Grace Burrowes 73 books and still going strong

Grace Burrowes started writing as an antidote to empty nest and soon found it an antidote to life in general. Now with 73, mostly historical novels, under her belt, she shows no sign of slowing down.

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Transcript:

Sarah Williams:            G’day and welcome to Write With Love. Today, I’m chatting to New York Times best-selling and five time retail award finalist Grace Burrowes. Thanks for joining me today, Grace.

Grace Burrowes:           It’s wonderful to be here.

Sarah Williams:            Brilliant. Of course, we’re talking to you from Maryland and the United States, so it’s always great to talk to an American. Please tell us your story and share with us how you got into this writing career.

Grace Burrowes:           I have always been a writer, whether it’s keeping a journal or corresponding with a large family, excuse me, but it never occurred to me that I would be a published author. I read romance voraciously as I was going through college and law school. Then, single parenting romance was very much my guilty pleasure because as a single mom you can get tired and isolated and overwhelmed, and there’s nothing like a happily ever after to put the world back in perspective.

Grace Burrowes:           Eventually, my daughter grew up and I had time, I had I guess confidence. One night, I was sitting in the law office working on a deadline document, some motion was due tomorrow, and it was cold. I had reached the point where my productivity had really slowed down and I’d been at it too long. I told myself, I’ll take a break and I always have a book with me, I’ll just read one chapter, and then recharge I will come back and knock out this motion.

Grace Burrowes:           Well, it was not an author, I was all that familiar with but I must have hit her off the book, the book that just you know maybe the deadline overcame the author or whatever, but it hit me wrong. I had a pernicious thought that many an author has. I’ve been I could write one of these. I just started writing and boom first few scenes came out and that was fun, and I didn’t want to work on that motion. But I did and got in on time, but I had started writing would eventually be name Gareth, the first of my lonely lords. I just wrote for fun, I just wrote because it was a happy place, I was raised without television, and I raised my kid without a television in the house. I still don’t have a television in the house. This frees up an awful lot of time.

Sarah Williams:            It does.

Grace Burrowes:           So I just started writing and it didn’t occur to me to get the books published, but I have six brothers and sisters. They began to say to me things like, “When are you going to get that stuff published?” This would have been in 2008, 2009 self-publishing was not really a thing yet. They meant, when you just pluck a contract out of the sky, and I know publishing is difficult particularly traditional Russian. Somebody said, you’re more likely to get hit by lightning until a traditional contract.

Grace Burrowes:           I also know that there is this organization RWA and I had heard they will help you perfect your craft. They will help you get published. I went to an RWA chapter conference and I wish I didn’t know anybody, and this was one of those conferences that happens over the weekend and the first thing you do on Friday night is an agent and editor panel. All of these very knowledgeable competent people were sitting in the front of the room and they were using terms I didn’t understand, ARC and GMC and HCA and big black movement.

Grace Burrowes:           I had no idea what they were talking about, and I sort of collapsed. I’ll never be published, this is pointless. I’ll just go up to my room and write. I went up to my room by way of the bar, and I stopped I got myself a White Russian and it was pretty good. I don’t drink much but I figured I’m going to be here all weekend, and I’m grown up so why not lubricate the writing level.

Grace Burrowes:           Until I had another White Russian and it was good too, but then I noticed the lady in line beside me at the bar had a knitting bag, and one of the people on that agent and editor panel that had a knitting bag. I asked her, “Am I supposed to pitch you?” This is probably the worst way to make a first impression on an industry professional, but she smiled and she said, “Would you like to pitch me?” At that point, my brain stopped working, I had never pitched anybody, I hadn’t practiced to pitch, I didn’t know pitching was a thing.

Grace Burrowes:           She pulled, I mean she just interviewed me. “What do you write? How many books have you completed?” When I said, “I’m not sure a couple dozen maybe.” That is when the exchange became substantive, because when you run across somebody who has a lot of completed manuscripts if they are any good that gives you a lot of options. If you’re not so good it doesn’t help at all.

Grace Burrowes:           This was Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks and she was sufficiently interested to ask for Parshall’s, and she asked for three and then three more and then three more and she eventually put together a trilogy and made me an offer.

Sarah Williams:            Wow.

Grace Burrowes:           That’s how I started down the yellow brick road.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, oh that’s really fantastic and it’s great to hear that sort of a story now from a complete novelist to like that, that’s amazing. You’ve done 74 books that they all being with Sourcebooks?

Grace Burrowes:           No, Sourcebooks and I parted ways amicably at least for now. They did the first 35 or 40 books, and some of those titles you say 74, some are novellas, some are novella duets so I can’t say I have written 74 novels, yet. But Indie Publishing came along and I even Sourcebooks who at one point was publishing a book every month for me. It felt like a market saturation had to be factored into their publication schedule.

Grace Burrowes:           I had some titles that Sourcebooks wasn’t interested in, they were completed manuscripts, I felt like even though they were written a while ago I had the craft to buff them. So I self-publish them and I really like self-publishing, so I do both. I write were Grand Central forever and I self-publish.

