by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 18, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, Recent News, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing, writing novels
No wonder Thanksgiving is a prelude to long winter nights. A holiday focusing on blessings gives us the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and be thankful for what we’ve received. We hope that our gratitude and happier memories can get us through the cold nights when...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 12, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, reading, Susan Van Kirk, writing
Arabella Carpenter and business partner Emily Garland find themselves in a world of legal entanglements in this newest addition to the Glass Dolphin series, Where There’s a Will. Arabella is hired to do an appraisal of a vintage photograph for the executrix of an...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 17, 2020 | Blog, bookstores, small towns
In 2018, Jim Jacobs (YA author) and I had a book signing scheduled in West Burlington, Iowa at Book World. Before we could shout, “Come on in and talk about books!” the store closed, along with forty-four other Book Worlds. Not all was lost, however. We met Teri...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 13, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
Back in 2012, I sold my first mystery, Three May Keep a Secret, to a small publisher called Five Star Publishing. It was followed by two more books and a novella, all concerning a retired teacher named Grace Kimball in her small town of Endurance. I called the series...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 20, 2020 | Blog
We all know that book covers sell books. Duh. Cover artists and publishers connect complicated pieces and parts to come up with covers that sell, reflect the contents, promote a brand for a series, and fit the publisher’s catalog. I had not thought about all those...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 13, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, Sisters in Crime, Susan Van Kirk, writing
I made a difficult decision this past week. Months and months ago, I sent in my entry fee and planned to go to a writing conference called Left Coast Crime held in San Diego from March 11-15. I was looking forward to it because I’d been to Malice Domestic a couple of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 12, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, writing novels
I don’t know when I first heard the axiom, “the devil is in the details,” but it is certainly true when it comes to writing mysteries. Mathematically, the ages of characters and dates of events must be worked out in advance. Many a time I have written a paragraph...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 20, 2020 | Blog
Writing “The End” on a manuscript is a luxurious feeling, followed quickly by exhaustion. Tons of anxiety and pressure fall from my shoulders, and I know I have finished another novel. It’s a bit sad because I’ve lived with these characters I love and admire, and then...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 31, 2019 | Blog
[I published this post several years ago, but felt it was worth revisiting.] Ever have one of those “Alfred Hitchcock moments” where everything seems totally normal but later turns weird? Such a moment happened to me when flying from Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona. My...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 25, 2019 | Blog
In my last post I discussed the plan I was making for the second Sweet Iron mystery. Because I have no imagination when it comes to titles, we are calling it Book #2. Eventually, the spirit will move me, and I’ll have a title. Since I’m going back in time...
