Whatever happened to Georgiana Darcy? An interview with historical mystery author (and Janite) Regina Jeffers

Today I'm talking with Regina Jeffers about her cozy mystery, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGIANA DARCY, which transplants familiar Jane Austen characters into a cozy mystery setting.

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1) Tell us about your latest book.


THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGIANA DARCY is a cozy mystery, much in the vein of an Agatha Christie novel or the Murder She Wrote TV series. A cozy is set in a deserted area and has no sex or graphic violence. Along with the main characters, a “cozy” requires the reader to use his intelligence to solve the mystery’s clues. The book is classified as romantic suspense, but there is more suspense than romance in the story line. I prefer the idea of “romantic elements” instead. The novel is set two years after PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ends. Although Georgiana Darcy had made a brilliant match in Major General Fitzwilliam, Darcy has never fully accepted the loss of his sister to a proper marriage, but he would gladly “lose” Georgiana to Edward Fitzwilliam’s care if it meant that he could finally locate her on the infamous Merrick Moor.

Book Blurb: Shackled in the dungeon of a macabre castle with no recollection of her past, a young woman finds herself falling in love with her captor–the estate’s master. Yet, placing her trust in him before she regains her memory and unravels the castle’s wicked truths would be a catastrophe.

Far away at Pemberley, the Darcys happily gather to celebrate the marriage of Kitty Bennet. But a dark cloud sweeps through the festivities: Georgiana Darcy has disappeared without a trace. Upon receiving word of his sister’s likely demise, Darcy and wife, Elizabeth, set off across the English countryside, seeking answers in the unfamiliar and menacing Scottish moors.

How can Darcy keep his sister safe from the most sinister threat she has ever faced when he doesn’t even know if she’s alive? True to Austen’s style and rife with malicious villains, dramatic revelations and heroic gestures, this suspense-packed mystery places Darcy and Elizabeth in the most harrowing situation they have ever faced–finding Georgiana before it is too late.

2) What inspired you to write a mystery book set in the general Pride and Prejudice milieu?

This book is actually my second romantic suspense. Ulysses Press released THE PHANTOM OF PEMBERLEY in 2010. It did well, placing third in the Dixie Kane Memorial Awards. Fans also received “Phantom” with open arms. Naturally, in the publishing world, one stays with success. But more than that, I believe the Regency Period, with its strict guidelines for behavior and the stringent delineation for social class makes it easy to craft a mystery. Information is withheld; yet, everyone in Regency era Society knows the secrets. It is the perfect scenario.

Yet, writing a mystery is always difficult–to mix overt clues about the crime with essential details that appear unimportant, but are necessary to solve the mystery. Balancing the reveal with inference gaps takes time and planning. And, of course, tossing in those lovely “red herrings,” which take the reader down the wrong paths, are wonderful to see come to fruition.

3) Was it difficult to balance the tension required with mystery with the sort of generally non-mystery atmosphere associated with Austen characters (well, outside of NORTHANGER ABBEY, at least)?


Actually, Austen was a master at creating a diversion, an ingredient necessary for a well-developed mystery. For example, in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, she manages to make her readers not see the truth about Mr. Darcy. About Mr. Wickham. About Elizabeth Bennet. Austen says things such as, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is a tongue-in-cheek statement of theme, but it is flawed first impression of what the story entails. She says of George Wickham that he is “beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk.” That is another flawed impression. Of Elizabeth, Austen says, “She is not so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humored as Lydia.” Yet, those of us who have read the novel know this is a false impression. Elizabeth has depths of character not seen in either Jane or Lydia Bennet. Mr. Darcy says of Elizabeth, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Flawed, again and again.

As in any well-told mystery, it is necessary to introduce an unexpected scenario. For the crime, it becomes prudent to develop a closed circle of suspects, each of whom has credible motives and reasonable opportunities to commit the crime. “Phantom” dealt with a series of unexpected deaths; “Disappearance” builds suspense with the setting. Legends of the Merrick Moor, the Awful Hand, and the Murder Hole add suspense to the story line.

4) Will we get to see the good Mr. Darcy thrash a villain or two?

A: I have written several “Darcy” sequels and adaptations. In each, Mr. Darcy is a virile specimen of Regency-era manhood. He has had more than one “tussle” with Mr. Wickham in my novels.

