Hello, friends! I have the pleasure of introducing you to Hunter Quinn today, who is celebrating the release of her new Pride and Prejudice variation, The Predisposition of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Hunter is here to talk a little about the book and share an excerpt. Please give her a warm welcome!
Thank you, Anna, for hosting me! I am so excited to be here. đ
I am at the halfway point of my blog tour, and I wanted to take this opportunity to give a little context to the how, why, when and what of my debut novelâThe Predisposition of Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Youâll currently find me in the same position I adopted and found to be the most favorable way to write: my ginger tomcat purring away on my feet, a pot of tea steeping beside me, and chocolate biscuits nearby.
As a teen I discovered the allure of Mr. Darcy. When all my friends were âcrushingâ over pop stars and reading girly magazines, I was in love with Mr. Darcy and Colonel Brandonâalways carrying around my worn copies of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility (my staunch favorites and faithful companions). It didnât take long for me to read everything written by Jane Austen and then become obsessed with the Georgian & Regency eras with a view towards writing my own. I was forever jotting down ideas but never finding the time to commit to writing and exploring a narrative.
During Christmas of 2019, my family and I were sitting and watching the BBC 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (a family tradition). I had joked, âIf it were me, I probably would not have read his letter!â
And right there I became inspired to finally start writing. There were so many possible consequences to Elizabethâs not receiving Mr. Darcyâs letter that I lost hours tapping away at my keyboard. And what if Lydia should still run off with Wickham? Would she then blame Mr. Darcy for Wickhamâs life and character turning out badly?
There were many, many versions, and I kept changing my mind on certain things; however, both the beginning and end of my book did not change from my first imaginings. I actually wrote the ending first and worked backwards.
I hadnât thought I would ever be published, but I did want to share my work. At some point, I discovered fan-fiction sites and shared a few chapters, and the response I got was overwhelming, filling me with the confidence to actually give in to my ambitions and just go for it! And after a yearâs supply of tea and biscuits were consumed, I finished my first novel!
Now on to the good stuff! I have another excerpt to share with you. đ In this next passage, we learn of new contributing factors that have impelled Elizabeth to Darcyâs door at such an improper hourâŠ
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this next installment.
âIs this absolutely certain?â asked Darcy after she had finished recounting the tale.
Elizabeth nodded jerkily. âYes, sir. It has been confirmed by Colonel Forster and his wife. With your consent, I would like to return with my uncle Gardiner to discuss this more fully and, hopefully, with your guidanceââ
Darcy interrupted with a frown. âWhy would you accompany your uncle?â
âI do not understand.â
âIs not Mr Bennet trying to recover Miss Lydia?â
âM-my fatherâŠâ Elizabeth took a deep breath before continuing. âOnly a few hours ago, my father suffered a health crisis involving his heart.â
Mr Darcy released a curse under his breath and ran his fingers roughly through his hair. I have treated her abominably, he thought as he looked at her tear-rimmed eyes.
âI am so sorry, Miss Elizabeth. What is his prognosis?â He felt genuine concern for her and her family although she likely thought him incapable of such sentiments.
âI am not sure. IâŠthe doctor prescribed rest but said his heart is in a weakened state.â
His sincerity and kindness seemed to catch her off guard. Burying her face in her hands, Elizabeth wept quietly.
Darcy felt completely helpless. All the anger he had harboured against her disappeared in an instant, and his fury now shifted to Wickham for causing her this pain. She looked so small and fragile as she swiped at her tears. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, comfort her, and offer sympathy, for he knew first-hand the pain that came with a parentâs uncertain prognosis.
He knew then that he would help her. He would make this right. He would bring that sparkle back into her eyesâthe same eyes that had captured him and haunted his dreams for so many months. He suddenly felt as if all the breath had been knocked out of him. How could it be that, after the torment he had borne for so long, he still wanted her? Lord, help me.
