https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About An educator with more than three decades of experience, Judy Burke works as adjunct professor of English for Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan. She teaches English with multimedia at all levels as well as composition, technical writing, and children’s literature courses. Concurrently, Judy Burke serves as adjunct professor for a variety of workshops for Macomb Community College’s continuing educator sector. She assists with a variety of writing workshops, including manuscripts, novels, and short stories. Before starting at Macomb Community College, Judy Burke spent time at the University of Phoenix in Troy, Michigan, where she was an adjunct professor of English as well as reading, workshop development, and instruction. In addition, she spent time as an English instructor with multimedia at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, as well as at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan, as adjunct professor of English with multimedia. While at Lawrence Technological University, she received a grant to design a “Blackboard Manual for Teachers.” In her downtime, Judy Burke enjoys being outside where she fishes, boats, and plays golf. She also remains passionate about ocean conservancy and historic preservation. en-us 2017-05-13 04:04:53 UTC 2017-08-26 23:10:06 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Apple.png JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/178768135 2017-07-15 22:06:31 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/178768135 JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/180451177 Judy Burke is an adjunct professor of English at Macomb Community College in Michigan. In addition to several publications and articles for Grosse Pointe Magazine, Judy Burke has a novel called Blackrock Island, written as J. Lee Burke.

The story is a thriller set on the remote Blackrock Island in Ireland where undercover agent Laine investigates the murder of premier racing horses and subsequently goes on an adventure with many twists and turns. The thriller is dialogue-driven, which can be a very effective way to move a story along. Rather than a narrator explaining what’s happening, characters reveal plot points and details through dialogue in an engaging way. 

Writing good dialogue is one of the keys of good fiction, especially suspense-driven stories. Dialogue can also provide cultural flavors for stories set in certain countries, and Blackrock Island spans France, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia. When characters are speaking, they can use local aphorisms or speech patterns that help the story gain its sense of place. In addition, good dialogue can slowly reveal the quirks of a character’s personality, or build on the relationship tensions that can most effectively move a story forward. When done well, driving a story forward mostly through conversations between characters can keep readers in suspense and unwilling to put the book down.]]> 2017-08-09 05:27:18 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/180451177 JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952216 2017-08-26 23:09:12 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952216 JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952220 2017-08-26 23:09:18 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952220 JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952230 2017-08-26 23:09:46 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952230 JudyBurke https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952232 Judy Burke has served nearly seven years as an adjunct professor of English at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. She studied education as an undergraduate at Villanova University and holds a master of arts in English language and literature from the University of Michigan. In addition to her teaching career, Judy Burke is an accomplished nonfiction writer and, in addition, recently published a novel, Blackrock Island, written under the name J. Lee Burke.

Released this spring by Bluewater Press, Blackrock Island is a suspenseful, complex thriller that interweaves elements of the murder mystery and romance genres. Set in Ireland, the book follows experienced NOVAS operative Laine Sullivan as she goes undercover to solve the deaths of multiple thoroughbred horses. Laine’s mission quickly intensifies as she infiltrates the world’s most profitable horse-breeding syndicate and encounters money launderers, drug traffickers, and other sinister foes.

Blackrock Island has received positive reviews from critics and readers alike. Readers have particularly praised the novel for its realistically rendered characters and its attention to psychological details. Interested readers can learn more by visiting www.bluewaterpress.com.]]> 2017-08-26 23:09:49 UTC https://padlet.com/JudyBurke/About/wish/182952232