Author Linore Rose Burkard - Interview & Giveaway

Big congratulations to author Linore Rose Burkard whose self-published Regency, Before the Season Ends has been picked up by Harvest House Publishers! Linore has kindly given me permission to reprint the following interview.

THE BIO

Linore Rose Burkard lives with her husband and five children in a town full of antique stores and gift shops in southwestern Ohio. She homeschooled her children for ten years. Raised in New York, she graduated magna cum laude from the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.

Ms. Burkard wrote Before the Season Ends because she could not find an Inspirational Regency Romance on the bookshelves of any store. "There are Christian books that approached the genre," she says, "but they fell short of being a genuine Regency. I finally gave up looking and wrote what I was looking for myself." She has begun four other works of fiction in the category, and also enjoys writing articles, reading, parenting, family movie nights, swimming and gardening.

THE INTERVIEW

What inspired you to write Before the Season Ends?
I wanted to read a Regency romance that was Inspirational. Period. I waited for years for someone else to write it, and then I realized that if it was ever going to happen, it was going to be my job! So I did it. I combined the Regency, which I love, with an Inspirational message. I wanted to show the experience of faith for the adventure that it is. Fun and faith are not contradictory terms!

This book is considered “Christian Fiction.” What is the difference between Christian fiction and other fiction?
Christian fiction begins with a Christian world view. Not every character has to share that world view, and usually many don't; but the author has to have it, and it has to come through.

Before the Season Ends is Regency romance. Please explain to the reading audience what that means.
The Regency in England (1811-1820, politically), was the period when the prince of Wales became regent in place of his father, George III (who was believed to be insane. He wasn't, but that's for a different interview!) Jane Austen and Lord Byron are Regency figures; Beau Brummell, Princess Caroline; Napoleon and Wellington; lots of great historical characters! Austen, in my opinion, started the genre with her novels.

As well as being set in that time period a Regency has many earmarks that are unique to the genre and which must be evident in the story. In general, though, a reader can expect that a Regency will be fun and clean, as far as the romance goes. Georgette Heyer's Regency books did much to popularize the genre, and even more, define it. In other words, Regencies are known for being fun, even to the point of wacky fun, and yet still romantic and memorable.

Why do you believe Regency romance novels are so popular?
People know they are not picking up “War and Peace” when they go to read one. The Regency is enormous fun; the hypocrisy of the social order and its values is just a springboard for all kinds of settings and situations that romance writers can use in really enjoyable ways to create good stories. At the same time, there's a great deal of improbability in many Regencies which is (in my opinion) a problem of the publishing houses. Editors want to see a handful of formula plots and that's it. So the Regency genre as a whole has suffered. But they're still popular because the era is incredibly interesting, the romance is cleaner (which reminds me, too many modern editors don't realize that we readers LIKE to use our imaginations, thank you). And the stories center mostly around the upper classes, people who get to live the way we all WISH we could. So that is fun, too.

How did you come up with the characters? Are they modeled after people you know?
My characters are amalgamations of anyone and everyone I know! Of course, there's a great deal of ME in some of them, I don't think any author can completely avoid putting themselves into at least some (if not all) of the characters. But I couldn't say this or that character was modeled after so and so, except for perhaps one of them.

Is there any part of the book that reflects your own experience?
In a concrete sense? I think when Ariana feels like she's in a strange city and quite alone it must have come from my experience. I lived alone for five years while I worked full-time and put myself through college, and at times I felt very, very isolated. But I did also discover that God answers prayers—sometimes in really strange, unexpected ways!--and Ariana discovers that, too.

Some people say they’ve read “Before the Season Ends” more than once. What do you believe inspires them to read it again, especially when they know the plot?
Again, I think it's that sense of pure enjoyment. I read it myself many times—despite having the book up to my ears during editing!--and I guess I know the plot better than anyone! (laughs) But I still enjoy the story. Readers have told me they laughed out loud when reading it, (and some have said they cried) but I think it's the sense of reality, that this could have really happened, combined with the safety net of the fun factor that brings people back more than once. Also perhaps the way the characters change so much from who they were at the beginning of the book, and who they are by the end. It happens kind of seamlessly, naturally, and yet little by little, like real life. There's a charm in that. Another way of looking at it is to say it's a “comfort” book. One of those books you can just curl up with for a while and feel better from reading. You know you'll enjoy it and it won't bring you down.

So, what's ahead? What are you planning on doing, next?
My first plan was to do The Debutante Series which would have featured entirely new characters in each book. Many, many readers told me they like a series that continues the story, though, so instead of the Debutantes, I'm doing The Regency Light Chronicles (Before the Season Ends is the first book in the Chronicles, even though the name, Regency Light Chronicles doesn't appear on the cover of this first edition). I have four or five more books to do in this series, and then I'll probably get to The Debutante Series, because I've already started a number of them.

In the meantime, I'm also developing a series of presentations, each which will be about 45 minutes long, on the Regency. There's this fabulous little tea house in my town, really elegant and pretty, and I envision having mother/daughter teas, or history buff teas there. I'm having a Regency costume made, and once it's fitted to my satisfaction, I'll be ready to begin the presentations. They're going to be a LOT of fun!

I also have a new monthly eZine, Upon My Word! Facts, Fashion and Figures of the Regency which, for the time being, is free for anyone who signs up. (You can sign up at my website, www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com. People who subscribe now also receive a free download immediately.) The eZine is excellent for newbies (to the Regency) but even seasoned fans of the period enjoy it.

Thank you, Linore, and continued blessings on your writing journey!

WIN THE BOOK

You can win a copy of Before the Season Ends here. Just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll combine the responses of my Blogger and ShoutLife blogs to pick a winner at random on March21st. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) ShoutLifers will be contacted via ShoutMail. Good luck!