To Conquer Pride by Jennifer Altman - Blog Tour - Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I'm welcoming a new visitor to Babblings of a Bookworm, Jennifer Altman. Jennifer has written a Pride & Prejudice variation, To Conquer Pride, and is visiting as part of the blog tour. Let's have a nosey at the blurb so we know what the book's about and then I'll hand over to Jennifer for a guest post, including excerpt. There's also a giveaway! Read on to find out more...

 Book Description

The course of true love never did run smooth…

When Fitzwilliam Darcy departs Hunsford after his disastrous proposal to Elizabeth Bennet, he does not expect their paths to cross again. Indeed, knowing the lady’s true feelings for him, he makes every effort to see that they do not. But when a chance encounter leaves him stranded in an abandoned cottage with the one woman he can never have, Darcy quickly realizes there is more at risk than just Elizabeth’s reputation.

Elizabeth Bennet knows Mr. Darcy is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry. Until the morning he hands her a letter, his countenance as dark and forbidding as the windswept sky. Now, trapped in a snowstorm with the one person she was certain she despised, Elizabeth is startled to discover that her feelings are not at all what she expected.

But is one night alone together enough to alter the course of their future?

Can any man as proud as Mr. Darcy be expected to offer for the same woman a second time?

In this tale of serendipity and second chances, the world’s unlikeliest couple must conquer pride, prejudice, and faulty first impressions in the elusive quest for their own happily ever after.

* * *

Hi Ceri! Thanks so much for hosting the last stop of my blog tour for To Conquer Pride, which released this past Monday. I am so excited about this post! Today we’re doing something a little different—I will be answering questions from readers! If you stopped by my cover reveal post at Austenesque Reviews, you may remember that I did and “Ask Me Anything” book giveaway… and today I will be answering all of those questions!

But before we get to that, I thought I’d start off with an excerpt from the book. This scene takes place about two-thirds through the story. Elizabeth is once again attempting a tour of the Lakes with the Gardiners and her sister, Mary, and Darcy has persuaded the party to stay at Pemberley on their way through Derbyshire. I hope you enjoy!

To Conquer Pride - Excerpt

Darcy slouched in his chair, an unopened book held loosely between his fingers. In the large bed across the room, Georgiana continued to doze, occasionally mumbling incoherently in her dreams. The clock on the mantelpiece ticked out a steady rhythm and despite his best intentions, Darcy’s eyelids grew heavy. Stretching his legs, he allowed his head to tip back against the cushions. The intoxicating lure of slumber tugged at his consciousness, pulling him under…

Without warning, a blood-curdling shriek split the air and Darcy leapt from his chair. His book hit the floor with a loud thwack and his gaze flew to his sister’s face. But he realized almost immediately that the sound had not come from her. His head snapped in the direction of the adjoining chamber.

Elizabeth!

Darcy was instantly across the room, racing through the adjoining parlor. His knee connected with some piece of furniture and he muttered an oath. The voice cried out again, high-pitched and laced with terror.

Reaching Elizabeth’s door, Darcy pounded on the paneling, stopping after a moment to listen for a response. The unmistakable sounds of weeping crept through the heavy wood and Darcy’s stomach clenched. Making up his mind, his fingers found the brass knob, which turned easily in his hand.

Moving through the open door, Darcy stepped into the chamber. A sliver of moonlight fell through a gap in the draperies, guiding him as he slowly approached the bed. Elizabeth sat upright amongst the tangled sheets, her breathing rapid. Darcy moved closer and Elizabeth launched herself into his arms, clinging to his neck and whimpering against his collar.

His composure splintered and he wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders, gathering her close. Through her thin nightdress he could feel the curves of her body and a familiar ache settled in his chest. He swallowed hard, lifting one hand to lightly stroke her hair.

“Shh… It was only a dream. You are safe, Elizabeth. You are at Pemberley, and you are safe.”

Holding Elizabeth gently in his arms, Darcy was reminded of all the times he had done the same for Georgiana when she had awoken from a nightmare after their father’s death. But embracing Elizabeth now, he was acutely aware that she was neither a young girl, nor was she his sister.

Closing his eyes, Darcy breathed in Elizabeth’s sweet scent. Continuing to murmur softly in her ear, he allowed himself to envision a time when he might have the right to comfort her as a husband comforts his wife. To always be by her side, offering his protection.

He knew the moment Elizabeth became fully aware of her surroundings. Her body stiffened and Darcy immediately released his hold. Slowly straightening his spine, he allowed her arms to slip from around his neck. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now, but he could not read Elizabeth’s expression. Moving away from the bed, he turned to light the candle sitting upon a nearby table.

