September 03, 2025

Author Spotlight! Jodi Burnett, Kathleen Donnelly, & Margaret Mizushima Writing Bestselling Police Thrillers Featuring K9s! (Bonus Episode)

1 hour 9 minutes

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast! This is something I will throw out there to you all once in a while. Today’s bonus episode will be a part of my author spotlight series, where I focus on the author side of the business to see what is working for them and what makes them tick as successful authors. So, as you can guess, today’s episode is for the authors out there who are looking to start, level up, or might need a tad bit of inspiration to keep going. Or, if you aren’t an author, maybe you are just curious to see how all of this book writing stuff actually works. Either way, I think the content is valuable, and we, of course, will have some fun as well.

For today’s show, I have brought on three very successful authors who write crime thrillers with K9s as an integral part of their stories. Let’s meet our authors.

Jodi Burnette is a bestselling self-published author who has published over 23 books. Before she was an author, she was busy raising four kids and pursuing other businesses. After the kids left the nest, she felt a void and began writing. She hit the ground running, pumping out bestselling thrillers, and has a loyal following that most authors would be envious of.

Margaret Mizushima writes the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries, which feature Deputy Mattie Cobb, her German shepherd partner Robo, and veterinarian Cole Walker. Together they fight crime in the fictional mountain community of Timber Creek, Colorado. There are nine books in Margaret's series, and the tenth, Dying Cry, will be published on October 14th this fall. In real life, Margaret and her veterinarian husband recently moved from a small ranch in Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest.

Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly brings heart-pounding suspense and unforgettable K-9 heroes to life in her National Forest K-9 and Colorado K-9 series. A retired K-9 handler, she draws on her real-life experience and brings to life the powerful bond between humans and working dogs. Her upcoming release, Colorado K-9 Rescue, shines a light on crisis canines and their power to help victims recover.

I had a lot of fun doing this interview, and I believe you will get a lot of useful information out of today’s show, and maybe a couple of chuckles!

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Why and how they started writing books.

· Best and worst writing advice.

· What lessons they learned from writing their first book?

· How they learned police procedure, more specifically K9 police procedure, being civilians.

· Why are dogs so popular in movies and books?

· Why did they choose to be traditional or self-published authors, and what are the pros and cons of both?

· Best marketing advice to sell more books.

· Artificial intelligence, how to use it, or not use it.

All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.

Visit Jodi Burnett on her website to learn more about her and her books!

Visit Kathleen Donnelley at her website to learn more about her and her books!

Visit Margaret Mizushima at her website to learn more about her and her books!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!

Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!

Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.

Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

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By Patrick O'Donnell

4.9

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