Happy Thursday, friend! Welcome to an interview with author Brandon Dragan about his latest novel,Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Ought to Be. Let’s welcome Faith and learn more about this Pride and Prejudice Fan Fiction with a twist!
Get to know the author: Brandon Dragan
Hi Brandon! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
Hello and thank you for having me! My name is Brandon Dragan and I am a fiction writer, criminal defense attorney, husband, and father. My published works include a novel, The Wages of Grace, a novella and collection of short stories titled The Resurrection of Jesse Barrow, which includes a short story that won the American Bar Association Journal’s Ross Writing Contest for legal fiction. I live with my family outside of Nashville, Tennessee and am a massive supporter of Arsenal Football Club. My newest novel is a Pride and Prejudice fan-fiction variation titled Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be.
What inspired you to write this book?
My wife introduced me to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice years ago through the BBC miniseries. We’ve both read the novel and watched the miniseries and all the movies multiple times, but frankly, I got a little tired of hearing about Mr. Darcy all the time! I started to wonder if I couldn’t write a book that gave his amiable best friend, the charming Mr. Bingley, some more depth and even help explain his long absences from Jane Austen’s classic story. And thus, Mr. Bingley was born!
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
I jokingly mentioned to my wife the concept of a Mr. Bingley who is consumed by vanquishing an evil plot among Regency England’s aristocracy while we were preparing for a trip to the U.K. Then, the idea kind of stuck and when we got home, I started researching and drafting! The novel was largely written between 2018 and 2019, but we were in the process of publishing my first novel, The Wages of Grace, starting law school, and more, and I didn’t really get a chance to put Mr. Bingley through final edits until this year!
What makes your story unique?
Certainly, when it comes to Pride and Prejudice fan fiction, Elizabeth and Darcy take center stage, and rightly so. My book, however, offers Mr. Bingley the spotlight. Readers will see an unexpected side of Bingley, a Bingley with resolve and strength, and one who is caught between his own happiness and his sense of honor. My book also offers some different perspectives on other characters, from Mr. Hurst to Mr. Wickham (that rake!) and even Mr. Darcy himself, who may yet again be much more than appears on first impression!
Another unique thing that I should mention is that Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be has been endorsed by Crispin Bonham-Carter, the actor who played Mr. Bingley in the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice! To my knowledge, this is the only Bingley-related book with the endorsement of the man himself!
Who would enjoy reading your book?
My great hope is that admirers of Jane Austen’s work will enjoy this book. As outlandish as the concept sounds at first blush, I took great care to honor the spirit of Ms. Austen’s masterpiece and kept her novel close at hand while writing. It was my aim to keep Mr. Bingley firmly rooted in the Regency era and also the timeline of Pride and Prejudice. So, hopefully, anyone who loves Jane Austen can enjoy this new twist on a beloved character!
Additionally, I think anyone who enjoys thrillers, historical fiction, and even mysteries will enjoy Mr. Bingley. It is always my aim to write what I would enjoy reading. And in this case, the pacing is fast and little twists and turns lurk around every corner.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
First of all, I hope readers will enjoy Mr. Bingley and come away from the novel with a renewed sense of joy regarding Jane Austen’s classic characters. I also hope that readers will be inspired by Mr. Bingley’s passion to act in the face of injustice, that we might all be more aware of even small ways that we can use our standing in the world to make it a more equitable place.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
This is my third published long-form work and I have certainly learned a lot. However, the most important thing I am reminded of constantly is to love the writing. If you’re writing to sell books or to impress people, you might even be successful, but you won’t be making art, and to me that’s what matters most.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Gosh, there is so much advice out there, and not all of it works for everyone. So I would say, if you want to write, do it for you. Let your characters be honest, don’t judge them when they do something you dislike morally, and write something you would want to read.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!
There have been so many people who have influenced and encouraged my writing journey, from my parents to my wife and kids to teachers and professors I’ve had throughout the years… way too many people to list! I am always grateful for the creative partnership I have with Derik Hobbs who illustrates all of my covers and even interior images for my books. You can see more of his incredible work at derikhobbsillustration.com!
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
Web: brandondragan.com
Facebook: Brandon Dragan, Author
Insta: @brandondraganauthor
Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Ought to Be
Fan Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thrillers, 2024
“Finally, a novel that reveals the true Bingley! Heartily recommend to all Bingley-philes!” — Crispin Bonham-Carter, Mr. Bingley in the BBC Miniseries, Pride & Prejudice
For centuries Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, has been dearly loved he world over. However, few people know the hidden truth about Mr. Darcy’s closest friend, the affable Mr. Bingley—who is much more than he appears on first impression.
Mr. Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be is the previously untold story of a young man who unwittingly uncovers an evil cabal among the British Empire’s aristocracy. Bingley finds himself confronting an enterprise so nefarious, he cannot help but act to redress it, even if it costs him his own reputation and the love of his life, the angelic Miss Jane Bennet.
Follow Mr. Bingley down a rabbit hole of intrigue and corruption, as he fights to protect the country’s most vulnerable alongside friends old and new. Can he set things right before he loses Jane forever?
Content notes: Some descriptions of violence.
