The Darcy Brothers Virtual Book Launch Party with Authors, Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks and Abigail Reynolds

We are very pleased to welcome Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks, and Abigail Reynolds to Austenprose for the official virtual book launch party of their new novel The Darcy Brothers, released today by White Soup Press.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Darcy Brothers is an original variation based on Austen’s classic in which Mr. Darcy has a charming younger brother named Theo who meets Elizabeth Bennet and vies for her affections. Written by five Austenesque authors, you may well ask, as we did ourselves, how they could pool their talents and create one novel together? Abigail Reynolds has kindly supplied a revealing guest blog to share the experience with you.

And, any celebration would not be complete without gifts. Please enter a chance to win one of the four fabulous prizes being offered by their publisher by leaving a comment. The giveaway details are listed at the end of this post. Good luck to all!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Easy-going Theophilus Darcy is the opposite of his controlled older brother. Where Fitzwilliam Darcy is proud and awkward among strangers, Theo is a charmer. Fitzwilliam took his studies seriously, while Theo was sent down from Oxford for his pranks. Still, the brothers were the best of friends until tragedy and George Wickham tore them apart.

What if Theo were to meet Miss Elizabeth Bennet? Would he charm the young lady’s stockings off… or would he help his brother win her hand? Find out as the two brothers lock horns in this unique Pride & Prejudice variation collectively written by five respected authors.

The Darcy Brothers was first conceived as an interactive group writing project and has developed into a full-length novel featuring the charismatic Theo Darcy.

GUEST BLOG

What’s even better than writing a book? Writing a book with other authors, of course! Group writing projects can be stimulating experiences that can push your writing to a new level, so when I had the chance to join a small group of writers I respected in writing a Pride & Prejudice variation novel, I jumped at it.

My partners were Monica Fairview, author of Mr. Darcy’s Pledge, Cassandra Grafton, author of A Fair Prospect, Maria Grace, author of the Given Good Principles series, and Susan Mason-Milks, author of Mr. Darcy’s Proposal. We had all participated earlier in a much larger group story, a P&P variation where Elizabeth Bennet had a brother, so when we started brainstorming for our new small group project, the next step was obvious – a  story where Darcy had a brother.

I don’t remember who came up with the idea first, but we knew right away it was the right one. The emails started flying fast and furious as we tossed around ideas. Eventually, we landed on the idea of Theo Darcy, two years younger than his brother Fitzwilliam and his opposite in many ways. Theo charms everyone while Darcy is always giving offense. Theo is sociable, witty, playful and full of interesting conversation, with a dry sense of humor. Everyone likes Theo – except his brother. And there’s nothing Theo likes better than poking a little fun of his oh-so-serious elder brother!

But now we had a problem. A big one. We’d created a great character, but also one who happened to be just what Elizabeth Bennet thought she wanted in a man. What was going to happen when they meet? We all know Elizabeth dislikes Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice. What would happen if she started falling in love with his younger brother…and her feelings were returned? Would Darcy try to stop the match, or would he stand back to allow Elizabeth happiness?

Then it got really complicated because it turns out there are long-standing problems between the two brothers. Remember George Wickham (and who could forget him)? When Darcy went off to school and lost interest in Wickham and his hi-jinks, there was another boy for Wickham to attach himself to, a younger, more impressionable boy – Theo.

Needless to say, our dear Mr. Darcy does not react well to this! Especially when Theo decides to follow in Wickham’s footsteps and ‘study’ law. As we all know, Darcy is very good at jumping to conclusions, and not letting little things like evidence get in the way of his prejudices! Add to this a deep, dark secret which the brothers are determined never to discuss, and you have the recipe for the deep rift between the brothers.

By the time we were half-way through the book, we’d half-forgotten the original Darcy didn’t have a brother. Adding Theo to the mix let us explore so many different sides of Darcy, and the contrast between them added focus to the characters. When writing our own stories, we kept forgetting that Darcy didn’t have a brother in the original!

Having the opportunity to work with other writers whose work I admired was a tremendous privilege, not to mention a learning experience! It was exhilarating to have so much creative thinking power available for story dilemmas, and the synergy was unbelievable. The characters we created working together have greater depth, and their dilemmas are more multifaceted.

We quickly adapted our writing styles to work together so there wouldn’t be any big jumps. At first, we started out with one writer doing each chapter, but as the story progressed, we began to work more closely, switching back and forth by scene and discussing each detail in detail. Each of us probably spent almost as much time working on our fifth of this book that we do on a single book of our own!

But the end result is worth it. We’re all very proud of Theo Darcy – and more than a little in love with him! We hope you love him as much as we do.

Best regards, Abigail Reynolds

AUTHOR BIOS

In addition to their collaborative effort in The Darcy Brothers, Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks and Abigail Reynolds between them have published over two dozen Austen-inspired books, including national bestsellers. Monica Fairview (Mr. Darcy’s Pledge) holds down the fort for the team in London while Abigail Reynolds (Alone with Mr. Darcy) supplies cute cat pictures from Cape Cod, Susan Mason-Milks (Mr. Darcy’s Proposal) inspires with views of the Seattle skyline, Maria Grace (Remember the Past) frolics in the Texas bluebells, and British expat Cassandra Grafton (A Fair Prospect) has the critical responsibility of keeping the team supplied with much-needed chocolate from her home in Switzerland.

Look for them at the Austen Variations group blog where they are all founding members.

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Theo Darcy is touring the blogosphere. Follow him as he makes his debut.

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

• Monday, 2nd February – official launch at Austenprose
• Thursday, 5th February – Austen Variations
• Monday, 9th February – Leatherbound Reviews
• Thursday, 12th February – My Kids Led Me Back To Pride & Prejudice
• Monday, 16th February – More Agreeably Engaged
• Thursday, 19th February – Laughing with Lizzie
• Monday, 23rd February – My Jane Austen Book Club
• Monday, 2nd March – The Writings and Ramblings of Colette Saucier
• Thursday, 5th March – Songs & Stories

Our congratulation go out to authors Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks and Abigail Reynolds for the release of their new novel. Many thanks to Abigail Reynolds for her guest blog and to White Soup Press for their generous giveaways.   

• The Darcy Brothers, by Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks, and Abigail Reynolds
• White Soup Press (2015)
• Trade paperback and eBook (398) pages
• ISBN: 978-0692370308

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS 

Cover image courtesy of White Soup Press © 2015; text Abigail Reynold © 2015, Austenprose.com