by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 23, 2026 | Blog, fiction, mystery
What do a nasty communist mother-in-law and a Shakespeare-quoting parrot have in common? They’re both characters in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series. However, Ralph, the African Grey parrot, is a lot more likeable than Lucille Pollack, Anastasia’s...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 16, 2025 | Blog, fiction, mystery, suspense, writing novels
Are you aware Susan Van Kirk’s first book-length published work was a memoir? Yup: The Education of a Teacher (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks). It’s out of print now, but rumor has it that may change in 2026. Given that, I’d forgive you if...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 7, 2025 | fiction, historical fiction, mystery
I have enjoyed and loved Charles Finchs’ Lenox series since the day I picked up the first one. His creation, Charles Lennox, is a Victorian detective from the upper class who investigates and solves cases, eventually creating a detective agency. It would be hard...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 6, 2025 | mystery
There isn’t one surefire way to promote a book. As a debut author, I’ve researched the many opportunities for book exposure, and they are as varied and far-reaching as authors themselves. Some writers swear by social media and spend hours each day online pushing their...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 22, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, reading, suspense
As authors, we know our manuscripts need fresh eyes before publication. When should readers see our work, and what should we ask them to look for? Here’s my system.. Let me begin by defining how I use the terms “Beta Readers” and “ARC readers.” Beta Readers are early...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 3, 2025 | Blog, book reviews, mystery, suspense
I’ve loved many of John Grisham’s courtroom dramas, so I was delighted to hear he had a new one coming out. NetGalley, the author, and his publisher, Doubleday Books, allowed me to read it early for a fair review. It comes out on October 21. The Widow is a story of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 10, 2025 | Blog, mystery, suspense, writing
One of the joys of doing research for A Cotswold Crimes Mystery Series is that I find things that I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Even though I lived in England as a teen, I think I’m familiar with how Great Britain works. But whenever I go, I find something...
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 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 | 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...
