Inquiring readers:
Jane Austen’s World blog is participating in a tour of Stephanie Barron’s new book, Jane and the Waterloo Map, wherein our favorite author turns sleuth in this Regency-era mystery. I have interviewed Stephanie Barron, author of this delightful mystery, and wished I had asked more questions!
It is November, 1815. The Battle of Waterloo has come and gone, leaving the British economy in shreds; Henry Austen, high-flying banker, is about to declare bankruptcy—dragging several of his brothers down with him. The crisis destroys Henry’s health, and Jane flies to his London bedside, believing him to be dying. While she’s there, the chaplain to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent invites Jane to tour Carlton House, the Prince’s fabulous London home. The chaplain is a fan of Jane’s books, and during the tour he suggests she dedicate her next novel—Emma—to HRH, whom she despises.
However, before she can speak to HRH, Jane stumbles upon a body—sprawled on the carpet in the Regent’s library. The dying man, Colonel MacFarland, was a cavalry hero and a friend of Wellington’s. He utters a single failing phrase: “Waterloo map” . . . and Jane is on the hunt for a treasure of incalculable value and a killer of considerable cunning…
1. Vic: Hi Stephanie, Thank you for allowing me to interview you! I have so many questions, but a limited time to talk to you. Please describe your book and tell us why readers will be intrigued with your latest mystery.
Stephanie: The thirteenth Jane Austen mystery combines a well-documented period in her life—the autumn of 1815, when she was staying with her ailing brother Henry in London and preparing Emma for publication—with the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo in English politics and society. That November, Jane was invited to the Prince Regent’s London home, Carlton House, and asked (ordered) to dedicate Emma to the Prince. I have her stumbling over the body of a Waterloo veteran in the Carlton House library, so I think the story gets off to a great start.
2. Vic: My Janeite group loves your novels and have read your books since JANE AUSTEN AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR. How did you originally come up with the idea of a Jane Austen mystery series?
Stephanie: I had studied the Napoleonic/Regency period in college, and was a lifelong reader of Austen—I began with Pride and Prejudice at age 12—but I had never thought of writing what is now called “Austenesque” fiction. At the time I wrote the first Jane mystery, I was also writing a contemporary police procedural series set on Nantucket Island under my married name, Francine Mathews. This was twenty-two years ago, during the winter of 1994. I was rereading Austen’s novels and reflecting on the richness of her language, and how difficult it was to persuade some readers to wrestle with the complexity of that language in order to experience the story. I thought it would be challenging and fun to attempt to use Austen’s distinct voice in a novel, and encourage contemporary readers to engage its complexity—by giving them a murder to solve. From that moment, I had to decide for myself if I wanted to go whole-Austen-hog and use her actual characters. But I personally think that each of us has an inner sense of her characters that we may not always like to see violated by another person’s version. So I decided instead to use Jane herself as my detective. I went to her letters, first and foremost, for a detailed record of her days—and was delighted to find that there were gaps in that record I could fill with fiction.
3. Were you surprised at how receptive readers were with the idea of Jane Austen as sleuth?
Stephanie: Yes. I was honestly afraid that the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor would be dismissed or ridiculed as either a travesty of her style or an attempt at exploitation. It was a relief when the book was generally embraced. Although I should say that I did receive a few incensed and irate letters. There will always be folks who lack a sense of humor.
4. Vic: What did you enjoy most in doing research for JANE AND THE WATERLOO MAP?
I have a deep and abiding interest in the Napoleonic Wars, dating from my first exposure to War and Peace when I was ten years old. To be able to wallow in accounts of the battle of Waterloo was quite self-indulgent. I also loved studying the old prints of Carlton House, which appears to have been an elegant and beautifully-designed place, sadly demolished only a few years after Jane saw it.
5. Vic: Tell us a little about your writing day. Are you a disciplined author or do you need to be inspired, by a deadline, for example, or a great idea?
Stephanie: I am a highly disciplined writer. It’s impossible to draft, complete, and promote twenty-six novels over twenty-three years without being disciplined, particularly if one is also raising children and dogs. I alternate work on the Jane Austen series with standalone historical espionage novels that require a totally different degree of research and construction. I frankly tell aspiring writers, however, that it is much easier to be disciplined when you have a contract from a publisher—because then the work is no longer a wistful dream, but your job, with expectations you must meet and editors you regard as your employers. I know that I have been profoundly fortunate to be able to work at home for the past two decades, on my own schedule, pursuing my cherished impulses and ideas, and yet be paid for my work.
