Fabulous Fan Fiction: An interview with Ruth Leigh - by Liz Carter

I've recently had the pleasure of reading Ruth Leigh's brand new collection of short stories based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, A Great Deal Of Ingenuity. Published by Resolute Books, and out now, I absolutely loved it. The stories are based around minor characters from Pride and Prejudice, and as a fan of the book and Jane Austen in general, I found this authentic, light and sparkling, and well-written, capturing both Austen's writing and her world so well - I was transported. I enjoyed each one of these short stories, wishing they wouldn't come to an end - they drew me right into the settings and the characters' lives, to the extent I could almost smell and taste as well as imagine the way people spoke, dressed, and behaved. A fabulous, delightful read.

I really wanted to ask Ruth about her writing and what it means to write Jane Austen fan fiction, and so I'm thrilled to feature her here on More than Writers today. Many of us know Ruth from the wonderful Isabella M Smugge trilogy, and so I know we'll all want to hear her writing tips and ideas!

Welcome, Ruth! You say your book is 'Jane Austen fan fiction'. What does this mean? Can you tell us a bit about fan fiction, and what it means to write it?

Fan fiction is literature written by devotees of a particular author (in this case, Jane Austen), using her characters and plots to create their own works. It generally falls into prequels, sequels and re-imaginings (what would happen if Lizzy accepted Mr Collins’ proposal for example). Some authors also take a character such as Mary Bennet or Charlotte Collins and write an entire novel about them. The first Austen fanfiction publication we know of came out in 1913 so there is a long tradition of this kind of writing. The book in question was called “Old Friends and New Fancies” by the splendidly named Sybil G Brinton and is still in print today.

You've published this through a brand new small indie press, the author collective Resolute Books. Can you tell us a little about the difference between the publishing of your Isabella Smugge trilogy and this?

It’s been a completely different experience. I had to sort out cover design, copy editing, formatting and marketing rather than having the massed ranks of Instant Apostle behind me. I learned huge amounts, and am extremely grateful for the generosity of other authors (yourself included) for helping me with a new world full of confusing new tasks. Working with Resolute Books has been great as I can call on the experience of my fellow authors, who, between them, seem to know just about everything!

What was your favourite story in the book to write, and why?

That would have to be “Mrs Long and Her Neices[1]”. Mrs Long doesn’t get mentioned very much in “Pride and Prejudice” but she is the first person to be name checked in Chapter One. Mrs Bennet tells Mr Bennet that Netherfield Park has been let at last, news she has just received from Mrs Long. That got me thinking about this lady’s character. How does she know this vastly important piece of local news when Mrs Bennet doesn’t? Admittedly, Longbourn is a mile or so outside Meryton, but Mrs Bennet has her sister Mrs Philips in town and has her tractor beam for single young gentlemen turned on at all times. That was the starting point for the story and I simply loved creating a no-nonsense, kind-hearted Meryton matron who is an indefatigable news gatherer and hostess. It gave me the chance to shine a light on what goes on at Longbourn, Lucas Lodge and the Philips’ house and do some conjecturing around the Collins’s marriage. I loved researching the period and by making Mrs Long a woman who regularly entertains at her house, I was able to add in popular Regency dishes and write about dinner parties. I became very fond of Mrs Long and I may even return to her for a future book. We’ll see how she’s received by readers.

Tell us a little bit about your writing day: how do you spend your time, and how do you prioritise time so you can write so prolifically?

Now I’m a full time writer every day is a writing day. I do the school run, unlock the Palace of Creativity and get down to it. I’m not writing every minute of every day, but fairly close. What with the freelance work, and delivering creative writing workshops and writing books, I am very busy. I suppose I’ve always been aware of deadlines throughout my freelance career, so I’ll prioritise work in that way while keeping up with social media and thinking of new things to do. I am not as other women, as we’ve probably already worked out, and am so incredibly driven to succeed. That said, I am not a Young Thing any more and I’m starting to try to focus more on the things I really want to do and let other tasks go. In my mind, there are the outlines of books floating before me. At least one more Isabella, my Writers’ Guide To … series and the next five Austen novels given the short story treatment. So I’ve always got something bubbling under.

Finally, how can we get hold of a copy of A Great Deal of Ingenuity?

Easy! You can visit my website, www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk and order a signed copy, find me on all the socials at @ruthleighwrites or go to Amazon and order a copy.

Ruth Leigh

[1] Not a typo. I used the spelling prevalent in Austen’s time throughout the book.

Thank you so much, Ruth! I know I'm excited about these future projects. Would love to hear readers' experiences of fan fiction in the comments - have you written some? What's your fandom? And in the meantime, head over to Ruth's site to buy this lovely book.

Liz Carter is an author, poet and editor from Shropshire. She loves to write about the difficult and painful times in life, and how we can find gold in the mess. Her new non-fiction book with The Good Book Company, Valuable, is now out. Her other books Catching Contentment and Treasure in Dark Places are available in online bookstores. Her first novel, Repression Ground, a dystopian thriller, will be published by Resolute Books in November. She works freelance to proofread, format and design books.

You can find her at www.greatadventure.carterclan.me.uk