Hello, friends! Victoria Kincaid is here with us today to share a little about what went into the writing of her new book President Darcy! Plus, she has a lovely excerpt to share. She is also giving away a copy of her new book! Details of the giveaway are at the bottom of the post!
Thanks for having me as a guest, Candy! Usually, when I write a Pride and Prejudice variation, it requires research about various Regency historical events and customs. How did they celebrate Christmas? What would a Regency-era library look like? How long would it take to get from Pemberley to London?
I thought that writing a modern Pride and Prejudice variation like President Darcy wouldn’t require much research. After all, I have a pretty good idea of our customs and travel times from one place to another in the U.S. Then I realized how different the president’s life is from that of ordinary Americans, and I knew I had to do a whole different kind of research. 😊
A lot of what I found out about the presidential life was less glamorous than I expected. For example: the presidential limousine. I expected it to be a typical limo—seating around eight to ten people in the back. That’s not the case at all. At most it can seat five in the back. The president and one other person facing forward and three people facing backward. The president’s seat does have a flip-up desk and a satellite phone, but the interior is a lot more cramped and less glamorous than I had initially imagined, as you can see from this picture.
Why is it so small on the inside? Safety. Although the presidential limo may look like a limo on the outside, it is built like no other vehicle on earth. To start with, it’s constructed on a truck platform; the underside and sides of the car are bullet- and bomb-proof, and it’ equipped with its own tear-gas canisters. The doors are eight-inches thick, comparable to the doors on a Boeing 757 airplane (as you can see from this picture of a Secret Service Agent holding open a door). All that extra armor doesn’t allow a lot of room for extra passengers. No wonder it’s nicknamed “the Beast”!
It also has its own oxygen tanks (in case of a gas attack), a state-of-the-art GPS and communication center for the driver, night-vision cameras, and a supply of the president’s blood in case he is injured. The windows are five-inches thick, but none open except for the driver’s, which only opens a few inches so he can pay tolls or speak with someone. The Beast travels everywhere with the president (including on international trips), and the driver is a Secret Service Agent who has taken rigorous escape and evasion training. You’ll notice that when the president disembarks from an airplane, the Secret Service often positions the limo at the base of the stairs so that it can shield him as he climbs into the car. Below is a diagram of some of the features of the Beast (written for a British audience for some reason, thus “tyres,” “boot,” and “defence,” but I guess Mr. Darcy would approve.)
Excerpt from President Darcy:
Elizabeth was pushed to the side as her father, tired of waiting, waved his hand in the president’s face. “Mr. President? John Bennet.”
President Darcy dropped Elizabeth’s hand so he could take her father’s. Freed from the power of his gaze, Elizabeth stumbled backward and a few feet away from the knot of people surrounding the president—which now included a couple Secret Service agents and Press Secretary Bob Hilliard.
Yet the rest of the world seemed to continue apace, unaware that a man had set her senses reeling. And not just any man—the president! Jane conversed animatedly with Mr. Bingley while Kitty and Lydia fidgeted impatiently as they waited to greet the president. Beside them, Fanny absently patted her shellacked hair, no doubt scanning the room for famous faces.
Hadn’t they noticed the difference in Elizabeth? A simple touch of his hand had reordered her world. Well, of course I had a powerful reaction to meeting him. He’s the president. Duh. The leader of the free world and all that. Naturally, he’s charismatic and holds people’s attention. That’s what politicians do.
Still, Elizabeth had the niggling sensation that he had been the one to prolong the contact—that he had been unwilling to release her hand. No. That was absurd. A trick of her imagination. In fact, he was probably desperately wishing for some hand sanitizer right now.
Her father’s voice—always the loudest in any room— intruded on Elizabeth’s thoughts. “I’m the founder and owner of On-a-Stick, Inc.,” he said proudly.
President Darcy didn’t seem like the kind of person who had eaten anything off a stick in his entire life. “On-a-Stick?” the president repeated blankly.
Elizabeth winced. There was no stopping her father now.
“Surely you know about Meatballs On-a-Stick?” her father said eagerly.
The president managed a polite smile. “Your company makes those?”
“That was our first product,” Mr. Bennet explained. Elizabeth could have recited his next words along with him. “We now sell 106 separate On-a-Stick products.” The president nodded, but his eyes scanned the room as if hoping for a rescuer. “We have Ravioli On-a-Stick, Cookies On-a-Stick, Granola Bars On-a-Stick, Eggs On-a-Stick —the eggs are hard boiled, of course.” Her father paused for the same little chuckle he always gave at this point in his spiel.
“Of course,” the president responded dryly. Maybe politicians took classes in how to feign interest in boring topics.
“You have a younger sister, don’t you?” her father persisted. “We could send her a case of Doughnuts On-a-Stick that she could share with her little friends.”
