Meet Romance Author Barbara Burke
Romance author Barbara Burke is an inveterate traveler who particularly loves traveling into the past. She writes historical romance, with an occasional dip into contemporary life. But I’ll let her tell you all about it…
Welcome Barbara,
Is there an event in your life that affected you as a writer?
It’s not an event exactly, but I remember my mother not being a writer. She was a very intelligent woman who loved books and would have been a great writer, but she had absolutely no insight into how to go about it and no confidence that she could actually do it. She left school at 14 and worked in various factories until she got married. Many years later she bought herself a typewriter and started writing a novel but ripped it up 90 pages in and never tried again. When I started making noises about becoming a writer she was so supportive I think she would have done anything to help. Unfortunately, she died before I got around to it, but I think I probably finished (and got published) my first novel just for her so there wouldn’t be another generation who lacked the confidence to follow that dream.
Is writing something that comes easy to you or not?
Actually, I find it quite difficult. I sweat over every word and every sentence. I’m always amazed by these people who post how many thousands of words they’ve written in a day. I can sit at my desk for hours and only manage one or two hundred sometimes. However, I’m pretty miserable and dissatisfied with myself when I’m not writing so I just have to put up with it.
What are some of your favorite things? Foods. Flowers. Books. Whatever.
All those things. Especially whatever! I am such a pizzaholic it’s practically embarrassing. I can tell you the best pizza joint in Geelong, Australia and describe in exact detail that cute little Italian restaurant where we had pizza in Saint Petersburg, Russia. And don’t get me started on the best takeout pizza in New Orleans or Montreal. I still start drooling just thinking about them. It’s definitely an addiction.
I love flowers but don’t actually have a lot to do with them.
As for books, I remember moving once and the job should have cost twice what the estimate was because of the myriad of books that had to be moved, something that the estimator neglected to take into account. Fortunately we had a plus or minus 10 per cent contract. The collection has grown monumentally since then.
Whatever includes cats, knitting, cryptic crossword puzzles, cheesy Christmas movies, red wine (to go with the pizza) and Jane Austen, not necessarily in that order or exclusively.
Where is your favorite place to write?
This is actually pretty embarrassing, but I find I do my best work in coffee shops. I’m one of those pretentious people sitting with a latte and peering at their laptop. There seems to be exactly the right balance of noise and quiet in these places and I find it really stimulating. I can write furiously and then sit and look around for a minute and then write some more. When covid-19 hit all our coffee shops closed down and I hadn’t realized how much I depend on them. Because we have no covid-19 here (I live on an island that took very strong measures – we’re been called the New Zealand of North America) things have slowly reopened, but I’m still nervous about returning to a coffee shop just in case. I’m thinking about asking my husband, who’s working from home, to bring coffee to me in a big white ceramic cup and then buzz around me sounding like conversations from different corners of the room. However, I don’t think he’ll go for it unless it guarantees a best seller with royalties along the lines of something a J K Rowling book would earn!
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
In my novella Not2Nite my heroine lives with her cousin Charlotte. The story is set in London during WWII and Charlotte is an aviatrix who ferries planes to the various air force bases across the country. I really fell in love with Charlotte and a couple of reviewers have mentioned how much they’d like to see a story featuring her. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into female pilots during the war but I haven’t come up with a good plot yet. When I do finally manage to think of something I hope to write a worthy book about Charlotte.
Counterfeit Viscountess by Barbara Burke
Practical Caroline Saxon must travel to London for the season, when all she really wants is to stay in Ireland and breed horses. But a carriage accident leaves her unchaperoned at a posting inn.
Dashing Christopher Hawking just wants a bed for the night. He didn’t expect to find it occupied by a beautiful woman, or to be caught by another guest sneaking out of her room.
To protect Caroline’s reputation, they must pretend to be married, and convince the London ton they’ve made a love match. With society watching their every move, keeping up appearances has never been harder, especially when attraction flares between them in spite of themselves. With family, friends and interested onlookers all contributing to the confusion, when will this charming Regency couple realize a fake marriage just isn’t good enough?
available from AMAZON
Learn more about Barbara Burke…
Barbara Burke’s nomadic life means she’s lived everywhere from a suburban house in a small town to a funky apartment in a big city, and from an architecturally designed estate deep in the forest to a cedar shack on the edge of the ocean. Everywhere she’s gone she’s been accompanied by her husband, her animals and her books. For the last fifteen years she’s worked as a freelance journalist and has won several awards. She was a fan of Jane Austen long before that lady was discovered by revisionists and zombie lovers and thinks Georgette Heyer was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. She lives by the philosophy that one should never turn down the opportunity to get on a plane no matter where it’s going, but deep down inside wishes she could travel everywhere by train. Ironically she now lives on an island in the north Atlantic which has no trains at all.
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Enjoyed your interview, fellow Barbara. A friend and I write at a coffee shop each Tuesday–at least we did, before shut downs. Wishing you luck with your Regency. I do love that time period. I need to download your book! Can’t imagine how it’s slipped by. And if you ever want to do a writing train trip across the country, count me in 🙂
Hey, other Barbara. Thanks. A writing train trip sounds absolutely fabulous. What country, though? So many to choose from.
Barbara – your books sounds fascinating – can’t wait to check it out. And, I do hope you write Charlotte’s book soon – for two reasons. My grandmother and mother are named Charlotte. And my aunt – Virginia, not Charlotte – ferried planes from the US to London during WWII. They put up an exhibit in the Smithsonian about them. I have toyed with writing a book on a similar subject, but I tend to stick to writing contemporaries. So, I will line up to read about Charlotte when you let us know it is out!
It sounds to me like you’re the one who should be writing this book, Deb! I understand how you’d want to stick with what you know, though. Have you read The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler? I bet you’d enjoy it. I will definitely let everyone know when Charlotte’s book comes out.
Happy sales!
Thanks, Anna! Hope you enjoyed the interview.
Thanks, Jennifer. Charlotte’s day is getting closer and closer (I hope).
Enjoyed the interview, ladies! I really miss going to a coffee shop, too, Barbara, even if it’s to chat with a friend over a cuppa. Wishing you all the best!
Ha, Mary! I’d forgotten that one can actually socialize rather than just work, work, work. Thank you.
I used to work in aviation. It gets in your blood. There’s nothing quite like the freedom on soaring above and through the clouds in a single engine, two- or four-seater airplane. *sigh* I miss it and would love a story about Charlotte.
Hi Glenda. Wow. You’re a real fly person. I’m just a passenger. I am definitely giving Charlotte a story.
I love the idea of a story for Charlotte! Best of luck with your book.