I'm pleased to allow Elizabeth Gilliland to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. Elizabeth is the editor and one of the authors contributing to the anthology CRIME AND CULPABILITY that was released earlier this month.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if some of your favorite characters from different books were put into the same room and had to have a conversation with each other?
That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to write my cozy mystery series, The Austen University Mysteries, featuring many of the characters from Jane Austen’s novels, put together in one modern-day university setting, with a healthy dash of mystery added in.
Yes, I love seeing how Catherine Morland might go about solving a murder (if she were obsessed with murder podcasts instead of Gothic novels) or how Emma Woodhouse might react if she were accused of a crime. I really enjoyed figuring out what might make Darcy confess to a crime that he might not have committed.
But the parts of the story I almost always enjoy the most is when two characters who wouldn’t otherwise meet (since they, you know, belong to separate novels) are suddenly forced to interact with each other. Who will get along? Who will loathe each other at first sight?
In The One Vs. The Many: Minor Characters and the Space of the Protagonist in the Novel, Alex Woloch talks about how minor characters are only minor because they’ve been edged out of the novel by the space taken up by the protagonist. If we were to give them more attention, we might discover all kinds of hidden lives and details that are never hinted at in the narrative, simply because there isn’t room for them to be as three-dimensional as the main character.
I’m not the first one to explore this idea in fiction, of course. There are so many novels written about Austen’s minor characters, and even other series like mine where the characters cross over into each other’s stories. The 2015 BBC series Dickensian features characters from Dickens’s universe overlapping with each other, and the YouTube series Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party features characters and authors across time interacting with each other. (That one is really fun! I highly recommend.)
Even though I wasn’t the first to have this idea, I knew it was going to be an integral part of my series. I love “straight” adaptations of classic texts as much as anyone, but I thought there might be more for me to say by mixing up the plot lines and characters. How much of our behavior depends on who we’re interacting with? How might characters behave differently depending on who they’re juxtaposed with in the story? How do things change when minor characters get to step into the spotlight? How might they surprise us?
For my short story for the Jane Austen mystery anthology, Crime & Culpability, I decided to throw together a rather unlikely pairing from Austen’s novels: Walter Eliot from PERSUASION and Lady Susan from LADY SUSAN. In some ways, these characters have a lot in common—they’re both vain social climbers who have some major main character syndrome. But they have one very key difference—one is an incompetent nincompoop, and the other one is Lady Susan.
Poor Walter. He has no idea what’s coming for him…
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To see how Walter’s and Susan’s story turns out, check out my short story, “The Beginning and the End,” in Crime and Culpability: A Jane Austen Mystery Anthology, available in ebook, paperback, and on Kindle Unlimited.
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Review
CRIME & CULPABILITY: A JANE AUSTEN MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY
Edited by Elizabeth Gilliland Rands
CRIME & CULPABILITY is an anthology of seven short stories inspired by the works of Jane Austen. Some are set in the time period in which she wrote, others brought into the modern world. The informative forward and introduction illustrate the myriad ways authors and filmmakers have used Jane Austen's work, either as adaptations or a jumping point to an original story, showing the timelessness of the originals.
Readers don't have to know anything about Jane Austen or her characters to appreciate the stories here, however, a basic knowledge of her works will increase your enjoyment. The main issue I had was that more than one story ended without a proper resolution. Though not necessarily a cliffhanger, there were too many loose ends. One author actually acknowledged that fact and apologized for leaving her short as she did. Fortunately, she plans on writing another piece addressing these unanswered questions.
My favorite stories included Order and Disorder, partially due to my knowledge of the characters, Death at the Races, a fun story with a tinge of romance, and the atmospheric Shadows at Northanger, despite my unanswered questions.
CRIME & CULPABILITY: A JANE AUSTEN MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY is a delightful set of short stories that proves once again the influence and permanence of wonderful characters written over two hundred years ago.
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Crime & Culpability: A Jane Austen Mystery Anthology
by Regina Jeffers, Riana Everly, Jeanette Watts, Michael Rands, Linne Elizabeth, Emma Dalgety, and Elizabeth Gilliland
About Crime & Culpability
"No one can withstand the charm of such a mystery." - Jane Austen, Persuasion
Jane Austen mysteries have become a popular subgenre of Austen variations, but this is more than just a trend. Austen was a masterful storyteller who embedded clues within her stories for her readers to follow, inviting readers to read between the lines and "gather the evidence" to follow her intricate plotlines.
In this anthology, various authors who are also fans and admirers of Austen's work have taken the challenge to add some mystery to Austen's stories and characters. From Regency sequels to film noir retellings to cozy art heists, Crime and
Culpability: A Jane Austen Mystery Anthology explores the many faces of Austen and all of her
enigmas.
Featuring stories by Regina Jeffers, Riana Everly, Jeanette Watts, Michael Rands, Linne Elizabeth, Emma Dalgety, and Elizabeth Gilliland, with a foreword by Regina Jeffers and an introduction by Elizabeth Gilliland Rands.
