James Wollak
*Insight and Suitability*
*Distress and Determination: The Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman*
About the author
A lifelong devoté of Jane Austen and all her works, James Wollak works as a financial data analyst and lives in San Francisco, California. He is a third generation San Franciscan, as both sides of his family have lived in the city for just over one hundred years. He still lives in the house where he grew up.
He is an avid reader, numismatist, and music lover, enjoying all kinds of music such as classical and opera, Motown and soul, ABBA, Celtic, blues, bluegrass, and zydeco. He also loves silent and classic Hollywood films, and the “Poldark” and “Downton Abbey” series.
His favorite classic composers include JS Bach, JC Bach, Handel, Telemann, Gluck, Joseph Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Vaughn Williams, Stravinsky, Ravel, Joaquin Rodrigo, Gershwin, Copland, Leroy Anderson, and the Golden Century of Italian Opera (GCIO), especially Verdi and Bellini.
A definite Anglophile, Pride and Prejudice is his favorite novel of all time. He first read it as a freshman in college, and has reread it several times. Emma and Persuasion rank next in the Austen canon.
LATEST Books
Distress and Determination: The Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman
What if you hadn’t chosen your future path, but then it was decided for you, and you didn’t feel ready?
Spring, 1835. After being sent down from Cambridge, 18-year-old Frederick Darcy struggles to develop confidence in himself; but an unexpected tragedy forces a new role upon him – he is to become the next Master of Pemberley! Frederick must learn how to manage a huge estate, cope with the unfortunate choices of wayward siblings, and even survive life-threatening challenges.
In Distress and Determination, Frederick struggles to prove himself and earn the trust and respect of his father, Fitzwilliam Darcy, as well as his mother, Elizabeth, and everyone else around him. Can he become a capable, respected Master, and ultimately a strong, confident man like his father?
Insight & Suitability
In this daring sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we see Lady Catherine’s daughter Anne through a new lens.
Far too long, Anne de Bourgh has been pitied, ignored, and dismissed as boring and sickly. Her hopes begin to rise when two young gentlemen, both of whom would make a great catch, start paying attention to her.
With the help of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Anne embarks on a journey to discover which beau is the best prospect as her potential husband. Will either one end up asking for her hand, and can she be certain of his character?
Anne must contend with differences in the gentlemen’s personalities, poise, and intelligence, and even consider troubling rumors. Are the two men in competition over her? And will Lady Catherine be satisfied with either one as Anne’s husband? Along the way, Anne realizes she is not the only one whose life could be changing.