In our first guest post of this tour, Maria Grazia interviewed us about how difficult it was to move from Austen’s world to Gaskell’s, but not all authors of Falling for Mr. Thornton went through this journey. In fact, some of us are avid fans of Gaskell and the Victorian period, which is quite different from regency, so we thought readers would like to know about the specificities of writing a Gaskell variation. We asked Damaris Osborne, Evy Journey, M. Liza Marte, and Kate Forrester to go through this endeavour. We hope you all like to hear our thoughts ☺
Damaris Osborne:
When writing parody, I try to retain the essential core of the characters, and then accentuate them as caricatures, but not cruelly. That was especially true of Mrs Gaskell’s creations, since I was not mocking her or her book.
The essence of Hannah Thornton is the focus of her love upon her son, the one chink in her armour which she built up in the aftermath of her husband’s ‘betrayal’ by suicide. JT has learned repression of feeling from her and is driven by integrity and a need to prove he is not his father, especially to himself. Margaret, with increasingly weak parents, has the courage to step outside the norm for a young lady and take control of more than domesticity, having opinions and speaking her mind.
I took the kernels of these characters and plot (whilst taking the BBC serial ending) and coated them in tea and absurdity - a cup of Gaskell with a twist of Osborne?
Evy Journey:
Margaret of the North, the first novel I published, is a historical novel, a sequel to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, a much loved classic. With this novel and the short story in the anthology, I pay homage to Elizabeth Gaskell and Jane Austen.
Gaskell’s novel has been described as a romance against a backdrop of industrial upheavals and the resulting occasional violent strikes. I wrote Margaret of the North as a kind of Victorian feminist bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel) couched in romance. Yes, the romance is there. But equally stressed is Margaret’s inner adventure as she fully realizes her womanhood and finds her place in a rapidly changing society. If you’re expecting a sexy plot, you may be disappointed. I was more concerned with character development than a thrilling climax (no pun intended). Conflicts and tendresse occur just as much within the psyches of characters as they do openly between them.
I use an omniscient viewpoint and write in a style as close as I could get to that of 19th-century writers. I assumed it would fit the story better. This approach has its problems: It can seem antiquated, stilted, daunting at the very least, and most likely, impossible. Still, I had some trouble imagining the characters talking like my niece or my son and using currently popular forms of expression. I was also conscious of trodding in Gaskell and Austen’s footsteps when I wrote the second to the last chapter. Gaskell opened North and South, with scenes typical of the Austenian novel of manners. In the penultimate chapter, I borrow a frequent theme in Austen—the vagaries of courtship among young people of the period.
M. Liza Marte:
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Unlike Jane Austen, who is probably the most beloved and emulated author, who I would describe as writing genteel stories in easy, flowing verse, Gaskell in contrast, writes harsh, heavily weighted prose. Her writing voice is not whimsical, but grounded. Her world is the working class world.
At first glance, North & South is a story of social classes clashing. Yet through Gaskell deftly storytelling, we realize it is first and foremost a love story, one born of the common man’s struggle to achieve success whether in business or romance. Trying to imitate Gaskell’s prose is difficult. Gaskell’s writer’s voice is a standalone. My writer’s voice is more like a Mercury Retrograde, travelling backwards in a zig-zag path.
My attempt to adapt North & South was born out of a need to satisfy my overactive imagination, which decided the story couldn’t end in a London parlor where we are hinted of an unseen embrace and kiss or on a train heading north, whose occupants spoke by way of gazes and smiles. I tried to emulate the basic themes of the simple man’s rise. I tried to construct a love story overflowing with emotion, it could not be contained, that even in the morally guarded Victoria era, men and women still could fall in love even without the grandeur.
I see my style of writing and choice of storyline as a mix of modern, an attempt not to sound modern, and the expectation that I achieved it. With a healthy dose of “something completely unexpected” I don’t write stories of things you know would happen, but more like stories you wish could happen.
Kate Forrester:
Later rather than sooner is the best way to sum up how I came to write an adaptation of North and South and the brooding Mr Thornton. Having seen the BBC serial of this wonderful novel I went in search of other work, not by Gaskell, but by Richard Armitage who so magnificently portrayed John Thornton. My hunt for information led me to C19 and there I discovered a writing forum where people were writing variations of not just North and South but other literary works.
