Westminster Writer Secures Publishing Contract for 2nd Fiction

Westminster, Md., April 21, 2025 - It’s been an interesting writing journey for Westminster resident and former theatre educator, Jean Burgess. With both a nonfiction and a fiction publishing credit to her name, it might be surprising to learn that she never planned to become a writer.

“I never saw myself writing a book! Sure, in my twenty-three as a college instructor and high school teacher, I had many academic articles published. But I never considered writing a textbook or a novel.”

Her second fiction, “Navigating Her Next Chapter: A Retro Novel,” is the sequel to her debut book, “That Summer She Found Her Voice,” also published by Apprentice House Press, a Baltimore based publisher housed at Loyola University.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the team at Apprentice House again for my sophomore novel. I love the collaborative aspects of being published by a small press – working in tandem with the editors, collaborating on the cover design, even having some leeway on the release date. These aspects were important to me, and I’m excited that Apprentice House selected my new manuscript from over 200 submitted.”

Of interest to local readers is that both books in this Retro series have Maryland settings, particularly the Eastern Shore, since that is where the protagonist, Margie Stevens, grows up. In “Navigating,” readers will follow Margie to New York City in the early 1980s as she explores writing career options.

As a writer, Burgess tends to use personal experiences as a base for her fictions. In “Navigating,” Margie seeks a day job as a receptionist at the famed Radio City Music Hall to make ends meet between freelance writing jobs. In the early 1980s, Burgess lived in NYC as a “starving actor,” who also had a clerical position at Radio City Music Hall.

“I cherished those Big Apple experiences – the landmarks, the interesting people, the energy. Although this story is a fiction, I did researched several 1980s themes that touched New York and beyond to weave into the storyline of a 26-year-old, career-driven woman, searching for her independence. It helped to have personal experience to draw upon.”

With a background as a professional actor and director as well as a theatre educator, all of Burgess’ writing has a connection to the performing arts. Whether a story about the Baltimore music scene of the late 1970s and singing with a swing band as in “That Summer She Found Her Voice” or an entire textbook on directing in “Collaborative Stage Directing,” her roots and experience in the performing arts find a presence.

To learn more about Jean Burgess and stay current on her publishing journey, visit her author website at www.jeanburgessauthor.com.

About the Author

For over 40 years, Westminster, Maryland resident Jean Burgess has told stories on stage as a theatre director and actor. Burgess is also the author of That Summer She Found Her Voice: A Retro Novel (Apprentice House, 2024) and the non-fiction book, Collaborative Stage Directing: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment (Routledge, 2019).

Burgess has a master’s degree in Theatre from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University.

The novelist is available for interview, presentations, and author talks.

Burgess’ media kit is available at www.jeanburgessauthor.com/bio.htm.

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