Guest Post from Elaine Jeremiah, Author of Love Without Time

Today I'm welcoming a new JAFF author, Elaine Jeremiah, for a guest post about what drew her to writing in this genre, and an excerpt of her book, Love Without Time.

I'll start by giving you the blurb, as usual, and then hand over to Elaine for her guest post:

Book Description

When Cassie Taylor meets an ordinary-looking man in a bookshop, the last thing she imagines is the encounter will lead to her time travelling to Regency England.

Jane Austen-obsessed Cassie would love a romantic hero of her own to sweep her off her feet, but meeting Ted is seriously underwhelming. Then everything is turned upside down when Ted saves her life – and she nearly ends his.

Guilt-ridden and panicked into saying she’s Ted’s girlfriend at the hospital, Cassie takes a walk outside at night, loses her way and finds herself in the past. She meets a young Regency woman, Isabella, who takes pity on her, allowing her to stay at the majestic Westerleigh Hall. But not everyone there trusts her and Cassie will find there are many pitfalls to be avoided if she’s to survive in this world.

Can this be real? Is she dreaming? Will she ever get home?

Guest Post from Elaine Jeremiah

I’ve been writing pretty much for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I wrote and told loads of stories. I wrote short stories at school, which people seemed to like – I won a competition – and told tall tales of warring cats and dogs to my younger siblings on long car journeys.

As I got older, I experimented with various genres. The first novel I ever wrote was called Fresher Girl, about a girl going away to university for the first time. It wasn’t great, but I kept persevering.

Five years ago, I self-published my first novel. But it wasn’t a Jane Austen fan fiction novel. It was more of a family saga, called The Inheritance, about two sisters – one who is sensible and works hard and the other who demands her inheritance from her father early, then loses it all in the space of a year.

It didn’t exactly set the world alight! I kept writing though and wrote two contemporary romances. Nothing that I’d written really felt right for me though, until my husband suggested I try writing Jane Austen fan fiction. I’ve been a huge Jane Austen fan all my life. I was lucky enough to grow up in the same county – Hampshire – that she did.

I’ve walked past the house in Winchester where she died many times and I ended up going to university in Winchester too. I have visited her cottage at Chawton a number of times, as well as Chawton House, where her brother lived. So I feel a real affinity with Jane Austen and when I started writing my first Jane Austen fan fiction novel, Love Without Time, I felt like I’d finally found my niche.

Love Without Time isn’t your typical Jane Austen fan fiction novel, as it’s not based around any of her novels. But it is about a girl who’s a huge fan of Jane Austen, who time travels back to Regency England, and all of the things that happen and problems she encounters there.

I thought it would be a fun idea to imagine what would happen if someone from the twenty-first century time travelled back to Regency England. What would it be like? What would they see/smell/touch? How would they react to their experiences?

I enjoyed writing the story so much, I decided to turn it into a trilogy and right now I’m hard at work on By Time Divided, the second book in the trilogy. I hope you enjoy Love Without Time if you get to read it. Big thank you to Ceri for featuring me on her blog.

Exerpt from Love Without Time

Just then I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me. And I had never been so thirsty in my life. I felt myself begin to sway, but a small hand which was surprisingly strong caught hold of me and set me upright. I looked to see who my rescuer was. It was the other young woman I’d seen, who’d been standing next to the woman who had questioned me. Her dark eyes regarded me with sympathy and I was comforted.

‘Miss Taylor, let me help you to a seat. And I shall get you something to drink. You must be so tired and thirsty after such an ordeal.’

‘Thank you,’ I said gratefully as she led me to a wooden chair at the side of the marquee. I sank down onto it; it felt like bliss to finally be seated and I also felt as though I really had been in an accident whilst on a long journey. I could sense everyone’s eyes on me again, but I ignored them as I closed my eyes. As I did so, my thoughts returned to my own time.

There was a sharp pain in my chest as I remembered Ted, as if someone had struck me. How could I have forgotten him, even for a moment? All my feelings of guilt for what had happened were renewed in my mind. I opened my eyes. I didn’t have much time to ponder this, as the young woman had returned with what looked like a glass of wine.

She stood in front of me with Isabella and the petite woman, who were watching me with concerned expressions. It was then that I noticed an older woman standing behind them, eyeing me as a hawk would a mouse.

‘Here you are,’ the petite young woman said with an anxious look, handing me the glass. I frowned for a moment – why were they not just giving me water – and then I remembered from my history books that very few people in Georgian times would drink water. It wasn’t safe.

I caught her eye; her expression had changed and she was giving me an odd look as if she’d seen my puzzled expression. But she didn’t comment on it. I took a sip of the wine and was glad I had, as I felt its warm tang soothing me from the inside out.

‘I’ve been very remiss,’ I said to her after a few sips of wine. ‘You know my name, but I have not enquired as to yours.’

‘Oh no, the fault is all mine,’ Isabella put in hurriedly, her face a little pink. ‘These are my childhood friends Eleanor Thorpe,’ she indicated the dark-eyed young woman, ‘and Mary Price. They are staying with me here at Westerleigh for a few months. And the two gentlemen you see here are my guardians’ son William Montague and his good friend Charles Radcliffe who is staying with us for a few days.’

Charles gave me a curt nod; he was the dark-featured gentleman I’d already spoken with. William looked friendlier, giving me a curious glance, which rather than making me feel scrutinised made me want to get to know him.  

* * *

About the Author

Elaine Jeremiah lives in England with her husband and their golden retriever. When she was young she wanted to be a famous actress and win an Oscar. Sadly for her that never happened.

Instead writing took over. She has written stories from a young age, winning writing competitions at school and praise from her teachers. Growing up she continued to write, inspired by events in her life and even dreams she'd had. In recent years, especially since graduating from university with a degree in English, she has had more time to devote to writing.

She has now written and self-published four novels. Her latest, 'Love Without Time', is her first Jane Austen-inspired story, a time travel romance, and the first in a trilogy.

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Buy Links

Amazon UK / Amazon US - this title is available for Amazon Prime Readers