Andrew Davies’ created the image of “Darcy” in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini-series. Colin Firth as Fitzwilliam Darcy is given scenes (NOT found in the original story) that make his character more appealing to the predominantly female viewing audience. We see him on horseback, swimming in a placid lake, fencing, and hunting. We see him stepping from his bath and staring broodingly out a window. Women loved the image. These same women are my audience. I would be foolish to go against the model.

5) Your novel has a mix of original creations and more well known Austen characters. Did you find it difficult to write scenes with the Austen characters?

I seriously believe that Austen’s intertextual reinscriptions of Restoration comedy have echoes in contemporary rewrites of classical literature. Reading a historical novel in its period requires the reader to understand the period, as well as the social distance from the present. Despite Austen being a part of the Society of which she wrote, her works display a “distance” from the time period, and that “distance” marks Austen’s voice as one more distinct than others of her time. Jane Austen was sophisticated, subtle, and very intelligent in her handling of complex issues. Austen’s women were women of sense; they embodied the notion of rational love. Today’s audience has paradoxically maintained Austen’s “formula.”

Austen characters have lived in my head for half a century. They are often dancing about a ballroom or strolling along a country lane. When I write, the scenes play in my head as if they were part of a movie. When something is not correct, I simply hit “rewind” until the scene plays with authority. I often find myself saying, “Mr. Darcy would not say that.” Then I replay the scene until it is correct.

6) Did you ever have any concern that readers might take issue with your interpretation of these well-known characters?

The most difficult part of writing Austen-inspired literature is that each of Austen’s fans feels as if “Jane” is her personal friend, and that reader knows “Jane’s mind” better than anyone else. Therefore, they bring to the reading experience a preconceived idea of how Austen’s characters would act outside of her novels. I have been fortunate, overall. Most of my readers feel that I understand how Austen’s characters would respond to various situations. However, I occasionally meet a reader who disagrees with what I have written. One thing that I do religiously in my works is that I use as much of Austen’s actual text as possible within the story line. Many love to hear familiar phrases in new situations.

Writing scenes with the forbidden word “SEX” in them is more of an issue. Many Janeites think any scene that involves sexual references is inappropriate for Austen-inspired works. My scenes are more realistic. I look at Darcy and Elizabeth’s joining as a loving one. I do not write torrid sexual encounters, but I also do not avoid the old adage of “an heir and a spare.” My scenes are more indicative of vintage films. One sees the build up, but then the door closes, and he knows what happens.

7) Period novels necessitate research. Even with you having a starting point in a famous work, your story goes off in directions Austen never dreamt of. So, in the course of doing research for your novel, is there anything you learned that surprised you?


The research is based on what would and would not be acceptable for the Regency Period, the time period in which the majority of my novels are set. The true Regency Period lasted only ten years, from 1811 to 1820. Most writers of the period place their stories somewhere between 1800 and 1820; however, a few feature everything from the French Revolution to the Reform. When I am creating a Jane Austen adaptation, my setting is defined by Austen’s original story line. For example, the events in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE occur in 1812. If I am writing an Austen sequel, I must be aware of the events that happened in the years following 1812. In my latest novel, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGIANA DARCY, Colonel Fitzwilliam is returning from service with Wellington at Waterloo. Therefore, the book must be true to June 1815. In my unique Regencies, I tend to place my characters in situations that occur between 1810 and 1815. It is the time period of which I am most familiar.

I have a stash of Regency-related books to which I often turn for assistance. The Internet is helpful, but there is so much misinformation on the Web that a person must look for sites that verify the content found upon the page. One of the biggest issues is anachronistic phrases. I am more aware of those issues in my Austen-inspired works. Miss Austen has a distinct style, which is difficult to replicate, and I make a point of adding her actual wording to the story lines. In most Regencies on the mass market, in the publishing business, a certain number of anachronistic phrases are acceptable. Those serve as a segue between what is often seen as the stilted language of the period and modern phrasing. However, I do attempt to be true to language style.

I love to look for the “unusual” of the Regency era and then incorporate the legend into my novels. For example, there is the mysterious Holy Island of Lindisfarne and the legend of St. Cuthbert’s miraculous burial site or the real-life case of Mary Reynolds, a woman who suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. I also found it quite fascinating that Lord Thomas Cochrane proposed saturation bombing and chemical warfare during the Napoleonic Wars. The era has such “nuggets” that amaze my readers and keep them coming back for more.

