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Sunday, May 31, 2009

THE HOUSE IN GROSVENOR SQUARE - Linore Rose Burkard - Free Book

Welcome back, Linore. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write books that I would enjoy as a reader. I love good romances that are clean, a bit of humor, a heroine I can respect, and a great happy ending. I also love “period” films, and I “see” my books as films when I'm writing them, so if I really enjoy my own book, I feel satisfied that readers will, too.

I see my stories as films in my head, too. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

I think it would be the day I became a mother for the first time. I felt like Eve, as silly as that may sound! I was astounded, and never happier with myself—something along the lines of, "If I could produce this marvelous baby, well, then God must have made me right after all." It was like I'd entered this new secret world of “motherhood,” and I couldn't believe that I hadn't known, earlier, what a miraculous, wonderful world it was. The joy of motherhood had been hidden to me from an upbringing with seven siblings where each person was basically one more mouth to feed, not a gift from God.

How has being published changed your life?

It has certainly made me a great deal busier! I said somewhere that since getting published, it's like I'm attached to my pc at the hip. But the writing is actually the least time-consuming thing I do. When I'm hot and heavy into a book, I spend a lot of time at it, but once that passes, it's all networking and marketing, marketing, marketing.

What are you reading right now?

I'm just finishing up The Language of Cells. A book I thought would complement the use of the microscope in our home school, but had nothing to do with that. (I have a review of it on my Shelfari page) As for fiction, I recently read Julie Klassen's The Apothecary's Daughter, as I did some proof-reading (fact checking) for it, and Molly Noble Bull's Gatehaven. (We swapped manuscripts to critique for each other.)

What is your current work in progress?

When I finished The House in Grosvenor Square, I started throwing around ideas with my editor for the next book. I think I'm going to finish a novel I started called The Country-House Courtship next, but I have a few others that also need finishing. These are stand-alones so far, meaning, not part of a series, but that could change.

What would be your dream vacation?

A month in England, for sure. I'm hoping to do that this year, but I can't do a whole month. The thing is, I need to see London for its museums and Mayfair, of course; (Regency past); but I'd also love to do the whole Jane Austen thing; Bath, and her other places of residence, and if I could fit in a little Dickens and Shakespeare that would be fab. I have two friends to visit there, who will no doubt accompany me to some of these places, but we'll also need time just to chill and chat.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Since I'm concentrating on Regency romances right now, it's really quite simple. You can do a continent switch, of course, which could complicate it (and I have one started, as a matter of fact), but for the most part you know your setting is going to be England, and from there you just choose whether it's going to be London, Bath, or a country estate or village.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

When I can, I like to bake, decorate, garden, swim, do crossword puzzles and other mind stretchers, and watch period movies. I can't always find time to read a novel, but I can quickly do a crossword. When I feel like I'm getting burned out from too much of any activity, I'll pull a DVD of a favorite period flick from the shelf, and take a mini-vacation by watching it. I enjoy singing in the choir, and being with special friends and especially being with my family.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

At this point in my life, the most difficult thing is finding time to brainstorm and concentrate on a book. Once I know where I'm going with a plot or idea I can work on it despite all the interruptions in my day; but when I need to really think something through, it's difficult to find enough quiet time. I often just give myself to God, and have to trust that He'll take me in the right direction. On a more technical level, one of my challenges is that I get many ideas, and I don't always wait and ask myself if I've had the best one. I go with the first or second one, and later think, “Wow, I could have done this or that, (with a character, or scene, etc.).”

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Decide whether or not you've been called to write, and if you have been, then give it all you've got. Never put out anything except your best work, and keep in mind that ANYTHING you say online may be there forever. Seek feedback from a professional, but at the same time, learn to trust your instincts. Also, start a web presence as soon as you decide that you want to be published one day.

Tell us about the featured book.

