Saturday 30 April 2016

A Change of Legacies by Sophie Turner - Guest Post and Giveaway

Book Cover: A Change of Legacies by Sophie Turner
Last year I read a sequel of 'Pride and Prejudice' called 'A Constant Love' by Sophie Turner. You can see my review of the book here. Sophie has planned a whole series of books following on from this, and the next in the series, 'A Change of Legacies' has just been released. Sophie has written a guest post for us relating to some of the characters that she expanded on in 'A Constant Love'. She has also brought along an excerpt of the new book and she is kindly offering an ebook giveaway in a choice of formats for either the first book in the series, 'A Constant Love', or the new book, 'A Change of Legacies' so now I'll pass over to Sophie for her guest post.

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One of the fun things about writing sequels to Pride and Prejudice is getting a chance to develop the minor characters more thoroughly, because Austen left us with quite an interesting cast of them. And because I’ve made it my goal to include at least one new romance in each book in my Constant Love series (alongside, of course, the enduring love of Elizabeth and Darcy), these minor characters have formed part of the couplings in these romances, in both A Constant Love, and now A Change of Legacies. So I’d like to take readers through a little character study for some of these key minor characters, along with an excerpt for one of them. For those who are still considering the series, I’ll avoid major spoilers for A Constant Love, which means there’s one character I’ve left out; I’ll only say this character begins Legacies with a possible arranged marriage looming.
Georgiana (and Lydia)
I’ve always seen so much potential in Georgiana as a character. She was raised in part by the parents who gave Darcy his good principles, but left him to follow them in pride and conceit, and in part by Darcy himself. She nearly eloped with George Wickham, and learned that of course he was really just interested in her 30,000 pounds. And she is very accomplished, yet also very shy. With all of this great backstory, though, she does not even have one line of dialogue in the story, leaving her very open to interpretation for a JAFF author.
I’ve chosen to write her as sincere, and wounded both by the event with Wickham, and more generally in not always having family about her. These things have made her shy, and also insecure. When she thinks things through, she is distrustful, and yet when she does not, she can be a tad gullible. And at 18 going on 19 when Legacies begins (and coming from a sheltered life aside from that summer in Ramsgate), she’s also still rather immature. As someone who’s, well, significantly older than Georgiana, it’s been interesting to try to take myself back to that age, and attempt to see things as she would see them.
When Georgiana’s brother marries, he enlarges Georgiana’s family for the better. Particularly Elizabeth, but also Catherine and Mary, give her the female friendship she has often lacked in life. She does fall in love, in A Constant Love, and begins Legacies married; this does not go particularly smoothly, but she and her husband come out in the end with a stronger marriage because of it.
I included Lydia with Georgiana, because to me, they form strange bookends. One nearly eloped with Wickham and the other did, and they are now, technically, family, although the Wickhams have not been welcome at Pemberley. Lydia, who is yet to really mature, receives less page time than the other young ladies, although she’ll eventually get more later in the series. But in A Change of Legacies, youthful follies like Georgiana’s near-mistake and Lydia’s real one are something several characters examine.
Kitty
My characterization of Kitty has been largely based on one line within Pride and Prejudice. After listening to his daughters effuse on the militia, Mr. Bennet calls them “two of the silliest girls in the country,” and we read that:
“Catherine was disconcerted, and made no answer; but Lydia, with perfect indifference, continued to express her admiration of Captain Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as he was going the next morning to London.”
That, to me, always indicated the difference between Kitty and Lydia. It was easy, unfortunately, for Kitty to continue to be led into silliness by her sister while Lydia was in the house, but I think always lurking under the surface was the Kitty who was disconcerted, and maybe deep down ready to mature. She was, then, a strange beneficiary of Lydia’s elopement. Lydia isn’t there to draw Kitty into frivolity, but she does write to her elder sister, telling Kitty of a married life with Wickham that does not seem as good as what Elizabeth and Jane will have in their married lives. As a result, Kitty reassesses things, and decides she wants to get a husband in a more responsible manner.
Kitty has, I think, been a favorite of many readers in the series, because with a little maturity, she becomes a fun, bubbly young lady with a great deal of conversation. She’s that extrovert friend a shy (Georgiana) or introverted (Mary) young lady wants to have, drawing them in to doing fun things and keeping conversation flowing. Yet she’s developing a more serious side, and she shows this, and her increased maturity, in a surprising way in Legacies. Indeed, I should call her Catherine, now, for one of her wishes in that book is to do away with her old nickname.
Mary
Sometimes, as an author, things surprise you. At the end of A Constant Love, Mary and a clergyman character were both part of a house party at Pemberley. I hadn’t intended for a romance to form, but somehow, I looked over in the corner of my mental drawing-room, and there they were, conversing intently.
So Mary is one of the reasons why a series began to form out of what was intended to be one book. I wanted a chance to write her romance, and it is the most prominent new one in Legacies. Writing Mary in a romance was a great deal of fun, because she’s a non-traditional romantic heroine – she’s a bit prudish, and still working on comprehending the notion that she might be in love.
Catherine generally just needed to mature, but although Mary had some growth as a character in A Constant Love, there is much more to come for her in Legacies. There is still a part of her who was the character who opined over “loss of virtue in a female” when the Bennet family faced ruin. She is also, I think, the Bennet sister who was most neglected and left to fend for herself. I went in the direction of religion being her outlet for this, giving her a sincere interest in it. But there is a judgemental side that comes with this, and so Mary is both in need of some care and watering, and her own sort of Hunsford moment.
Here’s a little excerpt that, I think, shows some of the dynamic of Mary’s romance. It begins after Mary asked her suitor, who is a widower, if his wife died in childbirth. I should also note that by now he has become part of her family, so it’s appropriate for him to call her by her first name:
“I am very sorry,” said Mary. “I should not have pried.”
“I know the difference between prying and asking because you care, Mary.”
She did care; he was correct. Yet there was such a strangeness to be asking about his wife, when that lady’s death had made possible what Mary now considered. She wished she might think of something else to say on the topic, but truly did not wish to pry, and finally, when enough time had passed, said: “Do you ever struggle with what to say, in your prayers? No, I suppose you must not – you must always be ready to speak to God. I do, though. Sometimes, like now, I wish very much to pray for those I love, but know not what to say – I stumble through as best I can. I want to pray better, but I cannot.”
“I struggle all the time, Mary, particularly when the prayers are for my own family and dear friends. But I believe in a loving God, and I do not think He judges you on the quality of your prayers, only that you do pray. I believe He knows what worries you, even if you do not speak it as well as you might wish to; the important thing is in reaching out to Him. When I am lost, I fall back on the Lord’s Prayer; sometimes, there is no greater comfort, and I think He must hear me and know of all I cannot say.”
“Will – would you say it with me now?” Mary knew not why she asked this of him; his advice was sound, and she might very well have followed it on her own. But she liked the sound of his voice, and she thought the act would bring the comfort of an embrace, without any actual embrace, which would have been horribly improper. In this, she was right – there was something very soothing about his voice mingled with hers, about the familiar words, which left her feeling peaceful when they had finished.
He made his exit then, but did not go directly to the door, instead walking near where Mary was seated, and placing his hand very gently on her shoulder for a moment. Mary felt the weight of that hand for far longer and in much greater proportion than it had been bestowed. She blushed, and felt a strange flutter in her stomach, even though she knew the gesture must have been meant for comfort.

