Goodreads asked Rohase Piercy:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Rohase Piercy I'll take this as a question about 'Before Elizabeth'! I got the idea of presenting the 'Pride and Prejudice' story through the eyes of Anne de Bourgh many, many years ago, after watching a 1980s adaptation (precursor to the famous 1995 Andrew Davies adaptation) which included a scene where Anne impetuously grabs hold of Elizabeth's hand when saying goodbye to her as she leaves Rosings. I thought, 'That's the first time I've seen Anne de Bourgh portrayed as a character with any feelings at all!' Then I thought, 'In this portrayal she clearly wants Elizabeth to think well of her, but what if she wasn't really such a downtrodden wimp? What if she had ideas and opinions of her own about her supposed engagement to Darcy? What if she suspected an attachment between him and Elizabeth Bennet?' And then I thought, 'What would Anne's childhood have been like? Was she always so delicate, always an invalid? Who would have educated her? What was her father, Sir Lewis, like?' And so it went on, from there ... it's been through several different versions, it's been shortened, lengthened again, and edited to death over the years. But I'm pleased with the finished version, and hope a few readers like it too ....

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