Author Interview | Conversing with #HistRom novelist Mindy Burbidge Strunk about the Somerstone #RegencyHouseParty series and her novel which continues our journey into Somerstone itself: “Mistaken Identity”!

Posted Saturday, 24 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts, I am taking part in a special series of interviews!

I recently had the joy of sharing with you a conversation about my fascination and appreciation for #HistoricalRomances when I shared my interview with Rebecca Connolly! She wrote the Spinster Chronicles – of which I am reading the first two installments of her series this November! However, anchoured to the joyfulness of discovering her stories, this Autumn I had the pleasure of finding out about *Somerstone!* and the Regency House Party series!

This is one of those uniquely styled *round robin!* stories wherein each new author who steps into the story-line is picking up the threads of the previous author’s installment! Similar in the vein of why I am enjoying reading the Return of the Blackwell Brothers? Herein as we get a lovely introduction to Somerstone through a series of interviews and conversations I crafted together with the authors who make up this new series set in the Regency – one of my eras of preference for #HistRoms – we get to sort out what inspired the authors as they wrote their individual installments but also, get the chance to learn more about how the series was assembled!

Publishers (or in this case, the writers themselves!) create these nifty ‘mini-series’ and serial round robins not just to create a more unique environment for the reader to explore but also for their authors! There are several of these within my beloved #LoveINSPIRED Suspense I am slowly making my way through and finding out there is one for the Regency was truly a lift of joy to find! Especially as like most Regencies – when there is a ball or a formal party afoot, there is generally a heap more going on than what is generally taken on appearance alone! Where tucked away secrets can percolate to the surface and where everyone either knows someone directly or indirectly through their peerage, family or friends!

The beauty of course is going story by story, seeing how the arc of the series will continue to increase in climax and how each new writer who steps into an installment will put their own spin on the established narrative. The points of view could change or the mannerisms of the character(s) themselves could feel altered a bit – but if the whole of the mini-series maintains its rhythm and internal heart of centre, what you will discover dear hearts is a smashingly lovely respite to curl inside as the hours melt off the clock!

As this is a promotional tour focusing on the Digital First status of the novellas, I opted to host the series of interviews in lieu of reviews as I am eager for each of the novellas to become released into print. Although in theory, they might have already released – I haven’t checked on all the statuses when I shared my first interview in this series! It will take me a bit to gather them but I might also, lean on my local library to see if they might want to add this series to their card catalogue ahead of when I can bring a set home! Then, I shall have the same pleasure of joy of disappearing inside this series start to finish, finding what the readers on this blog tour have discovered and beyond! For the Regency holds a dear spot in my bookish heart!

May your #AutumnReads be as excitingly awesome as mine are becoming!

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Mistaken Identity by Mindy Burbidge Strunk

Conrad Pinkerton, the Marquess of Kendal, despises society; the scheming, the guises, and the games they play. And yet, for his twin brother, he agrees to a temporary guise of his own, pretending to be his brother for a house party. Playing the fop should be easy, as long as he keeps everyone at a distance. But when he meets Jessica Standish, he wishes she didn’t think he was someone else.

Jessica Standish has never been considered worthy by the ton and now that she and her mother are penniless, the chances of a good match seem out of reach. Even the matchmaking schemes of the Countess Du’Breven seem doomed to failure. This house party will change nothing, though it’s hard not to hope when she sees Lord Ian again. The connection between them grows, though he seems so different from the man she remembers.

With his family name and fortune on the line, Conrad knows he should leave with his secret intact. After all, how can she truly love him if she thinks he’s someone else?

These novels and stories set in Somerstone within the Regency House Party series were first serialised via RegencyHouseParty.com and were thus independently published afterwards.

Regency House Party: @RegencyParty | Instagram | Facebook Group

 Add to LibraryThing

Published on: 21st August, 2018 | ISBN: 978-1718197114

Formats Available: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #Somerstone + #RegencyHouseParty OR #Regency and #HistRom

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What personally gave you a lot of joy to focus on writing a story set in the Regency and for exploring this particular era of time? What fused you to the heart of the era and what did you love most about writing the ‘background’ of where your story was set?

