Your Next Favorite Author–Susie Black!

Brings a whole new meaning to “the rabbit died.”

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge. 

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. 

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect. 

Avis: Welcome, readers, to another edition of Your Next Favorite Author! Today’s interview is with my writer friend, Susie Black. Welcome back, Susie, and congratulations on another page turner cozy mystery! I really loved this one, and so will cozy fans. 😊 Susie has been on the blog several time, but she always has new tidbits about her writing strategies and her latest projects, so let’s begin, shall we? 

Here’s the first question:

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

SUSIE: Yes, I do. I have several personal characteristics, physical traits, and personal history details that I have purposely infused into my protagonist that I hide in plain sight. Only close friends and family will recognize them.

Avis: LOL! I love that! Using real people to help develop your characters really brings them to life and makes them unique, and you are so good at that! Is Holly Schlivnik based on you? LOL! You don’t have to answer. 😊

            Our next question is:

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

SUSIE: I always know how the story will begin and end, but I have difficulty with “the mushy middle.” I overcome it by allowing the characters to take the story from the middle to the end. Of course, if I don’t like what they have done, they know I can change it. Or, if I absolutely HATE what they did, they know I can either write them out of the story or kill them off…so they are highly motivated to do a fabulous job.

Avis: LOL! You really see your novel characters as real people and let them make decisions about how to shape the story. That’s very cool and takes a lot of mastery. It seems like they pay attention to their imminent deaths if they misbehave! 😊

            I’d love to hear your response to this next question:

What is your writing Kryptonite?

SUSIE: I have two: Overusing certain words and using cliches that can make the stories unintentionally dated.

Avis: I have to say that I’m guilty of overusing certain words! My critique group lets me know all the time! Clichés are easy to write into our books, aren’t they? But you use them so well! I love a “a car full of circus clowns,” for one!

            Here’s a question our readers will want to know the answer to:

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

SUSIE: From inception to submission, about four months.

Avis: You have got to be kidding me! That’s fast! Good for you, and I’m sure your fans are thrilled because they know there’s another book coming soon from their favorite author!

            I also love this next question:

What is your favorite childhood book and why?

SUSIE: Hands down, the books in both the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. I credit an early interest in solving puzzles and mysteries and the development of a sense of curiosity and asking questions learned in those books to my now writing cozy mysteries. 

Avis: Okay, Susie, that makes a lot of sense! You really bring your love of mystery to your cozy novels, that’s for sure! You also solved a problem I have when asked this question! How do you choose just one book? You chose two series that have so many, many books!

            Our next question is another one that is so interesting:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

SUSIE: I am friends with several author colleagues both men and women-including the interviewer- who write in various genres, mostly different from the one I write in. These authors have given me some great suggestions, especially on how to keep my series relevant to readers. Several write in the paranormal genre and have encouraged me to add some “woo-woo” to my plots. I added two hilarious ghosts in Death by Jelly Beans. The response has been so overwhelmingly positive in focus groups, that I have made the two ghosts’ continuous characters in the series. Author colleagues who write romance suggested that I give the series protagonist a love life and a pet. My main character has two men in her life now and a male standard poodle named Sigmund Freud who is wildly popular with readers. 

Avis: Thanks for nod, and I can think of a couple paranormal authors who are very happy about your ghosts! You really satisfy your readers by listening to these requests and it brings such depth to your novels and makes them a joy to read!

            Our last question today is:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

SUSIE: While I write my books as a series with a continuing cast of characters and setting to build a body of work with connections between each book, I’ve written each book with enough information from earlier books in the series that each one can stand on its own.

Avis: Thanks for that answer, Susie! You craft each book to stand alone, even if it is a series with wonderful repeat characters! 

I’m so happy to interview you on another excellent novel, and I’m so impressed by how many wonderful reads you have produced in such a short amount of time! I for one can’t wait for the next installment!

            See links to Susie’s socials below and scroll down for my review of Death by Jelly Beans a Holly Swimsuit Mystery Book 5, release date, September 4th, 2024! This is another 5-star novel from Susie Black!

Book Bub: www.bookbub.com/authors/susie-black

Facebook:    https://facebook.com/TheHollySwimsuitMysterySeries

Good Reads: Search results for “Susie Black” (showing 1-9 of 82 books) | Goodreads

Instagram:   Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) • Instagram photos and videos

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorsusieblack-61941011

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/hollysusie1_saved/

Twitter:    http://twitter.com/@hollyswimsuit

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Death by Jelly Beans is Susie Black’s latest addition to her award-winning series, The Holly Swimsuit Mysteries. In this Easter-themed whodunit, Holly Schlivnik is back at it when once again, and the police have arrested the wrong person. With her beloved standard poodle Siggie by her side, Holly sets out on another murder-solving adventure.

While Holly waits to meet with Sue Ellen Magee, the nasty swimwear buyer at Bainbridge Department Stores, the President of Mermaid Swimwear overhears an argument between the Queen of Mean buyer and  Pedro Conejo, President of Rent-A-Rabbit-Characters. Dressed in an Easter bunny costume, Pedro gets an earful from Sue Ellen for allegedly drinking alcohol on the job in the buyer’s “kid-friendly” swimsuit display. 

On her way for another meeting with Sue Ellen, Holly discovers the Easter bunny dead in the display. After several fights with said rabbit, Sue Ellen is arrested for the bunny’s murder. However, Holly is not convinced Sue Ellen killed the rabbit and her search for the real killer begins. 

Susie Black masterfully weaves this plot with delicate twists and turns, multiple suspects who all hate Sue Ellen, and a myriad of other wonderful characters that leap off the page. With her skill in world-building and creating suspense, Black keeps us scratching our heads to the final reveal and very satisfying denouement! 

Cozy mystery fans will love Susie Black’s latest edition. Death by Jelly Beans is sure to hit all the high notes and satisfy even the most avid mystery reader. Five-Stars!