A warm welcome to Colin Odom for agreeing to join us today on My Love for Jane Austen as part of the Consequences blog tour. From my limited experience in the world of Jane Austen fandom, not many male authors have ventured into continuing Jane Austen’s novels and even less whose work is picked up by a traditionally publisher. Mr Odom is one such gentleman that I know of; the other being Jack Caldwell. Before we deviate further, let’s read what Colin has penned for our enjoyment.
Guest Post
Interview segment from the Good Morning, Regency Show, 14 March 1813
Guests: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy
Hostess: Miss Jane Winters
Hostess: Good evening, Regency viewers and welcome to the interview segment from today’s Good Morning, Regency Show. As my guests today, we have a young couple who have been much in the public eye in recent days, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy and his new wife, Mrs Elizabeth Darcy. They are the main characters in C. P. Odom’s new novel, Consequences. Mr Odom was supposed to join them for today’s interview, but he was unavoidably detained and sent his apologies for his absence.”
Elizabeth Darcy (with a sniff): ‘Unavoidably detained!’ A likely story!
Hostess: Mrs. Darcy, you…
Elizabeth: Please, call me Elizabeth.
Hostess: Of course, Elizabeth. Now, from what you just said, it appears you might not be altogether happy with your literary creator.
Elizabeth: Indeed, I am not. And it was Miss Jane Austen who was the literary creator of both myself and my husband — this Mr Odom just took her masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice, and wrote an alternative version of her story.
Hostess: An alternative version? What does that mean?
Darcy: It refers to a type of story which examines what could have happened if certain things had been done differently or decided differently or just happened differently. As this novel shows, such differences can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Elizabeth: Exactly. For example, Mr. Odom’s Consequences looks at two sides of what happened when my husband first proposed marriage. In Book 1, I rejected his offer of marriage — rather forcefully, I will admit, and …
Darcy: Possibly a bit of an understatement, from my point of view …
Elizabeth (looking sheepish): I will admit it was not my finest moment, dear. Anyway, this Mr Odom took my rejection of Mr Darcy and proceeded to show how it could have led to all sorts of unfortunate and tragic eventualities. Why should I be happy with an author who would do that? Why, such an author would be capable of … of … of anything!
Darcy (laughing): But, my dear, you must admit that, after a rather tragic Book 1, he did take an alternate view in Book 2, that your acceptance of my proposal might lead to happier alternatives than even you considered when you first accepted me. Why, at the time, you thought I was so arrogant, proud and selfish that I would treat you, my dear wife, abominably! You must agree that he, in this event, had more foresight than you did — certainly Book 2 tends much more to the ‘Happily Ever After’ outcome that is so common to so many similar books about our rather … ah, unique … courtship!
Continue to read this interview at My Love for Jane Austen: Consequences Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway.