Interview with Sharon Lathan and Giveaway!

I am so excited to present to you an amazing author of a fantastic Pride & Prejudice sequel, "Loving Mr. Darcy", and her name is Sharon Lathan. I am so honored to be graced with her presense and have enjoyed getting to know her. So, ladies and gentleman, without further adieu- introducing Sharon Lathan!!!!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

This is an interesting question because I came at the whole "writing thing" in such a surprising way. The full story can be read on my website, but I often jest that I was rather like Mr. Darcy and his love for Elizabeth in that I was smack in the middle of it before I realized what I was happening to me.

I began writing as a hobby. For 25 years my profession has been nursing and I never searched for a different occupation. The occasional stories I fabricated in my mind were for my own entertainment and, as silly as it probably sounds, I never considered writing them down! What began as short stories relating the after-marriage honeymoon life for the Darcys, posted on various Jane Austen fan-fiction websites for like-minded readers, gradually morphed into one long story over several months. Initially I was writing just for fun out of my mutual love for Pride and Prejudice and history. For a long while I was perfectly content to freely share my chapters with satisfied readers, knowing I was creating a well-written and researched story, but not precisely thinking of myself as a "writer" in the full definition of the word. Even after I began to seriously pursue publishing, it was strange to think of myself as an author. The turning point for me, when I finally recognized and admitted that I was in fact a writer, was when the first rejections came back! It was then, with over three novels under my belt, that I KNEW I could not give up no matter what anyone said. The desire to see my words in book-form and to continue telling the stories that incessantly swirled in my brain was uncontainable. I have never been one to take no for an answer and I have tremendous self-confidence. The negativity and rejection only strengthened my resolve to prove that I WAS a writer. And here I am!

How often do you write?

It varies. Once upon a time I managed to write nearly every day. Of course, those were my before-publishing days! As all published authors learn, the demands of editing, marketing, maintaining a website, etc. take a great deal of time. And then there is the “real” job and the responsibilities of family life, so fitting in writing new material does get waylaid. Plus, I am the type of person who must focus on the task at hand. When I have edits to complete or guest blogs to write, I have to devote my energy and get it done before I can clear my mind to write. I am gradually learning to compartmentalize my time and organize more efficiently, but no matter how perfectly I plan, there are only 24 hours in a day! When I do clear the schedule and focus, I can write for hours on end.

Are you working on any books right now?

I have 3 WIPs going! The first is a novella that is part of a Christmas-themed anthology that will be published next November. I am very excited about this for many reasons, not the least of which is that I will be published in a book alongside Amanda Grange. The fifth novel in the Darcy Saga series - as yet untitled - is more than 2/3 complete. It is under contract for a tentative release in spring or summer of 2011. I also have a companion novel to the series focusing on Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy's sister, in the works. It is nearly complete, but I had to put it aside to work on the novella. So far it isn't under contract, but my editor is very interested, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Do any members of your family read your books?

My sister is one of my biggest fans, and this is a huge compliment because I know how discriminating a reader my sister is! We have been avid readers for as long as we can remember, sharing our passion for reading fantasy and historical novels especially. Frankly I did not think she would care for my novels since they have a strong romantic element mixed in with the history, but she loves them! I think we have both learned to appreciate the romance genre as it has evolved over these past decades. Her husband will literally read anything if it is well written, and he enjoyed my books, his stamp of approval also cherished. My 21-year-old daughter, who is a voracious reader of romance, refuses to read my books because - and I quote: "It is too icky to read a sex scene written by my mother." Understood! My mother loves my books, but admits that she skips over the sensual moments for the same reason. LOL! My husband has read portions, but romance is definitely not his cup-o-tea.

What is your favorite film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice?

Without a doubt it is Joe Wright's excellent adaptation from 2005. It is the first P&P rendering I saw and I absolutely loved it. Everything about that movie is perfect to me: the actors, the cinematography, the music, the costumes, and how the story was told. I truly believe it is brilliant both in its own right as a great movie and as an adaptation of the source material. Since then, as my love for all things Austen has grown, I have seen the BBC miniseries as well as the entertaining, loosely based movies like Lost in Austen and all the other Austen novel-to-film versions. I love all of them for their unique ways of bringing Austen's timeless tales to life. But the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen will always be my favorite. I unapologetically am inspired by the film as I carry on the life of the Darcys and their family in my Saga.

If you could be any one dessert- what would it be?

Oh my! I have never gotten this question before! Kudos. Let me see... I am not very good at analogies, but I suppose I would be a thick cake with one layer angel cake smeared with sweet vanilla custard and the other a rich, dark chocolate slathered with gooey fudge, topped with tart berries. I'll let you figure out the symbolism.

That was so fun! Thank you, Jamie, for hosting me today. I appreciate the chance to share a bit about my novels and myself. Hopefully I have intrigued your readers enough to dash out to the nearest bookstore! Or at least to click over to my website and learn more about my romantic, historical series of happily-ever-after for Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy: www.darcysaga.net

About the Author

Sharon Lathan is a native Californian currently residing amid corn, cotton, and cows in the sunny city of Hanford. She divides her time as homemaker nurturing a husband and two children, plus the cat, dog, and fish; while also working as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. Somewhere in there she finds time to write! Sharon Lathan can be found on her website/blog at: www.darcysaga.net, on Facebook as “Sharon Lathan, “ on Twitter as “@SharonLathan,” and on the Casablanca Authors’ blog at: http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/

I hope you all have enjoyed reading Sharon Lathan's questions as much as I have! What another wonderful author we get to meet, nothing makes my day (ok besides curling up with a good book on a rainy day) then getting to "meet" these creative minds behind the books we love so much! I was given the fantastic opportunity to read and review "Loving Mr. Darcy" *cough* review is coming *cough* I promise *cough cough cough* Anyways, I LOVED it! I know you will too! You will get to know another side of Mr. Darcy's and Elizabeth's relationship *giggles devilishly*

An enormous thank you to Sharon Lathan and how can we forget the lovely lady who made this possible, Danielle at Sourcebooks? Thank you ladies!!!

Courtesy of Danielle, I am able to host a giveaway for a set of Mrs Lathan's first book, "Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy" AND "Loving Mr. Darcy".

1 winner, U.S. & Canada only!

To enter:

Leave me a comment answering this question: If you could be any ONE character from a Jane Austen novel, who would it be and why?

OR

If you have never read a Jane Austen book but want to, what hero/heroine from any book would you want to be and why?

Following is not required but it is recommended as I will NOT contact the winner, the winner will be announced here on this blog and it will be the winner's responsibility to contact me within 48 hours of the win being announced.

Giveaway ends on September 30, 2009 at midnight, PST. Winner will be chosen independantly via random.org

Thanks again and GOOD LUCK!!!!!!