8) Writing an entire novel continuing the adventures of Austen characters is rather indicative of your fondness for Miss Austen's work. Can you tell us about your first experience with her work?

I have been in love with Jane Austen’s stories for as long as I can remember. When I was twelve, I read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and was hooked. Perhaps, it was being a product of the 1950s and 1960s. Those decades were a male dominated period (Have you ever watched Mad Men?). Jane Austen’s works looked at society through a comedic screen while examining issues found in a male dominated world. Charlotte Lucas symbolizes the prevailing attitude toward women, while Elizabeth Bennet does not condemn feminine “virtues,” but rather balances them with a sensible mind. In each of Austen’s novels, the main characters have experiences that create a profound and permanent transformation (Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE; Marianne Dashwood in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY; Emma Woodhouse in Emma; Anne Elliot in PERSUASION; Catherine Morland in NORTHANGER ABBEY; and Edmund in MANSFIELD PARK). Austen’s witty, satirical approach to her subjects resonates across the centuries. Therefore, as a twelve-year-old, I read Jane Austen for the first time, and I was hooked.

9) Can you tell us about any of your other published or planned works?


Currently, during the day, I am spending time with my new grandson. His parents are both teachers, and “LoLa” is tending the child until the end of the school year. I love to watch him reach each of his benchmarks. James is 6 months old and is my new best friend.

In the evenings, I am writing. My next Austen-inspired title with Ulysses Press will be another Darcy mystery to be released in the spring of 2013. I am preparing to release my contemporary version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, entitled HONOR AND HOPE, as soon as we decide on the cover art for the project. Currently, I am writing book 4 of my Regency historical series: A TOUCH OF GRACE. (Book 1 was THE SCANDAL OF LADY ELEANOR [formerly A Touch of Gold]; Book 2 is A TOUCH OF VELVET; Book 3 is A TOUCH OF CASHMERE). I am on chapter 22 of the tale, and I love it. The story has taken on its own life. Publishers’ Weekly called this series a “knockout.”

Beside the above titles, I have written seven Austen-inspired titles. They include Darcy’s Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes; Darcy’s Temptation, The Phantom of Pemberley, Vampire Darcy’s Desires, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, and Christmas at Pemberley. In addition to the books in the Realm series, The First Wives’ Club is the first book in a Regency era trilogy, and there’s always my contemporary romance, Second Chances: The Courtship Wars, which is based around a reality TV show.

10)  If you could spend an hour talking to anyone from any time in history, who would it be? And Why?

When I was younger, I had a fascination with George Custer. Besides the Regency Period, I read extensively about the American Civil War, when Custer’s military career began. I tried to discover every little detail about the man who died at the Battle of Little Bighorn. For example, did you know that a year after that fateful battle that Custer’s remains were dug up and reburied at West Point? Were you aware that Custer used a cinnamon scented tonic on his long golden locks? Did you realize that Custer wrote a book, published in 1874, entitled My Life on the Plains or Personal Experiences with the Indians? How about the fact that Walt Whitman, on hearing the news of Custer's death, wrote the poem "From Far Dakota's Canyons"? Among his men, Custer developed a reputation for flamboyant behavior. He led his troops into battle wearing a black velvet jacket trimmed with gold lace, a crimson necktie, and a white hat. He claimed that he adopted this outfit so that his men "would recognize him on any part of the field.”

Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn made the life of an obscure 19th century military figure into the subject of legends with countless songs, books, and paintings. Custer’s critics say his blunders caused his death and the death of his men. His supporters say he was only following standard military tactics of his time.

Paintings and writings about "the Custer massacre" depict Custer as a gallant victim, surrounded by bloodthirsty savages. The fact that Custer started the battle by attacking the Indian village is often omitted.
It is said that the “Indians” did not scalp or mutilate Custer's body out of respect for his fighting ability, but few participating Indians knew who he was. To this day no one knows the real reason the Amerinds left Custer’s body intact.

11) What was your favorite chapter (or part) of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGIANA DARCY to write and why?

