Ideas

The idea for the plot of Mr Darcy, Vampyre came to me when I was rereading some of the classic Gothic novels of Jane Austen's era. I was starting to write Henry Tilney's Diary, Henry being the hero of Jane Austen's Gothic novel Northanger Abbey, and I wanted to put myself in the right mood.

As I read The Mysteries of Udolpho, and as I followed the heroine over the Alps and into Italy, I found myself thinking, What if Lizzy and Darcy went to the continent for their wedding tour? What if they visited a remote castle and then went across the Alps to Italy? And what if, in those far flung locations, Lizzy discovered that Mr Darcy had a secret?

The idea of a Gothic sequel to Pride and Prejudice began to take shape and it wasn't long before I knew that Mr Darcy's secret would be that he was a vampyre. It explained a lot about his character, why he was so aloof and why he was so devastatingly attractive, and it set the scene for a Pride and Prejudice sequel with bite!