As many novels are, this was a multiyear project, from the original idea to the final book. What surprised you during that time? How did your feelings about Rochester, or Jane, or even Bront? change or evolve during that period?
First and foremost, what surprised me was how hard it was. I thought it would be simple: just follow along what Charlotte Bront? wrote and show it from Rochester’s viewpoint. But I soon realized that would not work. The reader already knows that story; I had to create another story that would keep the reader’s interest. Readers of Jane Eyre already know part of Rochester’s story, for he tells her far more than one might at first reading guess. So with that structure in mind, I had to create a new story, with new characters, with things going on, even toward the end when we think we already know everything, that Jane—and therefore the reader—never knew. That was crucial and really important to create tension at that point. I would say that while I began with very positive feelings regarding Rochester, as I “watched” him grow and struggle, I developed an ever closer relationship with him. There are two very tender moments from the Bront? book that particularly struck: the time Jane announces that she is leaving to go to see Mrs. Reed, and you can just feel how bereft Rochester is and how desperate he is to insure that she will return. And the other is the scene where he is trying to get her to commit herself to him, and he is so desperate for her to do so, and she won’t, she just won’t.
What will be the biggest surprise for readers of your book who are big Jane Eyre fans?
I think, because of what is so generally thought of Mr. Rochester, that his treatment of Bertha—what the reader knows from Jane Eyre—developed over time, that he did not suddenly throw her into an attic and lock the door, that what we see in Jane Eyre is the result of a long and difficult process for the both of them.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people who have, in one way or another, contributed to the writing and the publication of this book that I will no doubt mistakenly omit some names. Still, I would like to thank Jennifer Weltz, of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, for her steadfast support and encouragement. And, as well, Millicent Bennett of GCP, who shared my vision of what this book could be and was so instrumental in helping it bloom into what it is, and Millicent’s assistant Jessie Pierce, publicist Andy Dodds, and many others at Grand Central, including Jamie Raab, Deb Futter, Brian McLendon, Carolyn Kurek, cover designer Liz Connor, copy editor Eileen Chetti, and Tracy Dowd, Karen Torres, and the rest of the sales team.
My deepest gratitude to Kent, my first reader always, whose early enthusiasm kept me going; to Pamela Grath, bookseller extraordinaire, whose initial reaction buoyed my hopes; my two early readers, Sue and Betsy, and my writing group: Alison, Karen C., Mary, and Karen M., who gave valuable advice and encouragement; my many other writer friends, who, before even reading the book, cheered me on: Elizabeth, Dorene, Marilyn, Barbara, Trudy, and Susan. And finally, thanks to my favorite librarian, Deb Stannard, and her assistant, Mary, who have indulged my often unusual requests, and the terrific Michigan eLibrary, without which I, who live in a very small village, could not possibly have done the research required for this book; and thanks to all teachers and librarians and booksellers who make it possible for those of us who love reading to get our hands on books and read.
And, of course, to Charlotte Bront?, who masterfully invented this terrific character who has kept readers wondering for so many years.