Modern day Austen talks to Freetime (From Ealing Times)

Modern day Austen talks to Freetime

10:00am Saturday 1st October 2011 in Interviews By Jade Coulon

GOVERNESSES have been exchanged for PAs and kept women given jobs as a romantic novelist brings Jane Austen into the 21st Century re-telling her classic love stories for modern readers.

Her affixation with Austen has led Juliet Archer to describe herself as a 19th century mind trapped in a 21st century body. She said: “Although at my age sometimes it feels like the other way round, my mind is in the 21st century but my body feels like its been around since the 19th century.

Inspired by Austen’s elegance, wit and characters, Archer has taken it upon herself to re-tell all six of her published novels bringing them into the present.

“I’ve tried to keep as close as possible to the plots characters and settings. The first thing I do is unpick the social context of Jane Austen’s time, once you’ve taken away that 19th Century context you’re left with a beautiful love story that can be filled with modern culture,” said Archer “It’s a fascinating blend.”

Archer chose Austen as her muse because she believes she is the pioneer of romance, “A lot of authors today have been inspired by her whether consciously or not, for example Persuasion is a story of lost love regained which is a very common plot today.

“The elegance of her writing, her wit and her endearing characters make her a compelling read and a great role model for comedy romance.”

Archer has so far re-told two Austen classics.

Her first novel, The Importance of Being Emma, is a re-tell of Emma and features a character that has always been more 21st than 19th Century, “I know not many people like Emma Woodhouse but I think she’s a great modern heroine. She’s the sort of girl I could go out and meet today because she’s independent and strong willed. She’s very ahead of her time.”

Persuade Me is Archer’s latest novel, a re-tell of Persuasion.

Less than two weeks from its September 15 release Persuade Me has already been shortlisted for an award at the Festival of Romance.

You don’t have to have read Austen’s original to enjoy Persuade Me, “Critics are saying you don’t have to have read the original to understand my one, it stands on its own two feet.”

It is £7.99 RRP and is available from all good bookshops. Go to www.julietarcher.co.uk for more details. Archer will be appearing at the Festival of Romance in Watford from October 21 – 22.