I finally have another release! With the advent of COVID and the stay at home orders, I had begun three stories and then got to the point that I was unable to write at all. The lady who runs the bakery found this out and told me to come back (though I can’t eat inside). Once I was there, it was no time at all that I had a completed book!
The thought of having three stories started kind of overwhelmed me, so once I began, I just chose one and devoted my time to it. I work better that way, anyhow. 🙂

I’ve shared excerpts of the story with you already. I talked about tea time and how it varied from the Regency period to the Victorian, which is the period our story takes place. So, this time I’m going to discuss the ways in which the story is different from the usual variation.
The first difference is that the story takes place thirty years after the year I generally set my stories, which is 1810. I know most set it for 1811, but Jane Austen really wrote the story in the late 1700’s, so I feel free to do my own thing. 😉
This advancement of time means that Elizabeth is 50 in the story. Darcy is 57 or 58.
Bingley never leased Netherfield and never met Jane. Darcy has never before been to Hertfordshire.
There are other changes. Mrs. Bennet is dead and Mr. Bennet is 80. He’s a feisty old dude, though, and was a lot of fun to write.
Mr. Collins is dead, and had no children. I don’t mention it in the story, but there was a law that Regina Jeffers turned me on to that changed entails and how they could be broken. I don’t understand all the details, but all I needed to know for the story was that the entail was able to be broken. Charlotte lives with her brother, John, who inherited from Sir William.
All the Bennet sisters except Lizzy got married and had kids. Mary married her uncle’s clerk, David Dalrymple, who inherited the practice when Mr. Phillips died.
Other than Mary and Mr. Bennet, the only other family member we meet is Mary’s youngest child. Neville is a University student and a friend of Darcy’s nephew.
Darcy’s nephew … he’s fun. He’s a viscount now, but when Neville met him, he was just The Honorable Bertram Frary. As a result, Neville is used to calling him “Frary” and continues to do so when it’s just the two of them or they are with a close circle of family or friends.
Georgiana married a viscount who became an earl. Her husband used to be Viscount Hucknall but is now Earl of Ashfield. Her son, Bertram, is now Viscount Hucknall. Georgiana herself is a spitfire. At one point, she reminds us all of Lady Catherine. <3
Who won’t you see in A MUCH Later Meeting? You won’t see any of the Bingleys or Hursts. They’re not even mentioned, simply because they don’t come up. They’re off living their lives and loving on their grandkids.
You won’t see Colonel Fitzwilliam, or his older brother. They’re also busy and are not needed to move the plot forward.
Many of the folks you won’t see just got old and died. Besides Mrs. Bennet, both Phillipses and both Lady Lucas and Sir William fall into this category.
Mr. and Mrs. Goulding are gone, but their son is still living at Haye Park with his wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law.
Lydia did run off with a soldier, but it was not Wickham. The gentleman became a famous and much-lauded hero. They still live in Newcastle, though.
Oh … there are trains now, so it only takes a few hours for any of Lydia’s family to visit her, instead of the week or so it would take by carriage.
Jane married a wealthy tradesman. He’s a knifemaker and is famous among the male members of the ton.
All the married Bennet sisters have children, so Elizabeth has a full life between visits to her nieces and nephews and caring for her father.
As with all of us, time changes things. I recently had another celebration of my birth (that I most definitely did NOT celebrate 😉 ) and it made me wonder what it would be like to meet someone at my age, which led to wondering what it would be like for Darcy and Lizzy.
I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback on the story, and a little bit of negative. Which camp do you fall into?
Giveaway information:
I’m giving away two eBook copies of A MUCH Later Meeting. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment for me here. The giveaway will close on July 28, 2020 at 11:59 PM Eastern time. The winner will be announced on August 2nd.
For those who comment but don’t win, but would like to purchase, here is a link you can use to buy the book at your favorite store.

I’m looking forward to reading this as I am also at that time of life!
I absolutely loved the epilogue! Thank you so very much for this wonder story.
[…] my last post, which you can find here, I gave away two copies of my new book, A Much Later Meeting. Right before the book was published, […]
[…] My monthly Austen Authors post was this past Monday. In it, I discuss the differences between my new release, A MUCH Later Meeting, canon, and most of the JAFF I write. […]
Congratulations on your newest release, it sounds like a really unique and interesting story. Thank you for sharing this giveaway as well as telling us a bit about your newest book and it’s characters. I hope you are doing well and staying safe. Belated Happy Birthday as well!
Thanks! <3 Best wishes in the drawing! 🙂
I’ve been following your posting of this on the other web site. Nice! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you like it! <3
I’m all astonishment!
LOL I know, right? 😉
Congratulations, Zoe, on your newest book launch!! As a woman in her mid-fifties, I adore the idea of Darcy and Elizabeth meeting for the first time thirty years later than the most common setting for JAFF. I am hoping to win a copy!!! 😀
I’m so glad that your bakery allowed you writing space! I am a bit at odds without my usual places to hunker down and comment on my students’ work. I teach online writing and literature classes for a private company called Brave Writer; we cater mostly to homeschooling families, but some traditionally-schooling families take our classes to supplement the offerings at their schools. Plus with COVID, we’ve been filling classes quickly for those families who want a great variety of writing courses with a warm and welcoming approach! Our classes are 3-6 weeks in length, and I’m in the final wee of a four-week Fan Fiction class (ideal for summertime writing!). But without our local library and nearest Starbucks, I am having to work at home which is quite distracting, especially when twenty-five 1500-2500-word fanfics (FanFic #3) come fluttering in this Thursday … and I have to turn them around in 48 hours!!! Yikes!! (Can you tell that I’m procrastinating? I have their feedback to one another on FanFic #2 waiting for me to comment on!!)
