Valerie Anne Burns has had essays from her upcoming book, Caution: Mermaid Crossing, Voyages of a Motherless Daughter published in Sad Girl Diaries, Grande Dame Literary, Sea to Sky Review, and HerStry. Essays in print include Romance Anthology by Deep Overstock, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times Won’t Last but Tough People Will, Rituals Anthology by Bell Press, and Women in a Golden State by Gunpowder Press. Additionally, she's had a poem published in Writing Through the Apocalypse in 2021. She received a Finalist Award from Page Turner Awards and scholarships to the 2022/2023 Santa Barbara Writers Conference and the 2016 Prague Summer Writing Program. Valerie Anne was sponsored to attend breast cancer survivor retreats in both Italy and The Dominican Republic where an essay launched her workshop, “Living and Healing Through Color.” In addition, she worked in Hollywood as a story editor and in production. She also owned a business in Santa Barbara as a makeover specialist for home décor and wardrobe image. She is a breast cancer survivor living in Santa Barbara with her therapy cat, Lucia.
