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An Interview with Joely Sue Burkhart
01/10/2008 . Source: Kelly Jensen 
Conducted by Kelly Jensen. Author of four books, Joely Sue Burkhart is quite the reader herself, her tastes ranging from mythology to romance. She lives with her husband and three children in Missouri. By day, she's a computer programmer with a Masters of Science degree in Mathematics. By night, she conjures tales of romantic fantasy. Buy Beautiful Death in the USA - or Buy Beautiful Death in the UK  Her website is: http://www.joelysueburkhart.com
Her first book, 'Survive My Fire' (Keldari Fire) was published by Drollerie Presshttp://drolleriepress.com/Interact/?p=135 in 2007, followed by 'The Fire Within' (Keldari Fire) and 'The Rose of Shanhasson' (Blood & Shadows) in 2008. Most recently her Mythomorphoses book 'Beautiful Death' was published to favourable reviews.
We had the chance to ask her a few questions about becoming a published author and finding time to write.
SFCrowsnest: What encouraged you to start writing and how did you decide to write romance?
Joely Sue Burkhart: I wrote off and on through school, mostly inspired by movies and books that didn't quite end the way I thought they should (eg 'Gone With The Wind'). As for writing romance, I never purposely set out to write romance. When my husband asked me to write a sports mystery and half-way through I ended up trying to match the hero with a non-existent heroine, I realised, hey, I think I'm on to something here.
I envision myself sitting on a fence with romance on one side and fantasy/Science Fiction on the other. Sometimes I get more romance in the story, sometimes less, but I always include a love story. (No, I never finished that sports mystery, neither. Not enough speculative elements for me!)
SFC: So how would you end 'Gone With The Wind'?
JSB: I have a love/hate relationship with GWTW. I read it three times in high school. My first "serious" novel attempt on a rickety old manual typewriter could be called GWTW fan fiction. Of course I was distraught at the way Rhett Butler walked out on Scarlett and so tried to write a "new" Civil War-era romance, happy ending and all. I think it's safe to say that ending has tormented many writers, especially romance writers who ache to bring the hero and heroine together for their happily ever after.
However, can I say that any other ending has ever haunted me as much? No, of course not. I've written that sequel in my head at least a hundred times. Ironically, my feelings about GWTW reflect my own struggle to find my place between genres. I love speculative fiction, but I love romance stories, too. I often feel torn between the two. For each story I set out to write, I have to make a very difficult decision. Will the ending be happy or will Rhett walk out on Scarlett all over again?
As for the authorized sequel...Frankly, my dear, I really really hated it, but I certainly bought a copy!
SFC: How many novels did you write before you found a publisher?
JSB: I completed three novels before I sold a shorter novella to Drollerie Press.
SFC: What is your writing schedule like?
JSB: I work full time at the Evil Day Job as a computer programmer and have three monsters (aged 9, 6 and 5), so it's pretty hectic. My ideal writing schedule is to draft new words "dark and early" around 5:00 a.m. so I get my writing done first before work and then I edit or build new stories at night after the monsters are in bed.
My alternate schedule (like over the summer) is 10:00 pm - midnight or later. Needless to say, my body is really struggling to make the transition back to early mornings now that the monsters are back in school! I also fit in small tasks frequently during the day (eg over lunch). Those 15-30 minute sessions do add up.
SFC: You are very active with your blog, is this something you kept up with before you were a published author?
JSB: Definitely. I've been blogging for quite a while. The original Blogger archives go back to early 2004. It's harder to keep the blog fresh now. Not because I'm published, but because I'm running out of things to say. Just about the time I think I'm getting too boring keeping track of word counts or plotting difficulties, the monsters oblige with a new humorous story.
SFC: Does your interest in mythology only extend to the Greek variety?
JSB: Not at all. I love all mythology, even to the point of making up my own.
SFC: Is mythology a strong element in your other novels?
JSB: Yes, at least in my speculative books. There's not a hint of mythology in the book I'm currently shopping (contemporary erotic romance), but my current work in progress draws heavily on Mayan mythology. 'Beautiful Death' is about vampires, so it's pretty easy to tell that I love stories involving blood and sacrifice. Naturally the Maya are right up my alley!
SFC: How did you decide to handle the transformation from human to monster as the most sexually intense part of the novel?
JSB: I think a good sex scene in a novel should be both intense and transformative. Isabella and Hades trusting each other enough to be intimate was just as significant as her metamorphosis into a "monster." On the flip side of the coin, she was already a monster, though, and Hades wasn't the monster she thought him to be, neither. Her world viewpoint had to transform, too, and Hades made it possible for her to survive the final mutation as well as see the truth about New Olympia.
SFC: Do you see sex scenes as necessary to sell a book?
JSB: Not at all, although I won't deny that I love writing an intense, physical relationship. A good sex scene reveals characters like nothing else. As a reader, I want the sexual relationship of the characters to progress along an arc as the story unfolds. The scenes are important and significant, not gratuitous. As a writer, I use sex to add another layer of conflict and complication. I always love watching the afterglow fade away to a sudden realisation that now things are so much worse than before.
SFC: How did you choose the name Thanatos for Isabella?
JSB: I actually had "Isabella Thanatos" very early in the story development. A tough heroine who'd earned the nickname 'Beautiful Death' walked into my brain and demanded a story. Her name helped me define the underlying Greek mythology and well, I've always thought Hades got the short end of the stick. I wanted to give him an all new story.
SFC: What does Mythomorphoses mean and is this a concept you created?
JSB: It's a concept I created (although I can't take ultimate credit because someone else already owns the domain name!) to describe the story world. It's mythology -like Hades, Thanatos and Herekles - but twisted into a new metamorphosis. In 'Beautiful Death', Persephone is nowhere to be found, although Hades is definitely Lord of the Underworld. The underlying mythology is important but twisted, just as the virus twisted humanity in the post-apocalyptic world.
SFC: I noticed your three previous novels appear to be part of a series. Do you intend to continue Mythomorphoses as a series?
JSB: Yes, I do plan to continue writing in the Mythomorphoses world. Charon's book will be next, although Hades and Isabella will continue to play a key role in the developments on Macedon as the Empire threatens to annex Hades' home planet.
SFC: What kinds of books do you read and who are your favourite authors?
JSB: I read all sorts of books, although admittedly much less now because I simply don't have the time like I used to. My favourite authors include Lynn/S.L. Viehl, Laurell K. Hamilton, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Larissa Ione, Jenna Petersen, Anna Black and Patti O'Shea just to name several.
SFC: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
JSB: The most significant lesson I had to learn is to FINISH. I'd started many stories over the years, but never really finished a serious novel until 2003. Then I hit a rough patch after finishing my first two novels (right around the time when I moved on to 'Beautiful Death'). I didn't finish a single novel in 2005 and I almost shoved 'Beautiful Death' in a drawer instead of finishing it. I thought too much, worried too much and wrote far too little.
Finishing 'Beautiful Death' was a significant milestone on my writing journey. Since then, I finished the third and final re-write of my first novel ('The Rose Of Shanhasson'), two novellas (including 'Survive My Fire', my first sale), 'The Road To Shanhasson' (to be released in a few months) and three other full-length unrelated novels that I'll be polishing and revising the last part of 2008 into 2009.
If I hadn't finally put my butt in the chair and finished 'Beautiful Death', I might never have sold.
SFC: Thank you.
Interview material (c) Joely Sue Burkhart. Kelly Jensen and SFCrowsnest.co.uk 2008- All rights reserved
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