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...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 18, 2024 | Blog, mystery, suspense, writing
Today, I’m hosting fellow Level Best Book author, Daphne Silver, on my website blog. Take it away, Daphne… There are so many things I love about cozy mysteries: quirky characters, charming locales, and taking a virtual escape. However, the thing I love...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 26, 2024 | Blog, mystery, suspense, writing novels
Today I’ve invited Linda Norlander to my website to talk about her mystery writing. All writing careers are not alike, and Linda’s is pretty funny! Take it away, Linda… Back when I was in my mid-thirties, I created a character I named Elizabeth...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 30, 2023 | Blog, historical fiction, mystery, writing novels
I’m welcoming back Marlie Wasserman, historical fiction crime writer, who has a wonderful new book out from Level Best Books. Her new novel is inspired by an 1899 New York City fire at a luxury hotel in Manhattan. Historical crime fiction includes both novels...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 11, 2023 | book reviews, historical fiction, mystery
I love history, and when you add “mystery” to the description, I’m hooked. I had the opportunity to read Skye Alexander’s latest story, The Goddess of Shipwrecked Sailors, which is now out from Level Best Books. It’s sensational. Set in December 1925, the mystery...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 7, 2023 | Blog, mystery, suspense
One of the things I love about writing is that I get to research things that interest me under the guise of work. When I was planning Murder in Trastevere, one idea that kept calling me was the sport of ultra running. I can’t tell you how I got this bug in my bonnet....
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 1, 2023 | Blog, book reviews, mystery, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense
Death in a Bygone Hue Susan Van Kirk Level Best Books 978-1-68512-336-9 $16.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook The second book in the Art Center Mysteries, Death in a Bygone Hue, continues the story of artist Jill Madison’s return to and new life in her hometown,...
