I have an announcement to make: Project C, the super-secret thing I haven’t really talked about but also asked and expected beta readers to work on? It’s a light Pride and Prejudice retelling with a fantasy spin. But get this: I’ve never read P&P until I decided to dip my toe into the regency scene. And I’m not really sure why it took me this long to return to regency fiction, because my senior seminar in college tackled the comparison of regency-era fiction (as it was once contemporary) to regency fiction written today (namely, comparing Sense and Sensibility with The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer). I did so much research on the topic and then I totally, never, ever, ever wanted to touch it again, because after you spend a year and a half (straight—I took classes through summer between my junior and senior years) staying up until 3AM studying just to wake up at 7AM for work and school, you don’t really want to think about anything surrounding that time period…
Until Pride & Prejudice. I’ve had beta readers tell me they’re surprised this is the first time I’ve ever written a regency novella. And really? That tracks. It’s just that I didn’t connect the dots for the past ten whole years. In college, I was constantly getting docked grades because of "using archaic language.” But in regency fic, that works. So many of the things I love about writing, but things that don’t really mesh with market expectations, can be found in regency fiction…which is what I quickly realized after falling down the rabbit hole of obsession with Seeking Persephone. So it got me thinking about renewal, and what it takes to pivot.
Pride and Prejudice takes readers on a journey of renewal—or rebirth. When you’re slammed with the reality that maybe you aren’t right, or maybe you’ve thought wrong about someone else, or you’ve been a pompous jerk, you’ve got a few choices to make. You can either grow embittered and burrow yourself deeper into that pride, or you can strip yourself of it and grow. Reevaluate where you’ve gone wrong. Sort out what must be done to make amends. Similarly, Seeking Persephone shows when a prideful plan backfires so gloriously it actually works out better in the end—but only after Adam Boyce’s character comes to the realization that he must let Persephone in, but also trust her enough to let her go. (Spoiler alert.) He’s got to let go of his preconceived notions, his expectations, and his own pride that he used to protect himself at one point. (To an extent like Mr. Darcy, but like a traumatized version. Mr. Darcy was spoiled…and I say that as an absolute Darcy fan.) And once that shell is laid bare, what do you do?
Good thing the Lord works best in laid-bare hearts. So if you’re going through a similar circumstance where you’re not sure where to turn and you’ve gotten yourself backed into a corner, take heart that renewal and rebirth is possible. Not only that, but it’s a story that’s been told again and again through the ages; dare I say it’s something everyone has experienced at one point or another. It’s an opportunity to turn for the better.
Now. You want a snippet of Project C? Say less. Have two!
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