bookish devices

This installment of Ten Questions features our first indie author, April Floyd, author of the ongoing Cassidy Jane series (Christian Fiction) as well as several Jane Austen Variations featuring beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice, and was a founder of the much missed website, The Cheap eBook.

As an Austenite with an admitted obsession with Jane Austen fanfic, I couldn’t resist when I saw Ms. Floyd’s first novel, The Parson of Pemberley. In it she gave a voice and depth to one of, in my opinion, the most overlooked of the Bennet sisters, Mary.  Here is my 4 star review of the book:

As someone who reads (possibly) way too much Austen fan fiction, I can say it’s refreshing to find an author who gives Mary a personality and a happy ending. The story was enchanting and I really enjoyed watching Mary come into her own and stand apart from her family. My only disappointments with the book were with some editing and language choice issues (use of first names instead of formal Miss and Mr’s in conversation, some use of modern slang or other non-regency era language etc). As a picky Austenite, these would usually cause me to drop a book before it even got started, but the plot here is the star and kept me reading even though my Austen OCD was offended. Minor editing details can always be fixed, but being a gifted story teller is innate–I will definitely be reading Ms. Floyd’s next book. 

I highly recommend Ms. Floyd’s books for anyone looking to check out a gifted new author.

Ten Questions vol. 1 #4  April Floyd

Bookish Devices: What is your favorite word?
April Floyd: Directly, it is a southern word that means shortly or pretty soon but often not.

BD: What is your least favorite word?
AF: Four a.m.

BD: What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
AF: Music, dreams, the action of allowing every type of thing to happen in the realm that is a blank sheet of paper.

BD: What turns you off?
AF: Life getting hectic, some things take time to brew, not being able to predict my schedule.

BD: What sound or noise do you love?
AF: Babies! Rain on the roof.

BD: What sound or noise do you hate?
AF: Vulgar words said where kids can hear.

BD: If you could have drinks with any author or literary figure, who would you invite?
AF: Poe/Faulkner/Shirley Jackson. Poe for his melancholy, Faulkner for his ability to convey words in a beautiful, painful way and Miss Jackson for her revealing works that people always thought of as coming from her conscience but was actually a mirror for others.

BD: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
AF: I love what I do and can’t imagine more. I get enough face to face with people and then I can go live in my own world.

BD: What profession would you not like to do?
AF: One that kept me from helping others.

BD: What would you choose for your last meal?
AF: Southern Sunday dinner.

April, THANK YOU for joining us!

You can find April on the web at authoraprilfloyd.com