A Goodreads user asked Julie Klassen:

Hello Julie! This is Anna. I enjoyed your books; especially The Girl in the Gatehouse. I love Jane Austen too! But my question is how I'm ever supposed to meet my expectations when they're to write novels as great as Austen. Whenever I try to come up with something I give up because I feel like it's not good. Maybe I love Pride and Prejudice so much that I feel like I have to rewrite it. Do you have any suggestions?

Julie Klassen If I felt I had to write a book as good as Jane Austen's, I'd never have finished a book! Let go of that unrealistic expectation and write the kind of book you would love to read. Join a writer's group to learn the how-tos or read great how-to books like Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell or anything by Susan May Warren. Writing is hard work, but thankfully there are many resources available to help us.

flag