I first became acquainted with Jane Austen when I was a senior in high school in the late 1960s in northern New Jersey. As soon as I finished reading Pride and Prejudice, I went on an Austen marathon and read all of her books one after the other. But little did I know that forty years later, I would publish a novel, Searching for Pemberley, with a Pride and Prejudice tie-in.

I do most of my writing in the Valley of the Sun (aka Phoenix), but when the temperatures hit triple digits, my husband and I head up to Flagstaff in Arizona’s High Country, a perfect place to write a novel.

Mary’s website and blog: Mary Lydon Simonsen

Mary’s Facebook Page

Mary Lydon Simonsen, Author, on Facebook

Twitter: @MarySimonsen

Contact me at: quailcreekpub@hotmail.com.

 

 

Mary’s Novels ~

 

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy

In 2010, American, Elizabeth Hannigan, suffering from the swine flu, falls into a coma and wakes up in the bed and body of Elizabeth Bennet Darcy. Beth soon realizes that the only way back to her life in the 21st Century is through the Master of Pemberley, Jane Austen’s Fitzwilliam Darcy. But first she must uncover the dark secret that has brought her to Pemberley in 1826 in the first place. Becoming Elizabeth Darcy is a story of love, loyalty, and loss, where a very modern woman is called upon to resolve the problems of Jane Austen’s most beloved couple. If you are a fan of Lost in Austen, you will enjoy the time-travel novel, Becoming Elizabeth Darcy.

 

 

 

 

 

Darcy Goes to War

Spring 1944 – Britain is now in its fourth year of war. In order to defeat Adolph Hitler and his Nazis, everyone in the country must do his or her “bit.” While a young Elizabeth Bennet makes her contribution by driving a lorry, Lieutenant Fitzwilliam Darcy flies bombers over Germany. Because of the war, both are wary of falling in love, but when the two meet near an RAF air station in Hertfordshire, all bets are off. Set against the backdrop of World War II, in Darcy Goes to War, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy battle something more than class differences. The greatest evil of the 20th Century is trying to bring Britain to its knees. In order to be together, they must survive the war.

 

 

Mr. Darcy’s Bite

This fresh original paranormal Jane Austen sequel explores Mr. Darcy as the leader of a secret world of werewolves threatened with extinction. After learning his secret, Elizabeth must decide if she can accept Mr. Darcy as a man who becomes a wolf for two days out of the lunar cycle. Mr. Darcy’s Bite is a story of love and acceptance where our beloved couple’s devotion to each other is tested with every full moon.

 

 

 

 

A Wife for Mr. Darcy

A GENTLEMAN should always render an APOLOGY when he has INSULTED a LADY.

When Mr. Darcy realizes he has insulted Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the Meryton Assembly, he feels duty bound to seek her out and apologize. But instead of meekly accepting his apology, Elizabeth stands up to him, and Darcy realizes with a shock that she is a very different type of lady than he is used to.

Although intrigued by this unique young woman, Darcy is already entangled in a courtship. It is a brutal predicament for a man of honor who only longs to follow his heart.

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The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy

After Elizabeth’s refusal of Darcy’s offer of marriage in Kent, Lizzy and Darcy have parted company, and although each has regrets about what had happened at Hunsford Lodge, neither sees how the situation can be remedied. But Anne De Bourgh is of a different mind, and with the help of Georgiana Darcy, she sets a plan in motion to bring the two together at Pemberley.

 

 

 

 

Searching for Pemberley

Maggie went in search of a love story, but she never expected to find her own… Desperate to escape her life in a small Pennsylvania mining town, Maggie Joyce accepts a job in post-World War II London, hoping to find adventure. While touring Derbyshire, she stumbles upon the stately Montclair, rumored by locals to be the inspiration for Pemberley, the centerpiece of Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice. Determined to discover the truth behind the rumors, Maggie embarks on a journey through the letters and journals of Montclair’s former owners, the Lacey family, searching for signs of Darcy and Elizabeth. But when the search introduces her to both a dashing American pilot and a handsome descendant of the “Darcy” line, Maggie must decide how her own love story will end.

 

 

For All the Wrong Reasons, A Novella

Pemberley, the Darcy estate, is entailed away from the female line. When Fitzwilliam Darcy learns that his heir, Peter Grayson, is engaged to Caroline Bingley, he realizes that he must take a wife and father a son. But will Elizabeth Bennet agree to enter into a loveless marriage, and if she does, will she wed for all the wrong reasons? This novella explores Darcy and Elizabeth’s path to a happily-ever-after ending.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy,  A Novella

Two years after the conclusion of The Great War, those affected by the conflagration are still trying to put their lives back together, including Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.  While Darcy grapples with horrific memories from the war, Elizabeth, who had served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment, suppresses most recollections of her service in France. But Darcy suspects that there is one memory that the two share: a beautiful night in a hospital ward in France where Darcy was visited by an angel of mercy.

 

 

 

Darcy on the Hudson

When Fitzwilliam Darcy, Georgiana Darcy, and Charles Bingley set sail from England for New York, each travels with a different purpose. Georgiana wants to put a particularly jarring incident involving a family friend behind her, and Charles wishes to visit his Uncle Richard in an exciting new land. For Darcy, it is an opportunity to explore the possibilities of new sources of wealth in the expanding United States, but once Darcy meets American, Elizabeth Bennet, it is the beginning of a love story. But will their cultural differences and a possible second ward between Britain and America keep them apart?

 

 

 

A Walk in the Meadows at Rosings Park, A Novella

The day after the assembly at Meryton, Fitzwilliam Darcy departs Hertfordshire, believing he leaves little of interest behind him. But when Elizabeth Bennet comes to Kent, Darcy has an opportunity for a second look at the dark-haired beauty, and he is instantly smitten. Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth has a long memory, and the gentleman from Derbyshire will have to earn her love. His efforts begin with a walk in the meadows at Rosings Park. Includes bonus short story: When Mr. Darcy learns that Mr. Collins plans to make an offer of marriage to Elizabeth Bennet,  he knows he must do something, but what happens next is completely unexpected.

 

 

Captain Wentworth Home from the Sea, A Novella

In 1806, Captain Frederick Wentworth returned to the sea in hopes of  leaving behind memories of Anne Elliot of Kellynch Hall. But after eight years as the captain of the Laconia, he has failed to jettison recollections of the only woman he could ever love, that is, until a shipboard accident robs him of his memory. When he is once again thrown into Anne’s company, he knows nothing of their previous engagement. With the slate wiped clean, will Anne Elliot be able to secure the love of Captain Wentworth or will opportunities to reclaim a lost love be denied her?