Hey Sharon,

You teased us the whole book long with Lizzy's pregnancy!
Will the next book open with the birth of the next generation of Darcy or do we have to wait awhile?

To be so tiny, Elizabeth's a tough bird when it comes to being pregnant! Do we have more than one little Darcy awaiting us?

Will Darcy faint during the birth? *lol* As a few new fathers seem to do...

How close is Lizzy to being right about the baby being a boy?

You know I've gotta ask.....I'm SOOOO curious! =^..^=

Hi Cindy!

Yes, I did tease a bit there, didn't I? Believe me, it was tough writing it slowly too. I knew there was so much time and fun to cover before the birth, but the delivery chapter was one I SO looked forward to. It was hard to keep it tucked into my mind while they gallivanted all over England! But in the end I am very proud of how their firstborn's entry into the world is written.

The birth takes place roughly two-thirds of the way into The Darcys at Year's End. Much has to happen before, and I hope everyone will appreciate how necessary the drama is. It isn't pointless.

I vacillated on the sex of their firstborn almost to the end. Lizzy feels sure it is a boy, and I liked writing that in. But the truth is I wasn't so sure which way I was going to go. All I shall say is that they have one baby (although I toyed with making it twins). In the end I wanted them to be able to focus attention on one individual.

Darcy does not faint (far too manly and strong for that!), but he does struggle quite a bit. Leading up to how he handles the delivery is another reason why I take my time getting there.

So now you are warned as to what to look forward to. :)

Hello Sharon! Let me first start by saying "You are wonderful!" I love both books so immensely.
To answer a few of your proposed topics.....I think Mr. Darcy is definitely evolving so much in his private life and I think as far as how he acts around his immediate friends and his servants he has changed a lot and has become a softer and more expressive man who definitely laughs more and shows his feelings more. When he is handling business matters or problems, he has remained true to the stern and commanding presence of the serious Mr. Darcy. I think that is important though...because of the time period and his staus. He needs to keep that aspect of himself too. I loved how he and Elizabeth handled the festival and how they participated, but then gave the servants and their families privacy so they could feel relaxed. I love the man Darcy has become. I enjoy his tenderness towards his wife, sister, sister-in-laws, friends, etc. Okay, my favorite flashback was in book 1, the flashback of thier first kiss after receiving their blessing to be married. That was just so HOT and SWEET!! But my favorite flashback in book 2 was when Elizabeth walked to her favorite spot to rest and read and flashes back to when Darcy rode his horse there and spoke to her very nervously not long after they had met. Then I loved it when he actually showed up there in the present and she was able to ask him why he has said those things to her on their first meeting there. A beautiful tender moment then followed!! Very sweet! My favorite part of book 2 had to be when Darcy first felt the baby move. I loved his emotions and how precious the baby is to him already. It brought back several memories to be from my own experiences and I think that is what a great book will do for you! Darcy's anticipation of the baby and his exuberance in wanting to buy presents and help Lizzy pick out outfits is charming.
The bandit attack....Wow...that was very intense and yes, I was very worried for poor Phillips. I'm so glad he survived the ordeal. I was also a bit worried for Lizzy, but tended to feel that she was going to be okay and not lose the baby. I didn't like that that scum bag touched her, but I think it was important to express the seriousness of the event. Those men were outlaws and I'm sure things like that would really have happended and been much worse so I can understand that being added...however, it made me sad that she had to experience that, especially after the tragedy she faced in book 1. I loved how Darcy helped her bathe and the tenderness they shared in forgetting the whole tragic incident of the bandits. Okay, my favorite NEW character was George Darcy....LOVED him!! I do hope we get to enjoy much more of him in the future and learn more about him. He seems like an amazing character and I love his personality and zeal!
Great Job Sharon!!!!!! I loved the story so much and cannot wait til January to experience the next chapters in the lifes of the Darcys!!

Hi Deanna!

I am thrilled you enjoyed my novel so much. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I totally agree that the "business" persona of Mr. Darcy is so important. I may soften him up quite a bit, but I never will lose sight of who he is in relation to his status and position in the Regency world. The landed gentry were SO important to that time. Their responsibility was immense. Darcy is in every way a man who personifies control and command.

I love the Willow Bench flashback as well. I had lots of fun with that. It was also a chance to tell where his horse's name came from! And to show how intelligent Lizzy was to know it. I also liked that it brought Darcy into Lizzy's world after spending the entire first book with Lizzy brought into his world.

Ah, when Darcy feels the baby for the first time. I will confess that that is one of my all time favorite parts. It was a scene that danced in my head for a long while before I got to write it. I wanted to rush ahead and commit my thoughts into words, but needed to wait until the timing was perfect. So much leads up to it, same as with the birth.

