The Gothic World Melanie Jeschke Loves (Episode 51)

Sarah Hamaker November 2, 2021 0 Christian fiction, romantic suspense, The Romantic Side of Suspense podcast, writing

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Melanie Jeschke, the author of The Oxford Chronicles, a historical romance series set in the Oxford of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, (Inklings, Intentions, Expectations, Evasions) and Jillian Dare a retelling of Jane Eyre. An honors’ graduate of UVA with a MA in English Literature from GMU, she is currently an adjunct professor of English. Melanie has studied at Oxford University and has traveled extensively in the United Kingdom, where she sets her stories. Melanie lives in beautiful Belmont Bay with her husband, Bill Jeschke, senior pastor of The King’s Chapel, and has nine children and a plethora of grandchildren.

“I was inspired by author Deborah White Smith, who did some updated versions or modern-day tellings of some Jane Austen books,” Melanie says. “I loved her books and I love Jane Austen, and thought, ‘I could do this’ with one of my favorite classics, Jane Eyre. … I love the whole gothic suspense thing that goes on in Jane Eyre and that could easily be reset to today.”

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Jillian Dare.