Susan Van Kirk
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He who dies with the most toys wins. Except when it ends with murder. by Rebecca Saltzer

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...

One Gun: Writing as Catharsis by Vinnie Hansen

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....

Why My Amateur Sleuth is an Archaeologist by Rose Kerr

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....

Why We Love Amateur Sleuths by Anna St. John

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...

My Review of “In the Hands of Women” by Jane Loeb Rubin

by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 22, 2023 | Blog, historical fiction, reading, writing novels

The past few months, I’ve been uploading posts from my fellow Level Best Book authors. Today, I’m posting a review of a most remarkable book from that publisher. I love historical fiction books, and Jane Rubin’s new novel, In the Hands of Women, is truly an amazing...

Flawed Characters or Flawed Writing? by Ivanka Fear

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...

The Unexpected Pleasures of Historical Fiction by Marlie Parker Wasserman

by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 4, 2023 | Blog, historical fiction, mysteries, reading, writing

Of the many questions my readers and other writers ask me, my favorite is why I gravitate to historical fiction rather than contemporary topics. My questioners seem awed by the amount of research I undertake. They don’t know my secret. For me, writing historical...

Thrilling Villains (My Love Affair with Bad Guys) by Arlene Kay

by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 14, 2023 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense, writing novels

Today I’m welcoming Arlene Kay, a Level Best Books author, to my blog to talk about her latest mystery and her love affair with bad guys! Welcome, Arlene… Mystery writers populate books with an array of suspects who may or may not be the culprit. Creating...

You and Me, Together, Differently Guest Post by DonnaRae Menard

by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 19, 2023 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense

I’ve been posting guest writings from my fellow Level Best Books authors for the past few weeks. Here is a new one by DonnaRae Menard, author of Murder in the Village Proper. And here she is… While I was lying on the gurney in the ER contemplating how one...

Aristotle and Crime Fiction by Albert Waitt

by Susan Van Kirk | May 22, 2023 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense, writing novels

A big welcome to Albert Waitt, a fellow Level Best Book author, who hails from Maine. (And he went to school in my favorite city, Boston.) He’s my guest today, and he’s writing about desires and crime fiction. Take it away… You may be asking...
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