12 Reasons Mr.
Darcy Makes a Perfect Vampire
I began writing Book
1 of “The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire”—Pulse
and Prejudice—because I thought Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice better suited to a vampire paranormal than one
with zombies and ninjas! The character of Mr. Darcy in particular lent itself
well to a vampire characterization. In
fact, I wrote I wrote Pulse and Prejudice
as a complete adaptation of the classic love story as if Miss Austen had
always conceived the character of Mr. Darcy as a vampire but just never told
us.
Here are just a few ways in which Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy
makes such a perfect vampire that allowed it allowed me to continue building on
that character in the sequel, Dearest
Bloodiest Elizabeth.
(Spoiler alert! If you are not familiar with Pride and Prejudice, this list does
contain details of the plot. Fortunately, Pulse
and Prejudice is a standalone adaptation and requires no prior knowledge of
Jane Austen’s story.)
- Nocturnal -
He is most active and alert at night. We see him at his best in the
evenings - at Netherfield whether debating Elizabeth or dancing with her
at the ball, at the gathering at Lucas Lodge, and even at Rosings.
Frequently during the day he is dumbstruck or tongue-tied, either not
saying anything at all or not making much sense, causing confusion and
misunderstandings with Elizabeth. Yet he expressed himself uncommonly well
in the letter he wrote into the wee hours of the morning.
- Byronic -
Darcy shares many qualities with Lord Byron, the model of Polidori's The
Vampyre and created the mythology of the gentleman vampire. (Before then, they really were described
more like zombies!) Mr. Darcy is
the quintessential “Byronic hero” - intelligent, arrogant, introspective,
and cynical.
- Makes
excuses for evil - "There is, I believe, in every
disposition a tendency to some particular evil - a natural defect, which not
even the best education can overcome."
- Mind
control - Is Bingley his Renfield? Colonel Fitzwilliam declares
himself "at his disposal." Darcy even was able to make Mrs.
Phillips be quiet (but, sadly, not elegant).
- Inhumanly
handsome - Everyone who sees him or his likeness, even if they
despise him, gushes about his appearance. (Colin Firth, anyone?)
- Dark
and brooding, suave and debonair - Like any self-respecting gentleman
vampire should be. (See #2.)
- Does
not interact well with mortals - He admits, "I cannot catch
their tone of conversation." He wants nothing to do with the good
people of Meryton until he fixates on Elizabeth, and then he usually just
stares at her or hovers as she converses with others. He misinterprets Jane’s
feelings for Bingley and Elizabeth's feelings for him.
- Amazing
powers of persuasion - He persuaded Wickham to marry Lydia and
Mr. Gardiner to allow him to bear the expense, and he was shocked that
Elizabeth could resist him...at first. As Mr. Bennet stated, "He is
the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse
anything...."
- Precognition -
He just happened to show up at Ramsgate before Wickham could elope with
Georgianna, and he appeared at Pembereley at the exact moment Elizabeth would be there.
- Seductive -
Although Elizabeth had declared him the last man in the world she could be
prevailed upon to marry, eventually he overwhelms her resistance and
brings about a complete reversal of her feelings.
- Predatory -
He was able to track down Wickham and Lydia in the bustling metropolis of
London, and he always knew how to find Elizabeth on her rambles around
Rosings.
- Immortal -
He must be. After 200 years, Mr. Darcy is still thriving.
Martin Amis wrote in The Atlantic, “I wouldn’t
have minded a rather more detailed conclusion (to Pride and Prejudice)
— say, a twenty-page sex scene featuring the two principals, with Mr. Darcy,
furthermore, acquitting himself uncommonly well.” I couldn’t agree more! So in
addition to adapting Miss Austen’s story in Pulse
and Prejudice, I added an original section, “Beyond Pride and Prejudice,”
that provides a peek at the passion, lust, and desire that simmers just under
the surface in the original. The sequel, now unhindered by the source material,
Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth provides
a darker, bloodier, and sexier continuation of Darcy and Elizabeth’s love
story.
Dearest
Bloodiest Elizabeth
The
Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire
Book
II
Colette
L. Saucier
Genre: Historical paranormal romance
Publisher: Southern Girl Press
Date of Publication: eBook August
8, 2016;
Date of Publication: print
October, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9969974-0-9
ISBN: 978-0-9863718-8-2
ASIN: B01K3DP652
Word Count: 80,000
Cover Artist: Dawné Dominique
Book Description:
The Confession of Mr. Darcy,
Vampire
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy - elegant,
dark, brooding...vampire. In Pulse and Prejudice, the definitive vampire
adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic, the Master of Pemberley reveals his
haunting tale of unquenchable desire and forbidden love.
