Book Banter
Susie Black’s Newsletter
Edition 2
Hello! I’m Susie Black. I write humorous cozy mysteries. Thanks for taking a peek at my monthly newsletter. I discuss my writing, books, and anything else that piques my interest.
In this edition:
A bit about me
What I’ve been reading
What I’m writing
A Bit About Me: Nana the Storyteller
If there is an inheritable gene for storytelling, mine came from my mother’s mother. My nana should have been a writer. No one could tell a story like her. She was the eldest of six children of a modest immigrant family from Eastern Europe that settled in Boston at the turn of the century.
My great-grandfather was a tailor who managed to clothe, feed, and shelter his children, but there was precious little left over for extravagances like a day at the cinema for one child, let alone for six. Nana had an older cousin, Jenny Weinstein, who played piano at the local silent-movie house, and she was able to get a free pass for relatives. Nana and her next-oldest sibling traded weeks, going to the serialized show every Saturday afternoon and then coming home to tell the story to all the other kids.
The other kids hated it when it was my great-aunt’s turn, because she gave a short synopsis and called it a day. They were thrilled when it was Nana’s turn. She set up two rows of chairs in the parlor like in the movie house, served popcorn, dimmed the lights, and played background music on the Victrola as she recounted the episode of the serial. Nana would take her time, slowly build up to the cliffhanger, and stop talking right before the finale. Nana would wait until my great-uncle Murray would yell, “Go on, Rae, go on!” before she’d finish telling the story. Talk about pacing and how to build tension to the finale? Nana had it down pat.
When I decided to write my first manuscript, I had no formal training in creative writing. I had a story to tell, but no clue how to tell it. I heard Nana’s voice in my head, talking to me. My long-gone, full-service Nana had given me all the tools I needed. I started writing, and thanks to Nana, I never stopped. I kept Nana’s storytelling skills in mind while writing the books in my Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series. Somewhere in the great beyond, Nana is smiling her approval.
What I’m Reading:
In keeping with the challenge to venture beyond my genre and comfort zone, I have been reading Indigo, a romantic thriller penned by Karen Hulene Bartell.
· Indigo is a rip-snorter of a fast-paced tale.
· Set in a rustic cabin in the Wisconsin woods.
· Indigo weaves threads of a family history, the supernatural, horror, and romance.
· A nail-biting thriller.
· At times, the story is downright creepy; at others, flat-out terrifying.
· The unsettling story keeps readers turning the pages long past their bedtime…either too scared to turn off the light or because they can’t wait to see what happens next.
· With twists and turns that keep you on your toes, this thriller culminates in a blockbuster ending sure to take a reader’s breath away.
· If you didn’t believe in demons and the supernatural before you started this book, you’ll be questioning your beliefs by the end of this parable of good versus evil.
· Indigo is for every reader who loves being entertained and scared by a story where things are not as they seem.
· https://www.amazon.com/Indigo-Cryptid-Charisma-Hulene-Bartell-ebook
What I’m Writing:
Drumroll, please, Ladies and Gentlemen:
· I’m thrilled to announce that Death by Coconuts, the 8th book in the award-winning Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, was released on April 11th.
· Death by Coconuts is my first attempt at self-publishing.
· For those who know me, stop rolling your eyes in disbelief.
· Despite the odds, the world’s most inept techno, who has NEVER once been confused with Bill Gates, still managed to self-publish Death by Coconut in both digital and paperback formats.
· Death by Coconuts is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Wal-Mart, KOBO, Goodreads, Book Bub, and many other retail sites.
· Death by Coconuts is full of series firsts and surprises.
· Curious? Intrigued? Excellent!
· Check it out and let me know what you think at: mysteries.authorsusieblack@gmail.com
Until next month, happy reading.
So glad I found you here. I just added your series to my summer reading list.
I loved the tales of your great-grandfather and Nana. Ancestors are so interesting, as I discovered when researching for my novel Second Wives!!