I grew up in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. My amazing parents, Roger and Marily Burk, are both very gifted in writing so it was no surprise that those gifts were passed down to many of their children. I was the ninth oldest of thirteen kids. And for those of you who always want to ask; no, we have no twins, none of us were adopted and my parents consider themselves the most blessed parents in the world. :) I was schooled at home by the best teacher, my mom, who encouraged me in my writing abilities. It was through school assignments that I began to discover I had a gift in expressing myself through various forms of writing and thus a love and passion for writing was born in my heart.
When I was eleven years old I began reading Bill Wallace’s animal books and as a child I was captivated by the different characters and his great sense of humor. I was inspired to write my own book which began as a story about a talking dog. In school we were studying the Presidents and, seeing as George W. Bush was our current President, I began following their campaign and greatly enjoyed reading up on his family background and history, political background, etc…
What began as a story about a talking dog was soon crafted into a fictional story about former President and First Lady, George & Laura Bush’s dog, Barney. I also incorporated many true facts into the story.
With much help and support from family and friends, the book was completed when I was thirteen years of age. Even Laura Bush herself was kind enough to read my letter and the poems I wrote and sent her which she praised and encouraged me in her personal response and sent pictures and information to help with my book. In return I chose to include a portion of her favorite poem which I had written, in my book, Destination White House.
After the book was complete, Mr. Bush’s presidency had ended. I figured I’d just pack the book away. However, many of my friends and family encouraged me to seek publication and so five years later I finally sent it to Tate Publishing, in 2010 and it was accepted. Since it is the very first book I have written, and at such a young age, I was amazed that it had been accepted for publication. I know God had a hand in that. He has continued to bless my efforts and provide financially in many miraculous ways.
This last week I received another personal letter from Laura Bush who sent her congratulations on the publication of my book and thanked me for the signed copy which I had sent to her. I was so touched by her kindness in taking time to send me her well wishes.
After finishing Barney's book six years ago, I have continued to complete several other books and short stories. I am excited to see where my writing career will take me in future. In the mean time I am trusting the Lord to direct me according to His will.
Destination White House: Barney's Incredible Journey, will be available wherever books are sold September, 20th 2011. However, I will be making my book available for purchase through pre-release book signings before the actual release date.
Just a reminder, on September 10th, 2011, the Shawnee Library will be hosting a pre-release book signing from 11:00a.m. - 1:00 p.m. There are a limited amount of books so be sure to come early to buy a copy and have it signed!
You can follow me on Twitter @RobinCBurk and my author fan page on FaceBook where you can be sure to find all the latest information, updates, and scheduled events.
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| The first letter Laura Bush sent me in 2005! |
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| The second letter from Laura sent 2011! |
Very cool, sis!! :) So proud of you!
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