When I first started thinking about this post, I would have liked to have done another chapter of Elizabeth Bennet’s Bad Days. However, I had read another author’s post where she had mentioned not doing more excerpts from one of her books because of Amazon’s restrictions. A quick way to get denied Kindle Unlimited is to have too big of a percentage of any one book available elsewhere other than Amazon.com. And since Amazon has 70% of the market, they can put as many restrictions as they please. So I won’t be doing any more excerpts in my posts, but I promise to make copies of Elizabeth Bennet’s Bad Days available when AlwaysAusten has giveaways.
I am still building my strength back since having three weeks of COVID November 2022 and have finished probably near to 40 P&P variations since getting out of the hospital in June 2023. I also dropped 44 pounds from November to June the hard way. I don’t advise it as I need to start an exercise program after losing the weight too quickly. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed the respite and catching up on my reading.
One thing I’ve discovered is more or less of what I really enjoy about the variations. A couple of the authors wrote with a lot of narration and very little dialogue. I found that very boring after a while. Nor do I like mostly dialogue and very little narration. Percentage-wise I cannot come up with a figure as each book’s plot will be different and each will need a different mix of the two. But for the most part, I have enjoyed all of the books I’ve read.
I do find I am a little envious of the authors who can describe a scene or action and write to the point that I feel like I am there. Colin Rowland is one that I admire in that regard as some of his descriptive scenes are absolutely lovely and thoroughly catch my imagination. Being able to write more in this vein is a goal I will be working on.
Most that I read probably had anywhere from twenty-two to forty chapters. Length is not a problem for me if the book is well written and I feel that the author accomplished his or her goal in writing it. In other words, I appreciate a novella as much as a full length novel if they read well and the plot is complete.
Darcy Vs Wickham was novella length for a reason. That particular book was angst driven. Because it was, I did not want to draw the book out to the extent that my readers were exhausted before they reached the ending.
Another aspect that I appreciated is if the characters have interesting personalities. I think that one of Jane Austen’s talents was being able to write about individuals who were not only interesting but also seemed real, real enough for us to want to know them better.
Take Darcy for example. He was quiet, shy, rude, but as handsome as sin to where you just want to drool and get to know him better in spite of his flaws. Possibly even fall in love with him. Which is what I think I do every time I read a P&P. SIGH! I may be up in years, but I can still appreciate a handsome, honorable young man. And, yes, I think young as well. 😊
And how about Elizabeth Bennet: impertinent lady that she is. Would love to visit with her, but, even more so, I would like to hide in a corner and listen to her take Caroline Bingley down several pegs until Miss Bingley and even Louisa are speechless. Some of the setdowns of the infamous Bingley chit would be a delight to witness. Maybe I will work on coming up with a scene to fit that scenario. I’ll let you know when I do.
Another thing I liked about many of the P&P’s was the mystery aspect. A book does not have to have a murder committed to have a mystery that needs to be solved. Why a character said or did such and so sometimes is all it takes to introduce a mystery that needs to be solved. And some of the P&P authors are experts about including the mystery aspects such as Melanie Schertz. Just what you would expect from a former CSI. Way to go, Melanie!
Speaking of mysteries, take a look at Darcy Vs Lady Catherine and let me know what you think. You can read it for free in Kindle Unlimited.
Or you can get the Darcy Vs Collection through December 31, 2023, for half price of $4.99. Enjoy! Yes, I extended the offer because the book is not on my author’s page.
In the meantime, please let me know in your comments below what you enjoy most about Pride and Prejudice variations. I’m always interested in improving my writing and the plots of my variations.
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Most of my books have an American Edition with American spellings and a British Edition with British spelling. Hopefully, by offering both editions, I have made the books more enjoyable for my readers. Give me a few days, and I’ll get a British Edition up on Amazon for the Darcy Vs Collection before the sale ends.
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