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 | May 24, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, writing
Just prior to the pandemic, I decided to write a series of stories about an art center in a small town. It’s not surprising since I’d recently toured the art center in our small town of Monmouth, Illinois. It had lots of nooks and crannies, and a basement that had...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 22, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, writing, writing novels
I first met Jim Jackson several years ago through the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and he talked me into being the president of the online SinC chapter. (He’s very good at that!) It’s been a great experience for me, so I’m glad he was so...
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 | Jan 17, 2024 | Blog, mysteries, Susan Van Kirk, writing, writing novels
Back in August 2021, I wrote in my blog post: “Once upon a time I had three children who married and had children of their own. Now I have eleven grandchildren. I hadn’t thought I’d have such a bonanza, but four of them came as twins to my older son and his wife. Yes,...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 9, 2023 | Blog, fiction, suspense, writing
Whenever I tell someone I’m a writer, the question I’m most commonly asked is: ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ The question supposes that ideas are phantasmal, evanescent creatures that can be plucked from the aether with the correct combination of lures and...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 2, 2023 | Blog, fiction, mysteries, writing
Susan: Another fellow Level Best Books author steps it up on my blog, and what an amazing tale she has to tell about the switch in her life from one career to another. Enjoy! Years ago, I switched from a career as a violinist at the Metropolitan Opera to one as an...
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...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 18, 2023 | Blog, fiction, writing, writing novels
Liz Milliron is a Level Best Books author who writes the Laurel Highlands Mysteries set in southwest Pennsylvania. Featuring a Pennsylvania State Trooper and a Fayette County public defender, the series is up to the sixth book, which comes out on September 19....
