Thursday, March 14, 2013

C. P. Odom, A Male Writer in a 'Sea of Estrogen'


It is an honor and a privilege to have C. P. Odom, debut author of A Most Civil Proposal as my guest today.  As one of the few male Austenesque authors, I asked Colin to tell us how he became interested in Jane Austen and why he wanted to write a book about Darcy and Elizabeth. His story is both delightful and entertaining. 

As an added bonus Meryton Press has generously offered to give away one Trade Paperback and the giveaway is worldwide!  

Now, without further adieu, please join me in welcoming C.P. Odom.

As far as how I became interested in Jane Austen, let me start by saying that I have always been a big reader, mostly science fiction, mysteries, historical fiction, and histories, among other genres.  My interest in Jane Austen began after my first wife passed away from cancer.  She discovered the JA novels when she was recuperating from surgery, and she really recommended them to me.  I didn’t actually take her up on that suggestion until several years after her passing.  It was an accidental viewing of the last half of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice miniseries that started it all.  I wanted to find out what I had missed and what had motivated all the furor that went on in the video, and the simplest way I knew was to dig out Margaret’s copy of P&P.  I quite enjoyed it, and I gradually picked up various videos of other Jane Austen movies and watched them and read several of the books.  Pride & Prejudice remains my favorite, but I am also partial to Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, and Emma.  I even picked up the 1940 version of Pride & Prejudice, with Sir Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, although I urgently advise people to stay away from that version as if you could get the plague from it.  It is a really bad Hollyweird effort and could likely result in stunted growth in young people and premature Alzheimer’s in adults.  <Shudder!>

Now, there are many people (and not all of them female, by any means) who enjoy Jane Austen books and movies without writing about them, but I’ve always had an interest in writing, starting in high school and continuing in honors English in college.  After graduation, I spent thirty-five years as a software engineer and about seven years before that as an electronics tech.  I did a lot of technical writing on the job, and, like most jobs, when you do a task half-way decently, you get assigned more of them.  Plus, for many years, I’d had an itch to actually write some kind of fiction but had always imagined doing so in the science fiction field.  After discovering Jane Austen, I happened upon an imitative P&P sequel at the bookstore (did I mention that I love bookstores?).  It turned out to be pretty awful, however, but it did cause me to search online for other sequels.

Instead of finding a better sequel, I discovered fan-fiction.  Especially what I call JA alternative fan-fiction (change something critical to the story and then go from there).  Alternative historical-fiction books have always been one of my favorite science fiction sub-genres (it always seems to get stuck in science fiction, even if it’s dealing with something like the South winning the Civil War), so I was intrigued.

I also found that a number of the JA fan-fiction writers were really good.  I won’t name a list, for fear that I might leave someone out, but I will say (especially since I know that Janet knows Jan Hahn) that Jan was one of those who I remember fondly.

Now, plots have popped into my head for stories at various times over the years (mostly science fiction), but virtually none of them got documented in any form, and none at all went any further.  But, as I found and enjoyed a number of the JA fan-fiction stories, I started visualizing a plot alternative involving Darcy’s prideful, arrogant, and self-satisfied proposal to Elizabeth Bennet in P&P.  I thought, “What would have been different if Darcy had actually managed a decent, even a good, proposal?  Would it really have changed things materially?”  The answer, as I considered it, is that it would not have been a cure-all, since there would still have been objections in EB’s mind.  On the other hand, I thought it would have been difficult for her to slam him as hard as she did in P&P, which opened certain possibilities.  The difference with this brain-storm versus previous ones was that I was actually inspired to actually write a few of the scenes I visualized.  Then I wrote a few more scenes, and I started plotting elements to pull these scenes together.  This eventually became the fan-fiction form of A Most Civil Proposal and has evolved into my recently published novel.  Since that first beginning, I have continued to write P&P-alternative fan-fiction set in the Regency England timeframe and society.

