Isabella Thorpe has fallen to her death on initiation
night at Austen University. Her roommate
Caty Morland is convinced that her death was not an accident, but murder.
Pi
Kappa Sigma President Emma Woodhouse and Caty organize a dinner party and invite
the most likely suspects. The evening
won’t end until the murderer has been uncovered.
This cozy mystery novel brings together favorite Austen
characters from all of her novels in a modern day setting at a college. It was a fun, light-hearted read, but I think
that if I didn’t know about the original novels, I would have missed some of
the humor. Having Caty Morland as a
freshman true crime enthusiast made me laugh out loud. It was a perfect modernization of the
original heroine. I enjoyed
Caty as the investigator. The plot switched back and forth in time to
give the reader the events of what lead up to the murder. I enjoyed putting the
pieces together.
Favorite Quote:
“The best mysteries are the democratic ones, where
everyone gets to have the same information as the detective, so they can all
draw their own conclusions.”
Overall, What Happened on Box Hill was a fun Austen
inspired cozy mystery and I look forward to seeing what happens next in this
series.
Book Source: Purchased
for my Kindle on Amazon.com.
I am excited that author Elizabeth Gilliland agreed to do an author interview on this novel. Thank-you!
We can always read the back cover description of a book, but it's always interesting to hear the author describe their book in their own words. Will you introduce us to your novel, What Happened on Box Hill? What Happened on Box Hill is a novel that probably sounds pretty complex/high concept, but is actually quite simple and straightforward. The simplest version is that Caty Morland is a college freshman who is obsessed with true crime, and who believes her roommate, Isabella, has been murdered after an unfortunate fall during a sorority party. Channeling her inner Hercule Poirot, Caty decides to try to solve the crime by hosting a dinner party for everyone she believes could be a suspect. The more complicated part is that the novel is a retelling of several classic Jane Austen novels, combining all of her characters into a modern-day university setting and adding in some crime. I've been assured by readers that you don't need to know Austen to enjoy the book, though a love of Austen will hopefully make the experience richer.
How did you come up with the premise for What Happened on Box Hill? Growing up, my reading was pretty evenly split between classic literature, like Jane Austen, and mystery novels, like Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. (Today my taste is a bit more varied, though I still love novels in both these categories.) I think that odd combination of mystery and classic lit must have been percolating in my mind for many years; then I started writing about Jane Austen adaptations for my dissertation, and I couldn't help but think, what would be MY ideal adaptation? What developed was this weird genre mishmash, but I've had so much fun writing it.
What are your true crime inspirations for the novel? I used to be much more of a true crime junkie--I've watched many, many documentaries, docuseries, and listened to even more true-crime podcasts. I think having a kid turned me into a bit more of a softie, so now I'm more particular about the kinds of things I can listen to, but on long road trips my husband and I still like to pass the time by settling in with a good, Serial-style mystery.
How do you modernize Jane Austen's characters while remaining true to the originals? This was the most fun thing about writing the books, and also the most challenging. I wanted to remain true to the characters readers might expect, but I also had to take into account how the different times/settings/social expectations might change some of them. I don't think anyone is too radically different from how Austen wrote them, but the choices that people make and their attitudes toward certain things might be different. For example, Austen's Tilney has read all the Gothic novels but teases Catherine about her obsession and eventually helps her realize she's let her imagination get the best of her. This fits the role that a hero like Tilney would have needed to play in the time; but I wanted to explore a Tilney who wasn't so bogged down by societal expectations and could just let himself enjoy non-traditionally masculine things, like genre fiction (and in this version of the story, true crime!).
The cover of What Happened on Box Hill is cute. Did you have any input on the cover design? Thank you! Yes, I worked with an awesome artist at 99Design named Vector Artist. I actually put out a call with some ideas about the type of thing I was looking for and was pretty overwhelmed by the incredible talent and variety of options. I ultimately chose this cover because I liked the mix of simplicity and complexity--the design is pretty simple overall, but the details, like the title being shaped like a hill, really appealed to me--and I also like how it conveys a combination of whimsy and menace. I will definitely be working with Vector Artist again!
It looks like this is the first book in a new series. Are you working on the next novel, if so, can you share any details? Yes, well-spotted! What Happened on Box Hill is the first in the Austen University Mysteries series. I just finished the first draft of the second book yesterday (!) and will be throwing myself into edits soon. I can tell you that the second book is called The Portraits of Pemberley and will feature plot points from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, with some unexpected twists. You can read a preview of the first chapter at the end of the first book. Fingers crossed, it will be coming out in Spring 2023.
When did you first read Jane Austen? My first exposure to Jane Austen was through the fantastic '90s PBS series, Wishbone, about the dog who loves to read and imagines himself as the hero of his favorite novels. I remember being very confused by the Pride and Prejudice episode and feeling embarrassed for the actress who had to dance opposite a Jack Russell Terrier. The name of the novel stuck with me, though, and when I was eleven, I was visiting my grandmother and trying to choose something to read from her many books. I came across Pride and Prejudice and decided to give it a try, and I fell in love.
What is your favorite Jane Austen novel and why? I think because it was my first Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice holds a very dear place in my heart. I have come to love all the other books over the years, and each one has meant something unique to me at a different point in my life. I've had times where I've read, say, Mansfield Park, and didn't love it; and then re-read it a few years later and realized I'd entered into a Mansfield Park season of my life. But overall, Pride and Prejudice is the one I return to most. Beyond just being my comfort novel, it's so tightly crafted--there is nothing extraneous or wasted in the book. It is a pleasure to read every single time.
Author BioElizabeth Gilliland is a fan of all things Austen, as well as a scholar specializing in 19th-century British literature and adaptations. She is of the firm belief that adaptations enhance our experience with the original texts and give us more time to enjoy the worlds and characters that we love; there’s room for everyone at the table. She has lived in Arizona, Utah, New York, London, Louisiana, and currently lives with her husband and son in Alabama.
The deadline for entry is midnight on Friday April 29th!
Please make sure to check the week of May 1st to see if you are a winner. I send emails to the winner, but lately I've been put in their "junk mail" folder instead of their inbox.
Good luck!
