by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 11, 2022 | mysteries, mystery, reading, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense
“In the heartless cruelty of my sixth-grade year, I sat behind Ned Fisher in English class, joining in the snickers of my friends. Ned had ears that stuck out from his head like Dumbo the elephant, and he probably wished he could fly away. Now, decades later, I...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 3, 2021 | Blog, mysteries, reading, writing novels
A huge welcome to my friend, Heather Weidner, who writes a wonderful series about one of the most beautiful settings in the world–the Blue Ridge Mountains. Anyone for glamping? Guest Post by Heather Weidner, Author of the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries and the...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 4, 2021 | Blog, mystery, reading, writing
(The True Story of New York City’s Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case that Captivated a Nation) by Brad Ricca [St. Martin’s Griffin Books 2016] I loved the history in Brad Ricca’s book about Grace Humiston, a lawyer and advocate for the voiceless...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 12, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, reading, Susan Van Kirk, writing
Arabella Carpenter and business partner Emily Garland find themselves in a world of legal entanglements in this newest addition to the Glass Dolphin series, Where There’s a Will. Arabella is hired to do an appraisal of a vintage photograph for the executrix of an...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jul 9, 2019 | Blog, mystery, reading, suspense, writing novels
This spring I discovered a new Midwest mystery writer by reading her second book first, and then doubling back to her debut. Connie Berry lives in Ohio, a state qualifying her to be in my Midwest neighborhood. I highly recommend her series to all mystery readers, but...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 15, 2019 | Blog, mystery, reading, suspense, writing
Proud to announce the birthday of my fifth mystery. Dru Ann Love interviewed my main character, Beth Russell, https://drusbookmusing.com/ today. Available at Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and from my publisher, Encircle Publications. Available in both ebook and...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 19, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense
I know I have an Events page which is WONDERFUL, but I figure sometimes people might like to plan ahead, and old events drop off the Events page while new ones then appear. But you can’t see more than a few at a time. So here are some of the exciting events...
by Susan Van Kirk | Dec 4, 2012 | Blog, reading, Susan Van Kirk, The Education of a Teacher
It has been two years since I finished writing and subsequently published The Education of a Teacher (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks.) At the time it seemed like a gargantuan effort, especially since I began it in 2004. But little by little, word by...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 22, 2012 | Blog, reading, Susan Van Kirk
It is early morning (5 a.m.), and I hope I never have to give up coffee as I age. I suppose coffee is like so many other sins I have had to relinquish because they affect my blood pressure, breathing, and weight. (I am still savoring...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 29, 2012 | Blog, reading, Susan Van Kirk
During the years I taught at a high school, I spent a great deal of time impressing on students the importance of reading. Some took to that idea better than others. While there are multiple reasons to read books, magazines, and newspapers, I am going to...