Q: When you look back over your childhood and early life, can you see where being a writer, or indeed a crime writer, began for you? Were there definitive moments that sealed your fate?
from Susan
It’s hard to pinpoint something other than that my stepfather was a writer (films) and he and my mother were voracious, educated, and adventurous readers. I had full, uncensored access to their great library from forever, as high as the library ladder could take me. I knew who Man Ray was when I was six and was self-educated about human anatomy at nine.
My first defined project was to produce a carbon-copied newspaper, The Wolff Weekly, circulation limited to parents, in third grade. I emulated the best: headlines, decks, images and captions, breaking and investigative stories. I wish now I’d saved a copy but, alas, like all newspapers, today’s headlines are tomorrow’s fish wrappings.
Today's news: While I still will be writing and reading, this is my last regular post here. (I’ll have a juicy list of books to recommend on this blog's holiday edition later this month.) I am a writer, an author, a voracious reader, and, I hope, a supportive colleague and friend to other writers, including the Minds I’ve blogged with here for many years. I’ve been at it so long I’m sure I’m repeating myself at times, and am turning my spot over to someone fresh chosen by the Minds.
Meanwhile, we’re all operating in a publishing universe that is in the midst of more changes than at any time in its history. If you read Minds, you’ve heard about our experiences navigating new and still changing industry practices. As if we didn’t have enough to make us dizzy, AI has jumped in and our published books are being hoovered up to make programs designed to mimic our creative work but without acknowledging the sources, much less paying for them. So, know that anytime you buy a book, or ask your library to buy it, you are carrying the flag for originality, creativity, and the hard work of real writers. We thank you!
I can’t wait to share my list of highly recommended new crime fiction, books I’ve read and loved this year, when I do my last post in mid-December. And then, I hope to see you online, at bookstore events, in the library and at conventions. Please keep in touch.
Write on! Read on!
Facebook: Susan C Shea
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Instagram: susanwrit
Author of 4 French village mysteries, the most recent MURDER AND THE MISSING DOG (2024) and 3 Dani O’Rourke Mysteries (New editions 2023)
We will miss you on the blog, Susan! I echo your words about AI - buying books written by real people is important to keep authors writing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always, Susan. You will be missed around here, but I know we'll cross paths again down the road.
ReplyDeleteDear Susan, You were one of the first people I met in the crime writing community, way back in 2014 or 2015. Was it Monterey? Or Long Beach? You have been a great contributor to our merry band of scribblers here at 7 Criminal Minds. Or is it 10 Criminal Minds? So sorry to see you leave, but we all understand. I’m counting on seeing you around, and look forward to chatting on our next group call. Best wishes always, Jim
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