Elizabeth clutched the covers to her chest and Darcy took another step back, giving her space. “Pray, forgive my intrusion, Miss Bennet. I was sitting with my sister when I heard you cry out. I am glad to see it appears to have only been a bad dream.”

Elizabeth continued to grip the counterpane blinking in the flickering light. She stared wordlessly at him for several moments but after a while she seemed to recover her equilibrium, and when she spoke, her voice was low, but steady. “Pray, forgive me for worrying you. Indeed, it was only a dream, and I am quite recovered now.”

Darcy inclined his head, offering her an awkward bow. “I will leave you to your privacy, then.” He walked halfway to the door before turning. “Is there anything you require before I go? I can ring for one of the maids to come sit with you, if you would like?”

“Oh, no! Do not disturb anyone at this hour. I… I think I will read for a while and then attempt to return to sleep.”

Darcy nodded, his eyes soft. “As you wish. Sleep well, Miss Bennet.”

Walking back into his sister’s chamber, Darcy could not help feeling somewhat relieved to know that Elizabeth would be moving back into the guest wing on the morrow. Clearly having her in such close proximity was not as good an idea as he had previously thought.

~ * ~

Okay, on to the questions! I had so much fun with these. I hope you enjoy reading my answers as I enjoyed writing them!

1. With all the variations out there, how did you settle on your idea for a retelling?

I actually touched on this during my last blog post at More Agreeably Engaged, so feel free to pop over there for the detailed answer. But to add to that, there’s an old writing adage that goes: “Write the book that you want to read,” and that’s what was really at the forefront of my mind when I thought about writing a Pride and Prejudice variation. By the time I set out to write To Conquer Pride, I had read dozens (maybe even hundreds) of P&P variations and I had a pretty good idea of the things I enjoyed: I liked being in both Darcy and Elizabeth’s head (especially Darcy’s), so I knew I wanted to write in dual point of view. I knew I preferred books written in third person, as opposed to first. I knew I loved it when Darcy and Elizabeth were trapped together somewhere and forced to confront their feelings and to get to know each other a little better… but above all, I loved books where Darcy and Elizabeth had a lot of page time together. I didn’t care if they were teasing, flirting, or willfully misunderstanding each other… I wanted to see them interacting as often as possible throughout the book. And I figured there had to be other people out there who liked the same sorts of things I did… so that’s what I wrote!

2. Do you have a favorite JAFF novel or author who inspired you to write your own?

Oh, my goodness! I’ve read and loved novels from soooo many JAFF authors. And I think all of the authors writing in this genre have inspired me in one way or another. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for all of the talented writers who came before me.

3. Is there much angst in this story?

Well, I suppose it depends on who you ask. ;) But no, I don’t think there’s *too much* angst. Just enough, in my opinion. :)

4. Curious about the Darcy and Wickham interaction as Lydia was not mentioned.

Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out! :) But without giving too much away, Wickham and Lydia do not marry each other as in canon. In To Conquer Pride, Darcy deals with Wickham before he can ruin Elizabeth’s sister… and Lydia causes a bit of a stir, but in a different way.

5. Anymore delicious plot ideas running around your head for when you finish the promo on this book? Are you going to be writing another JAFF?

Yes, definitely! I haven’t put anything on paper yet, but I do plan on writing another P&P variation next. Still working on the specifics, but I can tell you that will involve Darcy and Elizabeth marrying early in the book, and falling in love afterwards. I don’t want to call it a forced marriage scenario, because they will marry of their own free will, but as in canon, their mutual pride and prejudice make it difficult for them to initially see how well suited they are. I’d also like to do a follow up to To Conquer Pride at some point. There is a certain young physician in the book that I’ve fallen a little bit in love with, so it’s very tempting to want to continue his story.

6. Which is your favorite film version of Pride and Prejudice?

This is so hard because I know there are huge devotees of each version, but for me, it has to be the 1995 BBC miniseries.

Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord
by François Gerard

7. Your book cover is beautiful! Who is the artist and how did you decide on this painting?

Thank you! The painting is Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord by François Gerard. I knew I wanted to use a Regency era painting for the cover and I was also hoping to find something I hadn’t seen used before on other JAFF or Regency romance covers. I actually fell in love with another painting by this same artist, but I couldn’t find a high enough quality file for my cover designer to use. (Apparently it needs to be a certain number of mega-pixels to be enlarged to the right size for a book cover and not lose any clarity). This painting was a close second for me, so I was very glad I was able to find a file my designer could work with!

