I peeked over the stairs and saw my sister Jenna's reflection in the glass. I considered ignoring it and sneaking back into my office until my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket. My family and the Borg from Star Trek had a lot in common. Both demanded complete assimilation and resistance was definitely futile.
-- V.M. Burns, The Plot is Murder
I am so excited to interview debut author V.M. Burns. Her new cozy series begins with The Plot is Murder, as her protagonist, Samantha, starts a new chapter in her own life and opens a mystery bookstore.
Valerie herself is starting a new chapter as a published author with this book, and she's taking the publishing world by storm. Four books in this series are slated for publication over the next two years. In addition to that, she's launching a second series about murders in the dog club arena through Kensington's e-book imprint. In the Dog House, the first in the series, comes out in August of 2018. And if you, like me, did not know what Conformation is, the American Kennel Club is happy to tell you.
Not content with two series, Valerie has a third one coming from Camel Press in July of 2018. Travellin’ Shoes is the first in a series of cozy mysteries where all the titles are from Negro Spirituals. Each book includes unique and original soul food recipes that provide a taste of the African American culture depicted in each book. Oh, be still my heart -- and tummy!
You don't have to wait to find recipes from Valerie: her website already features several recipes, and more are to come. The Plot is Murder also has an eccentric community and Valerie talks about developing the characters, especially Nana Jo, a vibrant woman of a certain age with a circle of equally-intrepid older women friends. Finally, Valerie gives a shout out (in both The Plot is Murder and in the interview) to her favorite writers: Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Gilman. There's just so much to love here.
We also both give a big squee of love to Kellye Garrett's debut, Hollywood Homicide. You can check out my interview with Kellye here. As I write this, Hollywood Homicide has just been named one of BOLO Books Top Reads of 2017. Woot!
As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below.
Enjoy!
-- Laura
Transcript of interview with V.M. Burns
Laura Brennan: My guest today is author V.M. Burns, whose debut cozy, The Plot is Murder, launches a wonderful new series about starting over, chasing dreams, and -- of course -- murder.
Valerie, thank you for joining me.
V.M. Burns: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.
LB: How did you get started writing?
VMB: I think it just came naturally from my love of cozy mysteries. I think for anybody who reads cozy mysteries as much as I do, you probably start thinking, boy, it would be really great if there was a series about -- blah, blah, blah. Or, boy, I wish that series had ended differently and it had gone in this other direction. And then you just start going there. And eventually, you just sit down and say, well, you know what? Maybe I could write that. And then you do.
LB: So, The Plot is Murder is the first in your Mystery Bookshop Series.
VMB: Yes.
LB: For someone who hasn't yet had the pleasure of picking it up, what would we need to know about it in order to follow our conversation?
VMB: This first book,The Plot is Murder, introduces the reader to the protagonist, Samantha Washington. Samantha is in her mid-30s and she has been a hard-working individual her whole life, her and her husband, Leon. He was a cook and she was a high school English teacher. But they always had this dream of opening a mystery bookstore. One day, Leon dies. He's diagnosed with a terminal illness and he dies. And they realize that life is short, and it's too short not to follow your dreams.