This week we’re joined by Grace Burrowes, a NYT and USA Today Bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance. We talk about her new book, A Rogue of Her Own, how her experience as a child welfare lawyer impacts her writing, and how writer’s block isn’t writer’s block at all–but a key part of the process.
You can find more from Grace on her wonderful website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook. She also loves emails from fellow writers.
Ways to listen:
You can click the button in the banner on the right or this link to download (and subscribe!) on iTunes!
Or click the button above to access the show on Google Play. It’s also available on Stitcher, Spotify, or most other podcast apps!
Highlights from the conversation include:
- How she got her introduction to romance novels and how she transitioned into writing them.
- How her work as a child welfare lawyer has impacted her perspective and her writing.
- Her hilarious query letter after being unsure at her first writers’ conference (and drinking a few more White Russians than usual).
- That she still doesn’t consider herself a “Real Writer” and simply writes for joy.
- How comparing your process to those of other successful writers can be overwhelming and not always helpful.
- How she handles reader expectations.
- The temptation to write nonfiction about her experiences as a child welfare attorney and single mom to share some of the unique perspectives she has.
- How A Rogue of Her Own has many modern connections for the situations that women find themselves in.
- How the defining traumas that women face have a sad amount of overlap between the Regency era and today.
- Why she regards romance as centrally humanist rather than feminist.
- Her advice to aspiring writers: Always continue working on your craft. Write what you love and what is authentic to you.
- Her interesting views on writer’s block: that it may not be writer’s block at all, but a natural part of the creative process.
- The ridiculous structures we try to impose on a creative process that for many people stifles rather than fosters creativity.
- How to keep a balance between the industry and the artist.
- How as she gets older, she feels that her identity is less obscured by cultural roles that were imposed upon her.
Books mentioned in this episode:
I enjoyed this very much.
We’re so glad! We’re definitely going to have Grace back on to share some more wisdom with us. Thanks for listening!