I love to write confrontations. I am not certain what that says about me. Perhaps, it is all the years that I spent in martial arts. I have always seen the forms (simulated fights) used to train the students in Tae Kwon Do as “dance.” Therefore, if one looks closely at any of my books, it’s the “fight scene” that takes more than one chapter. In this book, Major General Fitzwilliam (the former Colonel Fitzwilliam) and Darcy race across the Scottish moors to rescue a woman they believe to be the missing Georgiana; yet, before they have the opportunity to find their missing loved one, they must fight their way through the prison cells below Normanna Hall. Those pages are wrought with tension.

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Thanks, Regina.

If you'd like to see more from Regina, please check out her website at http://www.rjeffers.com/.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGIANA DARCY is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-million, and Joseph Beth Booksellers.

Where do you get those wonderful ideas? A guest post by Katie Stewart

Let's all welcome back Australian fantasy author Katie Stewart. Previously I interviewed her about her debut novel, TREESPEAKER. Today she's here to tell us about one of her newer YA fantasy works, MARK OF THE DRAGON QUEEN.

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Kira has led a sheltered life, brought up by her widowed father, whom she adores. When he is arrested and imprisoned for a murder he allegedly committed 18 years before, she is devastated. So when she overhears an ex-student of her father's planning to visit the prison, Kira decides to go, too. However, the student - Arun - is not who she thinks he is, and she soon learns that her father has not always been the man of integrity she has known for fifteen years.

Caught in a rebellion against the Lord High Councillor who would return the country to Wizard Rule, Kira finds that there is one more lesson she has to learn - about herself. Success depends on her, but is she willing to make the sacrifice it will require? 

Something many readers seem to want to know is where an author got the idea for a particular story or novel. As a writer, I’ve learned that ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere - from major events to tiny things that might stay for years as a seed in the mind, until the right novel begs to be written. As Neil Gaiman puts it:

“You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.”

In my "real" life – the one where I’m not pretending to be a writer – I work in the library of a small, private country school. It’s a great job, with a lovely crowd of people, and even if all my books were suddenly to become best sellers, I wouldn’t quit work entirely. In fact, my third book, MARK OF THE DRAGON QUEEN actually owes its existence, in part, to my job.

Two years ago, the school, along with the rest of the world, went through a financial crisis. Budgets were cut, including the one for the library. We had no money to buy books. No new books meant that there was little to do beyond the regular book changes with the children and shelving. So I found myself sitting for many hours, re-covering old books just for something to do. To ease the tedium, I listened to my iPod; more specifically, I listened to the musical, Les Miserables, which I’d just discovered and fallen in love with (I know, I’m a little slow on catching up with these things). As I listened to the story, I began to wonder what would happen if, instead of trying to escape from gaol for years, a man had to try to avoid going into gaol? What if he was given the chance to stay out of gaol, simply (or not so simply) by not doing what he had done wrong, ever again – with the punishment being death if he did? So, for example, what would happen if they’d killed with their right hand and were never allowed to use their right hand again? I mulled that over for a while and MARK OF THE DRAGON QUEEN, in which the protagonist’s father has managed not to use magic for eighteen years, was born.

Of course, the novel didn’t come together as a whole right there. It took a long time of what Ursula K Le Guin refers to as "composting" before the whole plot began to gel. Characters had to be found in the image library of my brain, a whole lot more what ifs had to be thought of and worked into a plot. It was like my first efforts at knitting as a child – it generally hung together, but was full of holes. In fact, I’d written quite a chunk of the first draft before I worked out exactly how the story would end. I’m definitely not a planner.

It seemed the more twists I put into the story, the harder I made it for myself. To start with, I had a main character who was very much concentrating on her father’s problems. That made it difficult to keep the perspective on target. Often I found myself slipping up, letting the father become the main focus and I had to rewrite whole sections. There was a prophecy which seemed to say one thing, but of course, there’s always a twist with a prophecy. That was tricky. Worse, it meant doing something horrible to one of my characters, a character I was very fond of, forcing me to write a scene that I hated myself for. I think it would have been easier to kill him off. On the other hand, his plight does give me a stepping stone into a sequel*.

