Book Giveaway - Before The Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard

AND THE WINNER IS : SARAH W!

I'm so excited to have Linore Rose Burkard with us today. I stumbled across Linore on one of my writer's historical loops and had a chance to read her first regency novel, Before The Season Ends. Truthfully, she is one of the best Regency writers I've read since Jane Austen. If you like Jane Austen, you're going to love Linore's books! Today, she is giving away a free copy of her latest release, Before the Season Ends. To win a copy, please read her interview below and leave a comment about something you learned about Linore.

You have such a great grasp of the Regency time period, culture and language, have you always been interested in this time period and how did you prepare to write a Regency?

My interest in the Regency really began with a couple of Georgette Heyer books, and was then augmented by the 1940s version of Pride and Prejudice. At the time, I was so clueless I didn't even know yet that the costuming was all wrong in that film. Anyway, I started reading Austen with more interest, and then wishing I could find a Christian regency. I waited years. When it never materialized, I decided I'd have to write it myself!
To prepare for the writing, I spent hours in the library reference section, (internet was not what it is, today.) I bought reference books and devoured them, underlining and really learning what I read, not just reading it. And I began writing. Whenever I ran into an issue I didn't know about, I researched it, until I felt confident enough to write it into the story.

You have a strong spiritual message nicely interwoven into the story, which included the message of the gospel. Was that intentional? I was impressed because Christian novels rarely mention Jesus or the gospel so clearly.

I wasn't raised in a Christian home, and I wanted to emphasize that God really is only a prayer away—an earnest prayer, perhaps, but the point being that no distance from God is too far that He can't close it in a moment. I never knew that, growing up. I realize that people must count the cost, so to speak—and that living for God only BEGINS with that prayer, but my call is to show that the Lord is truly ever present, and that He cares. He will accept an earnest prayer from anyone, if they are truly seeking Him. I did have other goals for the book, as well, though: I wanted it to be entertaining, and true to the time period and the genre, but with a heroine who was smart but not cynical, innocent and yet wise enough to be committed to her ideals and attract a smart guy.

I was so impressed when your heroine stood by her godly principles especially when the hero was so dashing and charming and alluring! I’m not sure I could have been that strong! Was there a reason you emphasized her particular strength in this area?

Ariana knows her value as a woman in God's eyes, and she is not going to sell out, no matter the consequences. I believe if all women understood their God-given value, treatment of women across the board would have to improve because they would no longer tolerate abuse. And they would value their own purity. The fact is, that if God asks us to sacrifice anything in this life,(dashing heros included!) then he will more than compensate us— We just can't get a better life by having it our way apart from His will. He promises to give us life ABUNDANTLY—if we follow his plan for our lives. So that was important for me to include.

Amen, I couldn't have said it better. Your characters are so deep and compelling. How do you create your characters? From people around you? Or do they come from within? Can you step us through your process of creating a main character?

I'm not sure I can say I follow a “process,” but I will say that my stories are character-driven, not plot driven. In other words, my characters won't do something to propel the plot if it isn't in keeping with who they are. I hate a story when the hero or heroine does stupid things only because the writer wants a certain something to happen and they have to be stupid for it to happen. To me, that's an instant turn-off. To answer your question of where the characters come from, I guess it has to be a combination of observation and what is within. I don't think to myself, how should I make this or that character? I either allow them to enter the story when they do, (which is when they come easiest), or, now and then I know I need a certain “type” of person, and it does take a bit of work to get to know them well enough to write them in. For writers who struggle with making a character believable, I would say that what you see in the book of a character cannot be all there is to that person. You must “know” more of him or her in your mind or your notes. You've got to know them well enough to write them in, “in character.”

One thing that amazed me when I was reading your book was that I felt like I was reading a book by Jane Austen. How were you able to replicate the exquisite language of the time period so closely?

That is a fabulous compliment which I wish I could say I deserve! I'm not sure I was fully successful, but I'm still learning. How to pick up period language? All I can say is, if you read something enough, it starts to become natural to you. If you want to sound like Jane, read Jane. I rarely get to read any fiction these days, actually, but in the sequel to Before the Season Ends, (The House in Grosvenor Square) I had a lot of fun finding and using more period slang than I used in the first book.

If you could tell readers one thing to expect from your books, what would it be?
(Great question!) Regency atmosphere, faith-filled heroine, (or hero) a couple of good twists and turns when you least expect it, and a “prodigiously” happy ending.

What are your plans for the future? Should we be looking for more books?
Absolutely. I've got four regencies in my files to finish, first of all, (I love these) and a contemporary that is nearly finished. I've got two short stories that won't leave me alone, too (meaning, their main characters want me to make them into full books!) and I've got books I haven't started yet, and children's books, and non-fiction titles that I've outlined. I have more story ideas than I could probably ever write, actually.

How and where can we purchase your books? And how do readers get in touch with you.
Look in any major bookstore, or any online outlet such as ChristianBook.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc. For an autographed copy, go to my website, (while they're in stock) http://www.linoreroseburkard.com/. And readers can drop me a line at Linore (at) LinoreRoseBurkard (dot) com.

Thanks so much for being here today, Linore, and for your book giveaway! I for one am very excited about your next release.