Sofie Darling is an award-winning author of historical romance. Her debut novel, THREE LESSONS IN SEDUCTION, won the Writers’ League of Texas’ Manuscript Contest in the Romance Category in 2016.
She spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized she simply had to write the books she loved, she finished her English degree and embarked on her writing career. Mr. Darling and the boys gave her their wholehearted blessing.
When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco.
Around the time of my thirteenth birthday, I discovered my first love. My childhood had been somewhat topsy-turvy with lots of moving around and not much time for mooning over boys as I changed schools often. In other words, I had gobs of time for reading, which is how I found him one afternoon in the library.
Tall.
Dark.
Handsome . . .
Prideful.
That’s right. My first love was Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, affectionately known by millions as Mr. Darcy. (I can’t imagine Elizabeth ever called him Fitzwilliam, even upon their marriage. On second thought, maybe Fitzy . . .)
The first time I read Pride and Prejudice, I devoured it in three, breathless sittings, hungry for every morsel, every description, every soupçon of Mr. Darcy I could get. That reading was all about him.
Of course, I’d read it too fast. So, I read it again, slower this time. When I closed the book that second time, I had a question: what was so special about Miss Elizabeth Bennett, beyond her “fine eyes?” In short, how did she catch him?
The third reading was revelatory. I took notes.
Okay, let’s get this out of the way: Elizabeth was pretty. Mr. Darcy said so himself. Further, she was smart and witty. A loyal and loving sister. A (mostly) dutiful daughter . . . The list of her virtues goes on.
But Elizabeth was more: she was difficult. She could get on her high horse and make an arse of herself. She was prone to saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment. She could be downright cantankerous. Elizabeth was imperfect and outspoken, and Mr. Darcy fell head-over-heels in love with her anyway.
And this is why I’m so thankful that Mr. Darcy was my first love: he loved a difficult woman. I understood in those formative early teen years that I could be imperfect, outspoken, difficult, and be loved by a worthy man. Further—here is the most important part—any man who couldn’t accept me with all my flaws wasn’t worthy of my love.
It’s a gift of self-acceptance I’ve carried with me ever since. (Thank you, Miss Jane Austen.)
Tall.
Dark.
Handsome . . .
Prideful.
That’s right. My first love was Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, affectionately known by millions as Mr. Darcy. (I can’t imagine Elizabeth ever called him Fitzwilliam, even upon their marriage. On second thought, maybe Fitzy . . .)
The first time I read Pride and Prejudice, I devoured it in three, breathless sittings, hungry for every morsel, every description, every soupçon of Mr. Darcy I could get. That reading was all about him.
Of course, I’d read it too fast. So, I read it again, slower this time. When I closed the book that second time, I had a question: what was so special about Miss Elizabeth Bennett, beyond her “fine eyes?” In short, how did she catch him?
The third reading was revelatory. I took notes.
Okay, let’s get this out of the way: Elizabeth was pretty. Mr. Darcy said so himself. Further, she was smart and witty. A loyal and loving sister. A (mostly) dutiful daughter . . . The list of her virtues goes on.
But Elizabeth was more: she was difficult. She could get on her high horse and make an arse of herself. She was prone to saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment. She could be downright cantankerous. Elizabeth was imperfect and outspoken, and Mr. Darcy fell head-over-heels in love with her anyway.
And this is why I’m so thankful that Mr. Darcy was my first love: he loved a difficult woman. I understood in those formative early teen years that I could be imperfect, outspoken, difficult, and be loved by a worthy man. Further—here is the most important part—any man who couldn’t accept me with all my flaws wasn’t worthy of my love.
It’s a gift of self-acceptance I’ve carried with me ever since. (Thank you, Miss Jane Austen.)
Like a vengeful Norse god, Captain John Nylander has come from the sea to steal the only home that Callie has ever known. And that might not be all he’s after.Can a Viking…Orphaned as a child, Nylander has never known a real home. Now he is ready to leave the dangers of his past behind and put down the roots he has always longed for. The only thing standing in his way is a lanky aristocratic lady who is more at home on the farm than in the ballroom. And she has secrets…And a Viscountess…Callie, the Dowager Viscountess St. Alban, has poured all her energy into making Wyldcombe Grange her home. Managing an estate is not what she dreamed of, but her late husband’s rejection made it clear that love and a family would never be hers. Now she may lose even that to the sinfully handsome Captain. But Nylander is making her dream again…Turn passion into love?Nylander inspires a recklessness in Callie that she can’t control. Soon she finds herself conspiring with pirates and contemplating midnight trysts with the very Viking who has turned her life upside down. For Nylander, being with Callie embodies everything he’s always wanted—home. As midnight strikes, will all their secret, sinful dreams come true?
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I have still never read Pride & Prejudice. Scandalous. I know.
ReplyDeleteOutrageous! Lol. Please tell me you've watched the BBC miniseries with Colin Firth (yum).
DeleteI look forward to reading this.
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it!
DeleteCallie sounds like my kind of woman! Love a sassy girl!
ReplyDeleteShe definitely has a mind of her own!
DeleteSounds like my kind of book! I have read Pride and Prejudice countless times, it is one of my favourites.
ReplyDeletelindacfast@hotmail.com
I can't get enough of P&P, too. ❤️
DeleteThanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteHer Midnight Sin sounds like a good read. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI hope you enjoy it!
DeleteThank you for the chance!! I adore historical romance novels!! 💗
ReplyDeleteMe, too. ;¬)
DeleteHi Sofie, How much research do you have to do to write historical stories? And have you gotten to travel to the locations that you write about?
ReplyDeleteI do quite a bit of research. My favorite kind is reading fiction from the era, like P&P, for example, as it grounds me in the language. And, yes, I do travel quite a bit, so I have visited the places I've written about. Thanks for asking!
DeleteLove Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy too. :)
ReplyDelete*swoon*
DeleteI fell in love with Mr Darcy in college :)
ReplyDeleteHe would make for a good college boyfriend. 😉
DeleteI still love the incredible Miss Austen . Don't get me wrong I do like P&P, but I read Sense and Sensibility first. 💗😁
ReplyDeleteOh, I do love those Dashwood sisters! ❤️
DeleteHi, Sofi. A question... Any traslation of any your books to spanish? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNo, there isn't. But it is something I'm hoping to do in the future.
DeleteI love that green cover. Good luck to me!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read. Sign me up!
ReplyDeleteI never knew Darcy's first name!
ReplyDelete