Guest Post: Author Christine Coombe, 'Choice & Consequence'

 First, I’d like to welcome you and thank you for stopping by today.

Thank you for having me! I’m really happy to be here.

So, let’s talk about your work. Choice and Consequence is your second book, correct?

Yes, the second in my What Might Have Been series. It’s coming out a lot later than I ever expected, though.

What do you mean?

Well, my first book, The Correction of Folly, was published in July of 2018. I’d hoped to have the second done within six months, maybe a year after. It’s been almost three. 

Why did it take so long, do you think?

Various reasons, chiefly among them my mental health. I’ve certainly been working on the book off and on over the last three years, but the truth is I suffer from depression and anxiety, and those conditions often keep me from being creative, no matter how much I want to be.

I’m sorry to hear that. But you’re doing better now?

At present, yes. The writing comes in spurts — it’s almost like being manic. It’s like, once my brain latches on to actually working on a project, I can be really into it for days or even weeks before dropping off it again. I then either move on to something else, or I work on nothing at all. My brain is weird. Happily, however, I was finally able to get this book done!

I’m happy for you, and I’m sure your readers are too.

Thanks. I’m really happy about it too! I really hated that it took so long to get this one done.

Tell me about the series. What’s the premise of it as a whole?

What Might Have Been is the title I gave my series because, as I see it, these are things that could have happened. Also, I’m crossing over all of Jane Austen’s books – that is, each book will feature characters from one or more of her other books. For instance, The Correction of Folly was a Sense and Sensibility variation, but characters from Pride and Prejudice (Darcy, Fitzwilliam, Georgiana, and Bingley) made an appearance.

Was the appearance of these characters singular?

No, their part of the story led to a monumental discovery for Colonel Brandon, and also serves as a lead-in of sorts to book two. Choice and Consequence picks up about eight months after the meeting, during the epilogue of book 1. 

So is book 2 a Pride and Prejudice variation, then?

It is. Begins about the same time as the original and for the most part follows that same timeline, but ends much sooner than Austen’s original story.

So Darcy and Elizabeth get together sooner, I take it?

They do. Their relationship is also not as fraught with tension and angst and chips on shoulders as they tend to be in other variations. I know some readers enjoy the angst and snark whatnot, but I wanted to do things differently. I purposely wrote them as being less contentious and antagonistic because I feel like they don’t always have to be.

How have you managed to make their relationship less antagonistic?

I think the way that they initially meet in my story helps. It’s a chance meeting and they’re alone, have a brief but pleasant conversation, and go their separate ways for a couple of weeks before meeting again at the assembly. Of course, Darcy still puts his foot in his mouth like he did in the original story, but because he’s already met her and taken a liking to Elizabeth, he feels compelled to apologize to her. She decides to forgive him, and they begin a tentative friendship. They’re very open and honest with each other right from the start, pretty much eliminating so many of the misunderstandings they had in Austen’s book.

So they don’t encounter any problems at all?

No, they do, just not with each other. There are a few moments where either one of them could have taken offense at something the other says, but they don’t. I have them talk through it. In this book, the majority of the challenges they face come from outside sources.

That is definitely different than what most JAFF writers do.

Thank you. I really wanted to be different, but still keep them as true to character as I could. I hope I achieved that — I guess the readers will tell me if I didn’t! 

Was it always your plan to keep Darcy and Elizabeth as a couple?

Actually, no. Austen fans call them ODC (Our Dear Couple), and most are loath to the idea of their being paired with anyone else, even if it’s only temporary. There was a time I thought to match them with other people, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. I think that having seen multiple people say in various Facebook groups that they won’t even consider reading a book where D&E don’t end up together influenced me to make that decision. I didn’t want to make anyone angry!

Do you think you’ll ever write a variation where they don’t get together?

I might, sometime down the road, but I’d like to try and establish a strong readership first. Don’t want any fans to abandon me straight away for daring to break them up, lol. 

What characters from other Austen books appear in this book?

There are cameos by characters from Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Emma.

Will any of these characters lead in to book 3, as Darcy’s appearance in book 1 led to book 2?

Yes. Book three is going to be an Emma variation, with cameos from P&P and S&S characters.

What about the Northanger characters?

Looking like book 4 at this point. 

Are you planning to write variations of all of Austen’s books?

Yes and no. Yes to all six of the major novels, but no to the smaller works such as Lady Susan, Sanditon, or The Watsons. I haven’t read those stories so I have no knowledge of those characters and events. 

Do you plan to read them?

Oh sure, someday. Though I’m dubious about Lady Susan—I’m aware of the premise of the story having read a summary of it, and I find I just can’t like the character at all. 

Is What Might Have Been going to be your only foray into JAFF/Austenesque literature?

Oh, absolutely not! I have a Word file on my computer with at least a dozen different ideas for P&P alone, and maybe another dozen together for the other books. But so far, What Might Have Been is the only series. 

Well, I am looking forward to more of your work, both with this series and all those stand-alones just waiting to be written.

Thank you! I’m looking forward to writing them, you can be sure.

Thanks for coming by the blog today. Hopefully we can do this again sometime!

Thank you, again, for having me. I would definitely like to do it again!

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Follow Christine Combe on Facebook. The Correction of Folly is available in ebook and print from Amazon. Choice and Consequence is available for pre-order on Amazon and will publish on May 5, 2021.