However, Carrie, who’s lived in the area with her husband and two children for the past nine years, is now seven novels into her highly acclaimed and popular Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series, which imagines the couple solving crimes together.
Carrie’s newest novel in her series is “The Suspicion at Sandition.” Though the novels in her mystery series focus on Mr. and Mrs. Darcy as a detecting duo, they have titles and characters inspired by the titles of Austen’s novels of manners. (For example, the first in Carrie’s series is “Pride and Prescience.”)
The latest novel’s title was inspired by Austen’s last, unfinished novel; Austen died while she was working on it. It also takes place in the setting of the unfinished work, Sandition, where in Carrie’s story the detecting Darcys encounter eccentric characters and kidnapping mayhem.
“I was able to find the unfinished manuscript online,” Carrie explains. “Austen was about one-third through the novel when she passed away. I transcribed the online to a typescript myself. Though my novel is certainly not an attempt to complete Austen’s — and not a story she would have written — the transcription process meant that I became intimately engaged with her work. It was fascinating. I learned even more about Austen’s writing process — the online version shows her cross-outs and edits — and about her world by doing so.”
Carrie says she loves Austen’s world, and work, because “Austen is a great depicter of human nature. She really captures people succinctly and in only a few lines. And people haven’t changed that much beyond the surface. I also greatly admire Austen’s skill as a writer, not only her characterizations but also her prose.”
Carrie says she has loved writing every Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery, delving into the world of Austen (Carrie is actively involved with the Jane Austen Society of North America, Dayton Region, www.jasnadayton.org) and getting to know readers who are fans of both her own and Austen's work.
However, she’s planning to take a break from the Mr. and Mr. Darcy books, at least for a little while, to explore other projects.
“I’d like to try my hand at a stand-alone historical novel,” Carrie says.
Even as she works on her stand-alone novel, though, Carrie will be actively promoting this seventh in her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series. “The Suspicion at Sandition” will release from Tor, Carrie’s publisher, on July 14.
Carrie will launch the novel locally at Books & Co. at The Greene on Friday, July 24, at 7 p.m. Learn more about Carrie and her work at www.carriebebris.com.
Antioch Writers’ Workshop
Free events at the 30th annual Summer Program of Antioch Writers’ Workshop:
• Sunday, July 12, 7 p.m.: Faculty readings and Q&A with Joanne Smith, Herb Woodward Martin, John Grogan, Laraine Herring
• Monday, July 13, 7 p.m.: Faculty readings and Q&A with Michael Nye, Jyotsna Sreenivasan, Kristina McBride, John Kachuba
• Tuesday, July 14, 7 p.m.: Faculty readings and Q&A with Robert Boley, Myrna Stone, David B. Coe, Ann Weisgarber
• Wednesday, July 15, 7 p.m.: Participants read at The Emporium, 233 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
• Thursday, July 16, 7 p.m.: Selected participants read
All of the above events are held at Antioch University Midwest, 900 Dayton St., Yellow Springs, with the exception of the Wednesday evening. Registration is not required for any of the above events. Learn more about the organization by going online to www.antiochwritersworkshop.com.
Authors at Books & Co.
Upcoming events at Books & Co. at The Greene, in Beavercreek:
• Friday, July 17, 7 p.m.: Linda Castillo introduces her Amish mystery “After the Storm.”
• Monday, July 20, 7 p.m.: Tim Link shows how to talk to your pets, while sharing insights from his book “Talking With Dogs and Cats.”
• Tuesday, July 21, 7 p.m.: Leanne Brown gives frugal foodie tips with her book “Good & Cheap: Eat Well on $4/ Day.”
• Friday, July 24, 7 p.m.: Local author Carrie Bebris introduces her new mystery, “The Suspicion at Sandition.”
Word’s Worth Writing Center July classes
• Thursday, July 16, 10 a.m.-noon: Writing YOUR Story, with Darren McGarvey
• Wednesday, July 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Putting a Little (or a lot) of Mystery in Your Fiction, with Sharon Short
• Tuesday, July 28, 10 a.m.-noon: Queries and Questions About Traditional Publishing, with Katrina Kittle
All classes will be held at the conference room of the Oakwood Starbucks, 2424 Far Hills Ave. To learn more or to register, go online to www.wordsworthdayton.com.
About the Author