The Portraits of Pemberley (Austen University Mysteries)
by Elizabeth Gilliland
I am so happy to welcome Elizabeth Gilliland
to Escape With Dollycas today!
Hi Elizabeth,
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi! I’m Elizabeth, a teacher, Dr., mom, and writer. I grew up reading and loving many different kinds of books, but mysteries have always held a special place in my heart. I remember going to the local library and checking out every mystery book I could find and being excited whenever I guessed whodunnit before the ending. (I still feel that way, come to think of it!)
What are three things most people don’t know about you?
1 – I won my first writing contest in the 4th grade (prize was a trip to McDonald’s with the teacher). The book was a fanfiction of Star Wars combined with Star Trek.
2- I grew up in a rural area and had a lot of random pets, including chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, dogs, cats, snakes, and a hamster.
3 – The fastest I was ever clocked in a typing test was an average 90 words per minute, which came in handy when I briefly worked as a transcriber for a closed captioning company.
What books/authors have most inspired you?
I really love the classics and felt like they shaped me a lot as a reader growing up – my favorites included L.M. Montgomery
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I think I’m kind of weird in that I usually wait to do heavy research until after I’ve written the book. If it’s something small that I can answer in a quick Google search, I might do it while I’m writing, but otherwise, I try to serve the story first and just keep track of questions that I have as I write to go back to later. For example, this book I researched a few things that I can’t reveal without spoiling too much, and one thing that didn’t make it much into the final version of the book (stuff about Title IX).
Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block?
I don’t really have writer’s block where I can’t think of anything to write. My problem is more “writer’s distraction,” where I have about half a dozen ideas always fighting for my attention and I have to really work to stay focused on one thing at a time.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Writing is a really weird combination of being both incredibly confident in your abilities but also being willing to be open to feedback and criticism. You have to be malleable enough to listen to the feedback that will help you get better but also shut out all the intrusive, negative thoughts that no one will like your work, you’re a terrible writer, you’ll never be as good as ____ (fill in the blank). It’s a really strange tightrope walk of being your own biggest cheerleader and also the person most aware of where you need help/improvement.
When you are not writing what do you like to do?
Sleep. (Ha!) I have a four-year-old and I’m a teacher, so there’s not a lot of time outside of those things beyond writing, but I do like to read for fun, go to the beach, ride my EasyRoller, watch good TV, watch some bad TV for fun, and spend time with my family.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
There are a lot of places I’d like to travel, but in the last few years, I’ve really wanted to go to Iceland. I’d love to see the Northern Lights and just just experience a totally different culture than anything else I’ve encountered.
What is next on the horizon for you?
In addition to writing my own books, I’m also an editor for Bayou Wolf Press, and we have a great title coming out in October – Foxfire by Rowan Hill
About The Portraits of Pemberley
The Portraits of Pemberley (Austen University Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Louisiana
Bayou Wolf Press (July 5, 2023)
Number of Pages – 285
Digital ASIN : B0BYCJXP2Y
After George Wickham is found tied up, naked, on the Austen University Campus Square, President de Bourgh gives student journalist Lizzy Bennet an ultimatum: Find out who committed the crime, or be expelled from the school. Lizzy must team up with some old friends (like the Austen Murder Club) and some new (like…Karoline Bingley?) to get to the bottom of the truth.
Complicating matters is the fact that the prime suspect is Fo-Hian Darcy. Darcy and Lizzy have a messy history, but even so, Lizzy just can’t accept that Darcy committed the crime. An anonymous whistleblower tips off Lizzy about a secret website called the Portraits of Pemberley that may help her get to the bottom of the mystery–but discovering the truth about who’s involved may very well challenge everything that Lizzy believes.
The Portraits of Pemberley is Book 2 of the Austen University Mysteries series but can be read as a standalone novel. It combines plot points of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with Sense and Sensibility (and characters from all of Austen’s novels) in a modern-university setting, with mysteries.
Great Escapes Praise for The Portraits of Pemberley
(Austen University Mysteries)
by Elizabeth Gilliland
My rating for The Portraits of Pemberley by Elizabeth Gilliland is four stars. I like how Ms. Gilliland stays true to the characters of Jane Austen. She has modernized them, but they are still familiar.
~Baroness’ Book Trove
With great character dynamics, foes learning to work together, and the realization that first impressions are not always correct, THE PORTRAITS OF PEMBERLEY is a fun read for everyone, not just Jane Austen fans.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
I loved Elizabeth’s storytelling. Characters are lively and likable. Believe me, read this book and you too will start missing your college days, you might want to add The Portraits of Pemberley by Elizabeth Gilliland to your TBR.
~The Book Decoder
More About Elizabeth Gilliland
Elizabeth Gilliland is a writer, Dr., wife, mom, and lifelong Jane Austen fan. She is a playwright (whose plays have appeared off-off Broadway), a screenwriter (with a master’s in screenwriting and production), an academic (with a PhD and a dissertation on Jane Austen adaptations), and now a published author! When she isn’t writing or grading papers, she is most likely reading a good book, binge watching the latest hit, working on a puzzle, or hanging with her cute kid.
Author Links
Blog – Twitter: @egilliland7 – Publisher Website:
Purchase Links –
Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
July 5 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
July 6 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
July 6 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – Indie Author Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 12 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
July 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
July 15 –Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – The Book Decoder – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 17 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
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What an intriguing book! Great interview. Thanks for sharing.