To compost properly, you need the right tools. The ingredients have to be stirred and turned over. This was done with the help of members of my favourite critiquing site, Critique Circle . A hardy group of four to six other writers read my book, chapter by chapter, telling me what was good and what didn’t work. They encouraged me and chastised me for not writing quickly enough. Normally a writer wouldn’t have someone critique a first draft, but I tend to edit as I go, so what they read was reasonably edited, even if I wasn’t always entirely sure what I was doing! Then, when I’d completed the first draft, those same wonderful people read through the second draft. I don’t think I’ve ever been enthused about writing quite as much as I was with this book, and it took less than a year to get it completely written and edited. Actually getting it to the publishable stage took longer, because I’m not fond of the nitty gritty of e-publishing. I procrastinated wherever possible – designing the cover, working on the next book. However, I did get there in the end and MARK OF THE DRAGON QUEEN was published on New Year’s Day this year.

I never know what the theme of my book is going to be until it’s written. My books tend to be about relationships, and this one definitely is, with the main character’s love of her father being pivotal. It’s also about judging people on who they are now, rather than who they used to be, and about the opposition between love and power and how the two can’t exist together.

*I’ve had quite a few people asking me for a sequel to MARK OF THE DRAGON QUEEN and it will come – in time. I’m tentatively calling it ELLYETH'S HARP. At the moment, I’m working on the sequel to TREESPEAKER, which I hope to have out by mid-year. I’m also working on a children’s story which I originally wrote as a short story for my adopted son. It’s about a little Korean adoptee who finds an imugi – a Korean mythical serpent - which has come to Australia to discover the crystal that will allow it to become a dragon. That’s taking a bit of research, but I love research. It’s my favourite procrastinating tool.

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Thanks, Katie.

You can find more Katie at:

Website: www.katiewstewart.com

Blog: http://kates-scribbles.blogspot.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Treespeaker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Skate60

Do not misapprehend me, good sir: Modern vs. non-modern dialog

It has been pointed out to me on more than a few occasions that I rarely seem to discuss my own work on my own blog. That's something I hope to somewhat remedy in a somewhat interesting way starting with today's post.

As one might surmise from either my previous statements on the matter or just my general interests, several of the writing projects I'm working on are historical in nature. Now these bring with them some additional complications that haven't plagued with my pure fantasy or contemporary projects. There is the obvious issue of the requisite historical research. The minute you make any aspect of your story historical, people do take notice and it affects verisimilitude.

When I was passing through my upcoming Regency paranormal work, A WOMAN OF PROPER ACCOMPLISHMENTS (AWOPA), through my writer's group, several of the readers were people with a particular interest in the Regency Period. The book is set in an alternate 1811 in Bedfordshire, England. In this alternate timeline, a type of magic (which, of course, the various stuffy members of the Royal Society insist isn't magic) called spiritus has been discovered. Among other things it allows for the animation of objects. The martial applications aren't unappreciated, so many countries bolster their armies with automaton soldiers. In addition, the American Revolution was squashed after the English win at the Battle of Saratoga with the aid of these artificial troops.

What was interesting during the process of having my novel critiqued was that, for the most part, people were able to accept these rather significant diversions from history inserted into what was otherwise a sweet* Regency Romance. Instead, they were far more concerned with elements such as potential period inappropriate social interactions, et cetera. Period fiction, whether it involves magic or not, does have to be rather careful. Atmosphere is everything.

Language is one of the trickiest areas to navigate. To capture the language of 1811 for AWOPA, I spent some time reading some period letters and diaries. When I wrote the first draft, I used etymology resources to ensure that the words I was using were appropriate both in that they existed in the period and they were used in the same manner. There are probably a small handful of slightly out-of-period words I ended up letting slip through.

When I first passed my book along to my writing group, there was a bit of a problem. My desired fidelity to period language had hurt accessibility. No one disputed that the language style was appropriate for the period, but many were having trouble getting into the story because of the same style. On occasion, amusingly enough, I did have a person suggest that I was using a word in a too modern way, a discussion that was quickly ended with, for example, me pointing to a primary source. Sometimes certain words and concepts are far older than we might think.

I split the difference and rewrote the work to end up with something that it is evocative of the period (and still mostly uses only period words), but with a bit more modern syntax. Perhaps overly influenced by the work of Georgette Heyer, I was also initially rather aggressive with the insertion of Regency slang, which, admittedly is rather impenetrable if you aren't otherwise familiar with it. It took me half the first Heyer book I read until I figured out what some of the words she was using almost every page meant. I didn't excise all the slang from my manuscript, but I tried to stick to things that were a bit more easy to figure out in context.

