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,...
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 | Jun 16, 2024 | fiction, mysteries, suspense, writing
Judy Penz Sheluk, whom I met at a Malice Domestic Conference, is a Canadian author who writes mysteries. Judy’s been a great writing friend to me, and she’s helped me considerably at various times in my own writing career. She collects, edits, and...
by Susan Van Kirk | Jun 3, 2024 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, suspense
I grew up in a newsroom. By that, I mean that by the time I was in high school, my safe place became the newspaper office. The room dedicated to putting out the weekly paper, the school’s annual, and the hangout for what today would probably be called the uncool...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 25, 2024 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, small towns, suspense, writing
Today, I’m featuring another Level Best Book author, Lynn-Steven Johanson, who lives only forty minutes away from me in the heart of the country–downstate Illinois. It’s all yours, Lynn…. People often ask writers where their inspiration comes...
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 | Mar 11, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, suspense, writing novels
It doesn’t matter where I’m speaking, about what, or to which group, eventually someone wants to know where the stories come from. I really want to say that’s a tough question, but I find inspiration in the darndest places. Mostly because I can’t keep my nose out of...