Comments

From Lambton to Longbourn, retitled, revised and re-begun — an excerpt — 15 Comments

  1. I love how your writings don’t drop my imagination our of period or character. Very enjoyable. TY for posting!

  2. I love it! I understnad how you might need to give more of a background. I love the premise, it is so logical and fitting. I find it the most natural occurrence for Elizabeth to thank Darcy for his kindness and hospitality and for Darcy in return to request that she correspond with Georgiana.

    If I remember correctly, From Lambton to Longbourn is the briefest one of your variations. Does this mean there are more new passages in the republished version?

    *Not too crazy about the title, I like yours better. Do they think we won’t find these books unless they have the word Darcy in them?

  3. I love it! I read this a long time ago and will repurchase it if contains new additions. That also goes for your other books, so keep in mind you’ll have a ready audience for mass market with reworked and additional content. Thank you for posting this.

  4. FLTL is the shortest variation at about 57K words. I’d like to expand it a bit because that’s really quite a short book, though my editor says it’s okay as is. I have get some ideas for scenes, though. FLTL doesn’t have much in the way of a plot to start out with, and way too much kissing – the result of serialization.

    @Meredith – Yes, they think nobody will buy the books unless they have Darcy in the title, and apparently sales seem to bear them out. I’m not keen on it because P&P is so much more than just Darcy.

    @Leslie – I don’t know if there will be more mass market books. The next couple to come out are scheduled for trade paper. I hope so, though, because I like buying mass market myself. At the moment I’m mostly hoping that Sourcebooks will buy the new Pemberley Variation, since they turned down Morning Light.

  5. I loved it the first, second and third times I read the first version, and I love this a rendition. I can’t wait for more. I think I reread your variations as often as I reread Jane.

  6. The new intro is quite nice – but I kind of liked how the old one just jumped right in – kind of like we all knew the secret handshake that got the story going.

    I have a question tho: what do you mean above when you say that it had too much kissing due to serialization?

  7. @Annemarie: I originally wrote FLTL on a lark back in 2001. It was my first story, and I posted each chapter online as soon as I’d finished it. My readers seemed to expect a romantic scene each time and so I wrote one in each chapter. It worked fine when you read one chapter per week, but when I finally read the entire story from start to finish, I realized that it felt like Darcy and Elizabeth were always kissing. It got old. It seemed overwrought and hyperbolic. There wasn’t a sense of pacing, of rising tension to keep you turning the pages.

    With more experience and knowledge, I would have written it differently. But my readers liked it just the way it was, and when I thought about re-writing it, everybody said not to change one word, so I didn’t. Actually, about a year later I quietly changed exactly three words in the posted version to correct a historical error, and I got several emails from readers who had noticed, so I guess they meant what they said!

    I know what you mean about the secret handshake. I liked that, too. Unfortunately it confused some readers who had only seen the 2005 movie of P&P and not read the book. If I made the rules, everybody would have to read P&P!

    @Ruth – Thanks! I’m very complimented to know that you find my books worth re-reading.

  8. This is my favorite book of yours! I reread this every now and then. I’m looking forward to getting the republished version to see what additions you’ve added to it! I’m keeping my original version though!

    Love your writing! I just reread “Intermezzo” today, great story! Please keep writing!!

  9. Thanks Abigail for this except.
    Congratulations !.The change of scene when Elizabeth receives the letters is I dare say even better than the original, which is a huge achievement.
    No matther how you change the original story you have the latent to transmit the Darcy and Lizzy essence.
    Sometimes I read P&P fanfiction and they could be anyone.
    Thanks for keeping JA alive trough your stories.
    Can’t wait to read the upcoming two books.

    María.

  10. Absolutely…. Love it…. Wondering if it will be longer with the new revisions.. My favorite book so far waiting for your new one to come out in Oct 2010.

  11. Dear Abigail, I do not think anybody is able to delve in this incredible world of yours having watched only the 2005 movie! I don’t think these explanations in the beginning will be helpful for them! They will hardly create the same agitation as compared to with the impatience of those who know P&P almost by heart and would really like to jump in (as one of the previous comments said) to the point, which their mind enjoys remembering again and again. For me, the more unprepared and unexpected the beginning is, the better. Thank you again for your work and the emotions you create in us.

  12. I have read P & P several times over and this looks like a very interesting read. I have bookmarked this post and will wait to buy a copy in 2011. Keep up the good work. Glad that I was able to learn about this blog.

  13. I lately came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first remark. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Respectable blog. I will keep visiting this blog very frequently.

  14. I loved the story, and I am looking forward to the new release of this book, as I am wasn’t able to get a copy of From Lambton to Longbourn may wait until the book is released again.

  15. Love the new beginning to the book! I have a copy of FLTL and do NOT think there was too much kissing at all. As a matter of fact, I think it would be great if you added a little more to the wedding night scene in chapter 13 before going onto the reflections about it the next morning. Having said that, it’s one of my favorites of your work and I’ve read them all except for “Morning Light” which I am eagerly anticipating. When will it be available?

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