As I worked my way through several of Mr Armitage’s characters I earned myself the title the Fanfic Queen but always shied away from Mr Thornton. By now I had read the novel and I suppose I felt intimidated by the perfection created by Elizabeth Gaskell which was so ably portrayed by Mr Armitage and his fellow actors. How do you improve on a classic? Eventually, I was convinced I had to try, and A Nightingale Sings took flight. At this stage in my development as a writer, I felt the only thing that I could do was pick the story up and put it in a different time and so John and Margaret’s romance played out against the backdrop of the second world war. The narrative closely followed the original source material with one notable exception.
It wasn’t until I was invited to contribute to the anthology Falling for Mr Thornton that I was secure enough in my writing to complete a more original slant on the Gaskell story.
Falling for Mr. Thornton
Tales of North & South
Book Blurb:
Amidst the turbulent backdrop of a manufacturing town in the grips of the Industrial Revolution, Elizabeth Gaskell penned the timeless passion of Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale. A mixing of contemporary and Victorian, this short story anthology by twelve beloved authors considers familiar scenes from new points of view or re-imagined entirely. Capturing all the poignancy, heartbreak, and romance of the original tale, Falling for Mr. Thornton is a collection you will treasure again and again.
Stories by: Trudy Brasure * Nicole Clarkston * Julia Daniels * Rose Fairbanks * Don Jacobson * Evy Journey * Nancy Klein * M. Liza Marte * Elaine Owen * Damaris Osborne * Melanie Stanford ** Foreword by Mimi Matthews **
Modern
On the Island By Melanie Stanford
Travel blogger Meg Hale doesn’t want to return to John Thornton’s resort. After all, another visit won’t change her bad review.
But the resort has changed—and so has John.
The more time Meg spends on the island, the more she realizes she may have made a mistake. A mistake that could cost John the resort, and Meg her heart.
Time Slips
Passages in Time By Kate Forrester
Set just before Margaret arrives in Milton. Mr Thornton dies in a devastating fire at Marlborough Mill - or does he?
The First Day of Spring By M Liza Marte
Spring this year will bring daffodils, singing birds, and the love of a lifetime.
Humorous
Loose Leaves from Milton By Damaris Osborne
A spoof of North & South with a strong twist of tea, the British favoured beverage, and sprang from John Thornton being known as 'JT' in so many forum threads. J Tea was an obvious progression, and the story follows the television adaptation, loose-leafly, as his love for the haughty Miss Hale with the porcelain tea cup complexion, who looks down upon him upwards, brews until he has to pour out his love, unstrained.
Continuation Reeducating Mr Thornton By Evy Journey
When Mr. Thornton and Margaret arrived in Cadiz for a month’s visit with her brother and his new wife, he did not care much about the strange city. Nor did he have great expectations of what Cadiz could offer a visitor like him. But later, what he finds there and who he encounters change his outlook forever.
Variations
Mistakes and Remedies By Julia Daniels
When John Thornton’s sister goes missing, he seeks help from the one woman he can trust—the one who still holds his heart. Saving Fanny is all he hopes for, until a tender friendship begins to flourish between him and the love he had thought lost to him.
Her Father's Last Wish By Rose Fairbanks
Two hearts desperately in love divided by her wretched secret, one father's wish to unite them.
The Best Medicine By Elaine Owen
What if Thornton found a way to change Margaret's mind about him earlier in the story? Could helping Margaret's friend Bessy be the way to winning Margaret's heart? This is a short story with more than one happy ever after for more than one beloved character!
Cinders and Smoke By Don Jacobson
That space between the end of the riot and the new dawn where Thornton faces his demons as Higgins confronts him with questions about his humanity and where Margaret uses her compassion to bring the two sides together.
Mischances By Nicole Clarkston
When the wrong person discovers Margaret in a compromising position, she is forced to decide who she really wants and just how much she can trust the one man who can help her.
Alternate Endings
Looking to the Future By Nancy Klein
Starting from Margaret's return to London from her trip with Mr. Bell to Helstone, this story contemplates events solely from Margaret's point of view. Margaret rues her treatment of Mr. Thornton, and wonders if she will ever have a chance to set things to right.
