Wow! I really loved this blog post. The "interview" with Mrs. Meyerson was wonderful, but I have a question for you, the author. There are a couple of references to specific holidays or Torah portions in your book. How or why did you choose these in particular?

Claudia wrote: "Wow! I really loved this blog post. The "interview" with Mrs. Meyerson was wonderful, but I have a question for you, the author. There are a couple of references to specific holidays or Torah porti..."

Hello Claudia. I’m glad you enjoyed my guest post on “More Agreeably Engaged.” It was fun! Interviewing a character from one’s own novel can be quite challenging but I think both I, and Mrs. Meyerson, did quite well!

Now on to your question…I’ve come to accept that nothing ‘just happens,’ in fact, I am becoming a great believer in Divine Providence. At the very least, I am more open to the concept.

When I began putting together my thoughts for this novel, I created an outline and jotted down some noteworthy dates. For example, it was important to know that the Napoleonic wars dated from 1799-1815. Equally important was to keep Miss Austen’s time line in the forefront of my design. We know from reading Pride and Prejudice that the Meryton Assembly takes place in October 1811. Mr. Darcy’s first marriage proposal occurs in April. He renews his application to Elizabeth on Oakham Mount in October 1812 and they marry soon after. We are told that the Gardiners are `to come to Pemberley at Christmas’. While there is a certain amount of leeway when writing fan fiction, one mustn’t fool around with specifics and so, I created a calendar of events to help me stay on track.

I laid out my storyline beginning with Mr. Darcy’s second proposal and Elizabeth’s acceptance. According to tradition, the banns would have to be read in church for three consecutive Sundays. My outline was rough at this point, after all, I was just beginning to formulate my thoughts and I played around with a few dates for my timeline.

When the Meyersons arrived in Meryton, and the rabbi had to prepare his first sermon, I pulled up several Hebrew online calendar converters to help me write the chapter. It was actually quite fun! I entered October 17, 1812 and, to my delight, I found that the Torah portion was Lech Lecha… G‑d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” This was a perfect fit! The Meyersons had just left their home, their family and friends and were settling in a new land that had been chosen for them.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the story but; needless to say, Mr. Meyerson and Mr. Bennet leave Hertfordshire for a period of time. I calculated how long they would need to be away “on business” and when they might return—always keeping in mind Miss Austen’s implacable wintery wedding. I hadn’t planned on incorporating Chanukah into the plot, but when I went back to the online calendars, I was thrilled to see that the holiday came “early” in 1812! The Hebrew date of the 25th of Kislev fell perfectly in line with my narrative.

I used a few different sites to help me, as I am by no means a mathematician or an expert on Torah portions! But, to finally answer your question, I didn’t necessarily ‘choose’ these specific holidays or dates…they chose me!

Thanks Claudia for your continued interest and support of my (sometimes long-winded) “scribblings’.

Mirta Ines wrote: "Claudia wrote: "Wow! I really loved this blog post. The "interview" with Mrs. Meyerson was wonderful, but I have a question for you, the author. There are a couple of references to specific holiday..."
Briliant! Thanks for sharing a few of your secrets!