Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Debut Author J Dawn King

Joy King has been a frequent visitor and supporter of my blog. I have enjoyed reading her comments on the various posts, but today I welcome her as my guest. She lives in Ecuador but is originally from Oregon. She is also having a giveaway of her book, A Father's Sins, which I will be reviewing in a few days. It is with pleasure that I introduce to you, debut author J Dawn King. I hope you will enjoy getting to know her as much as I have.

My life has always been filled with a variety of activities. I loved to read, but had little time for it. Two years ago I became very, very ill. Being confined to my bed was a challenge because I had always been a go-getter. However, this turned out to be a blessing. It was then that I read Jane Austen’s books for the first time. Pride and Prejudice was my favorite. I could not get enough.

What started me on the path to writing A Father’s Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation was The Journey, by Jan Hahn. That one book was my life changer. I read it four times back-to-back and could not quit thinking about it when I would put it down. That single story started me pondering over alternate paths for Darcy and Elizabeth. It also motivated me to read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice again.

A Father’s Sins delves into the consequences that decisions made by unthinking parents can have on their innocent children. Portions of Jane Austen’s original story played a huge factor in my setting. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s father showing favor to George Wickham at the expense of his own young son and heir played to Darcy’s shyness and social reticence. Elizabeth Bennet’s father not taking charge of Lydia and not caring properly for his estate to ensure a good future for his daughters affected everyone in his household. It created a sometimes hysterical, nervous mother and put pressure on the daughters to marry well to provide for sisters where their father had not.

From the first, I imagined Elizabeth loving adventure and Darcy loving Elizabeth right away. It frustrated me, in the original, that Darcy and Elizabeth would have reached their happily ever after sooner if they communicated. However, that would have not fit with the rest of Jane Austen’s story. The freedom to tell their     story my way was just too tempting to pass up.

The conduct and attitude of Mr. Bennet also impacted Jane and Bingley. In the original, the two were close to the same age but each lived a very different life. Charles Bingley was easily persuaded, both by his sisters and Mr. Darcy. He had not worked for his income and his only real accomplishments were the ability to make close friends and the finishing of his education. Jane Bennet, as the eldest child with a flighty mother, would have had much responsibility around the home. She also had the pressure to marry well. It was easy to see why she was attracted to Bingley. But, I wondered how a young woman whose father refused to make good decisions to benefit her family would feel after marriage to a young man who had no track record in standing up for himself to his sisters.

Thus, book two, entitled Mr. Bingley: A Pride and Prejudice Variation. It will build on those issues as Bingley does without Darcy’s guidance and influence for the first time in his adult life. I hope to have it done and in print by mid-summer. Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet are as loved by me as Darcy and Elizabeth and I long for them to have a wonderful ending. It will be a stand-alone story.

My plan for book three, Colonel Fitzwilliam: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, is to have the gentleman fall immediately and passionately in love with George Wickham’s sister, Constance. (Constance was briefly introduced in A Father’s Sins). She blames Colonel Fitzwilliam for her brother’s being separated from her family and loathes him with every fiber of her being. Their story will be filled with misunderstandings, disputes, and heated passions. However, it will be PG rated and will be a stand alone story.

I am currently having A Father’s Sins translated into Spanish. Definitely one of the many benefits of living in South America.

I think I had better quit typing here and get busy finishing book two. Bingley is calling…..

About the Author:

First time author Joy Dawn King fell in love with Jane Austen’s writings two years ago and discovered the world of fan fiction shortly after. Intrigued with the many possibilities, she began developing her own story for Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Living high in the Andes Mountains of South America, Joy loves to take an occasional break from the Latin culture and bury herself in reading English literature about her favorite English characters.

Joy, and her husband of 34 years, live next door to their only child, Jennifer, her husband, and her twtin grandchildren and is a native Oreganian.

The author is currently writing about Mr. Bingley’s and Jane Bennet’s struggles with happily ever after and will follow with the tale of what happens when Colonel Fitzwilliam immediately falls in love with Constance Wickham, who hates him bitterly.

The Father's Sins may be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

I am so happy you agreed to be my guest, Joy. It has been such a 'joy' to have you visit in your role as author this time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and letting us get to know you better. I enjoyed reading your book and I wish you much success with it and future books!

J Dawn King  is generously giving away A Father's Sins to two lucky people. The international giveaway is for one paperback and one eBook. To be entered leave a comment below as I always love reading your 'share in the conversation'!  Good luck to all. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway will end at midnight, April 9, 2014.

36 comments:

  1. This book sounds really interesting! Brilliant post, and thank you for the giveaway! snophy (at) hotmail.co.uk :)

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  2. Mrs. Darcy. Oh how much I enjoyed typing your name! Best of wishes for success in the giveaway. If you are successful and you read A Father's Sins, I hope you would let me know if you like it. I sure liked writing it.

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    1. Thank you very much! I would of course let you know and I would happily post my review and thoughts on my blog (http://laughingwithlizzie.blogspot.co.uk/) :) Even if I do not win, I think I will be reading this story before too long (once my to-read pile has gone down a little!) anyway as it sounds really interesting!