Once Again By Trudy Brasure
A deeper look at Thornton’s emotional journey from despair to bliss as he arrives in London to sign the papers to give up the mill.
Tales of North & South
Book Blurb:
Amidst the turbulent backdrop of a manufacturing town in the grips of the Industrial Revolution, Elizabeth Gaskell penned the timeless passion of Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale. A mixing of contemporary and Victorian, this short story anthology by twelve beloved authors considers familiar scenes from new points of view or re-imagined entirely. Capturing all the poignancy, heartbreak, and romance of the original tale, Falling for Mr. Thornton is a collection you will treasure again and again.
Stories by: Trudy Brasure * Nicole Clarkston * Julia Daniels * Rose Fairbanks * Don Jacobson * Evy Journey * Nancy Klein * M. Liza Marte * Elaine Owen * Damaris Osborne * Melanie Stanford ** Foreword by Mimi Matthews **
Modern
On the Island By Melanie Stanford
Travel blogger Meg Hale doesn’t want to return to John Thornton’s resort. After all, another visit won’t change her bad review.
But the resort has changed—and so has John.
The more time Meg spends on the island, the more she realizes she may have made a mistake. A mistake that could cost John the resort, and Meg her heart.
Time Slips
Passages in Time By Kate Forrester
Set just before Margaret arrives in Milton. Mr Thornton dies in a devastating fire at Marlborough Mill - or does he?
The First Day of Spring By M Liza Marte
Spring this year will bring daffodils, singing birds, and the love of a lifetime.
Humorous
Loose Leaves from Milton By Damaris Osborne
A spoof of North & South with a strong twist of tea, the British favoured beverage, and sprang from John Thornton being known as 'JT' in so many forum threads. J Tea was an obvious progression, and the story follows the television adaptation, loose-leafly, as his love for the haughty Miss Hale with the porcelain tea cup complexion, who looks down upon him upwards, brews until he has to pour out his love, unstrained.
Continuation Reeducating Mr Thornton By Evy Journey
When Mr. Thornton and Margaret arrived in Cadiz for a month’s visit with her brother and his new wife, he did not care much about the strange city. Nor did he have great expectations of what Cadiz could offer a visitor like him. But later, what he finds there and who he encounters change his outlook forever.
Variations
Mistakes and Remedies By Julia Daniels
When John Thornton’s sister goes missing, he seeks help from the one woman he can trust—the one who still holds his heart. Saving Fanny is all he hopes for, until a tender friendship begins to flourish between him and the love he had thought lost to him.
Her Father's Last Wish By Rose Fairbanks
Two hearts desperately in love divided by her wretched secret, one father's wish to unite them.
The Best Medicine By Elaine Owen
What if Thornton found a way to change Margaret's mind about him earlier in the story? Could helping Margaret's friend Bessy be the way to winning Margaret's heart? This is a short story with more than one happy ever after for more than one beloved character!
Cinders and Smoke By Don Jacobson
That space between the end of the riot and the new dawn where Thornton faces his demons as Higgins confronts him with questions about his humanity and where Margaret uses her compassion to bring the two sides together.
Mischances By Nicole Clarkston
When the wrong person discovers Margaret in a compromising position, she is forced to decide who she really wants and just how much she can trust the one man who can help her.
Alternate Endings
Looking to the Future By Nancy Klein
Starting from Margaret's return to London from her trip with Mr. Bell to Helstone, this story contemplates events solely from Margaret's point of view. Margaret rues her treatment of Mr. Thornton, and wonders if she will ever have a chance to set things to right.
Once Again By Trudy Brasure
A deeper look at Thornton’s emotional journey from despair to bliss as he arrives in London to sign the papers to give up the mill.
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About the Authors
Damaris Osborne is an English author and lover of North & South, whose novella 'North & Spoof' is available from Amazon, and who is the author of a 12thC murder mystery series under another pseudonym. She says spoofing is her outlet for her 'silly streak', and her literary heroes are Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Georgette Heyer and Terry Pratchett. Damaris Osborne’s other books include: North & Spoof
Don turned his passion for reading The Canon into writing #Austenesque Fiction. He has published eleven works in the genre since late 2015. As a member of The Austen Authors Collective, Don joins (and he is modestly bowing his head to admit that he is the knave in this deck of Queens and Kings) other Janeites who seek to extend the Mistress' stories beyond the endings she so carefully crafted.
