Author Highlight & Blog Post: Heather Lynn Rigaud of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star

This week I'll be posting a review of the newest Pride and Prejudice remake, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star.  As part of the review, I had the great opportunity to ask the author a few questions and am excited to have Heather Lynn Rigaud here to share her post with us!

One of the things that I really wanted to know had more to do with the writing process and what she expected out of her audience.  Let's face it.  People can either really love a great remake or feel pretty upset that their sacred original was manipulated.  I happen to love remakes and modernizations (obviously), so having the chance to hear from Heather about how she approached her own retelling with that in mind was really interesting to me.  I hope you enjoy her discussion as much as I have!

Thanks for having me here, Becky. I'm delighted to have a chance to write about my book, Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star. I was asked about my target audience and if I wanted my readers to connect my book back to the original Pride and Prejudice.

Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star was originally written for, and posted on, a Jane Austen Fan Fiction board called the Hyacinth Gardens. It's possible some of your readers remember it. That board was started specifically to be a place where writers could share their work in a safe and supportive atmosphere, where creativity and risk-taking was strongly encouraged. I think it's very telling that several published writers got their start in that incubator.

So, it was pretty clear that I wanted a good connection to Austen's work. I read and re-read Pride and Prejudice as I was planning, plotting and writing, to keep track of where each character was emotionally, as well as the conflicts going on outside their heads. I worked hard to find modern equivalents to the important plot points.

Famous proposal scene from P&P 2005

My goal was to find modern ways to describing the class difference between Darcy and Elizabeth. Much of P&P is all about class- Elizabeth's family is socially inferior to Darcy's and he goes on, at length, about this in his terrible first proposal at Hunsford. These days, it's very hard to find ways of illustrating class differences. But I felt that fame and celebrity was one of those ways.

I tried to make my work something of a variation on a theme. I tried to be creative, while keeping with Austen's themes of class difference, and societal boundaries. Darcy is famous, from a famous family; Elizabeth is talented like Darcy, but hasn't achieved fame, her family is successful, but not famous. Darcy recognizes that Elizabeth's band of 'up and comers' might use his band's fame to improve their situations, and he feels he needs to protect them from her and her friend and sister. Much like how Darcy felt he needed to protect Bingley from Jane in Pride and Prejudice.

So there are the similarities, but it's also very much my story. Readers looking for stiff, formal interactions are going to be disappointed. These are very modern people, living a very high drama lifestyle. While readers will easily be able to spot the Hunsford proposal or the visit to Pemberley, I tried to make these guideposts to be as organic to the story I was telling as possible.

A good example is Jane becoming ill at Netherfield and needing to stay there to recover. This scene is really highlights how much things have changed from the Regency, because being so sick that you're unable to get 3 miles to your home simply makes no sense at all to us. So, looking at the fact that the characters are all performers, I changed the situation to one in which Jane is concussed from a bottle that's thrown at her head while she's onstage. Storywise, it serves my purpose of giving Darcy and Elizabeth a reason to be talking to each other. Austen fans will recognize what it is. And people who haven't read Austen won't realize I'm basing it on something else and wonder what I'm writing about.

I find it's very telling that in my first two blog reviews, one review said "She kept to the original so well" and the other said, "This isn't Austen". I hope that means that I've managed to walk the line between an update of the work and a fantasy based on the work. (I had a similar feeling of success when I posted the Hunsford scene and half my readers were mad at Darcy and the other half was mad at Lizzy.)

Heather Lynn Rigaud

This is much more technical than most of the posts I've written on my blog tour, and I hope your readers don't find it very dull. While I did put a great deal of thought and planning into the story, I also tried to make it fun and exciting. I feel this is the framework that's behind the pretty stuff in the front.

Thank you for giving me a chance to talk about my thought process on writing this story. I'm looking forward to your reader's comments and getting a chance to see what they think.  

(Highlights included by One Literature Nut.)

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Thank you so much to Heather Lynn Rigaud for sharing a bit more about how she came up with her modernization of Pride and Prejudice.  I appreciated learning more about your writing process and will say I didn't find it dull at all!  Without giving away too much from my review, I will say that fans of the original will definitely sense the pacing and emotional tensions of the original, while enjoying this completely original story and characters.   Thanks again Heather!


Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star was published on September 1st, so check it out today.

A Decade of Memories: 9/11

I said I wouldn't post anything today, but I really felt compelled to at least say that I, like many others, remember.  After what was a pretty shortened but hard week, the memory of 9/11 puts things back into perspective.

Almost ten years prior to 9/11, I stood on top of one of the Twin Towers to take pictures with the high school group I was traveling with.  I can still remember how frighteningly tall they were and how small I felt.

Fast forward another ten years.  I was at my first teaching job in St. Anthony, Idaho and had arrived at work knowing that something bad was happening in New York City and elsewhere.  My newspaper students funneled in, doing nothing more than watching the television that we left on, asking me endless questions that I couldn't answer.  The TV stayed on all day, as my World History class came in next, asking me questions about Islam, Muslims, and terrorists that once again--I couldn't answer.

