Elin Gregory

My guest today is an author who I have met a couple of times at UK Meet and I can’t wait to meet again..

She is here today in celebration of the recent release of A Certain Persuasion – an anthology of Jane Austen themed stories from Manifold Press.

Welcome Sam!

Jane Austen’s grasp of the English language is justly celebrated. Is there any part that you can quote for us that you particularly relish?

I have a favorite quote which I was ‘given’ by a friend in 2003. I was going through a rough patch and she sent me a card with this handwritten inside.

It isn’t what we say or think what defines us but what we do – Sense and Sensibility

I think that then it was perfect and still is.

What inspired your story in the A Certain Persuasion anthology? May we have an excerpt?

The inspiration behind my story in the anthology (and which also answers question 1) is the one below. I studied P&P at university so when I returned to my copy earlier this year this line was highlighted. It obviously stood out then as much as it does now. All I needed to do was add a Soap Actor, a celebrity dancing competition, a pair of breeches and Colin Firth and the was born.

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love – Pride and Prejudice

What are you working on at present?

Currently I am taking a small break from writing. I have had a tough year physically and with the exception of Cross and Cast I haven’t worked on very much. I think I’ve needed to heal mentally and physically. After a little bit of encouragement at the UK meeting in September my aim for 2017 is to plan out my Rugby League story and see where things go after that.

Elin: and I can’t wait to read it. Please let us know how you get on.

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A Certain Persuasion

from Manifold Press

Thirteen stories from eleven authors, exploring the world of Jane Austen and celebrating her influence on ours.

Being cousins-by-marriage doesn’t deter William Elliot from pursuing Richard Musgrove in Lyme; nor does it prevent Elinor Dashwood falling in love with Ada Ferrars. Surprises are in store for Emma Woodhouse while visiting Harriet Smith; for William Price mentoring a seaman on board the Thrush; and for Adam Otelian befriending his children’s governess, Miss Hay. Margaret Dashwood seeks an alternative to the happy marriages chosen by her sisters; and Susan Price ponders just such a possibility with Mrs Lynd. One Fitzwilliam Darcy is plagued by constant reports of convictions for ‘unnatural’ crimes; while another must work out how to secure the Pemberley inheritance for her family.

Meanwhile, a modern-day Darcy meets the enigmatic Lint on the edge of Pemberley Cliff; while another struggles to live up to wearing Colin Firth’s breeches on a celebrity dance show. Cooper is confronted by his lost love at a book club meeting in Melbourne while reading Persuasion; and Ashley finds more than he’d bargained for at the Jane Austen museum in Bath.

A Pemberley-sized anthology featuring authors: Julie Bozza, Andrea Demetrius, Sam Evans, Lou Faulkner, Adam Fitzroy, Narrelle M Harris, Sandra Lindsey, Fae Mcloughlin, Atlin Merrick, JL Merrow and Eleanor Musgrove.

Available from Manifold Press | Smashwords | Amazon  | ARe