Lakeshire Park Blog Tour: Megan Walker on Her Love for Jane Austen

Debut novelist Megan Walker tours the blogosphere from 6 April through May 1, 2020 to share her new historical romance, Lakeshire Park. Forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction have featured and will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance novel. Today Megan Walker is our guest at My Jane Austen Book Club. Please, welcome her in the section comment and get ready to enjoy her post about her favorite Austen novels: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.
Hi Maria Grazia and thank you so much for hosting this stop on Lakeshire Park'sblog tour. I’m Megan Walker, debut author and I'm having so much fun introducing my book to so many wonderful blogs! This is a treat!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 Bennet'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 Walker

BOOK DESCRIPTION Brighton, England 1820 Amelia Moore wants only one thing--to secure the future happiness of her younger sister, Clara. With their stepfather's looming death, the two sisters will soon be on their own--without family, a home, or a penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia grasps at the chance. If she can encourage a match between Clara and their host, Sir Ronald, then at least her sister will be taken care of.Little does she know that another guest, the arrogant and overconfident Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his own sister. Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry that Amelia has no choice but to win. But competing against Peter--and eventually playing by his rules--makes Amelia vulnerable to losing the only thing she has left to claim: her heart.

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EARLY PRAISE“…readers will find it easy to invest in practical, business-minded Amelia as she learns to follow her heart. This gentle love story is a treat.”—Publisher’s Weekly “An immersive drama…Walker effortlessly amplifies the decorum of Regency England with chic wit and delightful characters.”—Booklist"Charming, beautifully written, and hopelessly romantic. Sure to be a new favorite."—Julianne Donaldson, best-selling author of Edenbrooke

AUTHOR BIOMegan 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 wrote her first novella, A Beautiful Love: A Regency Fairy Tale Retelling which was published in 2019. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and three children. Lakeshire Park is her debut novel.

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