Shelley Burbank

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Shelley Burbank

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Member Since
May 2022


Shelley Burbank writes private investigator mystery and personal reinvention women's fiction, often set in Maine, for readers who want hope, triumph over adversity, justice, and bittersweet satisfaction.

Shelley's debut female private investigator mystery novel, FINAL DRAFT: An Olivia Lively Mystery was published by Encircle Publications in March 2023. The second book in the series, NIGHT MOVES came out in August 2024. A new standalone novella, Strawberry Moon Mystery, released January 2026.

Her short fiction has been published in True Story Magazine, San Diego Woman Magazine, and The Maine Review.
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PRAISE...

Shelley Burbank's Portland, Maine P.I., Liv Lively, is a memorable character, flawed but self-aware, determined to go her
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Popular Answered Questions

Shelley Burbank Okay, you've heard it before but I'll say it: Good writers are great readers. You have to read all the time.

But here is my spin on it: You sort of ab…more
Okay, you've heard it before but I'll say it: Good writers are great readers. You have to read all the time.

But here is my spin on it: You sort of absorb what you read, so be mindful of what you are putting into your brain. Definitely read widely--experience many different genres--but be aware that the type of books on which you focus will make connections in your brain and inform your style. If you want to be a genre writer, read that genre. If you want to be a literary writer, read not only classics but also modern literary authors--the kind that win the prizes and publish short stories in The New Yorker.

When you start out, it's also perfectly normal and good to copy your favorite authors' styles. If you keep writing, you'll develop your own voice.

Last, it takes as long as it takes. I'm in my fifties. I've been writing with an eye toward publication since I was 13 or so. There are more options now, and you might break in much sooner than I did, but if you really love this work, don't fret about how long it's taking. The whole process is fulfilling. Okay, frustrating, too. But fulfilling. Enjoy the journey. (less)
Shelley Burbank I am currently working on a the next book in the Olivia Lively series. This new story called Night Moves and is a murder mystery. Night Moves was supp…moreI am currently working on a the next book in the Olivia Lively series. This new story called Night Moves and is a murder mystery. Night Moves was supposed to be a novella, but it's took on a life of its own.

Because Olivia Lively is a private investigator, I don't intend all the books in the series to be about a murder. Final Draft is about plagiarism and proving a client's claim that his mentor stole his work. For book 3 in the series, I've been researching the idea of a case involving a stolen piece of Hollywood memorabilia. There may or may not be a dead body. I kind of have this desire to subvert the expectations of the genre and write non-murder mysteries. Readers: Let me know what you think about that. Would a mystery without a dead body, um, fall flat? (less)
Average rating: 4.4 · 132 ratings · 64 reviews · 4 distinct worksSimilar authors
Final Draft (Olivia Lively ...

4.38 avg rating — 84 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions
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Night Moves (An Olivia Live...

4.48 avg rating — 31 ratings3 editions
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The Last Ten Days - Academi...

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16 ratings5 editions
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Strawberry Moon Mystery: An...

4.86 avg rating — 7 ratings2 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Final Draft
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4.38 avg rating — 84 ratings

The Paradise Prop...
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A King's Ransom
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Party Crashers
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Shelley’s Recent Updates

The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
" Sounds really complex and delightful. "
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
"Another debut book I picked up solely based on its gorgeous cover from the painting Greyhounds by Benjamin Cam Norton. The writing is lushly beautiful and much like the cover, is also gloomily pastoral. Centred around 5 orphaned sisters being raised " Read more of this review »
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
" One of my favorites! "
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
"Loved the second book, that I unknowingly read before this first book, so-so much. I loved this one too, but maybe not as much as I would have if I had read them in order because I knew too much? Regardless, the writing, it's just so...sublime? Yes, " Read more of this review »
American Fantasy by Emma Straub
"Once I have a sense of what I plan to say in my reviews I read what other reviewers have posted. Mostly, because I'm curious about where my perspective lands, is it aligned with the general consensus or am I an outlier, but also, sometimes I learn so" Read more of this review »
Meat Pies by Brian Polcyn
"First thing you need to know is that despite the title, there are non-meat pie recipes included, along with a section on side dishes and another for sauces (to accompany the pies). You might be thinking 'oh, like Cornish pasties' and yes, that but al" Read more of this review »
Shelley Burbank is currently reading
The Paradise Proposal by Tara Lush
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A Mind of Her Own by Danielle Steel
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Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
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The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
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Polls

July 2023 Cozy Mystery Poll

We ask that you only vote if you are planning on participating in our discussion should your choice win.

Which Cozy Mystery would you like to read in July?

Final Draft (Olivia Lively Mystery #1) by Shelley Burbank
 
  18 votes, 51.4%

 
  10 votes, 28.6%

The Art of the Decoy (Scandal Mountain Antiques #1) by Trish Esden
 
  7 votes, 20.0%

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Crime, Mysteries ...: Final Draft (Olivia Lively Mystery #1) by Shelley Burbank - July 2023 10 145 Aug 12, 2023 12:12PM  
Paul Kingsnorth
“It would mean attending to the ways of seeing that were central to past cultures”
Paul Kingsnorth, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity

Paul Kingsnorth
“The stories we tell in a place make up the culture we are part of. This is what we have done forever. We must never stop doing it.”
Paul Kingsnorth, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity

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Comments (showing 1-2)    post a comment »
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Shelley Burbank Hello, Friends! Has anyone else read this one? I'm still in the beginning of it, but it's cool how the author re-imagined Jane Eyre for modern life. The Wife Upstairs

What other "updated classics" have you loved? Need recommendations!


Shelley Burbank Four Blondes

I've been reading this collection of novellas here and there the past few weeks. I know I'm dipping into the oldies but goodies lately. But there's something timeless about them for me.


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