Killer Words (Mystery Bookshop)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – North Harbor, Michigan
Publisher : Kensington Cozies (November 30, 2021)
Paperback : 256 pages
Synopsis
Bookstore owner and mystery writer Samantha Washington comes to the aid of the cop who once arrested her own grandmother . . .
Sam and Nana Jo are back in sleepy North Harbor, Michigan, where Sam is eagerly awaiting the publication of her first book. In search of more immediate excitement, Nana Jo hits the casino with her fellow Shady Acres Retirement Village gal pals—but they get more than they bargained for when they witness Detective Bradley Pitt decking mayoral candidate John Cloverton.
As Sam well knows, mystery novels are full of brilliant detectives, genius sleuths, and hero cops. Detective Bradley Pitt—aka “Stinky Pitt”—is another story. In the past, the dull-witted detective has mistakenly accused members of Sam’s family for crimes they didn’t commit. Now, it’s his turn: when Cloverton turns up dead, he’s arrested. With his predilection for polyester, Pitt has been wanted by the fashion police for years, but Nana Jo knows her former elementary school math student would never commit murder—it doesn’t add up. Somebody’s framed the flatfoot to take a fall, and Sam and Nana Jo must step in to restore the reputation and good name of Detective Pitt.
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Guest Post
Writing Tips from One Writer to Another
When I started writing, I created a sleuth, Samantha Washington, who dreamed of owning her own mystery bookshop and of writing British historic cozy mysteries. Those were Sam’s dreams because they were also my own. On November 30, 2021, I celebrated the release of my 15th book. Killer Words, is the 7th book in my Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. My debut novel, The Plot is Murder, released in November 2017. Since then, I’ve heard from a lot of people who share my same dream of becoming a published author. One of the questions that I’m asked often is what advice I’d give to other aspiring writers. I always say the same thing. Write.
I have an entire bookshelf filled with craft books. These books profess to have the secret for moving from aspiring writer to published author. I have books on everything from How to Write, How to Write a Breakthrough Novel, How to Write a Good Mystery, How to Write a Damned Good Mystery, How to Find a Literary Agent, and well you get the picture. In addition to the books, I have invested in seminars, workshops, and even got a master’s in fine arts (MFA) in Writing Popular Fiction. Through all of the books, workshops, and graduate classes, I’ve discovered two truths. First, there is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL when it comes to writing. What works for one writer doesn’t work for everyone. I have a highly successful author friend who swears that plotting is the secret sauce to writing success. She may be right. However, I’ve tried to force myself to become a plotter time and time and time again, with no success. In James Patterson’s Master Class, he said he gets up at 5am every day and writes longhand. While I admire his fortitude and discipline, getting up at 5am isn’t my cup of tea. I doubt that anything I wrote longhand at 5am would be coherent or appropriate for human sight. I’m not now, nor have I ever been a morning person. I’ve also accepted that I’m also not a plotter. Creating a fifty-page outline that includes every story beat just isn’t for me. And I’m okay with that. If you’re a morning person, bless you. Are you a plotter? Great. But, if you’re neither of those, then find what works for you and do it.
My second truth that I’ve discovered is that the most important thing to writing success, is writing. Writers don’t just dream about writing. They put their butts in a chair and pen to paper or fingers on a keyboard and they write. Moving from an aspiring writer to a published author was a long journey that I started in 1999. I wrote children’s books, screenplays, and cozy mysteries. Most of what I wrote was awful, but I kept writing. Over the years I got a lot of rejections, but I kept writing and rewriting. When I stopped forcing myself to be someone else and embraced my quirks and traits things changed. Eventually, I found an agent and a publisher. When my publisher asked, “What else do you have?” I was able to pull out a trunk load of completed stories. So, if you dream of becoming a writer, find what works for you, and WRITE.
About the Author
V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in Northwestern Indiana. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers Association of America, Thriller Writers International and is on the national board for Sisters in Crime. V.M. Burns is also the Agatha Award nominated author of The Plot is Murder, the first book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series; the Dog Club Mystery series, and the RJ Franklin Mystery series. She now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles. Readers can keep up with new releases by following her on social media.
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