6. Vic: Which Jane Austen novel is your favorite and why?
Stephanie: Persuasion. I regard it as the apogee of her work. Anne Elliott is the most perceptive and profound of her heroines. It’s one of the first novels in the English cannon in which a period of depression is portrayed, as well the emergence from depression and into full engagement with life—which occurs in parallel to Anne’s reviving romance with Wentworth, not as a direct result of it. It is also the most perfectly edited of Austen’s works, probably because she had grown in technique as a writer by the time she embarked on it—she was self-editing as she wrote, and the finished work is tightly plotted and beautifully honed, not a word wasted.
7. Vic: Would you like to add anything else for my readers?
Stephanie: Only that I’d love to hear from them. I can be found on the web, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
8. Vic: It’s a pleasure to chat with you, Stephanie. I must admit that PERSUASION is also my favorite Jane Austen novel (a preference I discovered in my, ahem, mature years). My sentimental favorite shall always be PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. You were twelve when you first read the book; I was fourteen. Sigh. Good luck with JANE AND THE WATERLOO MAP, and thank you so much for these illuminating answers.
Stephanie: The pleasure was all mine!
Inquiring readers:
Click on this link to follow the blog tour from February 2, 2016 – February 22, 2016.
About the Author:
Stephanie Barron was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written fifteen books. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Learn more about Stephanie and her books at her website, visit her on Facebook and Goodreads.
Stephanie’s Twitter handles are: @SBarronAuthor; @Soho_Press. Her Twitter hashtags are: #WaterlooBlogTour, #JaneAusten, #HistoricalMystery, #RegencyMystery, #Reading, #AustenesqueMystery #Austenesque #Giveaway
Grand Giveaway Contest
Win One of Three Fabulous Prizes:
In celebration of the release of Jane and the Waterloo Map, Stephanie is offering a chance to win one of three prize packages filled with an amazing selection of Jane Austen-inspired gifts and books!
To enter the giveaway contest, simply leave a comment on any or all of the blog stops on Jane and the Waterloo Map Blog Tour starting February 02, 2016 through 11:59 pm PT, February 29, 2016. Winners will be drawn at random from all of the comments and announced on Stephanie’s website on March 3, 2016. Winners have until March 10, 2016 to claim their prize. Shipment is to US addresses. Good luck to all!
Jane Austen's World 
I must say I am intrigued and may have to read the entire series.
Fantastic interview! Thanks Vic, and to Stephanie for this glimpse into the series and your writing life. Must get caught up with the series! I’m off to the library today.
A great interview. This is a wonderful series and I´m so pleased it is popular.
Yay! I’m so excited about a new Jane and…mystery. I don’t think I get as excited about a new book in any other series and it is one of the very few that I collect and recommend to my friends. Thank you Stephanie for being a disciplined writer. We appreciate your talent!
I am truly grateful that you value the books enough to recommend them to others. That means a lot.
Enjoyed reading your interview. Have been a fan of Stephanie ‘s from first Jane mystery, love this series and am so excited for a new installment.
So glad to see that you’re enjoying my Jane. She appreciates all the love. :)
So excited for the newest adventure. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this whole series. :)
I love this series and have been re-reading it this year!
I have all of the books, and I highly recommend them to Austen fans. The plots are terrific. The history is accurate, and the language is extraordinarily done. The reader is instantly immersed in the Regency. I’ve never been an offshoot fan, but Ms Matthews has created a perfect group of novels. Please tell your fans how you intend to continue the series, as we are getting close to the end of Jane Austen’s life. Perhaps there are a few “undiscovered” diary entries; manuscripts, letters?
Janeites run to your bookstores…
That’s a question that’s keeping me up nights, I’m afraid. I honestly don’t want to right the book where Jane dies. Although I can see setting a novel around Winchester, and the boys’ public school where her nephews were enrolled. However, I hope in the interval between Nov. 1815 and July 1817 there is a novel that can transitions between where we leave her in WATERLOO MAP and the beginning of her illness–as she’s writing PERSUASION, but not yet at the end of her powers. It’s a lowering thought.
I have also toyed with the idea of going back in time, as I’ve done with several short stories, and setting books during the earlier years. Or perhaps writing THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN ROGUE.
I’ve wondered about this myself. I would love to read short stories or books that go back to an earlier period in Jane’s life. And the idea of a Gentleman Rogue series is fantastic!
This sounds like a wonderful series. I’m excited to read it. Thanks for the great interview!
What a great interview! I love this series!!
Persuasion is my favorite too!
I am looking forward to reading this series! Thanks for the interview!
You’ve got me hooked. I’m off to Amazon now to start buying some Stephanie Barron from the beginning.
I sometimes urge readers to start with book 2, which is JANE AND THE MAN OF THE CLOTH, simply because I feel I was more comfortable with my voice in the later books–SCARGRAVE MANOR was very much an experiment. However, I shouldn’t argue with a dedicated reader…!