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    2. You are welcome. Enjoy your day.

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  3. — ¡A Father's Sins traducido al español! es muy tentador para mí ;)
    No sé si esperar a esa traducción o leer la versión original :P
    Hay un público importante dentro de la comunidad hispano hablante que disfrutamos de los fánfic de Jane Austen. Así que es una buena noticia :) —


    This book sounds very good. I already have so curiosity to read it. The plot seems newfangled and the others books, too.
    I am looking forward to seeing it.
    Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy.
    Good luck with her first release.

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    1. Muchas gracias! The translation process takes a lot of time but we are aiming to get it finished by summer. Best wishes for the giveaway

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  4. I look forward to Joy King's books. It sounds as if she will be "true" to Jane Austen's characters. I love well-done variations. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
    Catherine Commons catcommons[at]Comcast[dot]net

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    1. I deeply appreciate your kind words. The delight of a variation is that I can take the characters in my mind and put them on page. My version may be entirely different than the opinions of others. This is why I fell in love with fan fiction. I hope you like my story and wish you success with the giveaway.

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  5. I look forward to reading your first published P&P alternate path. How exciting! They all sound intrigueing though!

    ctaylorbears (at) yahoo (dot) com

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    1. Thank you for your comment. This process is similar to having your first child, presenting it to complete strangers and asking if they think your child is cute or ugly. Filled with anxiety with the potential for tears or extreme joy. So far, this has been a joyful process. Best wishes for the giveaway.

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  6. Oh yes, I have always thought the parents, both the ones gone and the ones present- play a large role in Jane Austen's stories. Mr. Bennet would never have one father of the year for sure. Darcy's father is a bit of an enigma to me. I always had the impression that the assumption of closeness of Wickham to Darcy Sr. was more Wickham's imagination. I thought that Darcy Sr. took notice of Wickham out of respect for his steward and not so much Wickham himself. But the other way of seeing it does add for some more drama so its good too.

    Congrats on the release of the new books and the other books to come. They sound intriguing. Thanks for the giveaway!

    sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com

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    1. It seems like we are in like minds about the parents. I assumed the same closeness with Wickham and Mr. Darcy, but it provided more of a tale to give them a closer relationship in my story. In Jack Caldwell's interview on this blog I loved hearing his impression of Darcy. I share the same viewpoint. It was important to me that both Darcy and Elizabeth rise above their circumstances. I felt, from Jane Austen's original, that both were humble enough to make great attitude adjustments for the better. If I succeeded in even a small way then I am satisfied.

      Thank you so much for commenting and sharing your point of view. Best wishes in the giveaway.

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  7. Nice to meet you, Joy. I love getting to know new authors and read how each story told by different authors is unique and varies from P&P. I look forward to seeing more of you and your novels on the Austenesque websites and blogs. Thanks for the giveaway.

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. It is my pleasure. Best wishes for the giveaway and thank you so much for your kind comments. It soothes my soul.

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  8. Firstly I have added The Journey by Jan Hahn to my wish list on amazon so thank you for that. Are you intending to put the paperback version of all of your novels on Amazon Canada? I could only find the kindle of your first. Really looking forward to the Colonel Fitzwilliam variation.

    meikleblog at gmail dot com

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    1. Vesper, your name is beautiful to say and to read. I am tickled that you will read THE JOURNEY. As I mentioned above, it moved me to action and kept me going. I am not sure about print in Canada. If you are successful in the giveaway, I will have one mailed to you from Oregon. In the meantime, I will see what I can find out. I can't wait to finish Bingley so I can get to Fitzwilliam. All of the struggles that Darcy had with Elizabeth in the original will be the good Colonel's. But, I am enjoying Bingley and Jane. I guess we all have to wait, including me. Thanks for commenting.

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  9. Congratulations, Joy, on the release of your first novel! It sounds intriguing, and I wish you great success. And thank you for your comments about "The Journey." I am thrilled if it inspired you in any small way to create your own stories.

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    1. OK, Jan, fan alert!!!!! I feel like I just got my favorite rock star's autograph. I was going through long rounds of treatment (in which I did NOT lose my hair) and you..... well, I don't think that I have words for what you did. Thank you so much for the congratulations. It has been wonderful and I recommend it for anyone to at least make the effort to put their imaginings out there so we can see Darcy and Elizabeth as they see them. Can we hope for another new story from you soon? I'm waiting!!!!!

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  10. Oh, my goodness, Joy! You are kind! I hope your treatments are completed and that you enjoy good health from now on. My latest book, "The Secret Betrothal," was released earlier this year. When I finish the marketing blitz, I have plans for another. Thank you so much for your encouragement, and I am amazed that you have two more books in the works. Oh, to have that many ideas!

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    1. Jan, I think I was one of the first to buy "The Secret Betrothal". I quickly decided that if Elizabeth Bennet was modern day, she would wear Jimmy Choo's and could lose them at my house. Loved the book. It was a gold medal winner. However, "The Journey" is pure platinum. Thanks for commenting. Now, quit messing around and get busy!!!!!