Don Jacobson’s books include: Miss Bennet's First Christmas, The Bennet Wardrobe: Origins, The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary Journey, Henry Fitzwilliam's War, The Exile (Pt. 1): Kitty Bennet and the Belle Époque, Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess, The Exile (pt. 2): The Countess Visits Longbourn, The Avenger: Thomas Bennet and a Father's Lament, The Pilgrim: Lydia Bennet and a Soldier's Portion), Lessers and Betters Stories, Of Fortune's Reversal, The Maid and The Footman
Elaine Owen was born in Seattle, Washington and was a precocious reader from a young age. She read Pride and Prejudice for the first time in ninth grade, causing speechless delight for her English teacher when she used it for an oral book report. She practiced writing in various forms throughout her teen years, writing stories with her friends and being chief editor of the high school yearbook. She moved to Delaware when she married. In 1996 she won a one year contract to write guest editorials in the Sunday edition of The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, and she continued her writing habit in political discussion groups and occasional forays into fiction.
In 2014 she began to write Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and decided to publish her works herself to see if she might possibly sell a few copies. Thousands of books later, the results have been beyond her wildest hopes, and she plans to continue writing fiction for the foreseeable future.
When she's not writing her next great novel, Elaine relaxes by working full time, raising two children, volunteering in her church, and practicing martial arts. She can be contacted at elaineowen@writeme.com.
Elaine Owen’s other books include: Common Ground, Duty Demands, Mr. Darcy’s Persistent Pursuit, One False Step, Love’s Fool, and An Unexpected Turn of Events
Evy Journey, SPR (Self Publishing Review) Independent Woman Author awardee, writes Women's Fiction, an amorphous category of stories written mostly for women, from a woman's point of view, as varied as that is. They can be romance, chick lit, or literary. Evy has a Ph.D. in psychology so her particular brand of women's fiction spins tales about well-drawn characters as they cope with the problems and issues of contemporary life. These stories explore the many faces of love, loss, second chances, and finding one's way. Often, they're laced with a twist of mystery or intrigue.
She's also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse who wishes she lived in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has lived in Paris a few times as a transient.
Evy’s other books include: Margaret of the North, Hello, My Love, Hello, Agnieszka, Welcome Reluctant Stranger, Brief Encounters, and Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies.
Julia Daniels loves to write happily ever after stories that warm the heart and make the reader satisfied. From rural and farm romance to historical western romance and even romantic mystery novels, Julia can spin a tale that ends in a happy romance. Her characters come to life on the pages, drawing the reader into the love story, making them want to stick around and see what happens. Julia lives in Nebraska with her husband and two kids. In addition to writing, she designs counted cross-stitch patterns, sews, gardens and cares for an odd menagerie of animals, including chickens and goats.
Julia Daniels’ other books include: Milton’s Mill Master, Master of her Heart, Choices of the Heart, The Earl Next Door, Duchess on the Run, and Saved by a Cowboy
Kate Forrester lives in Shropshire, one of the most beautiful counties in Britain, with her family and other animals. She has worked as a nurse in the NHS for thirty years. About five years ago she stumbled across the c19 forum and was bitten by the writing bug. Since then she has written two novels Weathering the Storm and Degrees of Silence and is about to publish her third a Nightingale Sang.
Kate Forrester’s other books include: A Nightingale Sang, Degrees of Silence, In the Shadow of the Games, The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing, and Weathering the Storm
M. Liza Marte lives in Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco in northern California. She currently works in an Accounting corporation. She has written 16 books, four of which have been self-published and can be found on Amazon.
M. Liza Marte’s other books include: The Whistle Echoes, A Drop of Red, Above the Roars, and More than Words
Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook
Melanie Stanford reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing, and always daydreaming. She would also like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her husband, four kids, and ridiculous amounts of snow.
