What’s in a Name — Kallie E. Benjamin #giveaway

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Deborahor is the winner of the giveaway. Watch for an email from Kallie!

It’s a joy to welcome/welcome back Kallie aka read on to find out what her other pen names are! She’s here celebrating the release of Sniffing Out Murder which I had the pleasure of reading early! You are in for a treat with this first in a new series book!

Kallie: Thanks, Sherry Harris and all of the Wicked Cozy Authors for inviting me back to spend time with all of you today to celebrate the release of my new cozy mystery series.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Many of you may recognize me as V. M. Burns, the author of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series, RJ Franklin Mystery series, and the Dog Club Mystery series. You may also know me as Valerie Burns, the author of the Baker Street Mystery series. Now, I hope you will take a moment and check out my newest series, Bailey the Bloodhound, which I am writing under a new pen name, Kallie E. Benjamin. Why the name change? Good question.

Authors often write under different pen names for a variety of reasons. Some authors use a pen name to protect their personal identity. Visions of Kathy Bates in Stephen King’s Misery come to mind. However, that isn’t the only reason an author may opt to use a pen name. Sometimes, authors use a pen name as a way to reboot their careers. If one series was unsuccessful, using a pen name can feel as though you’re starting over fresh. A new persona and hopefully, a new chance at success.

Another reason authors use a pen name is to differentiate when writing for different publishers or when writing different genres. Anyone looking for a steamy romance will recognize the name Nora Roberts. However, if that same reader picks up a book by J.D. Robb, they may get a shock. They will get a thrilling contemporary mystery with plot twists, plenty of clues, red herrings, and a dead body or two. In cases like this, a pen name can help readers know exactly what type of book they’re getting.

In my case, my Mystery Bookshop Mystery, Baker Street Mystery, and Dog Club Mysteries were all published by Kensington.  Bailey the Bloodhound is a new series with a new publisher. This series is with Berkley, a division of Penguin Random House. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to write for Berkley Publishing. So, when asked if I would be willing to use a pen name, I agreed.

The hard part was thinking up a good pen name. After a great deal of thought (surfing the internet, and harassing my family and friends), I landed on Kallie E. Benjamin. I wanted a name that would be meaningful to me. Kallie was my great-grandmother’s name. My grandmother died before I was born and I never knew her. I did know my mother’s grandmother. She was a wonderful woman and I called her, Mama Kallie. My mother’s name was Elvira, not a great author pen name. It always reminded me of the actress from a bad B movie, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, from the 1980s. So, I went with her initial instead. Lastly, Benjamin is my dad’s name. That’s how the name, Kallie E. Benjamin came about.

What can readers expect from books by Kallie E. Benjamin? One look at the cover will answer that question. Sniffing Out Murder is a cozy mystery and there’s a dog on the cover. The author’s name may be different, but the heart of who I am as a writer hasn’t changed. I love cozy mysteries and I love dogs. So, if you’ve read (and enjoyed) any of my other books, then I hope you will give Kallie E. Benjamin a try.

Readers: Do you like to try books from new authors? Let me know in the comments. One commenter will be randomly selected to win a copy of Sniffing Out Murder. To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment or type YES in the comments. If your comment is anonymous include your email address for a chance to win. The giveaway is open to everyone (regardless of where you live) until midnight on December 7th. The winner will be announced on December 8th.

About the book: When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.

After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

Buy Link—- Amazon, B&N

About the author


Kallie E. Benjamin is Valerie (V. M.) Burns. Valerie is an Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery, Dog Club Mystery, RJ Franklin Mystery, and Baker Street Mystery series. She is an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles.

Connect at:

Website: http://www.vmburns.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/

Unknown's avatar

Published by Sherry Harris

Sherry Harris is the author of the Agatha Award nominated Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series and the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Mystery series.

76 Thoughts

    1. Carol, I agree. So much fun to discover a new author. If they have lots of books, then I feel as though I’ve hit the lottery. Thanks for commenting.

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  5. I generally do try books from new writers since I write reviews for Mystery Scene and hopefully soon The Strand.

    Those are books that get sent to me but if I’m in the bookstore and perusing shelves, I’m likely to pick up a book by a new-to-me writer assuming I like the story synopsis on the back of the book. Because it is all about the story after all.

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    1. Jay, how cool that you get books sent to you and get to read new books and write about them. I love spending hours in bookstores looking at covers and reading the back copy. Fun times.

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  6. Congrats on your new book! And I love the reasoning behind your new name! I do like books from new authors as well as ones from authors I’ve read a thousand times before.

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    1. Thank you. I’m glad you like the new pen name. I love books, and finding new authors is awesome. I love reading books from my favorite authors, too. I call them “old friends.”

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  7. From one pen name user to another, thanks for sharing the pseudonym origin – I hadn’t known where those names came from.

    You know how much I loved this book and I’m sure it will be as big a success as your others!

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    1. Thank you so much, Edith. I truly appreciate the quote. I hope this will be my last pen name. Praying that this series will be successful. Fingers crossed.

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  8. Yes, I enjoy reading books by new authors. And it’s also a joy to find a new series by a familiar author using a new pen name like you, Valerie!

