Nachtstürm Castle by Emily C A Snyder - Excerpt, Guest Post and Giveaway

As you know, I enjoy reading books inspired by the works of Jane Austen. I like what-ifs, where we explore another path, sequels, so we get MORE, alternate points of view and minor character stories. Most of the Austenesque reads out there are based on Pride & Prejudice. While this is my favourite of Austen's works, that doesn't mean that I don't like the others! Sometimes I like a change.

In my searches for books to add to my 'to be read' list based on Austen's other works I came across Nachtstürm Castle: A Gothic Austen Novel by Emily C A Snyder. This is a sequel to Northanger Abbey, which promises gothic excitement for Catherine Morland. When I looked it wasn't available on kindle and in paperback it was crazy expensive! I thought I'd never get an opportunity to read the book, but Emily has re-released it on kindle. She's visited us today with a post about the re-release and an international e-book giveaway. First I'll share the blurb with you, and then we'll hand over to Emily for a post about re-releasing her story. But as an aside, think how much Catherine would adore the exclamation marks in this book description from Amazon!

Book Description:

Moonlight! Castles! Ghosts! Storms! Secret trap doors! Suicide! Grave yards! Mistaken Identities! Carriage accidents! Gypsies! Hauntings! A kidnapping! Purloined letters! A duel! Swooning! Wild Pursuits! Demonic possession! A disputed inheritance! Three romances! A ransacking! Ancient curses! A stolen will and testament! Dank subterranean passageways!

Multi-talented Emily C. A. Snyder has managed to pack the above list (and more) into Nachtstürm Castle, a sophisticated Gothic fantasy sequel, taking up the further adventures of Henry and Catherine Tilney where our divine Miss Austen finished the last lines of Northanger Abbey.

- Jeffrey B Ward, Austenprose.com

Excerpt 

Prelude

Which Begins in the Manner of a Truly Horrid Novel

A proper Gothic novel ought to begin with the dire pronouncement of some grand death: the fatal demise of some far-flung Count who has, despite his own earthly lavishness, still managed to leave a large inheritance behind; or – even better – the contested death of a terrible Marquis who scrawled his butler’s initials in blood upon a ghostly woman’s portrait, before thoughtfully arranging his own body to point towards an open and hitherto secretive door.

Alas, the best that I can assure you is that:

The cat was dead.

He died neither gruesomely, nor with any sort of mystery, belonged to no one of any note, happily sired half the tabbies of the congregation, and his last thought, so much as anyone can discern, appeared to have been: “I thought this wall was longer.”

He also, I’m afraid to say, will not figure into our further adventures of this slim volume, belonging to none of the heroes or villains contained within.

But a proper Gothic novel ought to begin with at least one death, and so I may declare to you again with perfect confidence that:

The cat was most assuredly dead.

Just as Mr and Mrs Henry Tilney, whom we shall meet in a moment – if the Reader is not already acquainted with them through a far Superior Novel – are most decidedly alive.

For now.

~*~

Guest Post on Relaunching by Emily C A Snyder

"Did you know," someone wrote me a few years back, "that your novel is going for several hundred pounds on Amazon.uk?"

My jaw dropped to the floor and I had to laugh at the outrageousness of the idea.  I had written my Gothic Austen parody, Nachtstürm Castle from 1999-2000, in the baby days of the internet, mostly for the delight of members of Pemberley.com (where I published under "Elspeth," - still being too shy to use my own name).  I hadn't thought much of my little Bit of Ivory, but Margaret Sullivan, author of There Must Be Murder, another Northanger Abbey homage, convinced me to allow her to archive the novel on her site and then later introduced me to Girlebooks.com who printed the previous edition.  The Austen world was hugely supportive of Catherine and Henry's continuing adventures, and it was great fun to get to know others in the community.  But when Girlebooks unfortunately had to fold, I let Nachtstürm slip away again, every once in a while introducing it to a publisher, who always politely declined to pick up a previously published volume.

So why am I republishing now?  Well, for a few reasons.  In my other life, I write and direct plays, which means that I hobnob with actory types a lot.  A brilliant friend of mine approached me about auditioning to read one of my novels, and so I sent her the new prelude (see below).  She did a bang-up job and we agreed that at long-last an Autumnal rerelease would be scheduled, and Nachtstürm Castle could rise again.

There's a joy to rereleasing a novel.  It was like visiting old friends to go back through the text again.  It was also a relief to address the Super Long Chapter which, if you read the previous incarnation, you know the chapter you always skip - and instead to do up that "chapter" properly as a legitimately Gothic novel-within-the-novel, compleat with an introduction, an unreliable narrator, some terrible poetry and pretentious chapter titles, and all the trappings there besides.

Because Nachtstürm Castle is, at its heart, a Gothic novel turned on its head.  In all its ridiculous, wonderful, trapdoor filled g(l)ory...whether Catherine wants to acknowledge that or not!

So I hope you enjoy this latest edition of a spooky Austen delight!  And keep your ear out for Suzanne T. Fortin's marvellous audiobook recording of the same just in time for Halloween!

~*~

Buy Links: Amazon US / Amazon UK - Or add to your Goodreads shelf.

About the Author

Emily C. A. Snyder has been inventing stories since she was old enough to babble, and writing them down since she was old enough to dictate. A prolific writer, Snyder is also the author of The Twelve Kingdoms series from Arx Publishing, LLC which includes Niamh and the Hermit and Charming the Moon, as well as several plays, including Wallace's Will from Playscripts, Inc. Snyder holds an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, Boston, MA and a BA in Literature and Drama from Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. When not writing, Emily can most often be seen teaching or directing Shakespeare. And when not doing that, chances are she's driving aimlessly in her car, singing at the top of her lungs. For more information, please visit her website http://www.emilycasnyder.info. 

Giveaway Time

Emily is kindly giving away an ebook of Nachtstürm Castle: A Gothic Austen Novel to a commenter on this post! To enter, just add your comment by the end of the day on Friday 6 October, ensuring that you leave some way for me to contact you. This is open to international entrants.

Thank you so much to Emily for visiting!