by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 8, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
When I was growing up, my parents rented a room to a lady who was working at a store in our town. It was shortly after the end of World War II. Her name was Margaret, and she came from a tiny rural town twenty miles away. I imagine our city had more opportunities to...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 15, 2018 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
In recent months, friends and readers have asked me this question, and I appreciate their concern. Behind the scenes, I know the answer, and I figure if I share it, you’ll understand a bit about the nature of the publishing business. I have been like the groundhog...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 19, 2018 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk, writing
I love it when an extended metaphor successfully works from beginning to end. Unfortunately, this is where my novel and puzzle connection totally fall apart. Once I finish a puzzle, it’s done. I might glue it and hang it on a wall or wrap it up in a puzzle holder or...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 30, 2018 | Blog, mystery, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
I’m still working on my jigsaw puzzle, “Quilts for Sale,” by artist Tom Wood. Writing a mystery is a lot like working a puzzle. I’ve written about the thinking process, research, characters, backstories, and timelines. I’ve also filled in an overall structure and...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jan 27, 2018 | Blog, mystery, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
I’ve never met Micki Browning in person, but I did see her step off an elevator at the Malice Domestic Book Conference in Maryland. Does that count? Even at a distance, she is as lovely as her author photograph. We are as different as people could be since she lives...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 5, 2017 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
Recently, I went to a local jeweler because prongs that held the stone in a cherished ring needed tightening. I have worn this ring every day for decades, and while it isn’t valuable in the financial sense, I love it because my parents gave it to me on my sixteenth...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 22, 2014 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
Mom, college counselor, teacher, zookeeper, police deteciveIn the mid-1980s, when I was teaching high school English, I formed a friendship with a remarkable woman who had four daughters. I used to think of her girls as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, except...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 15, 2014 | Blog, small towns, Susan Van Kirk
Following the interview with our local Police Chief, I next went to the fire department. I use a lot of book research in my mysteries, but talking with experts is really helpful in getting the details right.I interviewed Chief John Cratty in 2011 when he was the Fire...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 3, 2014 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
I’m taking a brief break from interviewing my expert sources today to add a review of a great thriller I just finished called Cabin Fever. I was honored to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of Jim’s book which is coming out April 8, 2014. I would strongly...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 25, 2014 | Blog, interviews, Susan Van Kirk
While writing my mystery, Three May Keep a Secret, I enlisted the help of several experts who could teach me about dead bodies, guns, autopsies, and murder investigations. In all my years of living in Monmouth, Illinois (pop. 10,000), I’ve only talked once,...