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  10. Congratulations on the release of “Sniffing Out Murder”! LOVE your books and excited about this new series. it’s on my TBR list and I can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review it. Gorgeous cover that would have me picking up the book even if I didn’t know it was yours. As a dog lover, I’m always happy when there are critters in a story too.

    I really do enjoy read a book by a new author, especially if it’s been recommended to me or in this case is just a new name for an author that I already follow. I also pick up a new to me author’s book if the cover grabs me and then the cover description says to me READ ME.

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Kay, thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you will enjoy this new series. I have to say, that I fell in love with this cover when I saw it. I can also relate to the cover and description to be read.

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    1. Congratulations on the new book, Valerie! I love the pen name and have no doubt it will bring you great luck and success. Cheers!

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  12. Yes i like new authors.
    what i don’t like is to be deceived by a book which i think is from a “new” author only to find out it is not.
    fruitcrmble AT comcast DOT net

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  13. Yay, Valerie! One thing I like better than trying a new author is starting a new series by an author whose other books I’ve enjoyed. Congratulations on the new series and SNIFFING OUT MURDER! ~Maya

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    1. Maya, Thank you so much. I agree that finding a book by an author I already know and love is like gold. It’s awesome! Thank you!

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  14. Congratulations on the new book! YES, I like to read books from new authors. And old authors. And especially when they have adorable covers like this one. Bloodhounds are so cool! I can’t wait to read it. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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  15. Thanks for the look into why you chose the pseudonyms. Background info is fun. Books with a dog on the cover get an automatic pause to find out more, and one of the joys of reading is discovering a new author.

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    1. Becca, Thank you so much. I love dogs and pause when I see them on covers, too. I agree that is great to find new authors.

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  17. Best wishes Valerie. Learning about new authors is important as I have more to enjoy and look forward to.

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    1. Sharon, thank you so much. I love the way you think. I agree that finding new authors to enjoy is great. I love it.

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    1. I don’t mind reading an author’s books under a different pen name as long as there is not a lot of violence or sex.

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      1. It can be disconcerting when you expect something and the book doesn’t live up to that standard. Cozies can generally be safe from violence and sex.

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  19. I do try different authors. And if I like them, I will look up if they write under any other names. I’ve found some great series because I picked up a book I may or may not have otherwise found but knowing that I enjoyed the writing under their pseudonym.

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  20. I love to read series so I’m always looking for new authors to follow. Information like what you wrote helps me to choose authors who write to the criteria I enjoy. I love your series – all of them!

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    1. Ginny, thank you so much. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my other books. I hope you will find that you enjoy this new series, too.

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  22. Welcome back to the Wickeds, Valerie. (Or whoever you are.) I always say all my writer friends a like drag queens–more than one name. BTW, I went to a scrapbooking weekend in November and sat next to a woman who is a HUGE fan of your writing, whatever you call yourself.

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    1. Barb, thank you so much. I love spending time with the Wickeds. Glad to know that I have one fan out there! 🙂 I will be chuckling about the drag queen comment for some time.

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  23. I love discovering new-to-me authors especially in cozies. I also really appreciate your story about how you chose a pen name. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com

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  25. Yes, I certainly do enjoy reading books from new authors. That is how I first got involved with the Wickeds! Of course, I always enjoy returning to familiar authors, because I know what to expect from their books. I stick with whatever I like!

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    1. Patti, I love reading books by new authors and familiar authors. It is comforting to read a new series by an author I love. I love reading great stories.

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  27. I love reading books from new authors, but you’re not a new to me author. I really enjoy your other series, so I know this will be a great book also. Love the cover and I’m looking forward to reading the book.

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    1. Dianne, thank you so much. It warms my heart to hear that you enjoy my other series. I hope you will enjoy the new series. Fingers crossed.

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    1. Cherie, I love trying out new authors, too. I agree that finding someone new that I love, can be exciting. I hope you will enjoy this new series.

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  29. How exciting! I would have never guessed that YOU wrote SNIFFING OUT MURDER🥳❣️ I try to support authors that I am not familiar with, especially if the cover draws me in. Covers with dogs or cats definitely grab my attention. I would love to sniff out your new series, Valerie/V. M. /Kallie❣️🥳 Luis at ole dot travel

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    1. Luis, Thank you so much! I am glad you “sniffed me out,” and I hope you will enjoy the new series.

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  30. Okay, I want this just for the cute bloodhound on the front…lol. That is the way to get me to read your book, put a dog on it. 🙂

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    1. Stormi, I LOVE the cover art. I am so glad that you liked it too. Sounds like you and I may have similar taste (put a dog on the cover). 🙂

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  32. I love trying new authors… especially if I can start at the beginning of a series. Thanks for explaining the reason behind the pen name, I always wondered.

    Jen K
    journeybound2010 at gmail dot com

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    1. Jen, I love trying new authors, too. I also like to start at the beginning of a series. I hope you will enjoy this new series.

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  35. Yes. I always like to try a new author. I found out by buying short stories or when I look at what is at the library I will pick up a book from an author I have not heard about it. Give it a go and see if it takes me somewhere.

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  36. I love to pick up a new book from an author I have not heard of from the local library. Best way to find out a new author.

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  39. Finding a new author or series is a bit like opening a treasure chest, exciting and full of promise, so yes, I’m always open to finding new authors. Looking forward to both V.M, and Kallie’s new releases. makennedyinaz@hotmail.com

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