VM Burns Blog
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Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles, where she is also an operations manager at a local call center.
She also serves as an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA.
VM Burns Blog
12h ago
It would be an understatement to say that I am a fan of Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series. When I decided that I wanted to be a writer, I researched authors that I liked. Victoria Thompson was one of those authors. She wrote engaging cozy mysteries and had a long running series. That was exactly ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
I have been a fan of Debra H. Goldstein’s cozy mysteries since I read the first book in her Sarah Blair Mystery, a culinary cozy about a woman who can’t cook. Sort of like Madison Montgomery in my Baker Street Mystery series, except not even Maddy would come up with a recipe like Jello in ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win is the 41st book in this long-running, historical cozy mystery series and I’m a huge fan. If you’re not familiar with the series, here’s the premise. Mrs. Jeffries was married to a policeman, but after her husband dies, she becomes a housekeeper to police inspector, Gerald Witherspoon. Witherspoon inherited a ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
I recently posted a graphic on Facebook about the importance of leaving reviews. I can’t attest to the facts in the graphic. I have no idea how much most authors make, but $5,000 is probably close to the truth. Most of us hear about the JK Rowlings, Stephen King deals which are in the 7 ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE, the second book in the Baker Street Mystery series released on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Here’s Crosby’s video debut making “Sprinkle Cookies.” Thanks to Christopher and Carson for stepping in to help. It takes a village, y’all. You’ll find this recipe in Murder is a Piece of Cake (although ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
Today is the book release for Murder is a Piece of Cake, the second book in my BAKER STREET MYSTERY series, and my seventeenth published mystery. You would think by now I wouldn’t be nervous, but you would be wrong. I’m always nervous when a new book is released and this one is no exception ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE, the second book in the Baker Street Mystery series will release on June 27, 2023. This is a culinary cozy mystery series. In discussing the social media plan with the team at Kensington, they asked how I would feel about making a few videos. If you know me, you ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
When I was in high school, I wrote quite a lot of poetry—really bad poetry. Eventually, I stopped subjecting myself (and others) to those depressing rants of teenage angst. In college, I discovered the good poetry of writers like Maya Angelou, which confirmed how terribly bad my poetry was. In 2020, I was blown away by the poetry of Amanda Gorman during the presidential inauguration ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
Each time I write a book, my editor asks for my ideas for the cover art. That’s when I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The title and the cover are super important. It’s the first thing that a reader will see. I know I’ve stood in front of shelves at ..read more
VM Burns Blog
1M ago
As a mentor in Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction, MFA program, I often recommend “craft” books for students in the program. This means I get to read a lot of books about writing. As a cozy mystery author, I feel it’s important to read not only other cozy mystery books to stay abreast of ..read more