Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the Ivy Culpepper Book Magic mysteries, the Harlow Cassidy Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. A former secondary English/Language Arts teacher and Creative Writing teacher with Southern Methodist University’s CAPE program, among others, she has applied her love of teaching to the creation of WriterSpark Academy, an online school for aspiring and new writers seeking to hone their craft. Learn more about Melissa at her website, www.melissabourbon.com, on Facebook @MelissaBourbon/Winnie ArcherBooks, and on Instagram @bookishly_cozy, and learn about WriterSpark at www.writersparkacademy.com.Here are the links to the conversation with Valerie Burns mentioned in the podcast:YouTube: https://youtu.be/F5bfKjS2kWQPodcast: https://writersparkacademy.podbean.com/e/the-importance-of-creating-diverse-characters-to-your-writing/Melissa's links:Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooksTwitter https://twitter.com/TheWriterSparkInstagram https://www.instagram.com/bookishly_cozy/Website http://melissabourbon.comWriter Spark podcast: https://writersparkacademy.com/tips-tricks-and-the-craft-of-writing-podcast/*****************About Sisters in CrimeSisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SINCnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeThe SinC Writers’ Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/