Hi, I’m Megan Walker, debut author of Lakeshire Park, and I’m having so much fun introducing my book!

I think we can all easily agree that Jane Austen is a mastermind in the loveliest sense of the word. Her novels seamlessly pull us back into history and teach us life lessons so subtly we don’t even realize we’re being taught. While I did not purposefully use any of Jane’s characters as inspiration for my book, when thinking of some of my favorites, it’s not hard to find similar traits among our characters.

One of my favorite Jane Austen novels is Persuasion. Hopefully I now have you thinking about that to-die-for love letter that Captain Wentworth writes to Anne at the end of the story. Of all Jane’s heroes, I adore Captain Wentworth. His love is strong, and he’s ultimately going all in for Anne’s heart despite what others think of him. I definitely see the anguish and desire and deep passion that Captain Wentworth writes with in his love letter in my hero Peter. Both of these characters seemingly cannot have the love that they so desperately desire, yet the feel it so immensely, and they’d go to endless lengths to secure it. Who wouldn’t want a Captain Wentworth or a Peter Wood writing them a love letter?

In Jane’s timeless Pride and Prejudice, I love Elizabeth Bennett’s wit and humor, and her attitude when Mr. Darcy gets a little snarky. Likewise, Amelia does not like Peter at first. They seem almost always at odds for a long while, but, like Mr. Darcy, Peter falls in love with her anyway. Elizabeth and Amelia are both prime examples of women in the regency era who wanted more for themselves than what they could have. They fought against society’s constraints and felt they could achieve better. Amelia has a clear picture of what she wants and deserves but has an equally clear picture of what’s right in front of her and what she must choose for herself and her sister, regardless of what she wants.

Though Lakeshire Park is no Northanger Abbey, there are fun adventures on the estate and plenty of pasture scenes I think Jane would approve of.

I’m so grateful for Jane Austen’s novels and the escape they’ve given me. Her beautiful prose lasts with readers long after the final page, and I can’t wait to share them with my daughter when she’s older!

I hope you all enjoy Lakeshire Park and that it can take you back in time to a lovely place with people who were just like you and me. I hope Amelia’s love story is an escape for you that stays in your memory for years to come.

Best wishes my friends,

                                    Megan

Megan Walker Megan Walker was raised on a berry farm in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where her imagination took her to times past and worlds away. While earning her degree in Early Childhood Education, she married her one true love and started a family. But her imaginings of Regency England wouldn’t leave her alone, so she picked up a pen. And the rest is history. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and three children.