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  11. Above all I love the importance you give to my favourite characters in book two and three!

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    1. I agree with you completely, Loren. It will be interesting to see how Bingley and Jane overcome obstacles, mainly their own insecurities and naiveté to reach their happily ever after. Colonel Fitzwilliam... well, he has much to learn about pleasing a good woman. Best wishes for the giveaway and thank you for your insight.

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  12. Being only introduced to P&P within the last few years (yes, I did just arrive from a distant galaxy), I am so looking forward to reading your book! I have cried each time and version that I watch. I do wish that I had read the book first. Now I am happy it will your book I read! The reviews are glowing, I am so happy for you!
    Sincerly, Melody Ross. campross at. juno.com

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    1. Melody, my sincerest thanks for your kind comments. I, too, watched the movies before I read the book and regret that as well. Pride and Prejudice pulls at my heartstrings and I fall in love with the characters each time. If you read "A Father's Sins", it is my hope that you fall in love with Darcy and Elizabeth as I portrayed them. Best wishes for the giveaway.

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    2. Yes, I was notified that I won! Thank you so very much!
      I look forward to Darcy and Elizabeth entertaining my own mind and heart as they have yours.
      Much appreciation and respect,
      Melody

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  13. Hi, the topic of this variation is extremely interesting.
    I think that parents' role and behavior in Jane Austen' s novels (and in everyone's life) is very important in determining their children's fortune, and I often wonder what kind of lives Lizzy, Jane, Bingley and Darcy could have had if they had different parents.

    8zeronove4 (et) excite.it

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    1. I couldn't agree more, Carmen. That is one of the joys of Pride and Prejudice variations and alternate paths. We can explore many options that Jane Austen left open for us. I wish you success with the giveaway and would love to hear your impression if you read A Father's Sins.

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  14. It will be good to read a story from the change in the actions and attitudes of the parents of the characters. As a parent, we worry how out actions or non-actions change their lives. Sounds like it will be a good book to read. Good luck to Mrs. King with her debut book. Marti

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    1. Marti, you forgot to leave your email to be entered in the giveaway. It is just a few days from now. I, too, am a parent and am also a grandparent. It is a constant concern to me to deal fairly with my family. I've seen what a heavy weight an unreasonable parent can place on their children. I do hope you find "A Father's Sins" an enjoyable read. Best wishes for the drawing and thank you for sharing your comment.

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  15. I completely agree with you regarding "The Journey" by Jan H. I absolutely love all of her stories.
    "A Father's Sins" sounds very unique and very interesting. I have never viewed Mr Bennet as a good person. He could have done so much for his family and always chose the path of least resistance.
    Good luck with your book.
    tinkcook at yahoo dot com

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    1. Sandy, thanks for leaving your email. I hope that Jan Hahn reads your comments about her writing. I feel that you and I are the exception rather than the rule about Mr. Bennet. I am glad you left your comment and best wishes for the giveaway.

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  16. It is very easy to realize Elizabeth's father faults but its harder to see how other father's failings affect their children's personalities and future. I love to see how you focus on this. Definitely sounds like a must read. You also made me want to read The Journey with the way you described it.

    I love that you're translating the book in spanish, I dont know how many JAFF books there are in spanish, but I would love to read it both to improve my spanish and to re-experience it. On a side note, being Ecuadorian, I must ask what part of Ecuador do you live in?

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    1. Marcia, thank you so much for sharing your opinion. I hope you get an opportunity to read both "A Father's Sins" and "The Journey". I am shamelessly advertising that book because it might move others to break out and write about the Pride and Prejudice characters we love so much.

      My family and I live in Ambato. My son-in-law and daughter are almost finished translating chapter 3. They are being diligent to do a good job, getting the language correct. I purchased a Spanish translated Pride and Prejudice for them and it turned out that someone just typed the language into Google and cut and pasted the translation into the book. A horrible job. Imagine, a love story written in the language of love. Wow!

      Best wishes for the giveaway.

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  17. Joy, thank you for being my guest. It has been such a pleasure to have you visit and respond to the readers. I hope you will have much success with this book and your future books. I will definitely be watching for them.

    It has been good to learn a little about you and your love of Jane Austen. I'm sorry that an illness is what brought you to the JAFF world but so glad that you can now see the blessing that came from the time spent in healing. I'm thankful that you started writing and that The Journey had such an impact on you. It is a wonderful book. (I also love An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn. It is the first PnP alternate path that I read and is still one of my favorites.)

    Again, thank you for agreeing to be my guest and for having the giveaway. Please come back and visit my blog anytime!

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    1. You are welcome, Janet. This has been an awesome experience - my first blog review and interview. You made it so easy.

      I look forward to finding out who the winners of the giveaway are. I have an idea that might be a first in the Jane Austen variation world. Hmmmm.... I have to think on this. The final time to enter is just before midnight tomorrow night, right? Yes.... I'll have to think about this.

      Thanks again, Joy

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