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...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 25, 2024 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, small towns, suspense, writing
Today, I’m featuring another Level Best Book author, Lynn-Steven Johanson, who lives only forty minutes away from me in the heart of the country–downstate Illinois. It’s all yours, Lynn…. People often ask writers where their inspiration comes...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 11, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, suspense, writing novels
It doesn’t matter where I’m speaking, about what, or to which group, eventually someone wants to know where the stories come from. I really want to say that’s a tough question, but I find inspiration in the darndest places. Mostly because I can’t keep my nose out of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 5, 2024 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, reading, writing novels
There’s a lot to love about cozy mysteries. Almost always, they begin in a picturesque small town filled with quirky characters we can easily imagine as our neighbors and friends. While a thriller might keep us on the edge of our seats, a cozy mystery pulls us into...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 17, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, Susan Van Kirk, writing, writing novels
Back in August 2021, I wrote in my blog post: “Once upon a time I had three children who married and had children of their own. Now I have eleven grandchildren. I hadn’t thought I’d have such a bonanza, but four of them came as twins to my older son and his wife. Yes,...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 17, 2023 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, suspense
Twelve years ago, when I began writing my Endurance Mysteries, I was just starting to write novels, and I continued the series as I thought of new directions. Not knowing that there was such a thing as a character arc or series arc, I continued that series as new...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 2, 2023 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, writing
Susan: Another fellow Level Best Books author steps it up on my blog, and what an amazing tale she has to tell about the switch in her life from one career to another. Enjoy! Years ago, I switched from a career as a violinist at the Metropolitan Opera to one as an...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 25, 2023 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense, writing
As a writer, I create characters. Or perhaps, bits of them already exist in my memories and my everyday encounters, and they need me to piece together the puzzle, bringing them to life as new personalities. Although it’s nice to have a mental image of them as flesh...
