Author’s Choice with Sarah Burr

Please welcome Sarah to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I’ve never played a video game for more than ten minutes.

Truth or Lie? I went to college with the goal of becoming a US Senator and then the President.

Truth or Lie? I left a career in healthcare IT to write full-time.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.          First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? Keyboard

2.          Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? Plantser

3.          Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? Fix it later, once I have the full picture.

4.          Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? No eating while I write; it makes my keyboard too messy!

5.          Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? Depends on the series, but mostly whatever sounds right (and has “cool” letters in it – I love names that have Zs and Qs in them).

6.          Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? Home sweet home for the most part.

7.          Reading your own work aloud: love it, tolerate it, or would rather eat glass? Love it!!

8.          Happy ending, bittersweet, or gut-punch finale? I like happy endings that leave you wanting more in a series.

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. Hazel Wickbury would probably end up speaking first to my pups, Itto and Eevee, before she said anything to me. She’s an animal lover, and they’d be all over her if she came to visit!

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. We’re given one life, and one life only. Even when life deals you a bad hand, you have to make the most of it.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. What’s the coziest way to discover a dead body? My answer is: during a snowstorm, behind a handmade candle shop in Crucible, New York. That’s exactly where readers find themselves in Get a Candle on Crime.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is I’ve never played a video game for more than ten minutes. That one is absolutely false. I love video games, especially cozy-adjacent mystery games, fantasy RPGs, and gacha games. Gaming has always been one of my favorite ways to unwind, recharge, and disappear into another world.

As for the two truths, I really did go to college with the goal of becoming a U.S. Senator and then, eventually, President. I majored in political science and loved studying government, philosophy, and big-picture questions about how people and societies work. While my career took a very different turn, I think that interest in power, motivation, secrets, and human behavior still shows up in my mysteries. And who knows? Maybe someday, I’ll run for office.

I also left a career in healthcare IT to write full-time after the start-up I was with was acquired. It was a huge leap, but writing had become the thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. Trading PowerPoints and system tickets for clues, suspects, and fictional murders turned out to be exactly the plot twist I needed.

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Sarah's latest:

Book Blurb for Get a Candle on Crime

Christmas in Crucible is looking merry and bright…until murder sends a chill through town.

Hazel Wickbury is ready for twinkling lights, family traditions, and a little peace on earth. But when a snowstorm sweeps through Crucible and she finds a dead body behind A Wick in Time, the season takes a frosty turn.

For Hazel’s aunt Poppy, the mystery is personal. After the strange loss of her whim, Poppy is determined to prove she can still protect the town. Hazel will do anything to help her beloved bestie find her spark again, even if it means getting swept into another murder investigation.

Their clues lead straight to Crucible’s local health clinic, where workplace grudges, juicy secrets, and icy resentments are piling up faster than snowdrifts. Was the victim killed to silence a scandal? Or is something far more sinister hiding beneath the waiting room wallpaper?

With a blizzard bearing down and suspects frosting over, the Glenmyre Girls will need every ounce of charm, courage, and cleverness to crack the case before the killer gets away scot-freeze.

Return to Crucible for a Christmastime caper where the snow is deep, the secrets are buried, and murder burns brighter than a holiday spice candle.

[Universal Pre-Order Link]    

Want to know more?

For more information about Sarah Burr www.saraheburr.com