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...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 24, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense
Working on Wall Street is not for the faint of heart, but for a writer, the cutthroat nature of the business provides the perfect setting for murder. The traders are extremely intense individuals, basically a breed unto themselves. They often resort to bullying if...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 10, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, suspense
First, thank you to my fellow readers and authors for embracing and promoting the value of literacy. Recent statistics about readership in the U.S. alarm me, and I appreciate your example. I am Richard F. McGonegal, author of four books in the Sheriff Francis Hood...
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 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 | 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...
