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Debbie Burke
Since: 2017 | Position: Contributor | Location: Norfolk | Page Views: 21,196 
About Me
Award-winning jazz author, jazz blogger, professional editor. Mediocre alto sax player.
Debbie Burke grew up in Brooklyn, NY. She was raised on classical music but fell in love with jazz the first time she heard John Coltrane’s soulful rendition of “Once in a While.” In her early 20’s, she studied alto saxophone at The New School for Social Research in New York City. After meeting her husband and raising a family, Debbie returned to music and for many years played in a jazz band. When she moved to northeastern Pennsylvania she was excited to find a thriving jazz community. This became the inspiration for her first book, The Poconos in B Flat. Seven more books followed, primarily on jazz in BOTH fiction and nonfiction; one book on klezmer; and one book on everything authors need to know when choosing an editor. She started her jazz blog https://debbieburkeauthor.com in 2016 which now has over 500 personal interviews with jazz musicians around the globe and others in the industry. Debbie has built a career in journalism and publishing. She has written hundreds of columns and articles and was the editor of an award-winning business journal and a regional lifestyle publication in Northeast PA. In 2020, Debbie formalized what she'd been doing for years on a freelance basis. Queen Esther Publishing LLC now offers comprehensive editing services for authors as well as coaching for authors who need help deciding on traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. Visit https://queenestherpublishing.com for more info. Her latest book, Death by Saxophone, is a gritty NYC-based murder mystery involving the Verrazano Bridge, Soviet contraband “bone records,” and an accordion player who falls for her Eastern European friend-turned-lover. Something for everybody! In late 2023, Debbie will release Volume 3 of her series Tasty Jazz Jams for Our Times. The foreword is written by an icon of the Golden Age of jazz who is still with us today, and the book includes over 40 interviews with jazz musicians the world over with some very recognizable household names. Stay tuned.
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This page was last updated on 2023-04-05.
