Today I'm happy to welcome
L L Diamond back to the blog. Leslie has brought out a sequel to
Particular Intentions called
Particular Attachments. Glory in the beauty of this cover for a moment!
Now, let me share the blurb with you, and then I'll pass over to Leslie for a character interview with Georgiana Darcy.
Book Blurb
She swore would never marry!
Georgiana Darcy is a lady with a secret! The last thing she wants is to return to London, but what else can she do when her brother and his wife make plans to spend the Christmas season in town. When Lizzy’s youngest sister, Lydia, joins them, Georgiana gains a confidante, but will Lydia’s outgoing nature cause problems when Lord Sele, son of a family friend reappears in Georgiana’s life?
As an insufferable boy, Lord Sele vowed he would marry Georgiana, but was his return from Ireland a coincidence or was his sole purpose to pursue her? He admits to desiring friendship, but Lydia is determined his desire is Georgiana and she will stop at nothing to see her best friend happily settled.
What is Georgiana to do when faced with the society she has managed to avoid for her entire adult life as well as the one man determined to change her mind about marriage? Will she be able to overcome her fears despite the spectre from the past that seems to be haunting her? Will she be forced to tell her secret and choose happiness or will someone from her past ruin everything?
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Thank you so much, Ceri, for having me! I’m so excited to finally release Particular Attachments and tell everyone Georgiana and Nathaniel’s story. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and I hope everyone enjoys reading it just as much!
I was very fortunate when Georgiana and Nathaniel told me their story for Particular Attachments, but I recently persuaded Georgiana Darcy to sit down and speak with me about her past with Nathaniel Howard, Viscount Sele and her thoughts on various other matters.
LLD: Thank you for agreeing to allow me to write your story as well as this interview.
Georgiana: Well, you
were quite insistent. I am unsure of what Nathaniel and I have done to create such interest in our story, but I suppose sharing our tale will cause no harm. No one from my own time will read it after all.
LLD: Tell us about life at Pemberley since your brother married Elizabeth Bennet. Have the two of you become good friends?
Georgiana: I knew when I met Lizzy she would be the ideal match for Fitzwilliam and I could not have been more correct. She works tirelessly alongside my brother to ensure Pemberley thrives, she is a marvellous mother to my adorable nephew, William, and she makes Fitzwilliam happy. He is less reserved and smiles more than he did in the past.
LLD: What of her relationship with you?
Georgiana: She is my sister. She listens to my concerns and we have long talks at times—not as much since William was born, but it is only natural she devotes more of her time to her son. We enjoy taking him on long rambles sometimes. He never lacks for energy.
LLD: William is an active child then?
Georgiana: (laughs) Quite so! He certainly gives his nursemaid, Mrs. Wynn, a difficult time of it, and she had five children of her own! He does give us quite a scare at times with his antics. He is a loving little boy. I find it a chore to be cross with him when he is naughty.
LLD: You have become much closer to Lydia Bennet as of late. What prompted this big change in your relationship?
Georgiana: She is hardly the same young lady I met when Fitzwilliam and Lizzy married. She is still outgoing and enjoys a good giggle, but she is greatly altered. I enjoy her company and she has become as much my sister as Lizzy. We do enjoy long discussions that last late into the night, and stealing biscuits from the larder.
LLD: She has a bit of her own romance, doesn’t she?
Georgiana: (Georgiana nods) She does. He is an excellent man.
LLD: I’d like to move on to Lord Sele. What was he like as a child?
Georgiana: (Exhales loudly) Insufferable, annoying, a pest. Do you require more?
LLD: (laughs) Yes, actually. What could he have done to make you feel this way?
Georgiana: He stole my reticule, I know he took Matilda, and he would pull my curls. I never enjoyed his society when we were young, and he was so insistent we would marry. I did not care to marry any boy, but I especially had no desire to wed him.
LLD: Who was Matilda?
Georgiana: She was my doll. She was once my greatest confidante. My mother would request the fabric remaining from my gowns from the dressmaker, and she would sew Matilda matching clothes. We did everything together—except riding. I could never take her riding. She might be damaged.