Book Excerpt from
Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Ought to Be
When the gentlemen arrived back at the Bingley residence in Grosvenor Street in London the following afternoon, they were dismayed to discover that their return was to be marred by some shocking news out of the British Morning Post. Bingley had come directly to Meryton from the north, where he had been tending to business affairs. It can be surmised, then, that he was somewhat disenchanted by the sullen greeting from his sisters, whom he had not seen in more than a fortnight. Darcy, on the other hand, had met Bingley in Hertfordshire from London, hence the dearth of overwhelming affection in the greeting of Caroline Bingley and Louisa, Mrs. Hurst, did not slight him in the least. In fact, he quite veritably preferred it.
“Would you have preferred if I stayed in Derbyshire?” Bingley appealed.
“No, of course not, Brother,” Caroline answered solemnly. “Have you not heard the news?”
“Have you not heard that I have leased a country home?” Bingley petitioned.
“Yes, and a very fine home, we envisage it must be,” Louisa answered. “But you see, Charles, we have all been dreadfully affected by such horrid news from Derbyshire.”
“Derbyshire?” Darcy asked, suddenly drawn into the conversation by the mention of his home county. “What’s happened in Derbyshire?”
“Sir Andrew Fraser is dead,” Caroline stated flatly.
“Andrew Fraser?” Darcy repeated.
“Three nights past,” Louisa said. “In his bed.”
“How terrible,” Bingley remarked. “I had not known he was in ill health.”
“He most certainly was not,” Mr. Hurst suddenly spoke from the sofa. “Fraser was vigorous and in fine health!”
“Yes, I now remember he was an acquaintance of yours. I’m terribly sorry,” said Mr. Darcy.
“He was a friend, and a damned fine one at that,” Mr. Hurst slurred, his words dangling somewhere between emotion and inebriation. “I hunted partridge with him not a month ago.” Louisa gently patted her husband’s knee.
“Have they published the cause of death?” asked Darcy.
“He did not die, Mr. Darcy,” Caroline answered.
“Pardon?”
“He was murdered.”
“Murdered?” Darcy echoed.
“Yes—butchered. And in his own bed, in the dark of the night.”
“Unfathomable.”
“Why do you say the word butchered?” Bingley asked.
“That is what the papers have called him, the murderer—Derbyshire’s Nobleman Butcher,” replied Louisa.
“There is no real flow to it… but still, rather grim,” remarked Bingley, somewhat under his breath.
“Quite,” Mr. Hurst blurted.
“Have they any idea as to the butch—err, perpetrator?” Bingley inquired abruptly.
“Not in the least,” said Louisa. “Supposedly a prized horse was stolen, presumably by the murderer, and then returned the next morning.”
“Shocking,” Bingley replied.
“Abominable,” remarked Mr. Hurst.
“And the paper does not mention any knowledge or theories as to who might have committed such a fiendish act?” asked Darcy.
“Only to say that all members of the household have been eliminated from suspicion,” replied Caroline.
“Naturally, that would be the first thought, would it not?” Bingley posited. “Such a heinous act must have been realized by a personal connection, no?”
“Or a draw-latch rum-padder who happened upon the house,” Darcy postulated.
“Oh Mr. Darcy, your expressions! You have been in town too long,” Louisa retorted with a subdued chortle, immediately looking toward her mourning husband to be sure she had not offended him.
“Simply terrifying,” answered Caroline. “To think, any passing highwayman with murder on his mind, breaking into the bedrooms of noblemen, and—”
“Calm yourself, Caroline,” Bingley broke in. “If it were a highwayman he would have simply poached the horse. No, there must have been more personal reasons for such an act.”
“Were you acquainted with him, Charles?” Caroline asked.
Bingley looked up suddenly and looked as if he’d swallowed a mouse. “With whom? Of course not. Why do you ask?”
“You seem to have such a strong inclination toward the slayer’s motivation,” she answered teasingly. “And, if I’m not mistaken, you were present in the county at the time of the act.”
“Ha!” Bingley laughed suddenly. “I was but twenty—that is to say, I was at least twenty-five miles from Grantley Manor, if that is what you mean to know.”
“No doubt the constable might like to have your expertise on the subject,” she retorted.
“I merely asked about the horse,” Bingley countered. “If the act in question was a robbery and not a personal vendetta, why would the pirate leave the horse? I am sure it is not anything the constable hasn’t already considered.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
“You are right, Charles,” pronounced Darcy. “It doesn’t make sense—”
“None of it makes sense!” With that outburst Mr. Hurst was up off the settee. He snatched a carafe of wine from the table on his way out of the room and proceeded rather unsteadily and quite nosily, mumbling all the way, up the stairs and out of sight.
“He’s been exceedingly upset,” said Louisa after another moment of reticent quiet. “I’ve never seen him take to drink like this.” Bingley raised a single eyebrow in bewilderment before approaching the table to pour a drink of his own.
“I do think too much grief over someone so barely, if at all, acquainted with us is a fruitless manner in which to conduct ourselves,” Caroline eventually stated.
“Aye,” voiced Louisa. “Especially at a time when we celebrate our dear brother’s establishment of a household.”
“Yes, brother, do tell us all about Netherfield Park!”
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