Meet the Authors of Second Impressions

Read about Second Impressions, part of the Vintage Jane Austen, here. And now, I'm thrilled to feature the authors of this short story collection.
 

Meet the Authors!

E. Kaiser Writes, author of “Chocolate Surprise," “The Mansfield," and “Peace in the Orchard," credits her nearly nomadic childhood for the vast reach of her fictional worlds. She has lived in the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains, the plains, the deep forest, the searing Texas summer, and the frozen Minnesota north.
She wears many hats: writer and editor of ad copy, web copy, office correspondence, and fiction; a cowgirl, animal trainer, seamstress, jeweler, artist and…authoress! Visit her at her blog, her FB author page, and her website, EkaiserWrites.webs.com, where you can find links to her other social media sites.

Here is what she has to say about “Chocolate Surprise":
   I started this tale on a whim, a lot like I often do in a "writing exercise" mode. A tree, sunlight... the feeling of the '50s emerged within a few sentences and I really though this was going to be a Pride & Prejudice thing. Then... wham! the heroine opened the door and she was so clearly an Emma that the rest of the piece just rolled from there.
  I love when a tale comes together like that, and it's not something that happens a lot for me; short is like pulling teeth. So the fact that this one wrapped in well under 10k was a shock, and also delightful! 

And “Peace in the Orchard":
  After thinking about the themes further, it fascinated and frustrated me that I wasn't able to do a P&P in the '50s. Wondering if that block would go away if we took it and skipped genres, I tried fitting it in various outlandish settings, but the fantasy was what clicked. Instead of a prince (why always a prince?), I set the hero as a young king whose father had died, a la Darcy... and when our heroine came on the scene with the name of Izzy, she just popped off the page with red hair and everything.
   My one regret is I didn't have time in RL to draw a picture of her with her pet for the story!

And “The Manfield":
 Almost at the same time my brain was trying genre swaps for P&P, it was also flipping through genres for the other tales, to see who clicked best. Mansfield Park on a spaceship just locked so tight that I couldn't get it out of my head, so after writing Peace I punched out this one as well, and sent it in as a followup. I personally thought “Peace" was stronger, but my sister surprised me by voting for “Mansfield" as her favorite, (and she's not a huge sci-fi person.) Amazingly, the editor also agreed with my sis, so I'm having to reevaluate my reasons for thinking that!
   I guess that's just the wonderful thing about tastes in literature, there can be something for everyone.

Gail Bryant, author of “Gently Pursued, Finally Persuaded," is a sixty-something grandma born and raised in the Chicago area, who, along with her husband, has called Central Texas her home for over thirty-five years.
After observing the enjoyment and satisfaction the budding authors in her daughter’s writing group experienced by creating characters and telling their stories, she wanted to see first-hand what all the fun was about, hence her first short story.
She endeavors to keep her mind and body active and well nourished by learning new things, reading good books, listening to good music, eating good food, and spending time with her grandson, not necessarily in that order.

Here is what she has to say about “Gently Pursued, Finally Persuaded": I have read and enjoyed each of Jane Austen's six celebrated novels, but her Persuasion wins my "favorite" vote. Therefore it was my first choice for a short story retelling.
Anne is the oldest of the Austen heroines and seems to be the most mature (with Elinor in a close second place).
There are so many good stories already available with even more being written in which the heroine and hero are young with flawless good looks. The idea came to me to age the characters somewhat and show that even seniors still have lots of life to live. 

Therese Peyton, author of “The Secret of Pemberley Estate," is a twenty-one-year-old Catholic girl with the heart of a child. Her biggest dream is to write and publish clean and beautiful Japanese manga comics. She’s a Victorian living in modern times who loves drawing, writing, classical music, common sense, and Louisa May Alcott. A homeschool graduate, Therese lives with her mom, dad, and five siblings out in the boonies.

Here is what she has to say about “The Secret of Pemberley Estate":    Writing “The Secret of Pemberley Estate" was certainly a very interesting and challenging project! Though Jane Austen's novels are not mysteries, I decided to make this story one in order to give it an unexpected, dramatic touch – a book you would not come across every day.
   It may seem strange to readers that this story was written with Georgiana Darcy as the central character and not Elizabeth Bennet. Georgiana was hardly even in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! And yet, what we do glean from those minimal pieces of information is the very subtle character of a heroine. Though not sparkling like Elizabeth, I chose to write this story through Georgiana's perspective to show that those introverted and unexpectedly quieter people in life can be heroes and heroines, too.
   But perhaps the omission of romance and a marital “happily ever after" for Georgiana may be even more surprising, especially to avid Jane Austen readers. But I can easily picture her, who doesn't struggle with financial difficulties like other Austen heroines, living contentedly with her beloved brother and sister-in-law. The progress that the protagonist makes towards perfection is what seems to truly define Austen's works and not merely her romantic plots. I hope I was at least able to accomplish this a little in “The Secret of Pemberley Estate."

Mikayla Holman, author of “Emma's Irritation," is a seventeen-year-old from Central Texas. She is very passionate about writing and photography; she hopes to make one of them her profession someday. Until then, she likes to keep her writing in practice by blogging, emailing, and writing lots of novellas. She fills up her camera card super-fast by taking photos of nature, and occasionally portraits. When not pursuing those hobbies, she can oftentimes be found hanging out with her friends, reading heaps of books, reading blogs, or biking around in the country. Visit her at ordinarygirlextraordinaryfather.blogspot.com, or any of her other spots on the web: Pinterest, Goodreads, and Instagram.

Here's what she has to say about “Emma's Irritation":
I have always loved Jane Austen, since I grew up with my sisters watching the movies. The first book I read was Pride and Prejudice, but when I read Emma I fell in love with it. In the book there is a conversation Mr. Knightley and Emma have that they never included in any of the movies, but I just loved it because it talks about them as children. So when I heard about this collection I decided to write a story based on that conversation! 

Jennifer Baxter, author of “Mother's Day" and “Maid in Houston," is a Jane Austen fan girl and hobby author. When she is not writing stories, she is living them in Texas, the greatest state on earth. 

Here's what she has to say about “Mother's Day": 

 Mother's Day is coming up and is one of my favorite holidays, and that got me thinking about the Jane Austen moms. They're not a very impressive bunch overall! (Especially not Lady Catherine and Mrs Bennet). Elinor and Marianne's mom is one of the nicest, and thinking about her led me to write this story.

And here is what she has to say about “Maid in Houston": 

Like every Jane Austen fan, I love Pride and Prejudice, but when I started brainstorming for a short story idea I didn't want to pick the usual books – Pride and Prejudice and Emma. A lot of readers are hard on Fanny Price, but I had a lot of sympathy with her growing up, and I had an idea if I put her in a very different setting I could maybe explain why I admire her as a character. She knows how to work and how to listen, and in the long run that's what matters. Not how popular or powerful you are, but who you prove yourself to be as a person.

Hannah Jones, author of “Elaina," is, most importantly, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. She has been homeschooled all her life and lives in the Southwest. There are many things she enjoys, including writing, reading, drawing, painting, singing, music, tap dancing, vintage everything, family, and friends, but above all she loves to tell people about the joy of God’s love!

Here's what she has to say about “Elaina": 
I have been a fan of Jane Austen books and movies for as long as I can remember. I was practically born and raised on them! So when I heard that there was an opportunity to rewrite one of Miss Austen’s books, I jumped at the chance! I chose Emma because it is my favorite of her stories and I chose a medieval setting because I love that era! It was incredibly fun to write “Elaina" and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!