Mariah & Matthew

Julie Klassen’s Austen style romances have been winning readers’ hearts everywhere! Her latest has just been released so be sure to grab your copy of The Girl in the Gatehouse.

Enjoy this insight into the girl and the captain:~

Mariah Aubrey

Brief physical description

Mariah is of average height with an upturned nose, fair complexion, brown hair, and amber-brown eyes.

Actor/famous person

Mariah looks like the actress Abbie Cornish as she appeared in the role of Fanny Brawne in the movie Bright Star.

Strengths and weaknesses

Mariah is loyal, creative, and resourceful. One of her weaknesses is her inability to accept forgiveness and to realize her worth in God’s eyes.

Quirk (if any)

Mariah talks to herself without realizing it, sometimes mumbling lines of dialogue aloud as she writes.

Quill and Inkwell photo by CG Sheldon on Flickr.

Your inspiration for the character

I was inspired by Jane Austen in two ways. First: Mariah Aubrey is a secret author, as Jane Austen was during her lifetime. Second: I found myself thinking about one of Austen’s characters in Mansfield Park. Maria Bertram causes a scandal and is sent away with only one companion to “an establishment being formed for them in another country–remote and private.” In Mansfield Park, we do not admire vain and adulterous Maria (pronounced “Mariah” in Jane Austen’s day) and most readers likely feel she earned her just deserts. But I found myself wondering, what if Maria were a character we actually cared about? Would we be content to leave her in her lonely exile? Personally, I am thankful for forgiveness and second chances in life, so I enjoyed giving Mariah Aubrey a second chance as well.

Captain Matthew Bryant

Brief physical description

Captain Bryant is tall, with an athletic build, wavy dark hair, straight nose, and brown eyes.

Actor/famous person

Captain Matthew Bryant resembles actor Ioan Gruffudd in the Horatio Hornblower movies.

Strengths and weaknesses

Captain Bryant is kind, assumes the best about people, and is a generous friend. His weakness would be his pride–his stubborn determination to “win” and prove himself worthy at any cost.

Quirk (if any)

The captain is afraid of his own horse. Having spent the majority of his life aboard ships, he is not accustomed to the animals.

Your inspiration for the character

One of my favorite Austen heroes, Captain Wentworth of Persuasion, inspired the background of Captain Bryant–along with a dash of Forester’s Horatio Hornblower mixed in for good measure.

Background to the story

The Girl in the Gatehouse is about a young woman sent away from home after a scandal. Mariah Aubrey lives in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative’s estate, where she supports herself and her loyal servant by writing novels in secret. Her plan to live quietly goes according to plan, until a wealthy and ambitious naval captain leases the estate. Captain Bryant is intrigued by the beautiful girl in the gatehouse, but he fights the attraction because he is determined to win back the woman who rejected him before he made his fortune. Will Captain Bryant risk his plans–and his heart–for a woman shadowed by scandal?

Thanks for sharing with us, Julie ~ always delightful to have you visit!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of The Silent Governess, The Apothecary’s Daughter & Lady of Milkweed Manor

Character spotlight on Olivia and Lord Bradley

Visit Julie’s website

Buy Julie’s books at Amazon or Koorong