In the midst of all this, I felt desperation to find my best friend, who lived just south of the Twin Towers and was attending NYU at the time.  I kept calling all morning, but couldn't reach her.  I finally called her mother, who said that Monica had reached a pay phone and called to say she was all right, but had been evacuated out of the area.  It took her a week of living from the backpack she carried out of her apartment that morning, with what little cash she had on her, and the clothes on her back until she could return home to her apartment.

In Washington, D.C. the plane that crashed into the Pentagon killed our family friend's son.  It was all so maddening.

Two weeks later, I flew out to New York City to visit my best friend, having already had my tickets before 9/11 occurred.  Flying into the city late at night, the plane banked the area of lower Manhattan and ground zero, and I'll never forget the hush that fell over the plane as we looked onto that area, lit by football stadium-size lights.  The rubble was unending.

Each day during my visit, we had to walk past Ground Zero.  My friend asked if I wanted to take a picture, but I couldn't.  The picture is still in my mind.  They all are.

We're ten years beyond that time, but today I needed to take a moment to remember.

I didn't have any plans to address 9/11 today, until I saw Paul Simon's performance of "The Sound of Silence".  The words and music of that song broke open my own silence and tapped into those feelings and thoughts from a decade ago.  If you haven't had a chance to see his performance, I'm including it below.

Utah Book Bloggers Summer Social 2011

 

Hi!  Just a quick reminder about our Utah Book Bloggers Summer Social coming up this Saturday!

• WHEN:  Saturday, September 10th at 6pm
• WHERE:  Vivian Park in Provo Canyon at the small pavilion  (Take 800 North in Orem to Provo Canyon, 5.8 miles up the canyon, park is on the right, pavilion is on the right after turning into the park.)
• WHO:  Book bloggers, authors, booksellers, etc.
• WHAT:  Families are invited.  We will be having pulled-pork sandwiches and ask that you bring a potluck item to the bash.
•  HOW:  Really, there is no how here!  Come with a paperback book, ready to swap, chat, and have a great time. 

***Please RSVP to utahbookbloggers(at)gmail(dot)com so that we know who can make it that night. (Thanks for all the RSVPs so far!)

We hope you can come and look forward to chatting and socializing again!  We'll see you there.

Review: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Thank goodness for a really good graphic novel to set me on track again!  I saw this one on the "New Releases" shelf at my local library and gladly snatched it up. 

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn’t kidding about the “Forever” part . . . Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs. Or so she thinks."

Review:  As many graphic novels are prone to be, this was a really fast read, but with lots of interesting depth.  Anya's challenges in coming from an immigrant family are not lost on the reader.  Early on in the story we find Anya tossing out her mother's ethnic food, in favor of what she deems more "normal" and then heading off to school.  Along the way, she falls down a well and meets the ghost of a girl that died from falling down the same well. What seems like a sad little ghost of a previous sweet girl though, might not be all she's led Anya to believe.  

Obviously, Anya is saved from the well, but her little ghost friend is not left behind.  Rather than helping Anya to fit in better, this ghost has not been as forthright about her death as she should have been, leaving Anya with way more on her hands than just her cultural difference.  The story does turn spooky, giving Anya bigger things to worry about than her own ethnic background.  In true graphic novel fashion, this spooky story still has a light-heartedness about it that we know will somehow lead to a happy ending.

I really liked Anya's Ghost and found the story to be one that I fell into pretty quickly.  The pictures are well done and the dialogue propels the action forward.  Besides the action, we still understand the emotions felt by many of the characters.  Anya just wants to feel "normal" like most teens, but with a ghost hanging around, that leads to more abnormal than one might expect!  In the scope of storytelling, graphic novels, and the supernatural, this was a fun and spooky tale that pulled me out of my own little reading slump.  Thanks to the creativity of artists and authors combined, their vision came together in an engaging story that plays with the modern and old, with the dark and the light.  If you're looking for a fun ghost story that still gets marks for being creepy, then this is a nice one to try out.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the book.

The Value of a Re-Read: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

In preparation for this year's AP English Literature and Composition class, I assigned the novel Frankenstein for their summer read.  Despite knowing the wealth of information and analysis waiting in this famous novel, I've never been a real fan.  So why assign it, right?  Well, my first reading of the novel had more to do with ME than actually not liking the novel.