In the end, it was a compromise between accessibility and accuracy. I'm sure upon release some will complain that it's still too stuffy and some will complain that it's not true enough to the period, but I'm pleased with the overall compromise.

A story set in England, even two hundred years in the past, still has the advantage of language that can be parsed by most modern English-speaking readers. I may have compromised for accessibility, but I could have kept my original style. Writing an understandable story with "accurate" language in say, the 11th century, would be a much more difficult affair.

My other major historical project is a straight (that is no paranormal elements) historical thriller set in the Heian period of Japanese history. Writing accurate language for the period would require me to, among other things, write the story in classical Japanese, which would present challenges even for Japanese natives to parse.

During a recent discussion of Hilary Mantel's work by The Economist, there was a discussion about her linguistic choices. She doesn't, for example, trend to perfectly and accurate render the language of 17th-century England. From what I've read of her work, I'd agree with that assessment. It's more about atmosphere than pure accuracy.

I've read several books by J.R. Tomlin, who writes medieval novels focused on the Scottish War for Independence. She uses modern English interspersed with the occasional period Scots, English, or French word, She also makes use of, on occasion, somewhat archaic syntax to communicate the feel of the language. It's  certainly not an accurate direct rendering of the language, but it certainly communicates a certain atmosphere.

On the other end of the spectrum is someone like Gordon Doherty. I read one of his books set during the Roman Republic period and another set in the Byzantine Empire. Mr. Doherty, for the most part, uses rather modern syntax and modernish slang. He intersperses in period words, typically, in relation to specific weapons and military terms.

Arguably, these are opposing techniques. J.R. is trying to promote the historicity through atmosphere while maintaining accessibility. Gordon's going straight for near maximum accessibility. Neither technique is "accurate" in the pure linguistic sense, but short of learning new languages (or classical forms of languages one already knows), no one, I think is going to have that much of an issue. Gordon's style is a reflection, I think, of something that we often forget: the commonly used language of the past was the vernacular for those people and so reflecting it in more vernacular modern language form is a way of communicating the spirit of those exchanges even at the potential cost of some atmosphere. What style a person prefers will, I think, just depend on their own reading biases. I seem to have a natural inclination more toward J.R.'s style than Gordon's, but both have their merits.

Sometimes people also have false expectations of what constitutes accuracy in language depictions. I saw a person once complaining that a book focused on 17th-century Canadian Native tribes had the natives using contractions and that their languages didn't have contractions. The book was written in English (with the occasional bit of French). Now, it's a bit odd, I think, to suggest that "translated" dialog, as it were, should mirror the exact syntax and morphology of the original language. Mandarin, for instance, doesn't have true tense in the sense you see in English. Instead, it has aspect, which marks not time of action but rather state of completion. It'd be downright silly to write a book in English involving characters speaking Mandarin and then not use tenses.

As I circle back around to my thoughts on my Heian project, I'm still unsure how I'm going to handle it. At the moment, even though I've a good outline of the plot, I'm still knee-deep in research. Although I have a good high-level understanding of Heian history, that's not the same as having the firm grasp of daily living details that are necessary when writing a work of fiction.

The question of language is one I go back to again and again. How many classical Japanese words (or even modern Japanese words) should be inserted? Is it better to express the concept completely in English if there's an easy equivalent word? Conversely, if the word doesn't have an elegant translation, is it best to leave it in Japanese? There's a certain amount of atmosphere that comes with using Japanese. Kami can be translated as god or spirit, but it's somewhat in-between. Not using the word results in a certain subtle lost of atmosphere and even conceptual understanding. Though, at the same time, if a person doesn't have the conceptual understanding to begin with, it might just confuse things.

There's the question of the best way to handle non-English terms. Some authors just are careful to let their meaning be inferred in context, and some even just present short sections that define the terms before or after the actual main text.

Most of the characters in this novel are highly educated aristocrats, members and family members of a bureaucratic elite obsessed with form over function. In that sense, somewhat old-fashioned English marked by flowery language, the kind that some people tend to often associate with historical speech, accurate or otherwise, may be appropriate. Heian aristocrats, after all, were people who expected each other to produce specific-form poetry quickly in social situations.

