Sunday, May 15, 2022

SPOTLIGHT ON V. M. (VALERIE) BURNS #SPOTLIGHTSUNDAY

 

It’s May and my turn in the spotlight. So, here’s my story. My name is Valerie Burns and I was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, which is in the Northwestern corner of the state and close to the Michigan border. My family lived three blocks from a branch library and my best friend and I spent a lot of time at that library. Although I loved to read, I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a writer. However, I did have a secret. If I read a book that I liked and wanted to know what came next, I would imagine it (complete with dialogue). If I read a book that didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I’d imagine a new ending. It was years later before I realized everyone didn’t imagine new twists, endings, or sequels. That’s when I learned to keep my “imaginings” secret.

I attended Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) as an undergraduate. Northwestern is well-known for the Arts. Several famous actors have attended, and while I majored in Political Science and Urban Studies, one of my close friends was a talented aspiring screenwriter named Kelly. After graduation, I spent a year at Georgia Tech where I worked on a master’s in City Planning until I ran out of money and returned home. My first “real” job was working as Planner for the Area Agency on Aging in St. Joseph, Michigan in Southwestern Michigan. I planned services for seniors in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties and reviewed the agencies funded to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. During the five years I worked for the Area Agency I met some vibrant, amazing seniors. These people became my inspiration for Nana Jo and her friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village, featured in my Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. My secretary, Rebecca (85) was on a “no aging diet” and walked to work every day. My data clerk, Kathleen (55), taught me to knit. Our office manager, Dorothy (60s) was close to six feet tall and liked to wear fancy dresses, fishnet pantyhose, and high heels every day. Dorothy used to go to the liquor store behind our building and buy lottery tickets. She taught me to “play the numbers.” Our receptionist, Gertie (70s), was barely five feet tall and less than one hundred pounds. She was a heavy smoker with a raspy voice who used to wear four-inch hooker heels and became the inspiration for Irma.

I left the Area Agency to work as a computer training specialist at the University of Notre Dame and moved back to South Bend. I transferred my credits from Georgia Tech to Notre Dame and started back working on my master’s degree. After two years, I left Notre Dame to work as a training specialist for a CPA firm, Crowe Chizek. My job at Crowe Chizek involved traveling to various locations and training the auditors on various software applications. While traveling, I reconnected with my college friend who was now married with a son. Kelly dusted off her writing aspirations. After hearing me say one time too many, “You should write a screenplay about…” (my imagining never stopped), Kelly politely suggested that I should be the one to write (whatever). She shared a book on writing screenplays, and that’s when my desire to write was born. While working for the CPA firm, traveling, and working on my master’s, I wrote 3 screenplays and started writing my first mystery, Travellin’ Shoes. After 12 years, I left Crowe Chizek to work as a Training Developer for Whirlpool Corporation and moved back to Southwestern Michigan.

Not long after starting my job at Whirlpool in 2006, my boss was relocated to Canada. While cleaning out her office, she found a voucher for a plane ticket. She wasn’t going to use the voucher and offered it to me. For years, I’d been attending writing workshops, conferences, seminars, and pitch sessions, in an attempt to “break into” Hollywood. Thanks to that voucher, I was able to attend the Maui Writers Conference. Unlike most of the screenwriting conferences I’d attended in L.A., the Maui Writers Conference also included book authors and publishers. On a whim, I pitched my mystery to an editor from Berkley Crime and she LIKED IT! That inspired me to finish writing it and to switch from screenwriting to books. Sadly, when the manuscript was finally finished, the editor passed. However, now I was hooked. I kept writing and sending out queries. I got a lot of rejections, but I kept writing.

One day while reading the biography of one of my favorite cozy mystery authors, Victoria Thompson, I discovered that she was an adjunct professor at Seton Hill University in the Writing Popular Fiction Program. I wasn’t interested in getting another master’s degree. I had one. What I wanted, was to be a published author. After tons of rejections, I knew I needed to do something different to make that happen. That’s when I decided to apply to Seton Hill University (SHU). The good thing about SHU was that it was a low residency program, only requiring two weeks per year on campus. I was able to keep my job and complete the rest of the program virtually. In June 2012, I started my first term. Attending Seton Hill was the best decision I ever made, and I graduated in January 2015. By the end of that year I had an agent and three months afterward, my first book contract. My debut novel, The Plot is Murder, was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel of 2017.



I went on to sell Travellin’ Shoes, the first book in my RJ Franklin Mystery Series. 
I then went on to sell my Dog Club Mystery series.
In August 2022, my 16th book will be released, Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder, the first book in my new Baker Street Mystery Series. 



People ask how I’ve written 16 books in 5 years. The answer is, I didn’t. I started writing long before my first book was published. I joke that I have enough rejects to wallpaper my house. However, rejections, didn’t stop me from writing. I’m still with the same company, but I have since relocated to the Southeastern region at the Eastern Tennessee/Georgia state line where I live with my two poodles, Chloe and Kensington (yes, she’s named after my publisher).
I love to read and write cozy mysteries. To find out what the poodles are up to, get entered for giveaways, and keep up with new releases, visit my website and sign up for my newsletter at vmburns.com.


21 comments:

  1. What a great story Valerie! You are the poster girl for determination!

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  2. An inspiring story for aspiring writers! Thank you, Valerie, for sharing the origins of your creativity and some of the inspirations for your terrific mysteries. ~ Cleo

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  3. The secret is to keep "failing" until you succeed!
    Well done!

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  4. Love this and love your pups! So happy to have you in the Kitchen!

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  5. I loved hearing your life story. So interesting and quite an inspiration

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    1. Vicki, Thank you so much. I hope others can find inspiration from my many fails. :-)

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  6. I loved reading about your journey and the inspiration for your mysteries. Thank you for sharing it, Valerie.

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  7. A wonderful path to publication(s), Valerie! So many congratulations, and thank you for sharing the details.

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  8. Thank you for sharing your journey!

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  9. What a wonderful story! I loved learning about about your publishing journey. You inspire me!

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  10. What a fascinating story, Valerie! It's inspirational in so many ways. I loved how involved you were in the books you read as a child. I'll be smiling for days about that. Hugs, MJ

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  11. Thank you for telling us a bit about yourself.

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  12. Great story and congrats on book #16

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  13. What an amazing and inspiring story, Valerie! And congrats on number 16--wow!!!

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  14. WOW!!! you go lady. Amazing life. Diane

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  15. Very inspiring and interesting life story, Valerie! I lived in Michigan for 60+ years and went to college in Indiana so can relate to all the places you mentioned. Looking forward to reading your books.

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  16. Just the kind of inspirational story I needed to hear. Asante! Looking forward to reading your novels.

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