What inspired you to write this story? It kind of hit me in one of those “bolt of lightning” moments. I realized I probably had more in common with Mary Bennet than Lizzy. Not super into formal balls? Yup. Awkward about new people? Definitely. Once I started looking closer at Mary, I saw someone who was desperately trying to figure out her place and just totally unsure of how to go about that. I mean, same, girl. My Mary – Marnie Barnes – came sidling into my brain fully formed, and I had to write her story.   Is it difficult to balance making a character realistically flawed while still making them the hero of their own story? I’ve read books or watched films in which the writer clearly wanted to make the main character very “real”, but never let them catch a break. For a lot of people life is a series of minor tragedies and victories. Ha! Yes, it is! The fact is, I was starting with who Mary was in P&P as my jumping off point. She couldn’t be too charming or confident or warm at the beginning or she wouldn’t be Mary. Marnie makes a ton…