Hello everybody, I have a very special blog treat for you! As I mentioned before, author Laurie Viera Rigler has graciously taken time out of her busy schedule to grant me a blog interview.
I recently read and reviewed her wonderful book 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'.
Not only has Laurie agreed to a blog interview, she has generously offered to giveaway not just one, but two signed copies of 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'!!
That's right, two copies of her wonderful book will be raffled off here on my blog to two of my lucky blog readers. Read on for the review, then find out how you can sign up for a chance to win a signed copy of Laurie's book.
Bookworm: What inspired you to write 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'?
Laurie: It happened without any planning on my part. One day I was standing in my kitchen and saw, in my mind's eye, Courtney waking up in that four-poster bed in 1813, and not in her own body. I couldn't put her out of my mind, and I started writing down her story.
Bookworm: What was the hardest part about writing this book? How long did it take you to write? What kind of research did you do?
Laurie: I think the hardest part was creating the internal arc of language, thought, and attitudes that Courtney undergoes as she becomes more and more Jane, the nineteenth-century woman whose life she inhabits. It took me six years to write this book, including a great deal of research. I read books and articles on the period, traveled to England, and even did some experiential research. Not time travel, unfortunately. But I did take English country dance lessons and went to a few Jane Austen-themed balls. Which led to expanding one of my favorite scenes in the book, which is when Courtney/Jane dances with Edgeworth in the assembly rooms in Bath.
Bookworm: Courtney really made me laugh. I found her to be witty and very smart. I loved when she ran into the real Jane Austen and er...scared her off just a wee bit. How did you come up with Courtney's character? Is she based on someone you know?
Laurie: Oh, that's a tough one to answer. Courtney is neither a self-portrait nor a portrait of anyone I know. Yet I could also say that there are certainly some similarities between her and, shall we say, a less emotionally mature and more reckless version of myself. Though my husband might disagree about the emotionally mature part. And compared to Courtney, I'm a cheap date. She could drink me under the table. And yes, much as I would like to think of myself as cool and collected in extreme situations, I would have probably turned into a babbling fangirl if I had found myself on a street with Jane Austen in 1813.
Bookworm: If your book were to be made into a film, what actress would you want to play Courtney? Which actor would you choose for the elegant Mr. Edgeworth?
Laurie: There are so many brilliant actors and actresses who could play these roles that I don't even like to limit them in my imagination. Would be very exciting to see this book made into a film. And I'd love to hear who you picture in these roles. (BTW, there's a whole thread in my site's forum where some of my readers discuss who they think should be in a movie version of the book!)
Bookworm: The forum discussions on this topic are fun. Personally, I'd love to see the multi-talented Leo DiCaprio as Mr. Edgeworth and I think Charlize Theron would make a great Courtney.
Bookworm: We know you adore Jane Austen and her work. When did you get hooked on her books? Who are your other favorite authors?
Laurie: The first Austen novel I picked up was Sense and Sensibility. That was about 13 years ago, and I fell instantly in love with the author. I read the other novels in quick succession, and I have been re-reading them ever since. In writing Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and the upcoming sequel/parallel story (Jane's story in the 21st century), I have given a great deal of thought about what it is that keeps me coming back to Austen again and again. And to me it is her keen observation of human nature, the fact that I gain new insights about myself and the people around me every time I read one of her stories, which are tremendously entertaining, comforting, and satisfying on all levels.
In addition to constantly re-reading Austen, I read a great deal of contemporary fiction. Two of my favorite authors happen to remind me of Austen: Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity, How to Be Good, Long Way Down), and Zadie Smith, whose On Beauty, though it is actually an homage to E.M. Forster's Howard's End, very much brings to mind Austen's three or four families in a country village. And there are so many other authors I love. I'm a voracious reader.
Bookworm: Who is your favorite Jane Austen hero? heroine?
Laurie: You mean I can only pick one? That's tough! My favorite hero changes all the time as I change and appreciate new things about each of them, but today I'll say that Mr. Knightley is my favorite. Probably because my husband reminds me of Mr. Knightley lately. He's my truth-teller who always gives me faithful counsel. Though I do love Mr. Darcy, who also reminds me of my husband...And then there's Capt. (sigh) Wentworth. See what I mean? How can I pick only one?
As for heroine, I'd say it's a tie between Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot. I love Lizzy's saucy wit and cleverness, and she is able to admit when she's been completely blinded by her own prejudices as well as laugh at her own follies. But I also love Anne's gentleness and strength, her patience and determination, and her wariness of Mr. Elliot when everyone else was completely fooled by him.
Bookworm: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Laurie: May you know happiness here, in 1813 England, and wherever your own story takes you.
Bookworm: Last but not least, if you had to be stranded on a derserted island with either Mr. Darcy or Mr. Wentworth, which would you pick? Personally, I think Wentworth writes a love letter like nobody's business... *sigh* Decisons...decisions...
Laurie: I feel your pain. That's like having to choose between Josh Holloway and Naveen Andrews on "Lost." How can one make such a decision? Well, if I must choose... I think I would have to go with Captain Wentworth. His naval experience makes him the most likely candidate to actually build and pilot a seafaring craft that could get us off that island. After several seasons of island bliss, of course.
Bookworm:
I think thats the perfect comparison, having to choose between Josh Holloway and Naveen Andrews from LOST. I'm a big fan of that show myself. And I totally agree, Captain Wentworth could build a fabulous seafaring craft to get off the island. In between his writing his amazing love letters of course.
I want to thank Laurie for taking the time to answer my nosey questions. This has definitely been a fun interview.
I hope fellow readers will pick up a copy of 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'.
I'd also like to mention that Laurie is currently writing a sequel to her book! I'm really looking forward to reading it.
Visit Laurie's website: http://janeaustenaddict.com/
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Now, as I mentioned before, I will be raffling off two signed copies of 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'.
This contest is now closed.
the winners have been announced here