President Darcy gazed down at John Bennet. “Georgiana is a sophomore at Harvard and rows crew. She has to watch her carbs.”
Elizabeth’s father continued, undaunted. There was something almost impressive about his ability to remain oblivious to scorn. “Soup On-a-Stick!” he announced. The president’s eyebrows shot up. “We put it in a little cup and put the cup on a stick. It’s frozen until you’re ready to eat it.”
“I see…” the president said slowly. “Does this enhance the soup-eating experience?”
His tone was so dry that her father missed the hint of disdain, but Elizabeth was offended on his behalf.
Mr. Bennet continued, “Lasagna On-a-Stick was a real misstep; I don’t mind admitting that to you…”
Did he plan to describe the marketability of each of the 106 items? Elizabeth’s stomach twisted, and her cheeks burned. Why did he have to do that here? She hardly needed additional reasons for embarrassment.
The monologue continued: “Cheese On-a-Stick makes a great appetizer. You should consider serving it here at the White House. We have cheddar, American, mozzarella, and brie…”
President Darcy’s lips curved into a cold imitation of a smile. Elizabeth noticed his gold cufflinks and Patek Philippe watch; his tuxedo was bespoke and must have cost thousands. As a child, he had probably eaten his lollipops with a knife and fork.
Her father was in full-on marketing mode now. “Sticks are a big improvement over toothpicks when serving cheese…More sanitary and…”
If Elizabeth had to endure one more minute of this humiliation, she might scream. She sidled up to her father and tried to catch his eye.
“I’m sure children enjoy your products,” the president murmured. It was not a compliment. Oh no. Now he’s done it.
“Not just children,” her father corrected sternly. “Our research shows that 65 percent of our products are consumed by adults—”
“Indeed?”
“Yes, and—”
That diatribe could go on for five minutes, and President Darcy’s eyes already had a glazed and distant look. Elizabeth grabbed her father’s elbow. “Dad, we should let the president greet other guests.”
Her father eyed the rest of his family awaiting their turns. “Oh. Yes. We can continue this conversation later,” he reassured the president.
The other man’s lips twitched. “Of course.” Elizabeth had barely drawn her father away before President Darcy reached for Jane’s hand with a rather fixed smile on his face.
President Darcy by Victoria Kincaid
Blurb:
A modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
President William Darcy has it all: wealth, intelligence, and the most powerful job in the country. Despite what his friends say, he is not lonely in the White House. He’s not. And he has vowed not to date while he’s in office. Nor is he interested in Elizabeth Bennet. She might be pretty and funny and smart, but her family is nouveau riche and unbearable. Unfortunately, he encounters her everywhere in Washington, D.C.—making her harder and harder to ignore. Why can’t he get her out of his mind?
Elizabeth Bennet enjoys her job with the Red Cross and loves her family, despite their tendency to embarrass her. At a White House state dinner, they cause her to make an unfavorable impression on the president, who labels her unattractive and uninteresting. Those words are immediately broadcast on Twitter, so the whole world now knows the president insulted her. Elizabeth just wants to avoid the man—who, let’s admit it, is proud and difficult. For some reason he acts all friendly when they keep running into each other, but she knows he’s judging her.
Eventually, circumstances force Darcy and Elizabeth to confront their true feelings for each other, with explosive results. But even if they can find common ground, Mr. Darcy is still the president—with limited privacy and unlimited responsibilities—and his enemies won’t hesitate to use his feelings for Elizabeth against him.
Can President Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet find their way to happily ever after?
A contemporary romance
99238 words
Buy: Amazon
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FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!
About the Author
Victoria has a Ph.D. in English literature and has taught composition to unwilling college students. Today she teaches business writing to willing office professionals and tries to give voice to the demanding cast of characters in her head.
She lives in Virginia with an overly affectionate cat, two children who are learning how much fun Austen’s characters can be, and a husband who fortunately is not jealous of Mr. Darcy. A lifelong Austen fan, Victoria has read more Jane Austen variations and sequels than she can count – and confesses to an extreme partiality for the Colin Firth miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice.
Connect with Victoria Kincaid
* * * GIVEAWAY * * *
It's giveaway time! Victoria Kincaid is giving away one copy of President Darcy to one lucky So little time... reader! To enter, please leave a comment below!
- One person will one copy of President Darcy.
- Winner's choice - paperback or E-copy
- To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below and include your e-mail address (please put parentheses around (at) and (dot).
- Open Internationally
- Last day to enter the giveaway is Nov. 14th, 2017, 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Good luck!
Thank you for stopping by today, Victoria! I found the information about the president's limo fascinating! I had no idea the windows were that thick! Wow! I loved the excerpt also. Poor Elizabeth! Lol! And many thanks for offering one of my readers a copy of your book! :)
So, what did you think about 'the Beast'? Pretty amazing, huh? Or what did you think about the excerpt? Do you like any kinds of food-on-a-stick?
