Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Mark Brownlow to the blog with his book
Cake and Courtship, which has Mr Bennet as its protagonist. I'll share the blurb with you and then hand over to Mark for a guest post and excerpt. He's brought an international giveaway with him too!
Book Description
When John Barton falls in love with the elusive Anne Hayter, there is only one man he can turn to for advice. Unfortunately, that man is Mr Bennet of Longbourn, a world-weary gentleman with five daughters pursuing their own marital ambitions.
To help John, Mr Bennet must emerge from his beloved library and face the challenges of the tearoom and dance floor one more time. In doing so, he finds his own romantic past catching up with him.
In this
Pride and Prejudice variation, Mark Brownlow takes you on an Austenesque journey full of wry humour and Regency romance (with a few slices of sponge cake).
“As you get older, Lizzy, you will discover that life does not
bow easily to the wishes of even the most romantic of souls.
Quite the opposite. Life must be mastered with pragmatism
and sense, which explains why so few people succeed at it.“
Cake and Courtship is a standalone story, but also the first book of Mr Bennet’s memoirs. Look out for the sequel in 2018.
Guest Post and Excerpt from Mark Brownlow
Thanks Ceri
for allowing me to drop in on your blog!
When I talk
to people about Cake and Courtship, the question they tend to ask first is “Why
Mr Bennet?” After all, he might be ahead of Mr Collins in the list of Jane
Austen’s romantic heroes (who isn’t?), but he’s a long way behind Mr Darcy and Captain
Wentworth.
The answer is
part coincidence, part curiosity, and part inevitability.
“Coincidence”
because, originally, I had no intention of writing a novel. I was simply
playing with the idea of publishing Mr Bennet’s diary. He has some of the
wittiest lines in Pride and Prejudice, so you can imagine how he might report
on the Netherfield Ball, conversations with Mr Collins or the marital
machinations of his wife.
But humour is
not Mr Bennet’s only defining quality. There’s a cynicism to him, too. Even the
hint of a cruel streak. This is when “curiosity” began to take hold. After
writing a few diary entries, I found myself wondering what events and
experiences might have moulded his personality and opinions?
Then I
wondered how such a man might react if we took him out of his library and
(back) into the world of courtship. What if Mr Bennet was charged with the task
of bringing a young couple together?
And so a
diary turned into a story, a story into a novel, and a novel into a romance.
Not Mr Bennet’s romance, but that of a young friend and confidante. It gave me two
canvasses to paint words on: Mr Bennet’s observations on the early events of
Pride and Prejudice, and a fresh tale of love (and regret) as he tries to help
John Barton court the elusive Miss Hayter. It’s that romantic thread that also
reveals whether 20+ years of marriage to Mrs Bennet is the only cause of Mr
Bennet’s cynicism (spoiler: it isn’t).
Which leaves
us with “inevitability”. The obvious challenge for any author is putting
themselves in the mind of their main protagonist. The more you identify with
that protagonist, the easier this task becomes. I’m a middle-aged, world-weary
father of teenagers, with a love of books, a touch of cynicism about me, and a
dry sense of humour. Sound familiar?
The excerpt
below is an example of the many places where the Pride and Prejudice story
intertwines with both the new story and Mr Bennet’s perspective on life. Our
protagonist has returned from visiting Netherfield and his daughters are
curious about their new neighbour.
He answers their questions at breakfast by
comparing Mr Bingley with John Barton, who had visited Longbourn just a few
days previously…
* * *
Excerpt
My
daughters ignored me until they decided to turn speculation about my future
son-in-law into hard fact.
It was Lydia who
broached the subject. “Is he very handsome, Papa?”
“His face is not
unpleasant.”
“Yes, but is he handsome?” she urged, fists clenched.
“Jane,” I said.
“Be a dear and pass the butter.” She smiled as she did so, doubling the
pleasure of my morning roll.
Lydia’s fists
beat a staccato on the table as she looked imploringly at her mother, who was
thrashing a boiled egg into submission with a spoon.
Pausing in her
dismemberment of that oval delight, my wife sought to reassure my youngest. “Of
course Mr Bingley is very handsome, Lydia. Not that it matters with his income.”