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What a touching excerpt... sigh! I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series - there were a few story threads that I would like to see continued.

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Book Cover: A Change of Legacies by Sophie Turner
Book Blurb:

Book Two of the Constant Love Series

The preparations for Elizabeth’s birth and the beginning of Georgiana’s married life do not go as smoothly as either of them would wish, and they must each consider an alternate legacy for Pemberley, as they encounter opposite sides of the same “what if?”

Meanwhile, for the first time, Mary Bennet finds herself romantically interested in a man, but will her own character and his family get in her way?

A story of love and family; the sequel to A Constant Love. 

'A Change of Legacies' is available to buy now!

Amazon UKAmazon USNook

Giveaway time!

Book covers - Sophie Turner
Sophie has very kindly offered to give away the winner's choice of a copy of 'A Constant Love' or 'A Change of Legacies' in a choice of format; paperback (open to entrants in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), Kindle or Nook (ebook options open to international entrants). To enter, all you need to do is comment on this blog post by the end of the day on Saturday 7 May 2016.

52 comments:

  1. I would love the chance to win any of them! I also need more time to read. Any giveaways for that?

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    1. Haha! If I had more reading time to give away I wouldn't give it away, I'd keep it :)

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    2. I'm with Ceri on this one -- more reading time would be the most valuable thing in the world! Thanks for your interest, tgruy

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  2. Great post ladies! Ceri, you will love this series! It's a fabulous work that stays so true to Austen... Just lovely.

    Sophie, I loved reading your ideas about each character. It's always fascinating to learn an author's take on Austen's characters!

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    1. Thanks, Claudine! There's so much room for interpretation, even though Austen gave us some great details to work from.

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    2. Thanks, Claudine! I love to learn more about author's perceptions of Austen's characters too :)

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  3. Love the premise. Sounds so good. Thanks for the giveaway.