8. What inspired you to start writing JAFF?

Honestly, as I said in some of my previous posts, I was just starting to run out of Pride and Prejudice variations to read! I was devouring them faster than the authors writing in the genre could produce them, and like so many other fans, I just wanted to keep the magic going inside my head. Mostly I started writing To Conquer Pride to entertain myself. I wasn’t sure when I started if I would ever pursue publication with it, but I’m very glad that I did!

9. Did you start writing your book at the beginning? Or did you hop around, writing the scenes out of order?

I LOVE this question. For those of you who read my previous blog post over at More Agreeably Engaged, I touched on this a little, but I wrote the first five chapters in order, and then I skipped around. If I had to do it over again, I may have made a different decision on that, because it made piecing everything together in revisions very difficult and was one of the reasons it took me so long to revise.

10. In addition to Pride and Prejudice, what is your favorite Jane Austen novel?

I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but it’s Emma. Pride and Prejudice has a slight edge, but Emma is a very close second for me.

11. I notice that the neckline of the dress on your book cover (and those of so many other dresses of the day) is cut (what I would call) scandalously low… was this normal daytime attire for women of that period?

I love your question, although I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer it as I am hardly an expert on Regency fashion. Maybe someone else can chime in in the comments… but I know that women of that era would often wear a fichu for this purpose (to cover up some of that exposed flesh!). As to why the woman in the painting is NOT wearing one, your guess is as good as mine!

12. When you were writing your story, how did you imagine Darcy and Elizabeth? As one of the actors who played the roles or with new features?

Oh, my goodness, I LOVE this question. I’ve actually thought a lot about this because it’s very strange… For the most part, I don’t imagine the faces of any of my characters when I write. I would say I definitely have a general impression of what they look like (hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc.) but I don’t actually picture a face. Oddly enough, there is one exception to this in To Conquer Pride. I actually did picture the young physician I mentioned above looking like an actor in a specific role (not from P&P). But I hesitate to say who, because I think you should all imagine the characters any way you choose.

13. What do you like the most about the fantasy Regency period so many of us like to inhabit in our dreams? I don’t think any of us would want to live there unless we were of the upper crust and independently wealthy, but what do you see as most delightful in the world between book covers?

Great question!! Well, let me start by saying that (as you indicated) I wouldn’t actually want to go back and live in that time period, even as a member of the upper class. I like my modern conveniences too much! But I think there are many things we romanticize that make that era such an appealing fantasy: The clothing, the opulent estates, the slower pace of life, the genteel manners… But I have a feeling if we actually had the opportunity to go back in time, it wouldn’t be quite as lovely as it appears in the movies!

14. I enjoy romance but not books with sex scenes. Does To Conquer Pride have very intimate scenes?

Nope, no intimate scenes. Lots of romantic moments, but nothing explicit.

15. This time of year, I love to read holiday books. I see there is a snowstorm in this one, so that’s a great start. Any seasonal scenes in your book?

Unfortunately, not. While the story does start in November, it skips past the Christmas season. Although there are a few scenes that take place during Easter, if that counts. :)

 

16. How long did it take from the moment of inspiration for the story until you had it fleshed out?

That’s a little difficult to say, because I think I had bits and pieces floating around in my head long before I ever knew I would attempt to turn them into a novel. But the writing process took three years (from the first word to the date of publication). It took me four months to write the first draft, and the rest of that time was spent on revisions.

 

17. In my experience, many P&P fans have a preference between Darcy and Elizabeth. Who do you identify with more/feel more in common with and conversely, whose faults do you find more annoying/off-putting? Who do you think is more to blame for their misunderstandings/conflicts? 

Wow, what a great, multifaceted question! I think I have more in common with Darcy. I definitely have strong opinions, and I’m not as gregarious or outgoing as Elizabeth. But I would also say that Darcy’s faults (to me) are more annoying/off-putting. It’s hard to get past that “she’s tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” comment (especially since it was made in a public place, within Elizabeth’s hearing!). And, oh, my goodness, that first proposal! I, know, I know… the poor man thought he was paying her a compliment in his own backwards way. But that has to go down as one of the worst proposals in history (though maybe not quite as bad as Mr. Collins’s!). In terms of who is to blame for their misunderstandings… I think they probably both have an equal share in that. :)

18. What do you most admire about Jane Austen?

Oh, where to begin? I suppose if I had to pick one thing it would be her writing style. I love her use of humor, and I find her novels really easy reading compared to some other authors of her generation. Also, I am just in awe of the fact that she (and all the other authors writing at that time) could actually pen an entire novel with by hand! I can tell you with absolute certainty that if I did not have the use of a computer, and had to write an entire book longhand (even without having to use a quill and ink) I would NOT be writing novels!

19. Would you ever want to spend a month back in Jane’s time to really see the Regency era or do you prefer getting a glimpse from the comfort of the modern era?