About the Authors
Elizabeth Gilliland: Elizabeth Gilliland is the author of the Austen University Mysteries series, including What Happened on Box Hill, The Portraits of Pemberley, and two prequel novellas, Dear Prudent Elinor and Sly Jane Fairfax. (Look out for book three sometime next year!) She has written and presented at various academic confer‐ ences on Jane Austen and wrote her dissertation on Jane Austen adaptations, dedicating herself to watch the lake dive scene as many times as necessary for scholarly pursuit. She also writes Gothic horror as E. Gilliland and romance as Lissa Sharpe, and she is the co-founder of Bayou Wolf Press.
Author Links
Website: www.bayouwolfpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/egilliland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= 100094046020056
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/ 21986541.Elizabeth_Gilliland
Blog: https://lissag7.medium.com/
Newsletter: Signup form at https://www.bayouwolfpress.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09L HV8VKV?ingress=0&visitId=00a42e2f-c711-4615-a050- 9d2250f9f124&ref_=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1
Website - https://www.bayouwolfpress.com/
Twitter - https://x.com/BayouWolf3
Regina Jeffers - Regina Jeffers writes books about corsets, rakes, daring heroines, dashing heroes and all aspects of the Georgian/Regency era. She is an award winning author of cozy mysteries, historical romantic suspense, and Austenesque vagaries. Jeffers has been a Smithsonian presenter and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, as well as having her tales honored by, among others, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, the Frank Yerby Award for Fiction, the International Digital Awards, and the Chanticleer International Book Award.
Author Links:
Every Woman Dreams (Blog) https://reginajeffers. wordpress.com
Always Austen (Group Blog) https://alwaysausten.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Regina-Jeffers-AuthorPage-141407102548455/?fref=ts
Twitter https://twitter.com/reginajeffers
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Regina-Jeffers/ e/B008G0UI0I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1479079637&sr=8-1
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jeffers0306/
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/regina-jeffers
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/darcy4ever/
You Tube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= vzgjdUigkkU
Regina Jeffers Website https://rjefferscom.wordpress.com/
Riana Everly: Riana Everly is an award-winning Canadian author of Austenesque fiction, both Regency and contemporary. Her historical mystery series, Miss Mary Investigates, has quickly become a favourite of Jane Austen fans and cosy mystery fans alike. Trained as a classical musician, she also has advanced degrees in Medieval Studies, and pretended to be an academic before discovering that fiction doesn’t need footnotes. She loves travelling, cooking her way around the world, playing with photography, and discussing obscure details with her husband and children. Possibly in Latin. She can be found in the usual places and loves connecting with readers, so please give her a shout!
Author Links:
Newsletter: https://form.jotform.com/80367829232259
Website: rianaeverly.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RianaEverly
Instagram: instagram.com/RianaEverly
Amazon: amazon.com/Riana-Everly/e/B076C6HY27
Jeanette Watts: Jeanette Watts is a dance instructor, writer, seamstress, actress, and very, very poor housekeeper. With books on historical fiction, modern romantic comedy, LGBTQ romance, Jane Austen-inspired stories, and she is contemplating writing steamier works, what do all these genres have in common? Jeanette writes about people with a secret. Secrets are fun. Keep up with the various parts of Jeanette's brain at her YouTube Channel, “History is My Playground,” and her webpages, Jeanette‐ Watts.squarespace.com and DancingThruHistory.com.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanettewattsauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeanetteWattsAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanetteAWatts
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-watts3b212228/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UClz5LwyUEhPYhBS6piNpBqQ
Website 1: https://jeanettewatts.squarespace.com/
Website 2: https://www.dancingthruhistory.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967936.
Jeanette_Watts Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/ Jeanette-A-Watts/author/B00ICRA7JC?ref=ap_rdr&isDramInte grated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Michael Rands: Michael Rands is the author of the novels The Chapel St. Perilous and Praise Routine Number Four, co-author of the economic satire The Yamaguchi Manuscripts, and Kamikaze Economics (a story of modern Japan). He’s co-author of the humorous dictionary Stay Away from Mthatha. He co-created the audio drama The Crystal Set and co- hosted the podcast Detours Ahead. In South Africa he worked in television as a writer, director and producer. He taught English in Japan. He holds an MFA from Louisiana State University, and currently teaches English and Creative Writing at the college level. He is the co-founder of Bayou Wolf Press. He lives with his wife, son, and labrador, in Alabama. His new novel, When the Witch Calls, comes out in November 2024.
Author Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.rands.14
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikerands
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelrands/?hl=en
Blog: https://medium.com/@notmikerands
Linné Elizabeth: Linné Elizabeth is an English instructor at Utah Tech University, a freelance content writer, and an award-winning author. When she's not devouring chocolate while nose-deep in a book, you can find her playing in the russet desert of southern Utah with her four incredible - sometimes feral - kids and her handsome husband. Check her out on Instagram: @library4one or on Facebook: @linneelizabeth
Author Links:
Website: https://sites.google.com/asu.edu/ linnemarshportfolio/home
Instagram: @Library4One
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ linneelizabethmarsh/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinneElizabeth
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/linneelizabeth.wordpress.com
Emma Dalgety: Emma Dalgety grew up in Mobile, Alabama. She received a BA in Music and English from the University of Mobile in 2023. As a musi‐ cian and a writer, she has performed violin across the Southeast and internationally, finding creative inspiration and filling notebooks with story fragments throughout her travels. When she isn't writing, she is researching interdisciplinary connections in literature as she works towards an MA in English, or teaching music lessons in her private studio.
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