CREATIVITY AND HEART FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
by Leeann Burke
Let me introduce myself, my name is Leeann Burke. I’m the author of DEADLY SECRETS . I started writing when I was a tween because I have cruel parents. All I wanted to do at 12 was run in the fields behind our house. They had other plans when the local newspaper ran a contest, challenging the kids to write a story and they would publish them, the winner was to be mayor for the day. My sister ran home planning her article while I ran home thinking “I don’t have to do this because it’s not homework”.
After my sister talked about her article my father asked me what I had planned to write about. I smiled and said “Nothing, it’s not homework. So I don’t have to do it.” Then my parents looked at each other with a look every child dreads (trust me growing up I saw that look a lot when I got into trouble). My father turned back to me and said it may not be homework but I had to do the contest and submit it to them. So I wrote my article about the local national park where my father worked. It was horrible. That’s when I gained my first critique partner, my father. The poor man. You see I’m just as stubborn and he and I argued over every word I used. He looked over all my projects and essays during high school and University. Over the years his cup of coffee quickly became a glass of beer during our “critiquing” sessions.
In the end I truly didn’t mind that my sister won the contest and became the mayor of our little town for the day. I had no political aspirations any way. Why didn’t I mind? Well I found something better, a way to put the characters in my head down on paper. After that contest my writer’s spirit came to life and to this day is still around.
DEADLY SECRETS is my first published book. It was released last December. I’d love to say I sold to a publisher right away, but that would be a lie. It took me 11 years before I found a home for it. It took another 3 years to see it published.
As I waited to hold a copy in my hands I decided I wanted more. Here I was about to get my creative dream since that fateful contest come true while there were women out there who weren’t as lucky. I realized I wanted my dream to mean more, that’s when I decided to donate my royalties to a charity, but which one. I knew it had to be one that was close to my heart. I chose to donate to Breast Cancer because when I was barely 15 my own mother found a lump in her breast. We were lucky it was benign, but not everyone is as lucky. Since then I have lost one friend and had countless friends like fellow LBF Books author A B Wallace, who have battled and won their fight against breast cancer.
When I told the owner of my publisher, Carole Spencer, of my intentions she decided she would also donate proceeds to the cause. Together we approached the American Breast Cancer Foundation to be one of their sponsors. We were thrilled when they accepted and we became their first Canadian sponsor.
My goal is to sell enough copies of DEADLY SECRETS to donate $1,000 USD to the American Breast Cancer Foundation and $1,000 CAD to a Canadian organization that does research to find a cure for breast cancer.
Here is a bit about DEADLY SECRETS my Romantic Suspense
Philippe Lafrance is a well known reclusive writer whose life is suddenly thrown upside down when the grandfather he never knew existed, dies. He investigates the reason and learns that his family has kept secrets from him. Deep, ugly secrets. Worse, a killer is murdering the men in his family. He discovers that his father, then his grandfather, was murdered by someone desperate to keep secrets buried. Bereft, Roxanne St-Clair is left to manage a restaurant when the only person who ever mattered to her, her foster parent and mentor, is murdered. She puts her life on hold to find his killer and bring him to justice. Thrown together by circumstance and a mutual goal, Philippe and Roxanne fight their attraction and team up to find the killer, bring him to justice and unearth the truth. To stay alive, they must keep one step ahead of the assassin in order to prevent him from killing his next target, Philippe. Will they succeed in bringing to justice this killer before Philippe becomes his next victim? Will they be able to deal with the truth behind the deadly secrets?
If you want to help me reach my goal please purchase a copy of my book at the following locations LBF Books, All Romance Bookstrand, Fictionwise, Amazon or ask your library to carry a copy.
Leeann Burke
Deadly Secrets
Proud sponsor of the American Breast Cancer Foundation www.abcf.org
Let me introduce myself, my name is Leeann Burke. I’m the author of DEADLY SECRETS . I started writing when I was a tween because I have cruel parents. All I wanted to do at 12 was run in the fields behind our house. They had other plans when the local newspaper ran a contest, challenging the kids to write a story and they would publish them, the winner was to be mayor for the day. My sister ran home planning her article while I ran home thinking “I don’t have to do this because it’s not homework”.After my sister talked about her article my father asked me what I had planned to write about. I smiled and said “Nothing, it’s not homework. So I don’t have to do it.” Then my parents looked at each other with a look every child dreads (trust me growing up I saw that look a lot when I got into trouble). My father turned back to me and said it may not be homework but I had to do the contest and submit it to them. So I wrote my article about the local national park where my father worked. It was horrible. That’s when I gained my first critique partner, my father. The poor man. You see I’m just as stubborn and he and I argued over every word I used. He looked over all my projects and essays during high school and University. Over the years his cup of coffee quickly became a glass of beer during our “critiquing” sessions.
