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?

My website is: http://www.linoreroseburkard.com/, and I have three blogs at this time: http://regencyyuletide.blogspot.com/
http://aregencyblog.blogspot.com/
and http://shesgotcharacter.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Lena!

And thank you, Linore for returning to visit with us again.

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