L.R. Burkard Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. I began writing at the age of nine after reading My Side of the Mountain. The “escape from home” idea enthralled me (sadly enough!), spurring me to write my own version of a similar story with me, of course, as the heroine. I started working at thirteen (in a kennel), then worked for a cardiologist, a surgeon, in two hospitals (working my way through college) and for another MD before leaving the workplace to stay home with my kids. Having the support of my husband was instrumental for me as a writer.

Q: Would you tell us about The Pulse Effex Series?
A: My latest book, a regency romance time-travel, is being shopped around by my agent, but I’m happy to report that my young adult series is now a box set and available from Amazon. The series highlights the lives of three teens and their families–each in different circumstances–when an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hits earth and knocks out technology.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this series?
A: I read an article about a real EMP that came close to hitting our planet in 2012. It missed us by a hair (in space terms). But the devastation it would have caused had it not missed caught hold of my imagination. I wondered, what would life look like if it hit? How would the average person survive? How would having faith impact that survival? I wrote the book to answer all these questions that wouldn’t let go. I used three very different families, only one of whom are Christians, to highlight different aspects of the aftermath. And since today’s young people have been raised on electronics, I knew that they, more than anyone, would feel devastated from its loss, which is why it’s a YA series.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this series?
A: First, on a practical level, that it’s wise to be prepared for disasters! There’s lots of “takeaway” information on things to do, steps to take, that readers glean from the story and have written to me with gratitude about. Secondly, that God is in control and watches over His own; and that He’s present in the darkest of times, not only good ones.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. I usually write historical romance, and being a huge fan of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, that means a Regency England setting. (The Regency of the future George IV–1811-1820.) But I have stories set in other time periods, too, such as the Restoration of Charles II, (Coach and Four: Allisandra’s Tale—available now for free by subscribing to my newsletter ), and even one in 1912 aboard the Titanic. Each story takes shape for me in its natural setting, so I never have to think “Where should I set this story?” The setting is part of the story.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: People have asked me this before, so I’ve thought about it. For me, it’s far more invention than not. In other words, I don’t consciously ever write a character based solely on anyone I know. My characters are unique! ?

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I’ve just finished the first draft of a Regency Romance called Miss Tavistock’s Mistake. It’s a sweet, fun story (Heyeresque style) of a lovely young duke’s ward raised in relative isolation in Yorkshire, and a decommissioned sea captain who is her intended, but has been at sea for a decade. She evidently makes a huge mistake—(you’ll have to read the book when it comes out to see what it is, sorry)—and must learn the error of her ways. But of course she falls in love along the way, and that’s the real fun of the story.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. A literary tour of England. Visit all the famous author homesites and hit museums along the way, with special emphasis on anything Jane related. (Jane Austen, that is.)

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. What comes to mind is once when my husband and I were in the car. I had opened the window about an inch during a stop for gas. Back on the road, I said to Mike, “Where’s that breeze coming from?” (He teased me about it for years.)

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. Survived adolescence and worked my way through college in NYC, living alone and working full time. (Being a mom—even being a wife—can be challenging, but the rewards are vast, joyous, incomparable, and eternal.)