Melanie Stanford’s other books include: Sway, Collide, Clash, Then Comes Winter (Anthology) and The Darcy Monologues (Anthology)
Nancy Klein: I have been writing fiction for quite a few years now, and surprise! I find I love it. I owe a huge debt of thanks to Trudy for reading what I write and offering incredibly helpful insights (and wonderful friendship). I am a writer and editor by trade, so I enjoy beta reading for other writers. Besides playing in Milton and Nottingham, I enjoy finding treasures at yard sales and auctions, running/hiking and race walking, working with dog rescue, listening to NPR (especially This American Life and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me), travelling, singing Broadway scores, reading, drinking good wine, and hearing a good joke.
Nancy Klein’s other book is How Far the World Will Bend
Nicole Clarkston is a book lover and a happily married mom of three. Originally from Idaho, she now lives in Oregon with her own romantic hero, several horses, and one very fat dog. She has loved crafting alternate stories and sequels since she was a child, and she is never found sitting quietly without a book or a writing project.
Nicole Clarkston’s books include No Such Thing as Luck, Northern Rain, Nowhere but North, Rumours and Recklessness, The Courtship of Edward Gardiner, These Dreams, London Holiday, Nefarious, and Rational Creatures (Anthology).
Born in the wrong era, Rose Fairbanks has read nineteenth-century novels since childhood. Although she studied history, her transcript also contains every course in which she could discuss Jane Austen. Never having given up all-nighters for reading, Rose discovered her love for Historical Romance after reading Christi Caldwell's Heart of a Duke Series.
After a financial downturn and her husband's unemployment had threatened her ability to stay at home with their special needs child, Rose began writing the kinds of stories she had loved to read for so many years. Now, a best-selling author of Jane Austen-inspired stories, she also writes Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Fantasy.
Having completed a BA in history in 2008, she plans to finish her master's studies someday. When not reading or writing, Rose runs after her two young children, ignores housework, and profusely thanks her husband for doing all the dishes and laundry. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and Romance Writers of America.
Rose Fairbanks’ books include: The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter, Letters from the Heart, Undone Business, No Cause to Repine, Love Lasts Longest, Mr. Darcy’s Kindness, Once Upon a December, Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn, How Darcy Saved Christmas, Sufficient Encouragement, Renewed Hope, Extraordinary Devotion, Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride, The Secrets of Pemberley, Pledged, Reunited, Treasured, and A Sense of Obligation
Trudy Brasure’s curiosity about life in past times and her fascination with the Victorian Era have been part of her since she was a small girl considering the ruins of her grandfather's barn in rural Pennsylvania.
She began her own personal romance story with a whirlwind courtship. Her married life started in a picturesque colonial town on the coast of Massachusetts. With the addition of three children and several dogs, she currently lives in California.
As a hopeless romantic and a fervent enthusiast for humanity's progress, she loves almost nothing more than to engage in discussion about North and South.
Trudy Brasure’s books include A Heart for Milton and In Consequence
Blog Tour Schedule:
14/11/2019 More Agreeably Engaged; Blog Tour Launch & Giveaway
19/11/2019 My Jane Austen Book Club; Author Interview & Giveaway
21/11/2019 From Pemberley to Milton; Review & Giveaway
25/11/2019 So Little Time…; Guest Post & Giveaway
05/12/2019 My Vices and Weaknesses; Review & Giveaway
10/12/2019 Diary of an Eccentric; Guest Post & Giveaway
16/12/2019 Babblings of a Bookworm; Review & Giveaway
* * * GIVEAWAY * * *
It's giveaway time! The authors will offer one big prize to one reader following the entire blog tour. This prize will contain 13 different ebooks, one copy of Falling For Mr. Thornton and one other ebook from each author. Enter through the Rafflecopter below!
Bonus! Two of my lucky readers will win a bookmark of Falling For Mr. Thornton! To win a bookmark, please leave a comment below. I will announce the winners of the bookmarks in the comments shortly after the blog tour is over.
Many thanks to Rita of From Pemberley to Milton for organizing and including me in this blog tour!
Congratulations to all the authors on the release of Falling For Mr. Thorton!
Good luck!
Many thanks to Rita of From Pemberley to Milton for organizing and including me in this blog tour!
Congratulations to all the authors on the release of Falling For Mr. Thorton!