I’ve been working on rearranging my bookshelves & I put all things Jane Austen, including this series, on their own special shelf. :)
Sounds intriguing! I will have to check it out.
Looks like a good read – I’ll have to look for them all. :) I’ve been looking for a new series to sink my teeth into.
I always enjoy author interviews, and I’m a big fan of your Austen mysteries, but I haven’t read the tour ones. I’m going to go take a look. Thanks for a great giveaway package, and such an interesting blog tour.
You’re welcome. Happy reading!
Great interview! Persuasion is also a favorite. It definitely is under-rated. Thanks! Can’t wait to read this series!
I am loving this journey going from blog to blog. What a wonderful idea! It’s doing its job and drawing me in, although I will admit, it wouldn’t take much. Stephanie, I for one am glad you chose to emulate Jane’s/the Regency’s more formal and complex language. It is one of the distinctives of your books.
Laurel Ann from Austenprose arranged this blog tour with Stepanie Barron. It’s fun, isn’t it?
Vic, thanks for this wonderful interview. And Stephanie, I have loved this series since it’s inception. I’m looking forward to settling in with this new entry!
Thank you for another enjoyable post, and an interview from one of my favourite authors was not to be missed. I have been hooked on this series since The Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. I signed up for the pre-order for my Kindle and read The Waterloo Map as soon as I got it. (I had to finish it in one sitting, as expected.) Like many readers here, I am apprehensive about the end of the series, but I am sure that Stephanie Barron won’t disappoint in dealing with that eventuality. Thank you again and may you have continued success!
Goodness! That is a vast amount of books in that many years. Disciplined indeed.
I enjoyed the interview, ladies. I’ve been a fan of the series when I discovered it around the time the second book was released. Looking forward to the latest Jane mystery.
Well, a new series to enjoy! This sounds like a lovely winter escape. I can’t believe I haven’t read any before!
I’m so happy that so many of you have learned of Stephanie’s series via this blog tour. Happy reading!
I think what I appreciate most about the series is the way you have fit the stories into actual events in Jane’s life – with the exception of the gentleman rogue – but then again – maybe….? But family events, etc., are in the books as they happened – almost like a biographical series. But, I am also thinking ahead to the last few years of Jane’s life – and will be interested to see how you address that. Good luck and thanks for many years of good reading. I am thinking I am going to start over with Scargrave Manor again.
Love this series and its author. (Met
you in Portland.)
Each book has a clever and intriguing
situation for Jane-the-Sleuth.
Congratulations on this newest one!
Huzzah a new Jane Austen mystery! I have enjoyed them all, particularly the last one and I too wondered where else the story could do as Jane approaches the end of her life. Maybe Dr. Who can rescue her in a Tardis (whatever that means) before her death and she can go on solving mysteries. I would love to read THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN ROGUE. I don’t usually love brooding gentlemen but I quite liked him.
I love all things Jane Austen and this series is one of them. Thank you for sharing the interview of Stephanie with us.
Thank you for the wonderful interview. I love Jane Austen and mysteries! This series sounds fabulous!
Great interview! And Persuasion is also my favorite.
Thank you for the enriching interview and introduction to this series! Also, thanks to the publisher, blogging group, or whoever has provided the generous giveaway prizes.
A new Jane Austen mystery–yay! :)
I’ve enjoyed reading the series since I was a college student, borrowing them from the college library, now the public library.
This book sounds so good. I love the idea of sleuth combined with history and post Waterloo is perfect. Thanks for the fun interview. Jen Red
Wonderful Q&A. I am so looking forward to the new Jane book! Thanks!
Enjoyed reading this. Great giveaway!
These books are very enjoyable, particularly for the spot-on narration. The rhythm of the language feels so very right! I hope that even though we are nearing the end of Jane’s timeline, there is some way to extend the series or have fill-in novels for other gaps in her life.
Ok, so after reading this interview I’ve finally decided to read Ms. Barron’s mystery series. I’m so thankful she does justice to Jane Austen’s novels by being historically accurate and respectful. Thanks, Stephanie!
I love this series! I recently finished Jane and the 12 days of Christmas and can’t wait for Waterloo map to come out. And Persuation is my favorite also, although partly because the heroine is named Anne. :-)
Looking forward to reading your newly released book. I have enjoyed your books immensely. Your research and insight into that time period of Jane Austen comes through clearly. I find it fascinating when a writer can almost place themselves in that period. Making the story come alive and reader can visualize the story. Thank you for your hard work in writing.
Huge fan of this series!!! I still remember picking up Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor at Borders. It is one of my favorite books. I cannot wait to read Jane and the Waterloo Map.
I’ll follow on Facebook and Twitter. :)
My favorite Jane Austen book is Persuasion also. I would love to read this book. Looking forward to it.