A few summers ago, I rewatched the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. I ended up watching it several times, studying how the script had been adapted from the book. With each viewing, I felt more drawn to the character of Anne de Bourgh. She’s much more visible in the miniseries than in the book, where she’s little more than a plot device. In the miniseries, it’s clear that her life trajectory is pretty grim. Seeing that tugged at my inner third wheel. I decided she deserved her own story.

Expectations takes its time frame from First Impressions, which most scholars agree was the original version of Pride and Prejudice that Jane Austen finished around 1799. The timing was perfect for a real event in history that made the story in Expectations possible.

I do both. While I’m in the research phase, I daydream and let the story ideas flow. Then I write down the ideas and put the notes in sequence. With Expectations, as with most of my writing, I had the bones of the plot before I sat down to write the first draft, but there were many sections I had to fill in as I went. I believe strongly in the magic of writing, but I also believe in the power of editing. The first draft is about getting ideas onto the page. The next eight (or more) drafts are about cleaning it up, filling in the missing details, and making it as close to perfect as possible. So I alternate between pantsing and plotting.

Quite a few. I originally thought Harriet would be a completely different character and not particularly important. And I sure as heck didn’t see coming what happened in Chapter Forty-Seven. I was dumbfounded when Lady Catherine did that!

Yes. In fact, two scenes were inspired by music from my writing playlist. The music depends on the story. This playlist was mostly lots of John Playford and other English country dance tunes. If you want to hear the music that set the characters to dancing on the ship, it's The Queen's Jigg from the album English Country Dances. You can find it here if you have Apple Music: https://www.amazon.com/The-Queens-Jigg/dp/B00C41RN9O/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GLUMK39PJ0X8&keywords=the+queen%27s+jigg&qid=1640585181&s=dmusic&sprefix=the+queen%27s+jigg%2Cdigital-music%2C104&sr=1-1
You can hear a short sample for free via iTunes if you search for the album.

By far the easiest character to write was Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I don’t know what that says about me. I also had great fun writing Harriet’s dialogue. She’s a hoot, full of surprises, and her voice was as clear as a bell from the first time she spoke.

To ground my novel in the real world of early Nineteenth Century England, I learned as much as I could about the time and culture. Even though I knew I could never rise to the level of Jane Austen’s style, I did my best to imitate her tone. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of my research was listening to an excellent Pride and Prejudice audiobook over and over until I learned the rhythm of her language and “verdure” and “rencontre” became part of my own vocabulary. As for the plot, my philosophy about basing a story on someone else’s work is to respect the characters and the original author. How might he or she have continued the story? If you want to play around with the elements to the point where they bear no resemblance to—or even subvert—the original, perhaps you should write something else. That much creativity deserves its own story.

I really appreciated her sense of structure and economy of style. Everything is there for a reason. Consider the comparatively lengthy exchange in Chapter Ten of Pride and Prejudice when, during a social evening at Netherfield, Elizabeth and Darcy debate the merits or flaws of Bingley’s impetuosity by discussing if he would leave or stay simply based on the suggestion of a friend. At the first reading, it seems like little more than charming banter. But it foreshadows what happens in Chapter Twenty-One, and the way it all plays out reveals that Darcy doesn’t know himself as well as he thinks he does. The author doesn’t hit you over the head with that, but it’s there for the attentive reader.

Beyond whatever resonates within each individual reader, I guess it would be that even the quietest people have their own stories, and you may be surprised by the treasures you have hidden inside yourself.