Linore Rose Burkard’s interview

This week I’m hosting Lynette Sowell with The Wiles of Watermelon and Linore Rose Burkard with Before the Season Ends. If you want to enter the drawings for either or both of these books, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com and let me know which books. The drawings end Sunday (April 26th) evening.

Linore Rose Burkard’s interview:

1. How do you handle rejections?
I only write for my current publisher, so rejection is not something I’ve had to deal with since joining the Harvest House family of authors. Before then, I had only queried two publishers before self-publishing, so again, I did not have to suffer a great deal of rejection before starting my journey of publishing. Writers getting a lot of rejection should congratulate themselves for living the writing life, for being brave enough to risk that rejection, and especially for continuing to do so. Each “no” is a step towards that “yes.” Each “no” eliminates one unsuitable publisher, narrowing down your choices until you finally find the one that’s right for you.

2. Why do you write?
I’m assuming you mean aside from the fact that I have this legal obligation called a contract , so I’ll say that after years of searching and wondering, I have come to the fabulous and wonderful conclusion that writing is my calling. I write because God has gifted me to; and I am utterly and wholly unsuited for other types of “jobs.” I used to wonder what the heck was wrong with me that I was so insanely dissatisfied at “normal” jobs. No matter how busy I was, or how well I did my job, I was nevertheless deeply bored, at heart. When I became an executive secretary, I often had to transcribe letters my boss had written, and I would automatically “improve” them. The boss loved it because it made her look better. It was effortless for me, and the only work I really enjoyed! In retrospect, I can see now that the only work that really satisfies me is that which requires I use my imagination, or at least some semblance of writing skills.

3. What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?
Keeping my house cleaner! Planting flowers. Putting up more wallpaper. Maybe even doing some fine art. (Drawing and watercolors.) I really need to have creative outlets in my life. If you asked my younger kids this question, though, they’d say, “playing with us more,” and,“baking desserts.” Lol

4. What are you working on right now?
The third book in the Regency Series for Harvest House. It’s called, The Country House Courtship, and has most of the characters everyone loves from the first two books, as well as a new setting and new love story.

5. Do you put yourself into your books/characters?
Not intentionally, but I think it’s unavoidable for any writer.

6. Tell us about the book you have out right now.
The House in Grosvenor Square. (smile) This is a continuation of the obstacle-ridden march to the altar between Ariana and Mr. Mornay (From, Before the Season Ends.)It’s a really fun romp, and yet it gets serious, and there are spiritual issues, and abductions, and thievery, and rescues. The characters are explored more deeply, and I also had fun inserting some suspense so that by the end, you are breathless! Reviews are trickling in, and they’re so far all just as positive and gratifying as the many rave reviews I got for BTSE. I am humbled and honored.

7. Do you have any advice for other writers?
To write the best book they are capable of writing before seeking publication; they should write what they would want to read. A really good book, sooner or later, will find a publisher. I really believe that.

8. How important is faith in your books?
Faith is probably always going to be a central theme in my work. It’s a theme that is an undercurrent in life, in everyone’s life, whether they want to think about it that way or not. Life is a journey towards God; so living it with faith, whether it’s being tested or refined or just plain “advertised,” (shown to others), it will be in my books. Each of my characters will probably grapple with faith issues at some point, as we all must.

9. What themes do you like to write about?
My favorites themes are that God is involved in our daily lives; that He is always a source of hope, or can be; and that happy endings are possible for everyone. I don’t mean to imply that only happy endings happen in life, but that they are possible.

10. What is your writing schedule like?
My writing schedule is never written in stone, so to speak. I have a busy household and appointments and things come up regularly that would throw me off schedule if I let them. I work in terms of specific goals, and then I give everything I can to achieving that goal. Some weeks that translates into writing for hours every day, and some weeks I might be doing a great deal of marketing and networking and no real writing at all. Some days I throw myself into housekeeping and get only a little time to write. Again, I focus on the overall goal, and make sure I am moving towards it with smaller, more achievable ones. (Such as, “today I need to write a scene, or two scenes, etc.) If I end up writing way past my initial goal, great; I use goals to keep on track but I never make myself stop because one has been met.