Good question! As I mentioned above, while it is great fun to fantasize about living in the Regency era, I would never trade my creature comforts for a life back in the early nineteenth century. However, if I could go back for just a month, and if I could be assured that I would be living an upper-class lifestyle (there is no way I’d go back as a scullery maid!), then yes, absolutely! I think it would be fascinating, and I think I could put up with the lack of modern amenities for a few weeks.

20. What is your favorite way to write? That is, do you prefer typing on a laptop, writing long-hand with pen and paper, tapping on your phone, etc.?

Definitely on the computer. As I said above, if I couldn’t use a computer, I would not be writing. I will say that occasionally I will tap something into the notes app on my phone—like if I’m out in public and a bit of dialogue comes to me, or a plot point that I don’t want to forget—but otherwise, I do all my writing on the computer.

21. Olivier, Rintoul, Firth or Macfadyen your ultimate Mr. Darcy? And if you could ask Mr. Darcy but one question, what would it be?

Okay, again, I know this is a controversial question… :) I have to say that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle will always be the quintessential Darcy and Elizabeth for me. However, having said that, I think Matthew Macfadyen also did a great job with the role. In a way, I actually think he gave a more nuanced performance than Firth. (Please don’t come after me!). And I really loved how he allowed you to see such a depth of emotion simmering just below the surface.

22. I’m curious as to your occupation in publishing and if that helped you through the writing and publishing process with your book.

LOL! I wish! I work in human resources—so not really. But I have been fortunate enough to get to know a lot of people in other departments at the publishing house where I work—from editorial, to design, to marketing and publicity—so I suppose I’ve picked up a little bit of knowledge along the way just by being in that environment.

23. I assume you are self-publishing To Conquer Pride. Since you are working in a publishing firm, have you tried submitting your manuscript to them? What did they say? Did you take any formal writing lessons or workshops to prepare before venturing to pen this novel?

Yes, To Conquer Pride is independently published, and no, I did not submit the manuscript to anyone at my publishing house. For one thing, I think it’s better to keep my work life and writing life separate… at least for now. Not that I wouldn’t be thrilled to publish with the company I work for, but I would want to do it the traditional way, which is to get a literary agent and have them submit my novel like anyone else’s. So far, I don’t have an agent, and unfortunately while I love the wonderful sub-genre of JAFF, To Conquer Pride is probably not the kind of book that would get picked up by a top five publishing house. :) Also, while TCP is my debut novel, it is not the first book I’ve written. Before taking the plunge into JAFF, I wrote a middle grade (children’s) contemporary fantasy and spent about a year querying it to literary agents before deciding to try my hand at historical romance. And yes, when I was writing my previous book, I did take several writing classes, which were very helpful. My first manuscript was also selected for a mentorship program called Pitch Wars, which was an amazing experience and taught me a ton about writing craft and the publishing industry. I’m still planning to go back to writing for children at some point, but for now I’m having too much fun in the world of Pride and Prejudice, so I think I’ll stay for a while longer, if people will have me. 

~ * ~

Ceri, thanks again for hosting me and thank you to all the readers who asked such insightful questions and who have been so supportive of me and the book. It’s been a great ride so far!

About the Author:

Jennifer Altman is a novelist, an anglophile, and a lover of all things Regency. After a long career in the television industry, Jennifer shifted to book publishing in 2016. She currently works in the corporate division of a large publishing company. Jennifer makes her home in New York City where she lives in a compact apartment with a considerable collection of books. When she’s not writing, Jennifer can be found reading, watching British period dramas, and not cleaning her house. To Conquer Pride is her debut novel.

You can connect with Jennifer on Facebook or on Twitter. The Kindle edition of To Conquer Pride is currently available for purchase on Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon CA. You can also add it to your Goodreads shelf.

Giveaway Time!

Jennifer is giving away one copy of the Kindle edition of To Conquer Pride to a visitor to this blog! To enter, just leave a comment on this blog post by the end of the day on Friday 7 December. Please ensure you leave me some way to contact you so I can let you know if you are the lucky winner.

To Conquer Pride Blog Tour:

November 19^th: Austenesque Reviews – Cover reveal, book excerpt, giveaway.

November 26^th: More Agreeably Engaged – Author interview with Joana Starnes, book excerpt, giveaway.

November 29^th: From Pemberley to Milton – Book review, book excerpt, giveaway.

November 30^th: Babblings of a Bookworm – “Ask Me Anything” author interview, book excerpt, giveaway.

* * *

If you don’t want to miss any of my future posts, please subscribe:

Subscribe to Babblings of a Bookworm