Sarah Williams:            Excellent. We love the self-publishers as well, and I’m a self-publisher and think half the people who come on here are indie, yeah indies. That’s awesome, and your books have predominantly historical novels. Tell us about writing historical, do you have a particular way of researching or anything like that, do you get to go on travel?

Grace Burrowes:           I do get to travel, I go to the UK a fair amount and I think one thing that factors in here is my age, I am old enough that I recall when the only romances there were, were historical. You could have regency, you could have medieval, there were even a few people dabbling in Victorian, but it wasn’t really until Danielle Steel in the 1990s that contemporary romance became a thing. My preference for historical is somewhat rooted in just the fact that that’s where I started reading, and I read there for decades.

Grace Burrowes:           The other thing is, I do have an interest in history. My first university degree was music history, and I love how the times shaped the people and the people shaped the times. They’re such, our historical narrative is so broad and fascinating. You ask, how will I do my research? To the extent possible, I’d like to dip into original sources so you get the voice of the times.

Grace Burrowes:           You hear how folks in the Regency addressed each other, how did they write? They wrote to each other and they all sound so erudite and insightful, and I think some of that is because when you write little pen it is a slow laborious process, and you have time to polish the thought as it travels down your arm onto the page. Whereas now with 90 words a minute at the keyboard pretty much it’s stream of consciousness writing for many of us in many circumstances. Writing has become a different cognitive process for us than it was for the people in my stories.

Grace Burrowes:           As a reader, I’m drawn to historical romance as just as a hobby I’ve always loved history and various sort of the connection with music that recreated from a historical standpoint.

Sarah Williams:            Fantastic. So we’re talking some Regency, I think you’ve got some Scottish novels up there too. Tell us about some of your books, which are some of the ones that you like the most and you want to tell our readers about.

Grace Burrowes:           Well, I love them all. The first book that was published was The Heir and H-E-I-R are kind of there, I didn’t realize when that title was chosen that it doesn’t speak so well. Why would anybody read about it? In this case, it was a ducal heir and Deb Worksman plucked that book out of a choice of maybe 20 manuscripts because she could make a trilogy of Brothers, but also I think she understood that that was a very representative story from my brand.

Grace Burrowes:           I am one of seven, seven children and I grew up in a large family and these three brothers are from a large family, they have five sisters and I have four brothers. It was a representative story from my perspective as a sibling in a big family. How do you relate to your different siblings that all you, each one is unique. For example, I realized the other day pretty much each of my siblings has a different nickname for me.

Grace Burrowes:           Kind of like caller ID. I tell who’s saying pass the butter whether they’re calling me Gracie or Grace Anne, because that’s two different brothers. The Heir was the story of the ducal heir and the soldier was his or her illegitimate brother. Then the virtuoso was the family musician, and I realized that the heir himself studied law, he read law, the virtuoso was a musician. The soldier had to reconcile the fundamental problem I gave him was an orphaned five-year-old child.

Grace Burrowes:           As an attorney, I’ve done child welfare law. It’s sort of in these first three books put three very large pieces of my heart was a good place to start.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah. Oh, that’s absolutely fantastic. It’s so lovely. A little cat.

Grace Burrowes:           It’s a cat.

Sarah Williams:            I see another one sleeping on the counter of your home [inaudible 00:12:40]. That’s it, yeah. As well as the historical, you’ve got some nonfiction books as well. So Twelve Tweaks To Perk Up Your Prose is one, Making a Scene is another, and Putting the H in HEA which of course stands for happily ever after. When did she get into writing your nonfiction books?

Grace Burrowes:           Well, those are more essays than books, they’re sort of brief, I would call them workshop crib sheets, because I do like to present a chapter conferences and I do think I love to work on craft. I think as writers, there’s comfort in working on craft because it’s one thing we can control, it’s one way we can decide what direction our brand goes. There’s so much about being a writer that you don’t control, that to be able to shape the actual words and control the prose is just gratifying, and it helps me manage anxiety.

Grace Burrowes:           Actually in college was a copy editor for the campus newspaper which I had a circulation of about 20, 000 so it’s a real newspaper. Then my first job was as a technical writer and a technical editor, so I’ve always had an interest in the mechanics of writing. Certainly as an attorney you’re writing all the time, and the more effectively you can write the better your clients are likely to do, because before the judge ever sees you in courtroom he or she reads your pleadings, the things are able to start the lawsuit.

Grace Burrowes:           I feel like if somebody has a good grasp of novel craft and prose craft there’s almost an obligation to share it. It’s that part of the job we all share and we all struggle with.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, absolutely. And of course while we’re talking about the teaching, we’re recording this in July, the end of July and of course you’re coming down under. Romance writers of New Zealand come first which is on a couple of weeks this week. The romance writers of Australia which is on the week after, and you’re also doing a presentation for the ARRA, which is the Australian Romance Readers Association. What are you going to be doing about all of these and what will you be talking about?

Grace Burrowes:           Oh first, we’ll talk about prose with my friends in New Zealand but I’m just so excited to be going, it’s a big adventure and if anybody had told me five years ago, “You’re going to be making friends all over the world with your writing,” that would have been a wish come true. I’m very pleased to be going and very honored and flattered.

