by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 6, 2025 | mystery
There isn’t one surefire way to promote a book. As a debut author, I’ve researched the many opportunities for book exposure, and they are as varied and far-reaching as authors themselves. Some writers swear by social media and spend hours each day online pushing their...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 22, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, reading, suspense
As authors, we know our manuscripts need fresh eyes before publication. When should readers see our work, and what should we ask them to look for? Here’s my system.. Let me begin by defining how I use the terms “Beta Readers” and “ARC readers.” Beta Readers are early...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 3, 2025 | Blog, book reviews, mystery, suspense
I’ve loved many of John Grisham’s courtroom dramas, so I was delighted to hear he had a new one coming out. NetGalley, the author, and his publisher, Doubleday Books, allowed me to read it early for a fair review. It comes out on October 21. The Widow is a story of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 11, 2025 | book reviews
I have enjoyed and loved Charles Finchs’ Lenox series since the day I picked up the first one. It would be hard to beat #14, “Extravagant Death.” I thought that to be his very best yet because Lenox was feeling his age, was alone in a different...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 12, 2025 | Blog
Readers who know me—recent acquaintances, long-time friends from college—have been making comments to me that usually contain some variation of “but you seem so nice…how do you come up with these characters, these scenarios?” Where do bullies like Philippe,...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 5, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, writing
When it comes to writing my novels, I’m a pantser—someone who doesn’t plot out the whole story but writes by ‘the seat of their pants’ as they work out how things will evolve. However, there is one thing I’ve always done first, which is find my protagonist. And, for...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 28, 2025 | Blog, suspense, writing novels
Several years ago, I was at a writer/fan conference which focused mainly on cozy mysteries. I did indeed have a cozy out. I also had my first horror out. I was in the lobby talking about books to readers I’d just met. I’m fine with talking to a roomful or...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 21, 2025 | Blog
Whenever I’m asked about the inspiration for my middle-grade Zahra of the Uwharries series, my thoughts drift to childhood as I explain that hikes with my dad planted the first seeds. We lived smack dab in the middle of the “sticks”—as my New York cousins described...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 14, 2025 | Blog
Murder Over Broken Bonds: A Wall Street Mystery (1) by Rebecca Saltzer This is a perfect time to begin reading Rebecca Saltzer’s series of Wall Street mysteries because the theme of the first book is greed. Whatever you currently think about stocks and bonds, this...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 31, 2025 | Blog, book reviews, mysteries, suspense, writing
Authors are often told not to read reviews. I don’t fully subscribe to that philosophy because I believe that there is something to be gained from reviews and learning what impresses a given reviewer. A one-star review that says “I didn’t read the book because I...
