Author Interview & International Giveaway w/ Joely Sue Burkhart

Whoo-Hoo!! We're finally here to the release day of the next installment of The Connagher series, Hurt Me So Good, by the super talented, very nice, Joely Sue Burkhart!

I know that many of you have already heard me praise the fantastic contemporary erotica romance, Dir Sir, I'm Yours. Well, now I've been lucky enough to have Mrs. Burkhart stop by and talk a little more about her works!

Without further ado, please help me welcome Joely Sue Burkhart to AtM!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, tell us a little about the person behind the smexy writings?

I've been married for twenty two years and we have three monsters (girls) ages 11, 8, and 7.  My Evil Day Job is computer programming for an insurance company, where I've been 15 years.  I've always loved reading and writing, but I didn't commit to seriously pursuing publication until 2003.  My first book, The Rose of Shanhasson, was published in 2007. 

A Masters of Science in Mathematics and computer programmer by day? How in the world did the left side of your brain concede to the right, to write romance? When, and how, did writing romance start for you? When do you even find time?

I tend to be a fence straddler in many aspects of my life.  I've never been wholly left or right brained, and when I take personality tests (like for work), I'm always torn between thinking/feeling. I'm just as much an analytical as an amiable! Maybe it's the Gemini in me -- but I've never been strictly a Gemini either.  My birthday is May 21st, which isn't always even considered a true Gemini.  I suppose that's why I like to write in so many different genres, too, but I always have a romantic thread in my stories, no matter how analytical they may end up being.

 

Your published work ranges from erotic contemporary romance to sci-fi and fantasy romance. Is there one particular sub-genre that you enjoy more?

I really like them all (see that fence straddler explanation above).  Years ago, my husband wanted me to write a sports mystery (he said he'd actually read that if I wrote it -- he's read none of my other work).  I started it...and of course ended up plotting to get the hero matched up with his true love.  *headdesk*   (No, I never finished that sports mystery, either.)

Recently, I read and reviewed your fantastic first book of The Connaghers series, Dear Sir, I’m Yours, and instantly fell in love with the story line and characters. Please tell readers what this series is about. 

Thank you so much!  I'm beaming.  :-)

The Connaghers are just an everyday sort of Mid-Western family...which just happens to keep riding crops and bondage equipment in the bedroom.  I've lived most of my life in Missouri (where Dear Sir is set), but I lived several years in Texas too, and I've always wanted to write about a Texan family, sort of like the great Dallas series.

Can I, or dare I, ask how the story line of such a great D/s themed book even came to be?

When I first started writing about Conn in 2004, I didn't have any D/s elements at all.  I was still exploring myself as a writer, and I ended up setting that draft aside unfinished.  I went on to write several other stories and realized I'd been flirting with D/s themes for awhile, and Conn never completely left my mind.  When I picked up his story again in 2007, I threw out everything and started over again, keeping only his profession as an English professor and his family.  I set out deliberately, then, to write a very caring, loving, gentle man...who was also very Dominant.  

One of the aspects that I absolutely loved about this first book, was the emotional journey that each of the main characters embarked on, and the growth/change each experienced. Can you explain how the personal letters wrote by the heroine at the beginning of each chapter played a major role in this?

One tool I've learned over the years to help with character development is to have the character write first-person letters about the backstory that happens BEFORE the main story.  This helps me get all those rich details that make the character live and breathe on the page, even if usually none of that actually ends up in the story.  I started writing these letters for Rae, and they were so powerful and emotional that I decided I had to make them a key part of the story.  One significant event five years ago drove her from him was the main stumbling block in the story, so the letters were crucial in detailing her emotional rollercoaster after she left him. 

Was there a character that gave you a particularly hard time to write their story?

Not in Dear Sir.  Once I got the plot and characters all figured out, that story just rolled out of me.  Miss Belle is a hoot and kept me laughing at every turn.  Conn's older brother, Victor, was harder, and their sister, Vicki, is probably going to kill me before I ever finish her story.
 

Did you have to do a lot of research for all the classic writing dialogue that the characters sometimes used, or are you already a fan of the classics?  

I took enough English classes to have a minor, and I've always loved the Romantics.  I took a wonderful Romantic Period class in college (alas, Conn was NOT the professor) that gave me the foundation of Shelley, Byron, and Blake that Conn needed to get him through temptation. 

 
Can you give us a favorite scene of yours?  

Oh, geez, that's like asking me which of my kids are my favorite!  I love the scene at Mythos (which is a real restaurant in Joplin, MO) when Conn kisses her *fans face * but my favorite scene is probably the spanking scene, where Rae embraces everything she is and everything he is without fear. 