Congrats again!! Yay!!!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
LOL I remember the days of grading papers … you have my sympathies! 😉 Writing at home is hard … entirely too many distractions!! I was getting so desperate, I was thinking of taking the laptop to the local state park and domineering a picnic table at the pavilion. LOL Best wishes in the drawing! <3
I am 52, if I was single I would like to meet Darcy. It’s a good idea that Elizabeth and Darcy meet for the first time at this age. They are older so we can expect wiser characters.Why is Darcy still single ? He wanted a marriage based on love like Elizabeth ?
Yes, he did. He dreamed for years of the perfect woman and never found her, and since he had an heir in the viscount, he refused to tie himself to someone he wasn’t deeply in love with.
Story sounds fascinating and this is coming from me who rarely likes an older darcy and lizzy
I’m glad you think so! <3
Congratulations Zoe for this new story!!! That was very productive to use such time.
Eager for your new story. Just curious is Mr. Darcy a widower? Does he have an heir already?
No, Mr. Darcy has never married. His Viscount Hucknall is his heir. I guess I didn’t make that clear enough in my post. I’m sorry. 🙁
Ooooh!
LOL I take this to mean you like it? 😉
As much as I do not like to think of ODC aging, a 57 year old Darcy is closer to my age and more relatable. I am also glad the Bennet’s kept their home.
I am, too! <3 Best wishes in the drawing. 🙂
I really like the idea of Darcy and Elizabeth meeting later in life. I hope that Darcy is wiser in addition to older and that he knows better than to make any “barely tolerable” comments.
I can promise you he is wiser! LOL Best wishes in the drawing! <3
I just don’t know about a much older Darcy & Elizabeth. I’m so ingrained with them being younger and looking forward to having children. I just don’t know ????
I know, it can be hard to wrap your mind around. I hope you give the story a chance, though … I meant it to be a sweet and light read and if comments on it so far are to be believed, I succeeded. <3 Best wishes in the drawing!
Zoe, I love this idea! I am in my 50s too, and the concept of an Elizabeth and Darcy meeting for the first time at this age is fascinating. Thanks for the giveaway!
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it! <3 Best wishes in the drawing!
Delighted you finished this one and very much looking forward to reading it. I am much older than Elizabeth at this stage, but did find my true love at 42 years of age. We’ve been married for over 26 years now…
Nikki
That’s awesome! Congrats! I’m divorced and my ex-husband was so NOT my true love, but after 14 years of being single a second time, I’d love to find my Mr. Darcy. <3
First, like Patricia said… special thanks to the bakery lady. Tell her that if I lived nearby… I’d buy a cake or pie and coffee, of course. Next, since I am a person of advanced age… I like reading about mature couples finding love. Usually it is the surviving parent finding love but there are also older singles who need a significant other. That had to be fun to write. I have this on my wish-list. Thank you for the generous giveaway, good luck to all in the drawing. Blessings on the launch of this work. Stay safe, and healthy.
I think I had the most fun with this one that I’ve had of any Regency. Only the race books were more enjoyable for me. Best wishes in the drawing!
Please do not enter me in the contest as I already have the book. I enjoyed reading about a couple that is about my age. I have read a very few versions with the couple about this age, and I think they were always widowed or divorced (modern version). I enjoyed the story. Thank you!
You’re welcome, and thank you! I’m glad you liked it! <3
Zoe, I already have your book so don’t put me in the contest. Loved your little tale of love in later life and I enjoyed the entertainment Charlotte provided. I hope your book is doing well.
Thanks, Jen! It is doing well, or seems to be so far! <3
This is an unusual idea but as I am going to hit the big 5-0 this year it is right up my alley!lol Sounds like a cool concept and I too hope you can continue to go back to the bakery!
Oh, I cried for MONTHS leading up to my 50th! I did NOT want to go there! That’s when I stopped celebrating and declared myself to be 20 forever. I still cry, every year. Best wishes in the drawing! <3
Congratulations on your newest book! As a woman in her 50s, I’d love to read a story with a more mature Elizabeth and Darcy. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Thank you! It was fun to write! <3 Best wishes in the drawing! <3
Congratulations on your new book! I already have it – bought it as soon as it became available. Love the story.
PS Please thank the bakery lady! Hope you’ll be able to spend more time there to finish the other two stories! Is one of the stories possibly book 4 of your racing series? I hope so! ?
Thanks! I’ll be sure to tell Viki “thank you” on your behalf. <3 I’ll be working on race book 4 later this year. <3
I admit as Mary is my favourite Bennet I know she deserves better than a Collins or her uncle’s clerk,
Dalrymple loves her to distraction and has invested his funds in several inventions. He probably has at least as much coming in per annum as Bennet does, if not more. Mary is very well taken care of and very, very happy. <3
The story sounds interesting, a relationship between mature Darcy and Elizabeth, with experience of 30 years from P&P would be fun to read. Congratulations on the release.
Thanks! Best wishes in the drawing! <3
Congratulations on your new story! I really enjoy older Darcy and Elizabeth stories.
Glad you were able to use this time to share your creativity with us. Stay well and safe.
Thanks! Best wishes in the drawing! <3