An obvious question in this genre, where most of the readers and writers are female, is, “What does it feel like to be one of the few male writers in ‘a sea of estrogen’?”  I won’t say that I haven’t occasionally felt a little out of place, but those feelings were usually rather trifling and were easily swamped by the female readers who seemed to like what I wrote.  My own personal mind-set is even simpler – I am simply not bothered by being one of the few males in this field.  I have been married for thirty-three of my sixty-five years.  I’ve raised two grown boys with my first wife, and my present wife and I are raising two daughters (13 and 17, respectively) who we adopted from China.  I played all the aggressive sports when I was young, I enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, rising to Sergeant, which is why my online avatar is Marine Sergeant chevrons.  I follow a number of sports avidly (top of the list is college football & Formula 1 racing), I do woodworking for relaxation and household use, and I participate in a number of the shooting sports (Cowboy action shooting is my favorite).  In short, I don’t feel “feminized” by my reading and writing interests.  Possibly that’s because my “Guy” credentials are good enough so I can read and write about whatever I please, but I cannot tell for certain.  I’ve had women work for me on the job, and I’ve had women bosses, and neither has caused me any particular problems.  And yet I’m really quite a traditionalist – I still open doors for women.  I’m not much of a “SNAG” at all (Sensitive New Age Guy), so go figure!  All people seem to be a mixture of the complicated and the contradictory.  I’m comfortable in this writing role, and I get a kick out of showing friends the physical copy of my new book and having them say, “You wrote a Romance?”  It’s a hoot.  Maybe someday I’ll write that science fiction space opera – we’ll see.  I’m just happy to get a first novel published.  And one good thing is that I finally got my wife, Jeanine, to read at least part of AMCP.  She started right after the wedding in order to read the racier parts, in keeping with her personality (nurses all seem to be rather ‘earthy’, based on my observations).  Maybe I’ll even earn enough to take her out to a nice dinner.


Available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com

Giveaway

Meryton Press is graciously offering one trade paperback of A Most Civil Proposal as a giveaway.  (Worldwide) Thank You, Michele! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below. Please include an email address so I will be able to contact the winner. The winner will be randomly picked from all the comments. Thanks for stopping by and good luck. Giveaway ends, Friday, March 22 at midnight!

29 comments:

  1. Well this is a surprise, a man in the Jane Austen field of writing! But I won't judge until I have read the book, since I hope I can win it! The book sounds like there has been put some thought into Fitzwilliam Darcy's head...at long last someone gave Darcy a few thoughts about his arrogance and prideful proposal!
    To the author of the book, I can only say: You rule! Well done about the book and bookshops are the best in the world!
    Please enter me for the giveaway; sophiathorsen1(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Sophia-Elizabeth. I have not read the book yet but have heard so many good things about it. I can't wait to get my hands on it and see for myself! :)

      Good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. Hi Sophia-Elizabeth, thanks for your interest. I ought to warn you that just making a civil proposal doesn't cure Darcy's problems - it just makes it possible to take the story in a different direction. There are still some problems to be resolved. For instance, Elizabeth now learns about Wickham's past face-to-face rather than the somewhat antiseptic experience of reading a letter. It gave me some scope for my imagination!

      Colin

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  2. Colin writes an intelligent, thoughtful, cleverly crafted story and this is one of them. I read this years ago online and would love the chance to read this through holding a book in my hands. I can't recommend AMCP highly enough! Please enter me (cpnclprashe at yahoo) in the drawing!

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    1. Hi Jan. So glad you came by and took the time to comment. Oh, wouldn't it be great to read it holding the book! I must agree with you and after your high praise, I will be getting this one for sure. Thanks again and good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. Wow, Jan. My ears are turning red from your kind words.

      Colin

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  3. Fun interview! I haven't 'met' all the Austenesque authors so I enjoyed reading C.P. Odom's background and learning about his book. I'm not surprised about both men and women writing Austenesque. My dad loves Jane Austen and since he's an artist, he has painted Regency ladies in a field for me and my mom as gifts. Lucky me!

    Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.
    sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com

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    1. Yes,lucky you indeed, and what a special gift for both you and your mom! That will be a treasure for a lifetime.

      Colin wrote quite a nice commentary didn't he? I enjoyed it immensely! I am so thrilled to have another male writer of Austenesque books, especially one of his caliber.

      Thanks for visiting today and good luck.

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    2. Thanks, Sophia. I have no training in art like your dad, but, since I'm a left-brain geek type, I've been intrigued by some of the 3D modeling programs. I haven't had a chance to play around with the programs as much as I'd like (it turns out to be harder than it looks, naturally!), I did invest in a number of regency-style characters along with clothing and scenes. Maybe one of these days, I'll generate some art for a book cover! (or the Sun may go nova first).

      Colin

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  4. I'm so glad to see Colin's book in print. I, too, read it online and was impressed by his way with words. Reading P&P from a man's viewpoint is different, and Colin has an interesting take on our favorite characters.

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    1. I am anxious to read his book as I have not had the opportunity to read it online. From all the people who speak so highly of his work and whose opinion I value, I trust he must be a good writer. It will be fun to see Elizabeth, Darcy and the rest from a man's POV.

