The question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating, scoundrel dead? The question was who didn’t?
Obnoxious Florida Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors, customer, and employees alike. So, the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating, scoundrel dead. The question was, who didn’t?
The Laurie’s Fashion’s swimsuit buyer and Mermaid Swimwear President, Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, Mariel Levine, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by jamming the jagged edge of a coconut shell into the base of his skull.
The wisecracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail is wrought with more dangerous animals of the human type than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades.
Everything turns out differently than the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a killer hellbent on revenge.
Bio:
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, multi-award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. She has published nine books in five years and will have ten by the end of 2026.
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 is the mother of one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Avis: Welcome to Your Next Favorite Author! Today’s guest, Susie Black, who has joined us several times before. Her newest cozy mystery, Death by Coconut releases in May of 2026. It is another page turner, for sure!
I can’t wait to find out more! Our first question today is:
What is the story on your cover skeleton?
Susie: Living in Southern California, I am immersed in all aspects of Mexican culture, from city names, street names, architectural designs, dress, food, and celebrations. Día de los Muertos, which translates to the Day of the Dead, is a rich and meaningful celebration that honors the deceased while celebrating life, reflecting the unique cultural heritage of Mexico and its people that goes back to Aztec times. And the skeleton plays a major role in the celebration. On one of our trips to Mexico, I found a Dia de los Muertos skeleton wearing a swimsuit and a sombrero. Since I was an executive in the ladies’ swimwear industry at the time, naturally, I had to have her. We have several skeletons in our house, including that one, and another that I found on a trip to New Mexico.
Avis: I love that story! It’s like the skeleton in the swimsuit was meant to be! It certainly has become iconic for your series, and I’m sure readers recognize it immediately! So, my next question must be:
Does she have a name?
Susie: Yes. The skeleton, as the series mascot, caught on like wildfire with my readers, and many of them asked what her name was. I’d never given her one and decided to have a contest to name her. I received over one hundred entries! So, to include as many as possible, I expanded her name to one with a title, a first, middle, and surname as well: Female Skeleton Name: Mizz Bone-ita Skelemina Bonz
When Death by Surfboard was published, the book cover featured a male skeleton wearing swim trunks and standing next to a surfboard. The female skeleton informed me that she now had a boyfriend and demanded that he be given a name, too. So, to satisfy her, I conducted a second contest, and the Male Skeleton Name: Mitzer Skeletor Bone-Jangles.
Avis: That is too rich, Holly! The names are perfect, and how wonderful to include your fans in the naming ceremony! It sounds like Bone-ita and Mitzer have pretty good job security as cover models. 😊
Which leads me to another skeleton related questions:
What made you choose this iconic symbol?
SUSIE: Since I write humorous cozy mysteries set in the ladies’ swimwear industry, having the skeleton dressed in a swimsuit on all the book covers of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series was the perfect way to convey to readers what the stories were about.
Avis: Well, they are definitely successful and working well for you!
My next questions shifts gears a bit:
You work some biographical information into your stories sometimes. What would you like readers to know about you that you’ve hidden between the lines?
SUSIE: Holly Schlivnik, the protagonist in all of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series stories, is patterned after me. Every aspect of Holly’s life, from her physical description, her personality traits, her friends, family, career, where she lives, and what she lives on, is based on me. Holly is the me I always wanted to be and more.
Avis: That must be fun to write! It’s certainly fun to read! You add enough murder and mystery to keep yourself in plenty of hot water, in the books, that is! 😊
My next questions shifts gears again:
What made you gravitate to cozy mysteries, and what do you love about writing them?
Susie: I came to write in the cozy mystery genre because I love solving puzzles. My parents would certainly confirm I have always asked questions, and I am naturally curious (some narrow-minded people say I am nosy…go figure…LOL). So, writing mysteries was the natural next step for me to take. Who could push an apparel sales exec like me to dream of murder and mayhem? Who else but a buyer? After completing a rather challenging conversation with an important but difficult customer, I silently wished her a slow and painful death as I imagined how good it would feel with my hands around her scrawny neck, squeezing the life out of her. While knocking off annoying customers was wildly appealing, a horizontally striped prison uniform would make my petite body look like it was the product of a barbershop pole and a fire hydrant having a child. What is the viable alternative? Writing humorous murder mysteries set in the Los Angeles garment center. Brilliant and cathartic! In one fell swoop, eliminate a pain-in-the-patootie buyer, avoid life in prison, and still get the order. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Avis: I’m laughing so hard right now! So, this must be satisfying to write these situations that you wished would happen at the time, a slow and agonizing death! LOL! It also explains the how you get such great humor into your books!
Here’s another fun question:
How many books are in your “Death by . . . ” series, and how many more do you think there will be?
