In the spirit of the mash-up novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I decided to work with Thomas Hardy to “remix” the author’s Victorian novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles. As I recently read the classic, I realized the tragedy was ripe for “revision-fiction.”

Think about it. What works better than Victorian fiction that is classified as “public domain?” (NO copyright issues!) Besides Hardy includes enough creepy elements in the story that I only have to weave in a few details of popular paranormal phenomenon to equal about 15% of the newer version!

And one more thing: NOBODY has done it yet. Seriously! Over at Quirk Classics, you can find Android Karenina, Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters, as well as a sequel to PPZ. My search also turned up Little Vampire Women, published by Harper-Collins, but a Google search did NOT find a single reference to a Tess remake.

That’s when I decided to join forces with Thomas Hardy to see what we could do to bring his great novel added notoriety – if not respect. After all, the reading public pooh-poohed Tess back in his day; so why not throw in a werewolf or two to complicate the life of the “fallen woman” and REALLY give Hardy’s critics something to talk about?

Since this is new territory for me, if not for Mr. Hardy, I decided to “experiment” with the idea online via my blog. Just as the original was published as a serial novel in magazines in Great Britain and America, I thought it only appropriate to publish Tess of the d’UberWolves in serial form.

This online experimentation, however, will focus upon MY 15% contribution. For brevity’s sake, I will summarize Mr. Hardy’s words while blending in my revisionist scenes. The plan is to post at least weekly, but if I have a spare moment or two or an idea that just can’t wait, there will be more posted episodes. If you are interested enough to read the drivel but miss a chapter or two, you will be able to find them under the category “…my writing life…”

Are you excited about this adventure? I am. I hope it will be a great writing exercise for me and fun for you. I’m thinking about using a pen name. What do you think of “Thomasina Hardly?”

Stay tuned for Chapter 1.