Jane Odiwe: Author of "Willoughby's Return" Interview + Book Giveaway

Author: Jane Odiwe
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
(November 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 140222267X

Dear Friends,

We are so fortunate today to be interviewing, Jane Odiwe, author of the new Jane Austen sequel, Willoughby's Return. Her publisher, SourceBooks, is also giving away one brand new copy of the book, to a lucky reader of this interview--you can find out how to enter at the end of the posting. Happy reading!

Now to our interview:

1. What inspired you to write about the main character?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. She’s a heroine who wears her heart on her sleeve and never loves by halves. In Jane Austen’s book Marianne has two great love affairs – firstly, with the dashing Mr Willoughby, who ignites the feelings of her first great passion but who lets her down badly, and secondly, with Colonel Brandon, an older, steadier man who is the real hero, the one she marries. The ending of Sense and Sensibility surprises some readers who can’t believe that Marianne really loves the Colonel enough to marry him. This intrigued me, and the fact that she is a character we easily identify with – I’m sure most people have known a Willoughby at some stage in their lives, but have been able to move on and find lasting, true love with somebody who really suits them. Colonel Brandon has also suffered from the disappointment of a first love and I wanted to explore not only their relationship but also how the impact of those first attachments might affect their lives together.

2. What is your favorite line from this book?

Gosh, what a good question! This is a difficult one, but when Marianne meets Willoughby again and has to be escorted into dinner by him she finds herself in a very difficult situation. Here’s the line: Despite purposefully leaning as far away from him as she was able, she could not help but be aware of his nearness, and of his smell, emanating like an elixir from a bygone age, mingled into a potpourri of fragrant images from the past.

3. When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how long have you been developing your craft?

I was a very small girl when I first started writing, but then I wanted to write and illustrate children’s books. I still have a series of little books about the ‘Smiles Family’ that I made when I was about eight or nine. I think it’s taken a lifetime to develop my craft and I’m still learning now!

4. Is reading a large part of your life? Which book/books made the biggest impact on your writing?

Of course Jane Austen is a huge influence. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and all of her books have made the biggest impact. But I also love any books by Frances Hodgson Burnett, (The Making of a Marchioness) Edith Wharton, (The Age of Innocence) and Fanny Burney (Evelina) to name but a few of my favourite writers. There are so many wonderful books out there that it’s hard to choose. Writers of the past rather than the present are my biggest influence because those are the books I tend to prefer – I love the quality of writing that you get in an older book.

5. Who is your favorite writer?

No contest – Jane Austen. Her books have been the pleasure of my life and the reason I have become a published writer. She is recognised now as a genius, but I wish she had known in her lifetime how her writing would eventually be regarded - how much her work is revered and loved today!

6. Does storytelling run in your family?

We all enjoy a good book or story. My parents encouraged us to read and told stories when I was young. I hope I’ve passed this love of storytelling to my children. My husband is a brilliant storyteller – I think he’d write a marvellous book.

7. When creating the story, which is the most difficult, the beginning, middle, or ending?

The middle is the most difficult for me, most definitely. I think you have to be able to keep the reader interested in turning the pages and keeping up the momentum being careful not to give too much away too early and tying it all up too soon before you get to the end.

8. What is the writing process like for you? Are you a morning person or night person? Do you have a special place you like to go to for inspiration? What energizes you?

I am a morning person, but that can mean very early morning. Sometimes, I wake at three in the morning with an idea, and I have to write it down because if I don’t I’ll forget it before I wake up again the next day. I think I must be solving problems in my sleep because this happens quite a lot. There is something lovely about writing in the early hours when there is no one about – my little writing room is next door to my bedroom so it’s very easy to pop in there and switch on the computer. I love my room, I am so lucky to have one all of my own. It’s lined with books, and filled with objects, pictures and paintings that I love. I have a desk before the window and watch all the world pass by whilst I’m writing. It’s great inspiration.

9. What advice would you have for emerging writers?

Keep striving to learn how you can improve your writing, and read, read read! Remember why you started writing in the first place when you get bogged down with problems – that’s sometimes forgotten when you are in pursuit of getting published and you’ve just received a rejection letter.

10. What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

I sometimes get to meet the people who have read my books – I can’t tell you the thrill it is when someone tells me or writes to tell me that they enjoyed a particular book. I indulge myself in my favourite activity on a daily basis and also get to spend huge chunks of the day in another century in Jane Austen’s world (or my version of it, at least) – what more could anyone wish?!

Thank you, Ms. Odiwe, for the interesting answers and much good luck with your new book.

Readers please remember: SourceBooks is giving away one brand new copy of "Willoughby's Return."

To enter:

*Please leave a comment with your email address for 1 point
*Become a Follower for 5 points (tell me if you already are)
*You must be a resident of the USA or Canada to win.

*Winner will be announced on November 10, 2009

(Thank you to SourceBooks for the giveaway copy)

My Review of Willoughby's Return can be found below.

THE WINNER IS.....