âI shall see your uncle later todayâthis afternoon if that is agreeable?â Darcy leaned towards her and moved to clasp her hands within his own, but then he thought better of it and quickly pulled back before she could perceive the awkward gesture.
She looked up with tear-stained eyes and said in disbelief, âSir, IâŠIâŠbutâŠtruly?â
âYes. Would it be acceptable for me to see Mr Gardiner at his home? I shall be out for most of the morning, attending to some business, but I should be able to call early in the afternoon.â
âThat would be most agreeable, Mr Darcy. Thank you.â She looked up at him in astonishment andâwas that hope? He could see that she was valiantly trying to compose herself. Needing to be of use, he fetched her a glass of water.
âPleaseâŠI shall do what I can to help any family that has fallen victim to Mr Wickham,â he said as she took a few sips from the glass he placed in her hands. She looked at him again and bit her lower lip. That gesture was so endearing, and at that moment he knew he was in danger of taking her into his arms and never letting her go. Before he completely lost control, he stood and rang for his butler.
âJarvis will see you out, Miss Elizabeth. Good day,â he said with a small bow.
He needed to sober up and gain some distance from Elizabeth so he could think clearly about finding Wickham. It seemed as if this disease of a man was determined to plague him for the rest of his days!
***
It took Elizabeth a moment to register his words of dismissal. Shakily rising to her feet, she placed her glass on a side table and self-consciously smoothed her skirt before walking to the door. She felt dejected and troubled by this abrupt parting. Mr Darcy had changed so suddenly, once again becoming inscrutable and emotionless, as if this were a mere business transaction. Indeed, what else was there to say? His shifting moods unsettled her, but she had achieved her goal: he had agreed to help them.
Elizabeth, who had been awake now for almost twenty-four hours, wished she could just snap her fingers and find herself ensconced in her bed. Once she had slept, she was sure to feel much better andâ
âMiss Elizabeth,â Mr Darcy said, cutting through her foggy thoughts. She turned sharply, and her nose collided directly with the solid wall of his chest.
Elizabeth let out a small cry, and at the same time, Mr Darcyâs hands grasped her shoulders so she would not fall. She looked up at first in confusion, but then she saw a look of horror spread across his features.
About The Predisposition of Miss Elizabeth Bennet
An insulting proposal without an explanatory letterâŠhow can they possibly reconcile?
When her sister Lydia elopes without a trace, Elizabeth Bennet must put aside her predisposition against Mr. Darcyâthe man whose hand she refused months earlierâand plead for his assistance in locating the wayward couple. As a result, they face daunting hurdles with help from well-loved friends and interference from old rivals. Will their struggles result in permanent estrangement or a love match?
Buy on Amazon U.S. | Amazon U.K.
About the Author
Hunter Quinn is a British writer, residing in the southwest of England. She is an avid reader, no doubt due to the influence of her mother, an English classicsâ professor and lecturer.
Having grown up a stoneâs throw from Bath and always surrounded by the words of literary greats, Hunter first discovered Jane Austen at a young age. But it was the ubiquitous scene where Mr. Darcyâportrayed by Colin Firth (a moment of silence and applause)âfirst emerged from the lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that cemented her love for Jane Austen and the regency romance genre of spirited damsels, dashing gentleman, and glittering ballrooms. Afterwards, Hunter walked through life daydreaming and writing âwhat ifâ scenarios between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy but never had the courage to share them. Once the lockdown went into effect, Hunter took the plunge and began sharing her first novel on well-known JAFF sites. The praise and interest of readers gave her the confidence to submit The Predisposition of Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Meryton Press PublishingâŠand the rest is history!
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Giveaway
Meryton Press is generously offering an ebook copy of The Predisposition of Miss Elizabeth Bennet to one lucky reader, open internationally. To enter, please leave a comment with your email address. This giveaway will be open through Sunday, April 25, 2021. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced in the comments section of this post. Good luck!
Thank you, Hunter, for being my guest today, and congratulations on your new book!
Diary of an Eccentric 