Grace Burrowes:           In addition to talking about prose in New Zealand, we’re also going to be talking a little bit about how do you keep your balance in such a difficult industry? First of all, as writers what we do is subjective, which means there are writers who may not be particularly talented who are doing quite well. There are writers who are very, very talented and working very, very hard and they don’t have a lot of compensation to show for it. That’s daunting, that it is just. We’re also be talking about the fact that the industry has changed so much so fast.

Grace Burrowes:           What can you do to protect your creativity, protect what I call your [Shwa Deplume 00:16:37], your joy of writing. Feel a sense of progress even when there may not be a whole lot of money come, because we don’t just do this for the money, it’s too hard. I’ll just do it for me. Then, I’m meeting with readers in Melbourne and Sydney, and that’s the best one, readers … I’ve never met a reader I didn’t like, you sort of feel like if you get my books you get me, and have yet to be proven wrong about that. Then at the Sydney conference, I’m talking about why historical romance is still relevant and why I still write mostly historical romance? Because I can’t see that changing, I just love historical romance and I feel like it’s a good fit for my voice. That’s for the itinerary with a lot of frolic and detour thrown in if I’m lucky.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, hopefully you’ll get to see a bit of the countries and I’m going to be at the Romance Writers in New Zealand, I will attend to see you. So that would be fantastic and the lucky people who get to see it at the ARRA and WA here. Of course, just literally last week, we’re at the dean for our conference for the Romance Writers of America, which I know is going to be a very different from the conferences down here a lot more people from what I’ve heard. Do you still go every year to the conferences and you keep in touch and still present?

Grace Burrowes:           I go most years, I mean sometimes there are just too many deadlines or the travel logistics given where else I’m travelling are a little daunting, but in one regard I think all of our romance writing conferences are the same and I couldn’t put a name to this feeling until a few years ago. It’s a place where I feel like I’m a round peg. It’s not a situation where I’m too smart or I’m too old or I’m too female or I’m too outspoken or I’m too abstract.

Grace Burrowes:           When I’m in that environment, unlike when I’m being a lawyer with my neighbors here in rural Maryland. I fit in more than I fit in, in almost any other [Milyu 00:19:05]. Oops, there’s a dog here create some mischief. I was in my 50s the first time I went to Romance Writers Conference and put my finger on that feeling that I’m not an outsider here. Now, that said you can still feel awkward you don’t know anybody, you’re shy or introverted and I certainly am introverted. But I still know when I get to these conferences these are my people, and that’s a good feeling.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, that’s lovely and I know we’ve got some and Gracie who every year and you’ll say there’s Romance Writers of Australia, she at the awards dinner. She does the stand up if you’re wrote manuscript this year. Everyone by the end of it stands out and she says this is your child, these are your people. It’s always just the best part of the conference for all of us who attend, and that’s why I do this podcast so I can talk to people who are just moms and they are just people in my town, and they’re other writers.

Sarah Williams:            You always inspire, everyone I get on this podcast inspires me and tells me something new and I love it. I heard that people watching and listening and enjoy it as well, the same way I do. That’s just lovely, what’s coming out next? You’re a very busy woman.

Grace Burrowes:           I am very busy, I recently closed my law practice after 25 years of doing child welfare law. I am now free to just write and write and write and write. In September, let’s start and go forward, my next Scottish contemporary comes out which is Scotland To The Max, it’s the third book in a Trouble Wears Tartan Series which features usually a Yank and the Scot, and I have such fun with that series and the research is just the best. Then, also coming out in September is a truly perfect gentleman which is a regency in the true gentleman series, and putting the finishing touches on that one now, while there’s a kitten climbing up my leg.

Grace Burrowes:           Then in November, I’m starting a new series with Grand Central and that is the series is Rags to Riches, and the first book is my one and only Duke. For that book, I thought you know Dukes, we love them but we’re getting kind of tired of them, really where all those Dukes in the Regency know that one. So I thought what is the farthest person from a Duke? Now, what is the sort of, how far away from a Duke can I get and still write a Duke book? Our hero is convicted of murder and he’s in Newgate awaiting execution. I got my lawyer out and I did research on Newgate and banking and all was the best. I’m very much looking forward to all three of those releases.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, oh that’s fantastic. Well, so we can keep in touch with you and see you when you’ve got all these new releases and your covers and everything else which is beautiful by the way. Where can we find you online?

Grace Burrowes:           You can find me at Graceburrowes.com but also follow me on BookBub, if you want to know when a book goes on sale or when there’s a new release, BookBub is very good about just telling you what you want to know and not, keeping pictures and a lot of Facebook nonsense. I steer people as much, in my website you can find the book certainly but if you follow me on BookBub you’ll get the news without that nonsense.

Sarah Williams:            Yeah, absolutely and BookBub is definitely just getting bigger and better every time I log on, I see something new, so yeah, that’s fantastic. BookBub and your website. Well, thank you so much for that, Grace, I’ve really learned a lot and appreciate your time today.

Grace Burrowes:           Thank you very much.