 

Today is the release day of Hurt Me So Good! *throws confetti* Can you give the readers a little sneak peak into the new hot installment of The Connaghers series?  

When Conn needed help, he went to his brother, Victor, in Dallas, but he never really understood the turmoil his brother deals with each day.  Victor knows the BDSM scene, but he's still living a lie.  No one knows he's a sadist walking on the edge, and he's terribly afraid he'll hurt any woman who dares to get close to him.  Of course, that's exactly what Shiloh wants...!

Does Conn, the hero in DSIY, have any advice to give to his brother Victor, because it sounds like he may need some? :)

Oh, yeah, there's a very crucial scene in HMSG when Conn calls his brother at Miss Belle's urging (she claims to be psychic!).  Victor might be older and more aggressive as a full-blown Master, but he's also a very reluctant Dominant.  Conn can't do much more than quote some poetry and listen, but it helps. 

How many books are planned for the series? 

I'm working on Vicki's book (#3, tentatively Yours to Take) now, and then I know Mal (#4, Mine to Break)  has to find her hero. 
 
Now that Hurt Me So Good has been officially released, what’s next for you?   

The final book in the romantic fantasy trilogy, Return to Shanhasson, will release later this month from Drollerie Press.  I also have an entirely new series starting in March that I've been calling a "Jane Austen Space Opera), working title Lady Doctor Wyre, coming from Samhain Publishing.  If you're looking for some unusual paranormal romance, you might take a look at The Bloodgate Guardian from Carina Press, which is based on Maya mythology.  

Now for some quickie responses…

What I love to do outside of writing...   My Dad has a farm, so we love to take the kids up and enjoy country life.  Someday, I'd love to live in the country too so I could have chickens!

A few favorite romance authors of mine...   Larissa Ione and Lynn Viehl are automatic must-reads for me.

A favorite book I’ve read so far this year…  I loved Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts trilogy.  Terrible is a fantastic character!

My favorite type of hero…  I love a really good tortured hero who's a mix of complexities.

My favorite type of heroine...  I don't really like kick-ass or snarky heroines much.  I like down-to-earth women that are so real I'd swear I knew them.

If I could have a supernatural power it would be...  I'd love to fly!

My writing routine includes…  I usually get up "dark & early" … anytime between 4:00 (rarely) and 5:30 AM (more usual) depending on how pressing my deadlines are.  That way I can get my day's words done before work and family commitments take over.

Something I always have to have near when writing...  Coffee in the morning.  If I'm writing at night, I  prefer an ice-cold Coke or Cherry Dr. Pepper.

In regards to writing, something I wish I knew then, that I know now...  Listening to advice is well and good, but in the end, you have to do what works for you.  If I begin paying too much attention to what everyone else is doing, I second guess myself, and that's crippling.

Five years from now I see myself...  still writing heroes who make me weak in the knees, and hopefully working on a book with my daughters (all who love to write, too).

I would tell an aspiring new author…  write what you love.  What makes your heart beat faster?  What makes you want to get up at 4 AM to write?

Is there anything else you would like to tell fans of your books?  Thank you to each and everyone of you for giving my books a chance! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much, Mrs. Burkhart, for taking time out of your busy day to stop by and give us the scoop on this fantastic series!

To readers... If you enjoy great character development full of emotion, fun and consistent plots, and lots of hotness, then I recommend you check these stories out!

Review for Dir Sir, I'm Yours

Review for Hurt Me So Good

Purchase Dir Sir, I'm Yours: Amazon | MBaM

Purchase Hurt Me So Good:  MBaM (under $5 right now!)

Find Joely Sue Burkhart at her Website

Now for the giveaway!

Ms. Burkhart has been fabulously generous enough to offer up an international print copy of Dir Sir, I'm Yours, AND an ebook of Hurt Me So Good! Yes, that's right people, TWO winners for this giveaway!!

Contest Rules:

• You must be 18+ to enter because of the adult content of the books.

• All you have to do is leave a comment and/or question for Joely and your email addy. Do you have a question about BDSM romance you've been itching to ask?? Don't act shy, you know you have them! :)  Joely will be popping in and out to answer all our smexy questions and comments.

• Anyone who tweets, facebooks, does a little post, or whatever contest pimping you like to do... will get an extra point! Just live a link in your comment!

*Winners will be selected using random.org. The contest will run until midnight EST, Saturday, 10/9, and winners will be announced the beginning of next week.

Thank you for stopping by and participating! Good Luck!