Sarah Shoemaker is the author of the new novel Mr. Rochester, which recounts the story of Jane Eyre from Rochester's point of view.From Shoemaker's Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: What did you see as the right balance between Charlotte Bronte's original story and your own inventions?--Marshal Zeringue
A: My intent was to write Rochester’s full story, from his earliest memories to the approximate time that Jane Eyre ends. Since Rochester is nearly 20 years older than Jane, that means that the story of his life before Jane takes more space in the book than his life with Jane does.
I used everything I could find about him that Bronte tells us in Jane Eyre (which is more than a casual reader might think) and then filled in with my own inventions.
My intention, of course, was to...[read on]