by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 3, 2025 | Blog, mystery, reading, suspense, writing novels
It’s probably not a good idea to chase an armed burglar. But, in my husband’s defense, he didn’t know the man fleeing our house had a gun. At least not at first. Then the young man stopped, pulled a semi-automatic, aimed it at Danny’s head, and threatened to kill him....
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 27, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense, writing
I enjoy learning about different subjects, and several years ago, I took some online courses through Open University about archaeology and antiquity/artifact smuggling. The speaker was an archaeologist and her lectures on archaeology were interesting and informative....
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 20, 2025 | Blog, mystery, suspense, writing
Have you ever created a great character for a story you never finished? If so, have you thought about reusing that character in another book? After my first published mystery, Going Home, came out in 2014, I started writing a sequel. In that novel, my protagonist,...
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...