One day, we had just had tea when my mother asked for my company and Matilda disappeared. He had been lurking about before and had disappeared by the time I found her gone. I never found her.
LLD: When you were a child, could you ever imagine courting Lord Sele?
Georgiana: Lord, no! I would have sooner eaten a bug than imagined such a fate.
LLD: What did you think when you first laid eyes upon Lord Sele after all these years?
Georgiana: I hoped he would not notice me. If I could have disappeared into the floor, I would have certainly done so, but when he looked at me directly, I prayed he would not recognise me! A part of me believed he would be precisely the same as he was when we were children. Could you imagine? When I was a child, I could kick him in the shin, but I could not very well do so now. Not that I don’t want to give him a good kick from time to time. He can be the most infuriating man!
LLD: He has loved you for a very long time. It must be heartening to know you have inspired such devotion.
Georgiana: Devotion or dogged persistence? He appeared back in my life after so many years, and I am certain he thought I would fall at his feet. I decided after Ramsgate I would never marry. I told him, too, but he would not be deterred. I truly believe he enjoyed discomposing me when he found the opportunity. Of course, it did not take much to disturb my equanimity.
LLD: But you let him have his success. (laughs)
Georgiana: By no design of my own. I have told you on numerous occasions that he is insufferable and I stand by my opinion of his character.
LLD: He must have some redeeming qualities?
Georgiana: I suppose he is faithful and has a certain charm ladies find attractive.
LLD: Is he handsome?
Georgiana: I have heard him described in such a fashion. Lydia claims he is so.
LLD: I don’t want Lydia’s opinion. Do you find him handsome?
Georgiana: He is not unattractive.
LLD: What do you find handsome about him then?
Georgiana: (Huffs) You will not relent, will you?
LLD: No.
Georgiana: Very well. He is quite tall and broad shouldered. He has dark ash brown hair and dark eyes, and a lovely smile—particularly when he flirts. He has these two dimples that peek from his cheeks, and well… (Georgiana coughs and turns red)
Thank you, Georgiana, for taking the time to speak with me about your life and Lord Sele! Thanks again to Ceri for hosting us!
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Bio:
L.L. Diamond is more commonly known as Leslie to her friends and Mom to her three kids. A native of Louisiana, she spent the majority of her life living within an hour of New Orleans before following her husband all over as a military wife. Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and now England have all been called home along the way.
After watching Sense and Sensibility with her mother, Leslie became a fan of Jane Austen, reading her collected works over the next few years. Pride and Prejudice stood out as a favourite and has dominated her writing since finding Jane Austen Fan Fiction.
Aside from mother and writer, Leslie considers herself a perpetual student. She has degrees in biology and studio art, but will devour any subject of interest simply for the knowledge. Her most recent endeavours have included certifications to coach swimming as well as a fitness instructor. As an artist, her concentration is in graphic design, but watercolour is her medium of choice with one of her watercolours featured on the cover of her second book, A Matter of Chance. She is also a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Leslie also plays flute and piano, but much like Elizabeth Bennet, she is always in need of practice!
Leslie’s books include: Rain and Retribution, A Matter of Chance, An Unwavering Trust, The Earl’s Conquest, Particular Intentions, and Particular Attachments.
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Thank you so much to Leslie for dropping by, it's been lovely to be able to host her, as always. You can read more about
Particular Attachments by following the blog tour. There are details of the stops below.
The Particular Attachments Blog Tour:
September 8:
Just Jane 1813 – Review
September 9: Babblings of a Bookworm – Character Interview
September 11:
From Pemberley to Milton – Excerpt
September 12:
From Pemberley to Milton – Character Interview
September 13:
Austenesque Reviews – Outtake
September 14:
Austen Variations – Release Day Post and Giveaway
September 15:
Just Jane 1813 – Character Interview
September 16:
My Jane Austen Book Club – Outtake
September 17:
My Vices and Weaknesses - Excerpt
