Welcome, Susie! What types of stories do you write?
I write novels in the humorous cozy mystery genre.
When did your writing journey begin?
My writing journey began early as I’ve been telling stories from the day I learned how to talk. Like the protagonist in my Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, I am a ladies’ swimwear sales exec in the greater Los Angeles area. From the beginning of my career, I have kept a daily journal chronicling the interesting, quirky, and sometimes quite challenging people I have encountered as well as the crazy situations I’ve gotten myself into and out of. My daily journal entries are the foundation of everything I write.
Nana the Storyteller
If there is an inheritable gene for story-telling, 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 a cousin Jenny who played piano at the local silent-movie house and she was able to get a pass for relatives. Nana and her next oldest sibling traded off weeks going to the serialized show every Saturday afternoon and then came 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 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. I kept Nana’s story-telling skills in mind while writing Death by Sample Size, my debut humorous cozy mystery was released June 9th. Somewhere in the great beyond, Nana is smiling her approval.
What drew you to writing?
I love listening to stories and I am a people watcher. Everyday people all have stories to tell. It was inevitable for me to go from listening to telling stories. I came to write in the cozy mystery genre because I love solving puzzles. My parents would certainly confirm I have always asked a lot of 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. It is also the genre I read, am comfortable in, and enjoy the most. The bonus is that it was an excellent way to knock off some people on paper who I would have loved to eliminate in real life and still not end up in prison. Extremely therapeutic. I highly recommend it.
As a female who has succeeded in a historically male-dominated industry, it was important to me to write about the apparel business from a woman’s point of view. All of my characters are based on real people, and the central characters are all strong, successful women who have beaten the odds. Holly Schlivnik, the main character in the Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, is based on me with some poetic license taken, of course. The plots and premises of my stories all take place in the fast-paced ladies' apparel industry. I truly believe it was fate that got me into the rag biz because I was destined to write about it.
What was your inspiration for Death by Sample Size?
The inspiration for Death by Sample Size was an experience I had with a powerful, but unethical ladies’ apparel retail buyer. Do you find inspiration in your own life for your writing? I absolutely do. All my stories take place in the fast-paced ladies’ apparel industry that I work in. All my characters are based on real-life people.
The premise behind the story in Death by Sample Size is what if a buying office big shot in the apparel industry was so universally disliked, that when she was murdered, there were so many potential suspects that it wasn’t a question of who wanted her dead, it was a question of who didn’t.
The question wasn’t who wanted Bunny Frank dead. The question was who didn’t?
The last thing swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected was to discover ruthless buying office big wig Bunny Frank’s corpse trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a bikini stuffed down her throat. When Holly’s colleague is arrested for Bunny’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to find the real killer. Nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she matches wits with a wily killer hellbent on revenge.
Buy links:
Book Bub ~ Amazon ~ itunes ~ barnesandnoble ~ goodreads
~ Target ~ KOBO
Tell us about your experience with the publishing process.
I went with an independent small press. The publishing experience was nothing like I expected. It is a longer, more arduous process. It took ten months from the date my contract was signed until the release date. I also had no idea that authors are expected to do virtually all the marketing for their books with little help or direction from the publisher.
Any new projects on the horizon?
Yes. Book number two in the Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series has just completed its first hard editing and revisions. The manuscript is now with my beta readers. Fingers crossed, it will be published fourth quarter of next year.
Words of advice for fellow writers in the trenches:
Only write what you know. If you don’t know it, either do the research and learn it or don’t you dare write it. If you don’t have the creds for what you write, you are toast because readers can spot a phony by the second paragraph and never finish reading your book. This concept is one I never lose sight of and is the reason I write about the subjects I do. My other advice is trust your gut, believe in yourself, keep writing no matter what, never allow anyone to crush your dreams, and never stop asking WHAT IF?
What was the hardest/ part of the story to write/research?
The most difficult part of the story for me to write was the middle. I had the beginning and ending mapped out, but not the middle. I made a decision to allow the characters to drive the plot from the middle and get the story to the ending I had planned. This worked quite well and it is a formula I use in my plots.
Speed Round with Susie!
Ice cream (favorite flavor)? Rocky Road
Coffee or tea or wine? Coffee
What does your desk look like? Organized chaos
What is your writing vice or must-have? pencils, legal pads, scratch paper, coffee
Describe a perfect writing day. I am on my houseboat, sitting on the forward deck, typing on my laptop while listening to jazz or oldies
What are some of your go-to methods for writing? People watching and a pad and pencil handy
In an alternate reality, what would be your dream job (besides author)? Stand-up comic
Where is your favorite place you've visited? Cancun, Mexico
What do you like to do when not writing? I am a dedicated walker, an avid stamp collector, a voracious reader, and adventurous traveler
Beach, lake, or mountains? Beach
What are you known for? My sense of humor, integrity, and my directness
Morning rooster, night owl, or midday lark? Night owl
What comes first, character or plot (or other)? Character
You find a $100 bill in your purse/bag, what would you spend it on? Feed hungry children
Favorite childhood book? Madeleine
Favorite book of all time? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Born in the Big Apple, Susie Black 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.
Looking for more? Reach her at mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com
Just behind my college graduation, wedding day, and the birth of my son, June 9th was truly one of the most amazing days of my entire life. My debut cozy mystery Death by Sample Size was released for publication. I am humbled, honored, and proud to be able to say that now I am officially a published author! A life-long dream has come true, a hard-fought-for goal has been accomplished.