In the end I truly didn’t mind that my sister won the contest and became the mayor of our little town for the day. I had no political aspirations any way. Why didn’t I mind? Well I found something better, a way to put the characters in my head down on paper. After that contest my writer’s spirit came to life and to this day is still around.
DEADLY SECRETS is my first published book. It was released last December. I’d love to say I sold to a publisher right away, but that would be a lie. It took me 11 years before I found a home for it. It took another 3 years to see it published.
As I waited to hold a copy in my hands I decided I wanted more. Here I was about to get my creative dream since that fateful contest come true while there were women out there who weren’t as lucky. I realized I wanted my dream to mean more, that’s when I decided to donate my royalties to a charity, but which one. I knew it had to be one that was close to my heart. I chose to donate to Breast Cancer because when I was barely 15 my own mother found a lump in her breast. We were lucky it was benign, but not everyone is as lucky. Since then I have lost one friend and had countless friends like fellow LBF Books author A B Wallace, who have battled and won their fight against breast cancer.
When I told the owner of my publisher, Carole Spencer, of my intentions she decided she would also donate proceeds to the cause. Together we approached the American Breast Cancer Foundation to be one of their sponsors. We were thrilled when they accepted and we became their first Canadian sponsor.
My goal is to sell enough copies of DEADLY SECRETS to donate $1,000 USD to the American Breast Cancer Foundation and $1,000 CAD to a Canadian organization that does research to find a cure for breast cancer.
Here is a bit about DEADLY SECRETS my Romantic Suspense
Philippe Lafrance is a well known reclusive writer whose life is suddenly thrown upside down when the grandfather he never knew existed, dies. He investigates the reason and learns that his family has kept secrets from him. Deep, ugly secrets. Worse, a killer is murdering the men in his family. He discovers that his father, then his grandfather, was murdered by someone desperate to keep secrets buried. Bereft, Roxanne St-Clair is left to manage a restaurant when the only person who ever mattered to her, her foster parent and mentor, is murdered. She puts her life on hold to find his killer and bring him to justice. Thrown together by circumstance and a mutual goal, Philippe and Roxanne fight their attraction and team up to find the killer, bring him to justice and unearth the truth. To stay alive, they must keep one step ahead of the assassin in order to prevent him from killing his next target, Philippe. Will they succeed in bringing to justice this killer before Philippe becomes his next victim? Will they be able to deal with the truth behind the deadly secrets?
If you want to help me reach my goal please purchase a copy of my book at the following locations LBF Books, All Romance Bookstrand, Fictionwise, Amazon or ask your library to carry a copy.
Leeann Burke
Deadly Secrets
Proud sponsor of the American Breast Cancer Foundation www.abcf.org
Welcome Leeann! What a lovely story! I was always inspired by my grandmother's and my parents' stories of life back in Italy - stories about the war, growing up in tough times - some were poignant but many were so funny so as a kid I could see imagine them so vividly - like a movie in my head. It's what inspired my love of movies - of writing -of storytelling in general :D Thanks for telling us what first inspired you onto the writing journey - and a noble one at that!
ReplyDeleteI can still remember sitting at the table listening to my sister going on about interviewing the local junior hockey players for her article. You have to understand in the small town we lived in they were superstars to little girls like her. I also remember glaring at her and if looks could kill I'd be an only child right now. LOL
ReplyDeleteJoanna it sounds like you have a wonderful family.
LOL - well hockey players can do that to a girl! ;D
ReplyDeleteMy family is wonderful - loud, annoying etc...;D
Hi Leanne. I'm sure you'll make your goal for the donations and how you could do a blog the day after returning from a conference, I just don't know. Boggles the mind. Hannah Howell
ReplyDelete'Over the years his cup of coffee quickly became a glass of beer during our “critiquing” sessions.'
ReplyDeleteLOL! Wonderful post, Leeann - I especially enjoyed the news of your finding a way to team up with your publisher to donate proceeds to breast cancer research. I took part in the Run for the Cure for the first time ever, earlier this month. It was an amazing experience, and very moving, especially when other walkers went past with photos of people pinned to their shirts.
The very best of luck to you in reaching your goal.
Hannah, it's because I'm not quite sane. LOL
ReplyDeleteJulia I did the same run in my hometown of Ottawa. I saw a few pictures but what hit me the most were the runners (one of which is on my own blog www.leeannburke.com/blog. By the way she beat me by close to 5 minutes.) who wore pink t-shirts. They were breast cancer survivors. What an inspiration they were.
Here's hoping you meet your goals, LeeAnn!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Tracy