Elizabeth Killington, recently widowed at age twenty-seven, flies to England to claim her late husband, Lord Horace Killington's estate. She finds she not only owns a grand manor house in the country, but also the "crowds of people" who made Lord Killington avoid home for many years. As she meets and recognizes characters from her favorites books, and some she never heard of, she learns a wonderful secret from her lady's maid, Bridget. Is it possible that all stories can have a happy-ever-after ending?
About the Author Veronica Helen Hart is an award-winning author of eleven published novels and multiple short stories, including "Recovery" in the 2016 Alvarium Collection, Return to Earth. When she met her husband, Robert, forty some years ago, he asked her what she really wanted to do with her life. She replied, "Write." He said, "Then why aren't you?" She enrolled in a correspondence course. "Writing for Children and Young Adults." During the program, she sold her first submitted short story and was motivated to carry on.
She is currently a Regional Director for the Florida Writers Association, a member of Sisters-in-Crime, and is the moderator of two writing groups in Daytona Beach.
Q. This is obviously based on Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Why did you choose this book?
A - If you've read the book in its entirety, then you know how it ends. Even if you saw the movie, which is very much an abridged version of the novel, it still ends tragically. I first read the book as a teenager, then again in my twenties and one more time later, perhaps in my forties. I watched the movie only once, finding the portrayals shallow and silly, but no matter what, I always wanted the ending to be different. The Masters Reimagined provided me with the opportunity to set things right for Anna.
Q - What is The Masters Reimagined?
A - In The Masters Reimagined, ten authors unite to bring something new to the classic stories of literature we all know so well. Masters like James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll, Herman Melville, Leo Tolstoy, and Shakespeare inspired the authors of the Alvarium Experiment in their quest to reinterpret, reinvent, and reshape the stories and characters through speculative twists and turns. This is the third project by the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors.
Q - Where should a reader start when selecting a short story to read in The Masters Reimagined?
A - Each story is self-contained and can be read in any order. The reader is free to select any of the stories at random to begin their experience. The book description will explain the premise for each particular story.