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    1. Thank you for your interest, Patty!

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    2. Hi Patty! There are so few sequels out there compared to variations aren't there! Good luck in the giveaway.

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  4. love reading about Mary or Kitty coming into their own

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    1. Thanks, Vesper! It's been very fun to write them both as they mature.

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    2. Yes, me too, Vesper. I was particularly fond of Kitty in the last book and it looks as though Mary gets a chance to mature in this one.

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  6. cant say enough how much i love the covers!

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    1. Thank you so much, BookLuver! I've set myself the challenge of shooting the covers for all seven books in the series.

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    2. They are lovely aren't they, BookLuver!

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  7. Yes, love that Sophie is tackling the minor characters and that's interesting about that one line regarding Kitty. I remember it now that she mentioned it and look forward to what came of it.

    Ahhh, heartwarming excerpt!

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    1. Thanks, Sophia! It's been tough to find excerpts that don't spoil too much of the first book, so I was excited when I realized that one would work, and give readers a taste of Mary's courtship.

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    2. It's always nice to see the minor characters get some love!

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  8. I cant wait to read your new book Sophie it sounds wonderful! I love the original take!

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    1. Thanks, Debbie -- I hope you'll enjoy it!

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    2. Hi Debbie, thanks for dropping by!

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  9. Would really love to win one of these books. I've been looking for a new series to follow and this could be it. I love to read a follow on book and meet characters from the previous books.

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    1. Thanks, Bookworm! I share your love of reading a series, and I'm basically writing the series I would have wanted to read. :-)

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    2. Hi there fellow Bookworm! Thanks for your comment and good luck in the giveaway :)

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  10. Carole in Canada1 May 2016 at 15:29

    Both books are truly wonderful. I so enjoy the depth and emotional feeling that each character has been given. So looking forward to book 3!

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    1. Thank you so much, Carole! I'm back to work on book 3, now. :-)

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    2. I'm so glad you enjoyed them Carole.

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  11. Wonderful post! Love the excerpt! Thank you for the giveaway!

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  12. I've become very fond of minor character stories and this excerpt involving Mary was just lovely.

    I have to confess I haven't yet read the first book in this series, so that would be my choice if I was the lucky winner. Thank you Sophie, for making the paperback available to us in the UK.

    When it comes to reading time, I think I need to be like the spirit of Elizabeth in Haunting Mr. Darcy and just move my ghostly hand through the substance of a book to immediately digest all of it's contents. My TBR mountain would be dust in no time!

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    1. You're welcome, Anji! And I like your supernatural plan for getting through your TBR mountain -- I wish we all had such powers.

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    2. I wish there was a way to read more quickly while still being able to really digest and experience the book. If only!

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  13. I've read both books so I'll leave others to enjoy the giveaway - I'm a fan of the series and eagerly await book 3. Sophie is a talented writer who allows the story to take some twists and turns that make the reader pay attention! Enjoy everyone.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed the series so far, and promise I am back at work on book 3, although it's going to be a while.

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    2. Thank you for the comment!

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  14. I love when the variations have stories for the sisters

    denise

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    1. Thank you, Denise! I think it helps keep the stories fresh to have plots for the sisters and other minor characters.

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    2. I do too, Denise. We get plenty of time with the sisters in this book.

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  15. I would love to win a copy of this book. I did read and post a review on the first one.

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    1. Thank you, Sheila! Good luck in the giveaway.

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    2. Hi Sheila. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway.

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  16. Indeed a very touching excerpt! Thank you for sharing it! I am Darcy-Lizzy-centric and concentrate mostly on Austenesque books dedicated to them (the more time is allocated for them, their interactions or inner thoughts the better:)))), but it is still interesting to explore possible developments for other Bennet sisters, expecially Mary.

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    1. Thank you, oloore! I hear you on Darcy-Lizzy centric and I think that's why variations have been so popular. My own variation (soon to be variations) was pretty Darcy-Lizzy centric. But I've found for a continuation series that the new romances with other characters help keep the stories fresh -- at least for me, writing them. :-)

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    2. Thank you, Oloore. I am glad you enjoyed the excerpt :)

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  17. Looking forward to reading this series!

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    1. Hi Dung. Thanks for commenting. I hope you enjoy the series when you read it :)

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  18. I enjoyed reading A Constant Love a year ago and have the sequel on my TBR list. Would love to win a copy! Thanks for offering this opportunity to everyone!

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    1. Thank you, Debbie! Glad to hear you enjoyed A Constant Love.

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    2. Hi Debbie. Thanks for commenting and good luck in the giveaway.

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If you're not logged in to Google please leave your name in your comment or it will post as anonymous. Thanks! - Ceri