“Money does
indeed disguise many a disfigurement, girls,” I said. “Sorry looks may be of no
consequence in a marriage, though a poor character may demand a price that
twenty thousand a year cannot pay.”
The clatter of
cutlery and glass continued while six minds fought a private battle between
curiosity and compliance with a father’s wish for peace. Curiosity won, as it
nearly always did.
“Papa, you must
allow us some insight into Mr Bingley. The privilege of your sex allows you to
visit him; we merely exercise the privilege of ours to ask questions of his
character.”
“I do not deny
you the right to ask, Lizzy; I am
merely disinclined to answer.” I emphasised the point by lifting the paper to
block my view of the table and, more importantly, the table’s view of me.
“Besides, I am not used to describing young men. They are rarely sighted at
Longbourn, so what I know of them comes mostly from books. My vocabulary would
not do him justice.”
“Then we must
take another approach, Papa,” said Lizzy. “You might simply compare him to
other young men of our acquaintance. To John Barton, for example.”
“Interesting.” I
lowered my paper. “Let me think. Well, let’s see. Yes, Mr Bingley’s eyes are
decidedly bluer.” I raised the paper again. My statement produced nothing but
groans from the table.
“Papa,” said
Jane. “John’s eyes are chestnut.”
“Precisely,” I
said from behind my protective printed wall. “And Mr Bingley’s are blue, so
they are indisputably bluer.”
“Is he taller or
shorter than Mr Barton?” said Kitty.
“He is,” I said.
“What about his
hair?” said Lydia.
“He certainly
had some.” I peered over the paper. “Does that help?” It seemed not, based on
the girls’ expressions.
“You might at
least say how he was dressed, Papa?” Lydia would not let up.
As I was old and
married, fashion was now as mysterious to me as the supposed movement of the
heavens. I resolved to give Lydia’s question more attention at my next meeting
with Mr Bingley. “I am pleased to say he was definitely wearing clothes.”
Kitty and Lydia
giggled. I turned down the paper enough to see even Mary raise a half smile.
Mrs Bennet was still savaging her egg, which refused to give up its gold and
ivory without a struggle.
“Is he a kind
man, Papa?” A question only Jane would ask.
I folded away
the paper and wiped all evidence of the buttered roll from my mouth. “I believe
he is, Jane, I believe he is.”
“It does not
matter if he is kind,” mumbled Mrs Bennet through a victorious mouthful of
yolk.
“Four thousand a
year,” chorused the girls before erupting into laughter. They knew their mother
well.
* * *
Buy Links
Cake and Courtship is available to buy now.
About the Author
Mark Brownlow is a British-born writer living in Vienna, Austria. His debut novel,
Cake and Courtship, is a Regency romance narrated by
Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Bennet.
He has also written a novella,
The Lovesick Maid: a cozy mystery set in Jane Austen’s fictional village of Hunsford. You can find Mark at
LostOpinions.com, where he is known for his reimagining of classic literature as emails. When not writing or teaching, he watches costume drama and football (though not at the same time).
Connect with Mark
•
Website •
Goodreads • Author
page at Amazon.co.uk • A
uthor page at Amazon.com •
Twitter •
Facebook •
Giveaway Time
Mark is very kindly offering a giveaway to commenters on the blog tour. You can choose between a signed paperback of Cake and Courtship, or, as he lives in Vienna, some Viennese chocolates! To enter, just comment on this post by the end of the day on
Friday 9 March. This giveaway is open to
international entrants.
Other Blog Stops
Mark is visiting a number of blogs with Mr Bennet and
Cake and Courtship. Details of the stops are below:
Feb 28 Diary of an Eccentric – guest post, excerpt, giveawayMar 1 Half Agony, Half Hope – review, excerptMar 2 Austenesque Reviews – interview with Mr Bennet, giveawayMar 3 Babblings of a Bookworm – guest post, excerpt, giveawayMar 4 Laughing with Lizzie – Mr Bennet’s inbox, giveawayMar 5 From Pemberley to Milton – guest post, excerpt, giveawayMar 6 My Vices and Weaknesses – author interview, giveawayMar 7 More Agreeably Engaged – guest post, excerpt, giveawayMar 8 So little time…so much to read – Mr Bennet’s diary, giveawayMar 10 Just Jane 1813 – guest post, excerpt, giveaway
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