His story continues in Dearest
Bloodiest Elizabeth, the lurid, lusty sequel to Pulse and Prejudice, as death
shadows the newlywed Darcys from Pemberley to the parlors of Regency London to
the courtyards of Antebellum New Orleans.
As Elizabeth discovers the trials and travails of marriage to a vampire,
can Darcy ever believe that she loves him as he is? Or will his jealousy tear them apart?
Note:
Pulse and Prejudice is not “fan fiction”
but a complete stand-alone adaptation. No prior knowledge of Pride and
Prejudice is required for full enjoyment of this remarkable novel.
On Sale Throughout October for $2.99
Also Available Book I
PULSE AND PREJUDICE
Excerpt:
Crimson drops
fell onto the white snow, staining it pink.
Darcy had not
intended this—to drink from his wife—when he claimed his prize of a kiss after
catching her as they raced through the hedge maze at Pemberley. Elizabeth had
actually done surprisingly well in evading him, considering his intuitive
abilities; but, of course, he caught her—laughing in his arms, eyes ablaze,
cheeks chafed from the cold.
“And now my
prize!” As had so often occurred in the span of their brief marriage, his
tender kiss had escalated quickly into fervent ardour. The laughter then in her
eyes, his wife had taken hold of the lapels of his greatcoat and, falling back
onto the snow, pulled him down with her. As their kisses deepened, so, too, had
his hunger and desire. He pulled off his gloves and trailed his cold fingers
down her face. Untying her bonnet and unfastening her cape, he exposed her neck
for his lips and his teeth.
She moaned
softly as he drew the blood from her throat, sharing her warmth and her pulse,
savouring the rich, metallic taste. He pulled back to watch her, only then
noticing that a few precious drops of lifeblood had escaped his embrace and
fallen onto the snow.
“William,” she
whispered in a half-plea, her hand running over the front of his trousers to
convey her intent.
He gazed into
her eyes. “Should we not go in? Are not you cold?”
“Cover me to
keep me warm.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth onto
hers, sharing the taste of her blood as their tongues intertwined.
Darcy pulled at
her skirts and brought the hem to her knees. He reached his hand up between her
cold thighs to the hot core that drew him in. She gasped against his mouth as
he touched her there, but he wasted little time in freeing himself from his
trousers and thrusting deep within her.
About
the Author:
Colette Saucier began writing
poems, short stories, and novellas in grade school. Her interest in literature
led her to marry her college English professor, but eventually a love of
history encouraged her to trade up to a British historian.
Technical writing dominated her
career for twenty years, but finding little room for creativity in that genre,
she is now a full-time author of fiction.
Pulse and Prejudice was named “A
Most Inventive Adaptation” by Elle Magazine (April, 2016). It was the 1st Place
Winner in its category in the 2013 Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction Contest
and is listed in Chanticleer’s 2013 Best Book Listing. Colette dedicated 15
months traveling to Europe and Britain, researching Regency England and vampire
lore and literature, to complete for historical accuracy. It remains faithful
to nineteenth century literary conventions and Jane Austen’s narrative to
create a compelling, thrilling paranormal adaptation.
Colette was selected a “2013
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award” Semi-finalist and named “Debut Author of the
Year” by Austenprose for All My Tomorrows—now expanded and republished as The
Proud and the Prejudiced—which was also chosen Austenesque Reviews “Favorite
Modern Adaptation” 2013.
Colette’s romantic thriller
Alicia’s Possession was the publisher’s #1 Bestselling Romantic Suspense for 4
straight weeks following its debut in June of 2013 and then again in January,
2014, after being voted a “Top Ten Romance Novel of 2013” (P&E Reader’s
Poll). Colette is also the author of the controversial and erotic noir romantic
suspense The Widow, an Amazon bestselling new release and Kobo bestseller.
Colette’s latest novel—Book II:
The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire—entitled Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth,
follows the newlywed Vampire Darcy and his bride Elizabeth from Britain to
Antebellum New Orleans. Due to her devotion to historical accuracy, she spent
two years researching Creole Society and Nouvelle Orleans in the years
following the War of 1812.
A bestselling and award-winning
author under multiple pseudonyms, she is currently working on multiple projects
including a parody of Wuthering Heights and a children’s book based on the
inspiration for the dog Amadeus from Pulse and Prejudice and Dearest Bloodiest
Elizabeth.
Colette lives in a lakeside
community in South Louisiana with her historian husband and their two dogs.
4 comments:
Blogs need a love button like facebook because I love this. <3
Thanks so much for hosting me!
I would love to win the hardcopy. Thank you for the contest! Loved the first book.
I agree with you! Darcy makes an excellent vampire. I very much enjoy your writing. Thank you for the peak at the cover!
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