write about them from experience. In The Trouble With Friends, Miss Elizabeth Bennet has an adorable and slightly mischievous cocker spaniel named Robbie, a character inspired by my own dog, Zoey. A litter of springer spaniels (called springing spaniels in the book, a bygone term for the breed) appear in Accusing Mr. Darcy, and A Dutiful Son features Baxter, a horse who forms a rapport with Elizabeth.

Writing books set in Regency England presents a singular challenge. Researching what words, phrases, and customs in place at the time can be difficult, but I do my best to avoid anachronisms. Since many words used in Regency are rarely seen today or have taken on new meanings over the years, readers are apt to find words in my books that are unfamiliar to them. While I strive to be authentic with the language I use, I am also cognizant to avoid the overuse of obscure words, since they can throw readers out of a story.

Although I am not one who likes to travel, I took a wonderful and memorable trip to England in 2019 with my husband and daughter. First, we stayed in Bath and walked all over the delightful city. I went to locations featured in Captive Hearts. Then we went to Derbyshire and went to places from Accusing Mr. Darcy such as Chatsworth House, Poole’s Cavern, and Buxton. Finally, we stayed in London, and took the London Underground, AKA The Tube, all over the city. One memorable stop was The Tower of London, a tourist site I utilized in Mr. Darcy’s Perfect Match.

My latest release is Mr. Darcy’s Complex Courtship. The composition of this book took years to complete. The opening scene of the book—in which Elizabeth Bennet provides a polite refusal to Mr. Darcy’s first offer of marriage—came from the first manuscript I ever composed. As a first-time writer fumbling my way through a story, it is not surprising this first effort was not worthy of publication: the story had too little conflict, and the problems that arose were resolved too quickly. So, I had set the manuscript aside and did not expect to ever use it.

Nevertheless, I salvaged the beginning of that story, which comprised the first three chapters, and altered the rest of the plot. During the editing process, I followed the advice of my editors to cut or trim several scenes from the first three chapters, since they were not essential to the plot. In this book, Darcy and Elizabeth face an unusual and seemingly preposterous declaration and threat from Darcy’s aunt Lady Catherine. If her ladyship can be believed, Darcy may be forced to choose between Elizabeth and his legacy.

Several people have asked me why I write Austenesque Regency romances. After all, I am an Asian American born and raised in California. My best answer is, I write what I love.

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About the Author:

Award-winning Austenesque Regency romance author Kelly Miller is a native Californian and Anglophile, who made her first visit to England in 2019. When not pondering a plot point or turn of phrase, she can be found playing the piano, singing, or walking her dogs. Kelly resides in Silicon Valley with her husband and their pets. Her tenth book is Mr. Darcy’s Complex Courtship.

Kelly’s books are available on Kindle Unlimited and all but her new release are at Audible. You may find them here: https://linktr.ee/kellymillerauthor

Connect with Kelly:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.Kelly.Miller

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly.miller.author/

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Mr. Darcy’s Complex Courtship

Would Mr. Darcy sacrifice his legacy for love?

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s marriage proposal comes as a shock to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Despite the temptation to rail at him for his past injustices, she restrains herself and declines his offer with civility.

Following a heartfelt and enlightening discussion with the perplexing gentleman, Elizabeth is persuaded to judge him anew and allows him to call upon her in London. As her understanding of Darcy’s nature improves, so does her regard for him.

But Darcy’s aunt Lady Catherine confronts Elizabeth with a startling declaration: her ladyship maintains she has the means to take Pemberley away from Darcy. Could this outrageous assertion be true?

In this Regency variation of Pride & Prejudice, shocking developments and unforeseen obstacles combine to drive Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy apart. Will they manage to overcome these impediments and find their happily ever after?

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Category: On Writing