In the end, though, no matter what I do, it'll be inaccurate. I mean I'm not even writing the dialog in modern Japanese, let alone classical Japanese. So, with that in mind, does that grant me a sort of freedom that I don't quite have with say my Regency work?

I'm curious what your thoughts are?

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*For those unfamiliar with romance novel "temperature" levels, sweet is typically considered the least steamy in terms of sexual content. It used to mean no sex at all, but nowadays it often can mean just "no sex shown." In my case, I use it to mean no sex at all.

Mr. Beard's Regency Tour Day 18: Guerrillas and the Peninsular War: What's the French Word for Ulcer?

This is part of my continuing series on Regency England and Georgian England. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please check out my archive here.

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Napoleon's failures in Russia are well-known, but even before that invasion, the "unstoppable" French Imperial Army struggled in the Peninsular War against another set of foes that weren't helped nearly as much by the weather.

Over at the English Historical Fiction Authors Blog, I discuss the guerrilla forces that gave Napoleon such trouble.

The end of civilization and a far-away family: An interview with author Ray Gorham

What happens when civilization collapses around you, but you're far from your family? Ray Gorham explores that question in the post-apocalyptic novel 77 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER.


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1) Please tell us about your book. 

My book, 77 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER, is a story about a man separated from his family by a terrorist attack. He's been away working for a couple of weeks when an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) detonation shuts down the country and makes it next to impossible for him to return home. The story then follows both his and his family's struggles to survive and re-unite.

2) What inspired this book? 

I wanted to write a story that would present a husband/father/man in a positive light. Too many stories have guys that kill without remorse, sleep around, forget their families, or act without considering the consequences. I wanted to have a character that would overcome amazing obstacles in order to do the right thing. That was the "inspiration" for the book. From there it was finding a device that would put the character in such a situation, and that is where the EMP came into play.

Once I started writing, though, I found the EMP aspect, and the threat it presents, became just as important as the other part of the story.

3) Your book posits an EMP that knocks out the bulk of advanced technology in the US and thrusts the country into chaos. There's a lot that can be done with that scenario, but what themes did you choose to focus on? 

I wanted to present normal people who suddenly have life and death decisions to make, and their struggle to maintain their decency in a radically altered reality. I've had some criticism in reviews that my characters are too nice, but I think most people will find it very, very difficult to shoot their neighbors if such an event were to occur. Most Americans are good, decent people, and the live and let live mentality will be the outlook that will guide them. That is not to say that there won't be the shoot first people around, I just chose not to have them as my protagonists.

4) Any post-apocalyptic book, by necessity, explores the limits of civilization and the nature of man. Do you see yourself as more a pessimist or optimist about human nature? 

I think as you read my answers and my book, you'll see that I am more of an optimist than a pessimist. I do expect that terrible, ugly things will happen if such an event were to occur, so tried to portray a variety of things--the good, the evil, and the in between.

5) Why do you think people are so drawn to the stories about the collapse of civilization? 

I think much of it has to do with the fact that every great empire that has existed has to come to an end, with the exception of ours. And the only reason we are still around is that we are young, and likely just haven't met our end, yet. The Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, British, Syrians, Ottomans, Mayans, and so forth, have all failed, most in violent, terrifying ways. Maybe sub-consciously we understand that there is a finite time we have to be in the position we are in, and the expectation of our eventual doom motivates us to read/view those types of works.

6) Okay, scenario time. The EMP goes off tomorrow. Would you rather be near a city or a remote rural area and why? 

While there would be advantages to both locations, I'd much rather be in a rural environment, provided it was someplace I was established in with a home or "getaway." If the EMP does go off tomorrow, I think things in the big cities are going to go south pretty quick as people begin to starve. I live in a rural setting, close to a city (15 miles), on 50 acres. It provides us a good buffer, with the city conveniences, so kind of the best of both worlds.

7) Can you give us any insight into any future works? 

I have a few things in the works, but nothing imminent. I don't view myself as a post-apocalyptic or dystopian author, so my closest to being done novel concerns a guy who can really see the future, and how his ability affects the people of his community. I also have a sequel to 77 DAYS planned, as well as a few other stories. At some point I hope to be able to write full time, but that time is not yet. Hopefully I can get a book out before the end of the year.

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Thanks, Ray.


If you'd like to read more from Ray, he'll be stopping over at Apocalyptic Fiction on May 7th.


77 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.