Susie: Including Rag Lady, the series prequel, there are eight books so far in the series. As to how many more do I think there will be? Honestly, I don’t have a number in mind or plans to end the series. Unless the readers show no interest in the series, I plan to keep it going. The way I keep the interest high is to have something major happen to one of the continuing characters so that readers will have to continue reading future books to see what happens.
Avis: I’m sure you will have dozens of books in this series then! You have a knack for getting the good hooks into your books to keep readers satisfied and reading! Good for you!
My next questions is:
Has Holly’s character arc changed over the series, and if so, how?
SUSIE: Over the series, the character arc changed significantly for most of the continuing characters. Some were accused of murder, and their arc changed considerably. Others had job changes, and others either had a new significant other or were dumped by one. In Death by Coconut, the newest series title, something so significant happens to Holly Schlivnik, the protagonist, that it could significantly change the entire arc of the series. Are you curious? Intrigued? Excellent!
Avis: See! There you go leaving a cliffhanger! It’s all in the book folks, so if this doesn’t whet your whistle, I don’t know what will. 😊
My last question is for all the burgeoning writers in the audience:
Your humor is part of your stories. What advice would you give to newbies who want to write cozies, and what would you say about introducing humor into their writing?
SUSIE: Before I started writing cozies, I had the opportunity to meet award-winning mystery author Harlan Coben. He asked if I was an author. I replied no, just an aspiring writer, and asked if he had any advice. He advised me to write what I know. If I don’t know it, do the research and learn it, or don’t write it. He said to always trust my gut, be true to myself, believe in myself, don’t ever let anyone step on my dreams, and above all: no matter what, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. I took his advice to heart, and fingers crossed, by the end of this year, I will have ten published books.
As to introducing humor into their writing: Humor is a difficult emotion to write because it is the most subjective one. While most readers would react to a tragedy in a similar way, it’s not the same with humor. One reader might find a scene hilarious, yet another reader doesn’t find it the least bit funny. So, how does an author deal with it? The short answer is you can’t please everyone every time, so don’t make trying to the focal point of the humor. Since humor is an extension of your personality, be yourself. Ask yourself what makes you laugh? What do you find humorous? If you are sarcastic, write sarcastic humor. If you are wisecracking and irreverent, incorporate those traits into the humor in your writing. If physical humor, like in I Love Lucy, is your favorite type of humor, then write scenes that are descriptive and not dependent on snappy dialogue. BUT the most important thing to remember is when you pair the humor you want to infuse into your story with a particular character, the humor must BE CONSISTENT with your character’s personality. If a character has a stick-in-the-mud personality, unless he becomes the life of the party after a few drinks, your readers will not find him believable, nor the humor funny, if your character is hilarious. So, consistency and believability are the two guideposts to steer your humor to hit the target.
Avis: Wow! Very cool advice from a pro! That was a master class in writing humor folks! Thanks for the wonderful and detailed response!
That brings us to the end of another interview on Your Next Favorite Author, this time with Susie Black! Thanks so much for your wonderful presence, Susie!
Susie Black Social Media Links:
Blue Sky: https://www.hollysusiewrites.bsky.social
Facebook: Susie Black, author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series | Facebook
Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheHollySwimsuitMysterySeries
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
Substack: https://2650.substack.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B093JXXQR4?ccs_id=f0567e59-38d2-44bc-86b1-01cb40651a7a
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/susie-black
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/21437641.Susie_Black
Review:
Susie Black has done it again with Death by Coconut, another novel in the Holly Swimsuit Murder series. It’s a cozy kept this reader turning pages into the night. Black takes us to Miami, Florida in this novel, to the Miami swimwear market. Black introduces us to Simon Posnick, a sexist boss, who suggests sleeping with one of his employees if she wants a raise, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Simon Posnick is the guy everyone loves to hate!
When Simon is found dead, the list of suspects grows, but Detective Moishe Lehrman, Holly’s former boyfriend, focuses on the wrong person, Mariel. That’s when Holly Schlevnik goes into overdrive to find the real killer, but who is it? Avril, Vice President of Sales at Tigress Swimwear? Or Maybe Lucinda, the employee who wouldn’t sleep with Simon for a raise?
The Yentas help Holly sort through possible suspects. Holly spends more time with Mo, and sparks start to fly. But what about her boyfriend Buddy in LA? Too bad he still talks about his deceased wife every day, which she’s overlooked until now. And the problem with Mo is he lives in Miami, and Holly lives in LA. Holly believes that long-distance relationships don’t always work. Sigh, because Mo is cute!
This fast-paced cozy will keep you riveted, page after page. Readers will love all the teases and possible suspects. Black gives nothing away, and it’s a tense and wild ride to the very end. This book has it all, murder, suspense, romance, adventure, humor, and great story! I give this book five-stars and highly recommend it to lovers of cozy, murder/mystery/romance and paranormal because, oh yeah, I forgot to mention the ghosts!
By Avis M. Adams
Avis M. Adams 