The winner of a copy of The Other Mr. Darcy is Sheila. Congratulations! Please email your address within 48 hours.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for more giveaways in the near future!

Rebecca Ann Collins, Author of My Cousin Caroline Interview and Book Giveaway

Today I have the honor of interviewing guest author Rebecca Ann Collins. Ms. Collins is the author of the new Pride and Prejudice sequel, My Cousin Caroline which came out in bookstores on September 1st. She has most graciously agreed to answer a few questions for my readers.

*GIVEAWAY--I will give away 1 set of 2 books: The Pemberley Chronicles and My Cousin Caroline, to one lucky winner on SEPTEMBER 22nd, compliments of Sourcebooks.

The rules are:
*Leave a comment with your email address for 1 entry
*Become a follower for 2 entries (let me know if you already are.)
*Blog about this giveaway for 3 entries (let me know if you do this).

*Drawing is open to Us and Canada residents only.

Author interview:
Q1- What drew you to portray the main character of the book?
Ever since I completed the first volume in this series- The Pemberley Chronicles, in which I developed the character of Caroline Gardiner from a rather pert young girl into a lovely, personable young woman, I was drawn to the idea of giving her a book of her own. Setting up her love affair and marriage to Colonel Fitzwilliam, a minor but attractive character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, provided the opportunity to do this. She is intelligent and capable; yet she has a streak of romanticism; I have always been interested in the development of character and Caroline’s is a more modern and complex disposition than we encounter in most Regency novels. In writing My Cousin Caroline, which has a time span crossing over several of the volumes, I had the chance to do just that with Caroline and several other characters in the series.

Q2- What is your favourite line in the book?
There are several but the one that encapsulates the relationship between Caroline and Fitzwilliam is my favourite: He had been attracted by her beauty and sweetness of disposition and loved her for her passion, her loyalty and determination; she had frequently astonished and delighted him and sometimes, very rarely, exasperated him, but he loved her dearly and had never tried to change her. He would not do so now.

Q3- When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how long have you been developing your craft?
Since I was about nine years old when I had a story published in a children’s page of a Sunday paper. I have been working at my craft throughout my days at university and thereafter, writing both fiction and non-fiction. Apart from music, it is my most absorbing interest.

Q4- Is reading a large part of your life? Which book made the biggest impact on your writing?
Reading is a vital part of my life. I recall being read to by my parents when I was two or three years old and reading anything I could lay my hands on, as I grew up. As a teacher and then a librarian, as well as a writer, I have been intimately involved with the promotion of reading to both children and adults.

Several books, and their authors, have had an impact on my writing; I cannot really name one. I might say, generally, that good literature is the best source of inspiration and example for any writer.

Q5- What are your three favourite books?
I have many favourites, but Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh would be the chief among them.

Q6- Does storytelling run in your family?
No, not in a formal sense, but as children, (in the era before Television) we used to tell stories to entertain our families and friends and “published” a monthly handwritten and illustrated “magazine” which we circulated by hand, among our circle of friends. It was a great vehicle for imaginative young writers!

Q7- When creating a story, which is more difficult, the beginning or the end?
The beginning is most important; it has to create interest, so the reader wants to go on reading, point forward to the progress of the story and provide a logical starting point for the narrative. Once you have the plot moving forward and the characters developing within a defined context, the ending evolves logically. While a surprise ending may sometimes be appropriate, I don’t like shock endings, which are designed to manipulate the reader.

Q8- What is the writing process like for you-?
Once I have designed the framework of the piece I am working on, the process is mainly one of doing the research, developing the characters and plot , writing, re-writing and refining the composition of the work. It is hard work, but very rewarding.
(b) Are you a morning or a night person?
Definitely and evening to night person.
(c) Do you have a special place you like to go for inspiration?
No, but I am inspired by certain special places- for example when working on Mr Darcy’s Daughter- a visit to a a genuine Regency residence built in the era of Jane Austen , set in beautiful grounds and and maintained in 19th century style, inspired the idea of Camden House , which Mr Darcy purchases for Cassy and her family.
(d) What energizes you?
Creative Imagination and energy - are the source of my inspiration and drive to write. The positive response of readers adds pleasure and encouragement too, but the main urge comes from within.

Q9- What advice would you have for emerging writers?
First- Don’t write for a “market,” write because you have something to say or a story to tell, which is new and interesting and the market for it will grow. Second, write as you think and feel- not what you think someone expects to read. Third, if you are writing a “sequel” to another writer’s work, remember to respect the original writer. When you borrow his or her characters, as you would expect to be respected for your work.

Q 10- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
The absolute delight of sharing your characters and their stories with others is unarguable; but when one is published and read by readers all over the world- there is a very special thrill. The response that the Pemberley Chronicles Series has received from individual readers, who have written, emailed and blogged their warm appreciation and love of the characters and stories of the Pemberley Chronicles is my greatest reward.

Readers, be sure to enter the giveaway. Good luck to all and happy reading!