In which Mary Simonsen interviews Jane Austen:

Mary Simonsen: “Miss Austen, thank you for agreeing to this interview. I’m truly honored.”

Jane Austen: “You are quite welcome. It is my understanding that you write  re-imaginings of my work.”

MS: “Yes, mostly Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion, but, yes, I do.

JA: “Are you successful?”

MS: “Although I’m not the biggest seller of Austen-related novels out there, I’m quite pleased with the number of books I’ve sold. But even better than that, I’ve become part of a very large circle of friends, fellow admirers of your work.”

JA: “I understand that you have recently released a mystery. That genre did not exist when I was alive.”

MS: “Yes, I’ve written a novella, called Three’s A Crowd, a British police procedural, in which a young detective sergeant, Patrick Shea, tries to find the person who assaulted his ex-girlfriend. He works for Scotland Yard, an organization of crime fighters who succeeded Prime Minister Robert Peel’s Bobbies and the Bow Street Runners of your era.”

JA: “Do I appear in the novel?”

MS: “No, I’m sorry. The story is strictly about solving crime in the modern era. The young detective wants to make his mark because his dream is to end up on a Murder Investigation Team at Scotland Yard. The purpose of the novella is to introduce the reader to my main character, Patrick Shea.”

JA: “But I know that people have written mysteries in which I am the sleuth. Why am I not the investigator in your novella?”

MS: “There are a few people, Stephanie Barron and Carrie Bebris, come to mind, who have written excellent mysteries set in the Regency Era, but I wanted to work with the tools of modern science: crime labs, DNA, computers, forensics, etc.”

JA: “DNA – Does that stand for ‘Darcy Not Available?’” (Miss Austen chuckles.)

MS: “That’s a knee slapper, Miss Austen. You should have written comedy.”

JA: “I did. I created the character of Mr. Collins. But getting back to your mystery, is there any way I may be of assistance? I pride myself on helping young authors.”

MS: “I’m not exactly young. I turned sixty last October.”

JA: “You’re a young whippersnapper compared to me. I’m 237 years old.” (another chuckle)

MS: “But to answer your question, yes, you may help. Will you read my novella? If you give it your stamp of approval, it is possible that people who read my Austen re-imaginings will give it a chance as well.”

JA: “I would suggest that you provide an excerpt of your mystery so that others may decide for themselves.”

MS: “It’s funny you should mention that. I have an excerpt on my blog right now and a giveaway for an e-book on Kindle.”

JA: “Well, then, consider it done. Oh, by the way, I read one of your posts on Austen Authors in which Mr. Collins’s cucumber went missing. May I ask who the culprit was?”

MS: “You may ask, but I can’t tell. That’s for another post. But I do have a question for you. How did Lady Catherine find out about Darcy’s supposed engagement to Elizabeth Bennet that prompted her journey to Longbourn?”

JA: “Sorry. I cannot tell you. That’s for another post.” (Miss Austen laughs.)

Back jacket of Three’s A Crowd:

In Three’s A Crowd, we are introduced to Detective Sergeant Patrick Shea, a rising young star at the Hampden Station Criminal Investigation Department, and someone whose career is being fast tracked by the Metropolitan Police in London. With his eye on an appointment to a Murder Investigation Team with New Scotland Yard, Shea is doing everything by the book. Unfortunately, Patrick’s love life is a bit of a mess and gets messier when he learns that his former lover, Annie Jameson, has been assaulted on someone else’s patch. Will his involvement in the under-the-radar investigation of the attack on his ex-girlfriend put his career in jeopardy and possibly her life as well?

Three’s A Crowd is available exclusively on Amazon in the e-book format for .99. (Paperback is in the works.)

Please visit my blog to be entered into the giveaway.