Strunk responds: I am a history major so I have always loved times past. When I was in school, I hated social history. I wanted the political intrigue and the wars. For me that was where the excitement was. But as I’ve gotten older, I have come to enjoy the social parts of history. I love to see how these people lived. The Regency is so different from the world we live in today. And as I look back on it, I can appreciate some of the social niceties and rules that made their era desirable. For this story I loved delving into the world of Wentworth Woodhouse, which is the manor which I based my house on. This estate has a rich history surrounding it. And there were so many rooms and parts of the estate that I could add into my story to add a little more detail.

Twins are wickedly unique characters – how did you approach writing their connection to each other but also, in offering just enough ‘difference’ for readers to tell them apart if they were in-scene together? Were they based on a set of twins you know of IRL? (in real life) If so, what inspired their personalities?

Strunk responds: Twins are wickedly unique. I have twin boys that will be five later this year. While they are fraternal, I did use my experience with them to write this. My twins are very similar but also very different. One is very cuddly and when he cries (which isn’t too often) it rips my heart out. The other one is loving, don’t get me wrong, but he is less inclined to come and sit on lap and just snuggle. If one is being mischievous, the other tends to toe the line. However, they tend to tag each other in and out, always insuring one of them is up to something. And while I hope neither of my twins turn out to be Ian, I can see hints of him in them sometimes. Although, they are only five. Ian was 26. So there is that.

Your story has a slight ‘Cinderella’ aspect to it – where the girl who goes to the ball is not expecting to meet her own hero – how did you want Jessica to experience the house party over and beyond giving her a seed of a chance at finding true love?

Strunk responds: I wanted Jes to be able to experience the house party as an equal. She had believed she would be perceived as such when she had her London season, but she was disappointed when people only saw her as an upstart (which she really wasn’t because she was the granddaughter of a duke). I was hoping she would be able to understand that others could see her worth even when she literally had no worth monetarily. It is one of the things I love Conrad for. He saw her for who she was, not just as a dowry.

Is there a character you struggled with bringing to the surface or one which conflicted you about how best to present them to readers? In other words, which character did you feel was the challenge to write vs the ones you felt flowed easily into the pages?

Strunk responds: Ian was the hardest, because my inclination was to make him more terrible than he really is. I tend to lean to the worst on my villains and for Ian it was not necessary to make him irredeemable. So there were several times I had to rein myself in and mellow Ian down a bit.

What has staid with you the most throughout the process of joining this series of HistRom authors and having your story featured alongside theirs?

Strunk responds: This is an amazing group of women. Each one has great strengths and they are so willing to share their wisdom to help make each story better. It was amazing to me how often we would write our original drafts and very little would have to change as far as flow, because the stories were so in sync with each other. I cannot imagine doing this with any other group. I consider all of them my best friends. When things happen for good or bad, inside or outside of writing, they are some of the first people I think about telling. I am looking forward to writing another Regency House Party Series early in 2019.

About Mindy Burbidge Strunk

Mindy Burbidge Strunk

Mindy loves all things history and romance, which makes reading and writing Regency romance right up her alley. When she isn’t living in her alternate realities, she is married to her real-life Mr. Darcy and trying to raise five proper boys. They live happily in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

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This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of SLB Tours:

Singing Librarian Book Tours blog tour hostess badge is provided by SLB Tours and is used with permission.

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Follow the Virtual Road Map

by visiting the blog tour route:

especially as this is a tour offering a special giveaway

Mistaken Identity blog tour via SLB ToursFun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.

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{SOURCES: Book cover of “Mistaken Identity”, synopsis, author photograph of Mindy Burbidge Strunk, author biography, the blog tour banner and SLB Tours badge were all provided by SLB Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Saturday, 24 November, 2018 by jorielov in 19th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Romance Fiction, Singing Librarian Book Tours, Sweet Romance, the Regency era




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