The bandit attack was "fun" to write in that I loved the challenge of presenting a dramatic adventure. But it was tough to put my beloved characters through it. Obviously I don't like to make my characters suffer much! That translates to some as my story being "boring" or lacking a plot, but I prefer the sedate happenings of life. Still, it was a nice change from the quiet traveling prior. But you notice that I did not drag it out?

Thanks for bringing up Dr. Darcy! Oh how I love that man!! He totally captured my heart, even though I meant him to breeze in and breeze out. Don't worry, he will be around for a long time. I love him too much to let him go. A good portion of why the third book takes time to get to the birth is due to George's evolution and revealing back story. He needed to be an integral part of the intimate family unit before baby Darcy makes an appearance.

Dear Sharon,
I really don´t know where to start. I try to start at one point and then follow with the next.
I think that the official Darcy and the private Darcy are written very well. I think it is an important aspect of him to show his private personality only to people he loves, trusts and feels comfortable with.

I love all the flashbacks! I hope that you will give us some more. I love Willow Bench and Darcys birthday, when he is truly overwhelmed. He realizes again how special Elizabeth is and what it means for his future.

When do you think was the wedding ceremony? In the afternoon or in the morning?

It is so hard to say which parts of your book I prefer. One part that I have read many times, is when Darcy comes back to London after inspecting the horses with the Duke.

The bandit attack was written very well. Darcys protection regarding Lizzy, when he kneels in the carriage and comforts her is felt so strongly.

There are many lines that show the special bond between Lizzy and Darcy; I like that you include Mary and Kitty and that Darcy accepts them as his sisters.

I think it could be funny when Lizzy and Darcy meet Mr. Collins again, maybe soon,...

Everything about the baby is wonderful! There is nothing more to say about this!

Sharon, you are truly special! God bless you!
Susanne

I have yet to finsih the book so I won't ask about some stuff. first in the book lizzy gives jane some adivice about relationships but I wanted to know how will jane and charles's relationship be in the next book? secondly will there be more conflicts ? in the first book it was the dual i haven;t gotten to the conflict in the second book but i enjoy reading the book when there is more supense ! not when it's all happy bunnies all the time, in the next book will there be more supense ?

Reading other peoples comments helped me remember a couple more things I wanted to say. I loved that Lizzy gave Jane advice on her marriage relationship and that it paid off for Jane and Mr. Bingley. The scene at the breakfast table the next morning was adorable! I could just picture the grins and blushes on their faces. I would like to hear more about them in the future and hope to see Jane with a little bundle of her own too. I'm also excited about the budding relationship for Mary! I think that would be lots of fun to learn more about and it is great to see her character maturing and turning into a more well-rounded woman. The last thing I wanted to say it that it was very creative to see Ann getting help with her illness and I'm crossing fingers that we get to learn more about a romance that seems to be blossoming for her. I just LOVE it all!! .......come on January!!!!

Hello.
I read Keris comment and I want to add, that I don´t want too much conflict.
It is very sweet when Lizzy and Darcy discuss something aliitle bit fierce, but then it is time for an embrace and a kiss.
And I think as they are very open to one another they can avoid these big conflicts.
They arent part´of their world.

Susanne

OK, I'm back. Hubby took me out for lunch. Isn't he a great guy?

Hi Susanne! I knew you would stop by! Darcy's birthday was one of the first bits I wrote. It was originally a short story that I incorporated later, feeling it fit perfectly with Lizzy's birthday. I changed very little of it. Darcy has the money to present his wife with a WOW birthday, whereas Lizzy showed her love in a simpler way.

The wedding would have taken place in the morning. Partly this is because that was the normal time to do it. Weddings were not allowed after noon unless one acquired a "special license" from the Archbishop of Canterbury. That really is all that was "special" about one of these licenses. Darcy certainly had the money and power to attain one, but it would not have been necessary. The other reason I place their wedding in the morning is because they were traveling after the wedding breakfast.

Believe it or not, I haven't written the Darcys personally visiting with the Collinses. I intend to address that in the fifth book still under construction. Still not sure how it will transpire. The Collinses are mentioned a number of times, however.

There is one more part that I love so much: it´s again a flashback, Lizzy and Darcy sit side by side, Darcy can´t concentrate on his book and the conversation they share is so sweet and it makes Darcy so happy when Lizzy reveals her feelings.

Susanne

Hi Keri! So glad you dropped by!

I do appreciate what you are saying. I agree that most novels, whether romance or another genre, do have that suspense and conflict that adds to the story. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! I love it as well.

