by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 2, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, The Education of a Teacher, writing
I always think of January 1 as a time to get things organized for the new year. Collect all the financial information for my life and for my writing business. Check on all the expenses. Pay the state sales tax on my book sales. Round up all the paperwork. Grab a new...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 28, 2024 | fiction, mystery, suspense, writing novels
When it comes to real world mysteries, certain settings stand out as the most compelling. An opera house is one, and in my Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series I use the mischief and mayhem found behind those golden curtains to portray the setting as an important...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 14, 2024 | Blog
Cooking isn’t the top subject on Grace Kimball’s mind. She’s the protagonist in my Endurance Mysteries, and she will be the first to tell you she’s a terrible cook. Grace has depended on her former sister-in-law, Lettisha Kimball-Novak, for her...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 30, 2024 | Blog, mysteries
Lately, I’ve found myself reading mysteries set in high schools and starring teachers and/or school administrators. My own Death Takes No Bribes fits into that category too. Here’s a sampling of those books. A Murder of Principal by Saralyn Richard Ms. Richard was a...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 16, 2024 | fiction, mysteries, suspense, writing
Judy Penz Sheluk, whom I met at a Malice Domestic Conference, is a Canadian author who writes mysteries. Judy’s been a great writing friend to me, and she’s helped me considerably at various times in my own writing career. She collects, edits, and...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 12, 2024 | book reviews, fiction, mysteries
Recently, I’ve been trying to make some progress with my TBR pile. So far, so good. Below are reviews of a couple of books I’ve read and enjoyed. I’m hoping you might like them too! Camino Ghosts by John Grisham I’ve read most of John...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 3, 2024 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, suspense
I grew up in a newsroom. By that, I mean that by the time I was in high school, my safe place became the newspaper office. The room dedicated to putting out the weekly paper, the school’s annual, and the hangout for what today would probably be called the uncool...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 24, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, writing
Just prior to the pandemic, I decided to write a series of stories about an art center in a small town. It’s not surprising since I’d recently toured the art center in our small town of Monmouth, Illinois. It had lots of nooks and crannies, and a basement that had...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 22, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, writing, writing novels
I first met Jim Jackson several years ago through the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and he talked me into being the president of the online SinC chapter. (He’s very good at that!) It’s been a great experience for me, so I’m glad he was so...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 3, 2024 | Blog, mysteries
Sometimes the most interesting mysteries are the ones that exist in the real world. And those mysteries entice adventurers who want to see them solved. Seventy-seven years ago, in 1937, navigation pioneer Amelia Earhart set off to become the first woman to fly solo...