      Thanks, Jan. Glad you could stop by.

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    2. Thanks, Jan. I still remember reading your "An Arranged Marriage" when I stumbled onto JA fanfic. Along with a number of other writers (all female, BTW), I wouldn't be here if it were not for the pleasurable reading experiences of those days.

      Colin

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  5. I have read great reviews about this book and hope to win a copy. I know of one other guy who has published JAFF so no surprises there though I wish there are more guys like Colin. It is a change to hear their different point of view especially the romance part.

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. I, too. have read great reviews and have had several people tell me personally how good it is. I will be reading it soon.

      Good luck in the contest!

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  6. I like his way of thinking. He has a wide range of activities in his background and is observant enough to pull them all together to work in the JAFF genre. Well done. I's sure like to read his book.
    jcw6@psu.edu

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I will make sure your name is in the giveaway list. Good luck.

      By the way, I liked his way of thinking too! :)

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  7. Great post! I love to read P&P from a male perspective. I am so excited to get my hands on this book. There is so many good things being said about it. I would love to win a copy! Thanks for the giveaway!!=)
    kellik115(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Hi Kelli. You are right about all the good things being said about it. That makes us all the more excited to read it, doesn't it?
      Thanks for coming by and sharing your thoughts! Maybe you will be the lucky winner! :)

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  8. Colin, thanks so much for being my guest. I loved your post and look forward to reading your book. The premise is enticing.

    I hope we will see much more from you as you are quickly making your mark in the Austenesque world! Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks for inviting me, Janet. The best part of this writing experience is that my wife is proud of me. Who could ask for anything better?

      Cheers, Colin

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  9. I would love to read this one! It's so nice to read the few male offerings in the world of Austen fiction. And most of them are so good! This sounds like another I need to add to my collection of favorites.
    bonniewcarlson@gmail.com

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    1. I completely agree with you on the male offerings. I love reading from a male POV. Since it is more rare in the Austen world of fiction, it makes for good reading.

      This book does sound great. Good luck in the giveaway.

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  10. Every time I attend an Austen-based event -- a tea, a dance, a lecture, what have you -- we always lament that we can't interest more men in participating, as Jane Austen certainly has something to offer everyone, gentlemen included. The 'chick lit' label has a lot to answer for, I think. Kudos to you, Mr Odom, for recognizing the universality of her appeal and jumping in with both feet, as it were!

    I enjoyed your journey to writing Austen-based fiction, as in some ways it paralleled my own. I have not yet read any of your fiction,as when I started on my current project, I refrained from reading others' works so that I would not be influenced -- but I would love to start with this one. I am intrigued by it's starting point and your premise. Good fortune to you with your book!

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    1. Many thanks, Tess. As an unfortunate byproduct of starting to write, I don't have as much time to read other JA authors as I would like. When the urge strikes, I usually have a couple of plot bunnies crying out for more attention, and the keyboard gets exercised more than the monitor.

      Part of my affinity for the JA world is my interest in history and historical fiction, both in print and in movies. I'm an avid fan of the older movies, even (or perhaps especially) black and white movies. Romance was treated much more straightforwardly in the older movies. The urge to be "gritty" and "realistic" in almost all present-day movies, even those involving loving relationships, has possibly been a culprit in preventing more men from being involved in what is inelegantly referred to as "chick-flicks" and "chick-lit." Too bad, but I have made many friends as a result of my writing experience, even before I had the opportunity to publish anything.

      Good luck with your own writing endeavors,

      Colin

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  11. Hi, Sgt Rake! You didn't tell us whether you've succeeded in making JA fans of your sons and daughters... and whether your kids have read your stories. Your sons are old enough to be looking for their own Lizzy.

    ~ junewilliams7 {at} yahoo {/dot} com

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    1. Hi June!

      I'm sorry to relate that I've completely struck out with both sons and daughters. In fact, the boys are so hapless when it comes to looking for their own Lizzy that we've considered mail order brides! It's not quite as bad with the girls, though my father's instincts start kicking in when one of the girls talks to a boy. So which is worse? I dunno.

      Colin

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    2. Have they ever been willing to sit down with you to watch the movies? There are big differences between Lizzy and Lydia! Be sure the boys know that.

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  12. This sounds so intriguing! thank you for giveaway opportunity

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  13. Hopefully, Colin, we will cross paths out on the road soon. I wish you the best.

    Regina [at] rjeffers [dot] com

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