However, I have taken a different route in how I am writing the Darcys' life. In general they will be happy. Period. That is what I want for them. Life does contain dramas at times, so throwing in a bandit attack or duel or argument or sorrow now and again is part of it. But, if you really think about it, most of us go through life without wild antics and high suspense. Our lives are generally rather sedate and typical, which is why we like to escape into an action movie or thrilling novel!

Still, I have decided to give my characters a peaceful existence for the most part and to explore life as it would have realistically occurred. I believe there is lots of fun to be had in learning about the Regency world and experiencing life and love with the Darcys and their friends.

I am well aware that this translates as "boring" or "plotless" to some readers. And as I said, I do appreciate and comprehend the opinion. I just do not share it.

Jane Austen's novels were not about wild high jinxs or heavy drama. No chase scenes or murder mysteries or vampires or ghosts or whatever. Just people going through life and finding love.

In the end it really comes down to preference. Loads of books, even Austen sequels, have that sort of suspense you may be searching for. By all means, read them and they are very good! Then, when you want to feel those happy bunnies, crack open my novel and relax. :)

As for Jane and Charles, they will always figure prominently. Moving to Derbyshire will occur. Their close proximity to the Darcys was essential, as far as I was concerned. Of course, that said, it is important to remember that this is primarily Darcy and Lizzy's story. There are so many characters in Austen's novel that focusing on all of them to great degrees is nearly impossible.

Mary and Anne are very dear to my heart. Have no fear, Deanna! Remember that I am the happily-ever-after girl!

I saw that you are going to continue the plots with Mary and Anne. I was wondering is Kitty going to get in on the romance in future books ?

Hi again Keri! Yes, Kitty gets her romance, but not until the fourth book. And even then it is only the beginning. I have the desire to write a companion novel about Kitty's romance (as I have for Georgiana). I love the story I have woven for Kitty and think it could be expanded on nicely. So we shall see where that goes. But she does have the future she deserves, no doubt about it!

Yes, Susanne, I loved that moment between Darcy and Lizzy. The gradual awareness of how they both grow in their love and the knowledge of returned feelings. Again, I wrote "Happy Birthday Mr. Darcy" as a short story and it was the third piece I ever wrote. Even then I knew the characteristics I wanted them both to have. the depth of emotion as well as Darcy's playfulness when he feels happy and relaxed.

Speaking of flashbacks: How about the ones Lizzy has about Darcy House? The remembrance of their passionate kiss and Darcy's subsequent nervousness and near loss of control. Any thoughts on that?

Another topic of discussion - What about Mrs. Smyth? Any ideas of what may be in store? How did you like Lizzy's dealing with her?

And Lady Catherine. No one has mentioned her as yet. Ideas? Was she too easily mellowed? Were you disappointed? Any predictions?

what is the titile of your companion novel ?

I was suprised about how easily lady catherine calmed down. i actually expected her to put more of a fight against lizzy and not just like her in one night

I finally made it! I enjoyed many of the flashbacks, it closes alot of gaps for me. I specially the part where she is in the chamber where Jane had stayed and he tells her that he counted the steps between his room and hers!! Loved that and I love the letters from Darcy to his wife in the book. I was truly scared during the robbery scene - that whole chapter had me on pins and needles!!!

Well I liked everything ... hard to pick for me LOL

Oops I forgot the part with Elizabeth and Lady Catherine - I loved that whole scene!!

Sharon, is there a chapter that is your favorite one from this book? You know one that you have read over and over again.

Sharon,
You're reading my mind! The last three things you mentioned were what I planned on writing about... That's just weird! :)

I think Lizzy's line when Darcy's trying to regain his control during the tour of Darcy house sums it all up: "I trust you with my life, my virtue, my body, and my heart." Of course, Lizzy just tackles the situation head on, doesn't she? I love that about her. She won't let him dismiss her and insists that they talk it out.

Mrs. Smyth is a real handful! I thought that Lizzy handled her well and enjoyed reading how Darcy laid down the law in support of her. He is without a doubt the Master, is he not? :)

I'm so glad that Lord Matlock loves Lizzy and addresses Catherine's unbelievable behavior. She's so used to getting her own way that I'm sure she was stunned by his statements. And then Darcy's conversation with her was awesome. I was surprised she gave in and came to the party, but maybe she just needed someone to stand up to her to get her respect? Did that make sense?

There are so many other scenes that I love. I agree with Seli about the counting steps to her room or just hoping to run into her in the hall. So cute! He was completely in love. I think overall, my favorite scenes are the filling-in-the-blanks. Many have been mentioned already. Whenever I read what someone else wrote, I think "I loved that too!"... haha...

Well, I could go on and on, but I'm going to stop now. I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first and that's saying something! I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. Thank you so much for creating this happy world for William and Lizzy.
Diane