Interview with Stephanie Burkhart
MARIPOSA: I'd like to welcome author Stephanie Burkhart to the blog. Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing?
STEPH: Thanks for having me here today, Mariposa. Growing up I was a young girl in the 1970's hooked on the Electric Company. Nothing beat visiting my grandmother's house in the spring and hanging out with the lilacs. I grew up in New Hampshire and when I turned 18 I decided I wanted a great adventure and joined the Army. I served a total of 11 years and 7 in Germany with the Military Police. Now, I'm settled in California with my husband of 19 years and I've been a 911 dispatcher for LAPD for 11 years.
I got into seriously writing when I left the military in 1997. My first book, written under my pen name SG Cardin, was called "Destination: Berlin. It was set in Germany in 1988 and is a sweet romance. It's been well received, but lacks sales I think because the setting has a military backdrop. That was in 2001. I worked hard to hone my craft over the next couple of years. Since 2009, I've been working with small presses which I enjoy. It's very rewarding to work with an editor one-on-one. I like the personal attention given by a small press. I'm published with 4RV Publishing, Victory Tales Press, and Desert Breeze.
MARIPOSA: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
STEPH: Be patient. It took me several years to develop my writing. You can always learn. Be open-minded and have a nice Internet presence. That will take you a long way.
MARIPOSA: Excellent advice! Who is your favorite shifter character (other than your own)?
STEPH: I love J. Morgan's "Were Love Blooms" Madison Lee. His stories are so fun because he infuses his brand of unique humor into them. Madison gets her hair done, her nails polished, and uses duct tape to take off the excess fur.
STEPH: I actually have a good plan that works well for me. In the morning I catch up on emails and my social networks. I work from 2-10 pm and being a 911 dispatcher can be very stressful so I do the bulk of my writing on downtime, writing it out long hand on pen and paper. On days off, I type it up. The afternoons on my days off are generally for the kids and housework. As for my reading, I use the Kindle's text to speech feature and it reads to me on my way to work.
MARPOSA: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
STEPH: Sure. My latest release is "The Wolf's Torment." Set in Romania in 1865, Mihai has a secret – he's a witch. Can his love for Theresa give him the courage he needs to save his family from the werewolf that haunts them?
REVIEWS FOR THE WOLF'S TORMENT
From The Pen & Muse:
A complete werewolf story through and through, Burkhart does it again with an amazing cast of characters, entertaining dialogue and plot. Lovers of historical paranormal romance will enjoy this read, the first in the Moldavian Moon series.
From Reader's Favorites
5 Stars - The Wolf’s Torment has it all, witches, werewolves, a vampire, a princess and a prince. This is paranormal romance at its finest.
Enjoy this Excerpt:
Mihai gestured toward the door and they both walked out. Mihai parted from Beatrice to move down the hall to the servants' quarters and entered the secret stairway to the tower. What could Theresa want? Was she sick? No, Beatrice would have scolded him if she was. Theresa had been very firm about sticking to their rules and he'd honored them, which, on occasion had been a severe test of his willpower. He wanted Theresa in his bed. Their wedding was only a month away, but that was far too long for him. Mihai wanted her naked, underneath him, wrapped in his embrace. He wanted to brand her, possess her, and tell the whole world she was his. Was that love? Is that what Beatrice was getting at? Did Theresa love him?
She looked up, smiling tentatively. "Hello, Mihai. Come. Sit."
He feathered his eyes over her. Her aura was shining, much like it had after their...lovemaking.
"What brings you up here?" He joined her on the rug.
"You," she replied.
"Oh?"
He sensed her nervousness. She held up a chart. "It's very accurate. You know your night sky."
"I suspect you must be just as talented if you're impressed with my charts."
"My brother, Edward, loved the stars. I'd go stargazing with him. He was very patient considering he was eight years older than me."
"Beatrice wasn't a stargazer?"
"No. It bored her to tears. Victoria was interested in it, but she didn't have patience for it."
"Ah."
He spied a bottle of wine on the table next to the door. "Do you want me to open it?"
"If you want some. Wine makes my stomach queasy these days."
"Why? Are you ill? I have to confess, I didn't think we'd be back to the tower until after we married."
"No, I'm not ill, but I might get ill."
"Might get ill? What's wrong, Theresa?"
She threaded her fingers through his. "I think I'm with child."
His mouth dropped open in surprise. He quickly closed it, not wanting to startle her. Joy and happiness blasted through him and he wrapped her into his arms. This was wonderful! Their night together had given them a child! It was quick, but it didn't matter. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. She was kind and gentle and the children at the orphanage adored it when she read them stories on her visits -- especially the little ones. They would sit next to her vying for the precious space with winsome smiles and affectionate hugs. Alexandra would have made a poor queen. He stiffened at the thought of Alexandra. How could he think of her at a time like this when Theresa had just given him the happiest news of his life?
Theresa swallowed, betraying her apprehension. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm thrilled with the news."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, but I want the doctor to examine you tomorrow."
"All right." She glanced at the fire.
He pushed his uneasy thoughts away from his mind and focused on his joy, then smiled at her. "I'll reschedule my morning appointments and we'll have the doctor look at you after breakfast."
"That's fine."
He cupped her chin with his fingers, using a gentle touch. "Are you happy?"
She bit her lower lip with her teeth. Confusion danced in her eyes. The sensation of being overwhelmed skimmed over the pulse of her emotions, yet a small current of happiness flowed underneath.
"Theresa, are you happy?" he asked again.
"Yes."
"You don't sound very convincing."
"This is very sudden, Mihai. I didn't think it would happen our first time. I wanted to be married -- and secure before--"
"We will be married and I promise you security. You are the only woman I want in my life. You must believe that."
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The Wolf's Torment is available as an ebook only on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Sony Ereader. Formats include: PDF, html, and epub which can be found on Desert Breeze Publishing
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