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 | Apr 28, 2025 | Blog, suspense, writing novels
Several years ago, I was at a writer/fan conference which focused mainly on cozy mysteries. I did indeed have a cozy out. I also had my first horror out. I was in the lobby talking about books to readers I’d just met. I’m fine with talking to a roomful or...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 31, 2025 | Blog, book reviews, mysteries, suspense, writing
Authors are often told not to read reviews. I don’t fully subscribe to that philosophy because I believe that there is something to be gained from reviews and learning what impresses a given reviewer. A one-star review that says “I didn’t read the book because I...
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 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...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 10, 2025 | Blog, mysteries, suspense
First, thank you to my fellow readers and authors for embracing and promoting the value of literacy. Recent statistics about readership in the U.S. alarm me, and I appreciate your example. I am Richard F. McGonegal, author of four books in the Sheriff Francis Hood...
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 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....
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,...
