“A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf” is proud to welcome Guest Blogger, Jane Odiwe, in joining us today. Jane is the author of the new historical romance novel, Willoughby’s Return. Jane is going to talk today about why she chose Sense & Sensibility as her inspiration for her new novel.

A lost love returns, rekindling forgotten passions…

In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, when Marianne Dashwood marries Colonel Brandon, she puts her heartbreak over dashing scoundrel John Willoughby in the past.

Three years later, Willoughby’s return throws Marianne into a tizzy of painful memories and exquisite feelings of uncertainty. Willoughby is as charming, as roguish, and as much in love with her as ever. And the timing couldn’t be worse—with Colonel Brandon away and Willoughby determined to win her back, will Marianne find the strength to save her marriage, or will the temptation of a previous love be too powerful to resist?

Thank you so much, Bella, for inviting me to talk to you and your readers today about my new book, Willoughby’s Return.

I thought I’d like to tell you about why I chose Sense and Sensibility as the inspiration for Willoughby’s Return and why I wanted to tell the story of what happens to Marianne Dashwood after she marries Colonel Brandon.

Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels. I love the fact that the story is about sisters, three in fact, though Jane Austen really only tells the stories of two of them, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. At the start of the book, Elinor seems more rational and levelheaded than Marianne whose heart and passions rule everything she does, but by the end both sisters have achieved a balance of their emotions. I’m fascinated by what makes us tick, and I wanted to continue the themes of “heart over head” and vice versa in Willoughby’s Return. Also, Margaret, the youngest sister is now old enough to fall in love. I wondered if she might experience the same joys and struggles as her sisters before her and I wanted to weave her story in with Marianne’s.

At the end of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen wraps up the romance between Marianne and the Colonel very quickly, readers are often surprised that Marianne falls in love with the Colonel – I know I’m not the only one who has ever thought that they would have liked to learn a little bit more about how and why they managed to get together. In my book, I wanted to show how their love might have blossomed and show Colonel Brandon in a much more sympathetic light – a hero in the true sense.

In the following extract I show the romantic side of Colonel Brandon – he has arranged an anniversary treat for his wife in secret, inviting her to meet him at the dining room door at five o’clock:

With little time left before her assignation, she hastened to her room to change, grabbing armfuls of dresses from the closet and throwing them across the chaise longue, to form a veritable rainbow of rich fabric. She wanted to look her best. More than anything in the world, Marianne loved the adoration of her husband; her greatest pleasure was to feel him succumb wholly to her charms.

Sally appeared not ten minutes later, just as Marianne was despairing over her final choice between blue silk or diaphanous muslin. Sally proposed that she should wear the latter, saying that the sheer, white muslin would complement Mrs. Brandon’s dark complexion to greatest advantage. She was soon dressed and sat before the looking glass adjusting the last-minute touches to her appearance. She fixed on a pair of long diamond earrings to set off her new ring, as Sally tied a length of white silk ribbon around her dark hair. It was caught up at the front and sides but tumbled down her neck at the back in luxuriant, glossy curls. “You look a picture, Mrs. Brandon,” Sally declared in admiration, stepping back.

Marianne studied her reflection and saw a young woman who glowed with vitality and beauty. Would William think she was beautiful? Marianne hoped that she would be all he desired. “Thank you, Sally,” she answered, “and if you will not confide what I am sure you must know, I shall leave you.” But an indulgent hug communicated Mrs. Brandon’s pleasure in the whole joke, along with the laughter that echoed from the corridor as she rushed away.

The doors of the dining room were very firmly shut as she approached and she was hesitant as to what to do next. Should she wait for William or should she just walk in? Marianne placed her ear to the door. There were sounds coming from within but she could not hear Brandon’s voice. A light step from behind alerted her to the recognizable footfall of her husband. But before she had a chance to turn, however, she felt her eyes being covered by his long fingers, which blotted out everything but the sense of him being very close. She felt the warmth of his breath on her neck and his lips pressing against the scented skin of her soft, white neck.

“You must promise to keep your eyes shut,” he implored.

Marianne giggled, nodding her head and shutting her eyes tight. Leading her into the room,

William’s guiding hand directed her till she was asked to stay quite still. Only when he was persuaded that all seemed satisfactory was she allowed to look. What a sight met her eyes!
© Jane Odiwe, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2009

I think this excerpt might be the bit of romance some readers of Sense and Sensibility might have been clamoring for!

About Jane Odiwe
Jane Odiwe is an artist and author. She is an avid fan of all things Austen and is the author and illustrator of Effusions of Fancy, annotated sketches from the life of Jane Austen, as well as Lydia Bennet’s Story. She lives with her husband and three children in North London.

Thanks Jane. I love hearing about where writers get their inspiration, especially when it gets a little on the romantic side.

Now its GIVEAWAY time. The wonderful people at Sourcebooks are giving away 2 copies of Willoughby’s Return. That’s right 2 lucky people out there are going to win Jane’s new novel, Willoughby’s Return.
To enter just tell us: Who are some of your favorite surprisingly romantic heroes?

Giveaway Rules:
US & Canada Only, no PO boxes please.
+1 for blogging/tweeting about this giveaway,
+1 if you follow me on Twitter/follower of my blog(+2 for both),
Giveaway ends November 15, 2009 at 5pm.

Tags: Giveaway, Guest Bloggers, jane odiwe, willoughby's return

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