The House in Grosvenor Square is a sequel to Before the Season Ends. Without giving spoilers, I'll say it's a great deal of fun, and has more action-driven movement than I usually write. I'm a character-driven writer, but once things get rolling in this book, the reader will have to hang on to their hat, so to speak, and take the ride to the last page. It's a satisfying deepening of characters from the first book and progress in their story.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Thank you, Lena!
And thank you, Linore for returning to visit with us again.
Readers, here's where you can order the featured book:
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. The only notification you'll have is the winners announcement on this blog. So check back in two weeks on Saturday to see if you won.
If you're reading this interview on FeedBlitz, Facbook, or Amazon, please come to this blog to leave the comment:

20 comments:

  1. Please enter me! I like that she says she sees her books as films as she writes them. I love books that jump out at you like that. :)

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  2. I love period movies, too! I want to know which ones are your favorites, Linore... :-)

    And I would love to win a copy of The House in Grosvenor Square!

    ladyufshalott at yahoo.com

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  3. Reading this book right now...so far it is very good! Good luck girls!!!!

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  4. I hope you enjoy the trip to England. If you're doing Bath, you should make the detour to Cheltenham too, and try to take in some Cotswold villages.

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  5. I've heard nothing but good reviews for THe House in Grosvenor Square. I would love to win this book. Please enter me.

    desertrose5173 at gmail com
    Thanks.

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  6. Don't enter me...I have both and LOVE them! I love these interviews where you can get to know a person better. Linore, you swim? I haven't put a swimsuit on in 3 years! lol I bet it's good exercise.

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  7. Oh, I'd love to win this book. Thanks.

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  8. Amee, I love your little profile illustration, there! I see a regency fan in you for sure!
    Lindsey, Some of my favorites are (no surprise here) Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion,and all the Jane Austen adaptations.(Even a poor Austen adaptation is better than most other movies!) Any Dickens adaptation, or Oscar Wilde (except Dorian Gray;I also love Bronte adaptations, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Midsummer Night's Dream.....I could go on and on! (And oh,Cranford, North and South, The First Churchills, The Last King--there are so many!)
    Renee--Thanks for telling us you're reading the book right now--Enjoy!!
    Sheila--I'm keeping notes from people about that trip, and I'll remember your tip--thanks! Sounds great.
    Linda and Abi, if you don't win this time, check my website calendar for more giveaways, and sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already--though I recognize both your emails, so I think you have--great!
    Sherrinda, I have loved to swim for most of my life, since we had a pool in our yard when I was a kid; plus my parents became boaters. If I could figure out how to swim all year instead of just during the warmer months, I'd never need to diet! lol
    And here's some late breaking news for this blog: I just finished my next book, The Country House Courtship, yesterday!! Watch for it to hit book stores next January. It's the next sequel in this regency series from Harvest House, and it's a lot of fun.

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  9. Wow I love period movies myself and I want to read them in novels. Thanks Linore for fulfilling my dream.

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  10. I also see my writing as movies in my head. :) It is nice to know I am not alone. I look forward to reading your work.

    Rachel Rossano

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  11. Oooh I would love that Jane Austin tour of London and England too!

    megan.nadalet at gmail dot com

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  12. The House in Grosvenor Square sound wonderful. All the reviews I read are very good.
    Please enter me. Thank you.
    Have a good week.

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  13. ladybug12:23 PM

    I'd love to win this one. I'm a big fan of her first book.

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  14. Thank you for this review. I like this author and it was fun to read about her.
    Wendy

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  15. Happy June! I like her style of books. What she likes in a book, so do I! Clean romance and fun characters sound wonderful to me!
    Many thanks, Cindi
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  16. I loved the first book so much. Thanks for the chance to win this one!
    carolynnwald[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  17. I love Regencies and appreciate the chance to win Linore's second book.

    cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

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  18. Anonymous8:21 AM

    I've been hoping to read some of Linore's books ever since I heard of them. The first book in this series is on my wishlist. Please count me in for this giveaway! Thanks.

    author_erin(at)lycos(dot)com

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  19. I would love to win this book! I love the cover.

    Thanks for entering me into the drawing.

    Sherry K
    love2stitch(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  20. I love books of this nature. Please enter me. Thanks!

    koinonia572001@yahoo.com

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