Welcome to our New Faces column, where you'll meet some of the debut romance authors to be found at your local bookstore. This time we're visiting with Wendy Burge, whose first novel is Love Me Again, a Leisure release.

Wendy, welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself.

I don't know what to say about myself, except that I am such a bland lady who lives her excitement through her stories. I had enough excitement growing up, and I don't need anymore. Give me a rainy night, a good fire, a cold Cosmopolitan, and a great book and I am set for the night. I have been divorced for over twenty years, and in no hurry to marry again. Do I hope that my hero will come along and sweep me off my feet? You, betcha! But until he does, in this lifetime or another, I will dream him up on the pages of my stories.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

I am so lucky right now that I am able to write full-time and it couldn't have come at a better time in my life. For years I was a stockbroker, then seeing my son grow up as a latch-key kid, I decided to quit and start my own business, interior designing, out of my home. It was the best decision I had ever made. My son and I are extremely close; he is my best friend and, by far, my finest creation.

What led you to write romance?

That is simple-the love of romance; and I am a diehard romantic at heart. I wanted to experience what all these lucky, talented authors were living. Plus I had inherited a creative streak that found its way out in so many ways; sewing, painting, sculpting. Writing was just one more outlet, and I got to a certain point in my life where I was dying to tell my own stories.

Tell us about your road to publication.

The first story I ever told was a short story that I sent into Cosmopolitan. My first rejection was at the age of 13 from this woman called Helen Gurly Brown. Can you believe I threw the 2 page letter away? If I had that letter today it would be edged in gold, framed and hung in a place of honor. However, all it did was make me put my typewriter up in my closet.

Then in 1995 I got the bug to write again, but good! The first book I wrote (which is actually the second book published and coming out in Feb 2003) was not even completed when I started sending it out to the publishing houses. I had three editors write back saying they wanted to see it. I was thrilled! I was terrified! Now I had to finish the damn thing. The next week I got the news that my mother had terminal cancer. I went to tell her my news and she was so thrilled, then angry when I told her I couldn't possibly work on the book at that time. She sent me home and told me not to come back until the book was done and in the mail. She was only given three to six months to live. Well, to say the least I sat down at my computer and in less than two weeks it was done and in the mail.

Of course it was rejected. All the editors said the same thing: the first half was great, the second read like it was written by someone else. To say the least it took me a long time to look at that book again and want to revise it. But I did. After my mother passed away, it seemed all I wanted to do was write and lose myself in another time and place. As my son had moved out and was in college, I moved in with my father and with his encouragement I stayed at home and wrote. I started entering contests with my second book, LOVE ME AGAIN, and was actually placing and winning. I had just won my local chapter's contest The Orange Rose with a third book I was working on when not even two weeks later I got the call from Kate Duffy on LOVE ME AGAIN. I knew my mother was smiling that day.

What kind of research was involved for this first book?

I read for months about the Congress of Vienna, Austria and the battle of Waterloo. But I love to do research, so it was a project that I thoroughly enjoyed. Beside, whenever I sit down to immerse myself in research I always come out of it with several more great ideas for other stories. There is no such thing as an original idea. Somewhere, at sometime, our ancestors have already lived it, and all these stories are just waiting to be retold. For me it is like dipping my hand into a treasure chest.

Tell us about Love Me Again.

Being an avid reader of romances, and only historicals, it seemed that I was reading myself into a rut. They were starting to seem all so formulistic, with the ending typically coming with the marriage and the assumed happily ever after. That got me to wondering. What about a book that starts out with a royal married couple, blissfully married for ten years, that are forced to divorce because she can not produce an heir? I liked the concept the more I thought about it, and so I wrote it. Then throw in the fact that they meet years later, he is now a widower, but she is remarried. Their love for each other is as strong as ever, so how does he get her back? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out the rest.

Who are your influences as a writer?

I truly do have tunnel vision as a reader. I read only historicals, as the sound of a phone ringing sets my teeth on edge. To read about a phone ringing is just not escapism for me. I was never one to get involved with soap operas either, but you give me a PBS period mini-series and I am in seventh heaven. The first book I ever read as a teenager was Charles Israel 's Rizpah, and I was hooked on romance ever since. Other favorites that have stayed close to my heart and had such an influence on me were Anya Seton's Katherine, and Teresa Denys, The Silver Devil. Talk about a bad boy hero! One of my absolute favorites, Domenico, the Duke of Cabria. I still dream about writing a book with a similar character as my hero. These characters and romances literally had me itching to write like that. So I did!

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

My family is thrilled. My son is expecting one day to bask in the financial glory of a mom who is a NY Times best-selling author. Do you see the standards that I have to live up to? My father is so proud, I am sure he wishes he had more friends he could brag to. My mother, well I know she is so proud knowing she had something to do with this success. After all, it was her talents I inherited, and her nurturing and encouragement that made me sure that one day I would succeed.

Tell us about plans for future books.

My next book out, WHILE YOU SLEPT, is coming out in February. If you like an angsty book, you should love this one. Originally it was a murder mystery that my editor, Kate Duffy had me pull back as it was close to 500 pages. It was certainly the book I learned to write on-and I learned a lot. I am currently working on a proposal for Kate. She wants my next books to be connected, so I am busy plotting away right now.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I am still so new to all this that I have yet to set up a po box yet. I do have a website, www.wendyburge.com and would love to hear from readers. I truly am interested in what they have to say and what they want to read.

Wendy, thanks for joining us and best of luck with your books!

October 26, 2002