Here's my deal.  The first time I read Frankenstein was actually not long after graduating from grad school, just over four years ago.  At the time, I was coming out of a four year relationship that I didn't want to see end, but knew was necessary.  In short, I was bitter, sad, and angry.  So there I was reading Frankenstein, about this monster who keeps getting rejected by any human being he came in contact with, including his creator.  Not only that, but his big resolution was to ask for Victor Frankenstein (his creator) to make him a mate so that he wouldn't be alone?!?  Bah!  Even now, when I put myself in the mindset I was in at the time, I know exactly why I hated that stupid monster and the novel altogether.  The monster was justified in feeling kicked around and derided by everyone he knew, but thinking that a girl monster as a companion would just solve everything made me annoyed to no end!  Yes, I 100% read myself into the story.  Yes, I saw myself as that monster, as continually kicked around by life.  The difference was that I saw the reality of needing to suck it up and move on!  Poor monster.  I was guilty of reading myself into the text way too much.

Let's fast forward four years.  My own heart has had a chance to heal and be thankful for the conclusion of a relationship that wasn't meant to be.  I went back and re-read Frankenstein so that I'd be ready to discuss the themes and plot lines in the story with my students.  This time around, I found myself more sensitive to the monster's anguish and much more frustrated with Victor for being so self absorbed and narcissistic that he couldn't realize his role in all the bad that had happened.  With a little aesthetic distance on my part, the themes came out a bit stronger and I wasn't consumed by emotional conclusions I couldn't escape that first time around.

This led me to question other books that I might have read myself into or even misunderstood at a different time.  For instance, I know that I didn't get all the nuances of The Glass Menagerie when I first read it in high school. That didn't, however, eliminate me from seeing many different themes from the beginning.  I can't say that I would just not read a book or dissuade someone from reading a novel or play because they couldn't directly connect with it, because there is still a lot to get out of them.  Although, on the other hand, I would say that I've learned that you just might have to give novels you've had a strong reaction to a second chance.  In some cases an experience or two, or year or two, can change your entire perspective on a novel and its themes.

Now, where can we get the extra time we need so we can re-read?

What books have you read again and had a different response to the second time around?

Monday Blatherings, Not Sunday

What a strange, overcast day it is today.  It feels as if the weather got the memo that today is supposed to herald our next season, fall.  Honestly, I haven't had nearly enough summer for my tastes and am quickly learning that I would be happiest if I could have ten months of spring & summer and only two of fall & winter.  That's okay though.  I'll gear up for fall weather and all that the change of seasons bring with them!

My three day weekend has been relatively boring, which was just the way I wanted it.  After working late all last week, I was eager for some down time.  I still have a stack of grading to work my way through before tomorrow, but really I'm doing good.  Since I pretty much continued teaching online classes and had meetings off and on all summer, it wasn't a very bumpy transition back into work again.  What's an 8" stack of grading anyway?  (Ha, ha.)

Okay, enough about work!  Besides grading and sleeping, I spent a good chunk of time reading.  Talk about a luxury.  I can't say for sure why I've been such a slug about it, but I'm eager to get back to reading for pleasure.  On Sunday I must have spent five hours reading some of the books I've been trying to finish or need to review.  Talk about a nice escape!

Here's what I've been reading.  What about you?

One last thing that I wanted to share before I end my literal blatherings for this week.  Starting today is the one year anniversary for the Austen Authors blog site.  Many of the contemporary remakes, retellings, and follow ups to Austen's works are featured on this blog, along with a few other writers who are associated with the publisher Sourcebooks.  It's just a great site to learn about fun new reads and about the authors who write them, so if you get a chance, stop on by to check out all the fun goings on for their anniversary.

Well, that's it for me this week.  I have a stack of grading that I still need to get to, so I better push onward so I can get back to my reading.  For all those here in the U.S. who have had a chance to celebrate Labor Day, I hope it was a great one!

Review: Marked by P.C. Cast

Thank goodness it's the weekend.  I don't think I made it home before 7pm even one day this week.  That meant I was doing a little around the house, then collapsing into bed so I could get up and go back to school again.  Work is really good though and I have great classes.  It has been a long week though, so I'm happy to have three days off to catch up with grading, reading, and sleeping!

Having said that, I'm thankful for the little bit of reading I did snatch up.  Now it's time to catch up on a few reviews!

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed.  In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire--that is, if she makes it through the Change.  Not all of those who are chosen do.  It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling.  She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx.  But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers.  When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends."

Review:  Marked was a fun boarding school, magical, vampire book that feels familiar because of all the other books you've ever read that uses one of those scenarios.  In this case, Zoey is the special character who enters the House of Night school with her own special talents.  There is the love interest that she likes right off, and a series of friends who are jealous of her and want to see her go down, but the real point is that Zoey has something unique about her that gives her advanced powers.

I have seen Marked floating around for some time and have many students who have read the series.  I finally decided to read it for myself and thought that it was better than I expected.  Although it has a very strong YA feel to it that will make it appeal mainly to teens (as it should), the story is fun and engaging without being too dark.  I liked Zoey's friends and the characters that she interacted with.  The magic and paranormal elements in the story were interesting as well, and didn't feel too far-fetched to really believe they could exist.  Overall, I can see why this series has gotten so much attention.  In the teen vampire genre, this one has its own fun twist that helps it stand out.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the novel.