Julie Kramer's debut novel, STALKING SUSAN, is coming from Doubleday July 15th! People Magazine calls it a Sizzling Summer Read! Watch the Stalking Susan Book Trailer, if you dare. 40 seconds of chills... Book Trailer produced by Garrett Young   SIZZLING SUSAN People Magazine picks STALKING SUSAN as a Sizzling Summer Read with a review that rocks. "In this snappily paced debut thriller, TV reporter Riley Spartz tries to stop a serial killer who's targeting women named Susan. Truly scary, no matter what your name is." The Chicago Tribune also includes STALKING SUSAN in their Hot Summer Reads. "Watch out, ladies named Sue. There's a serial killer on the loose, and your name is on his list." STALKING SUSAN IS HOT PICK! My debut novel has enjoyed a flurry of excitement and strong advance reviews. Booklist raved about Kramer's first novel, "She spins a good story with a gutsy and appealing protagonist...This is a series worth joining at the start." Publishers Weekly gives a "starred" review to STALKING SUSAN, calling it "an impressive debut." Read the full review here. Romantic Times makes STALKING SUSAN a Top Pick and awards four and a half stars: "Great characters and a well-constructed, chilling plot make this a thoroughly satisfying novel. Riley is a character you will love, and this page-turner is difficult to put down. It ranks as one of the best debut novels I've encountered." Kirkus Reviews calls STALKING SUSAN a "lively and fast-paced debut...Kramer writes with heart and pizzazz...Kramer's past as a TV producer lends authority to an entertaining story." Books On Tape Books On Tape will release an audio version of STALKING SUSAN in early August. Bernadette Dunne (who just narrated Barbara Walter's memoir, AUDITION) will be the voice. Thrillerfest STALKING SUSAN will be available at Thrillerfest. Doubleday is allowing early release sales at the fan convention July 9-12 in New York. Here's the program ad for my debut. St. Paul's Cold Case Unit Looking at Susan Murders WCCO-TV reports that St. Paul' s newly formed Cold Case Unit will take a fresh look at the murders of two women, both named Susan, 25 years ago. I first covered these homicides a decade ago as an investigative producer for the station. Some stories stick with journalists long after the newscast ends, and this one inspired me to write STALKING SUSAN. My debut novel is not their story. But in the world of fiction I was free to ask myself, what if? When I wrote STALKING SUSAN, I changed the victims' ages, appearances, occupations, and the time and locations of their deaths. I also changed their last names and considered changing their first names. But I decided to keep Susan because I never forgot them and I wanted others to remember them, too. Here's the real life story behind the Susans. Read about it here. More Raves For Stalking Susan The Midwest Booksellers Association has named STALKING SUSAN a Midwest Connections pick for August. MBA represents more than 250 independent bookstores. And two prominent mystery booksellers are giving raves to STALKING SUSAN. Mysterious Galaxy Books in San Diego, CA has chosen STALKING SUSAN for their "Signed First Mystery Program" this summer. The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ has selected it for their July "First Mystery Club" Pick. Book Club News Great News! STALKING SUSAN will appear as a featured alternate in the Mystery Guild Book Club's fall catalogue. Mystery Guild offers a vast selection of the latest in bestselling mysteries, thrillers and suspense novels. Sarah Andersen is the winner of the advanced reading copy of STALKING SUSAN given away at Once Upon A Crime's Write of Spring author festival. Thanks to all the readers who entered and listened to my book pitch. And thanks to Pat Frovarp and Gary Shulze for inviting me to promote my debut thriller. How Libraries Create Authors I was one of five authors selected to speak at the Library Journal Breakfast at the Public Library Association Conference in Minneapolis March 27. I used the example of my debut novel, STALKING SUSAN, to talk about how libraries create authors. Because this is National Library Week, I thought I'd share some of it with you. Books were important to me growing up along the Minnesota-Iowa State Line, and I wanted to be like Phyllis A. Whitney. When I first became serious about writing a book, I went to the library, There I reread debut novels by my favorite thriller writers and tried analyzing what made them so good. That took about a year. And that was my favorite part of writing a book. But I found writing fiction harder than my day job as a journalist writing news, so I started checking out books about the craft of fiction. One of the most useful, WRITING MYSTERIES, had advice from famous authors, including a chapter on pacing and suspense written by Phyllis A. Whitney. I took her advice about curiosity, emotion, viewpoint and giving every character a secret. Eventually I had a big pile of pages. Next I started checking out books about researching agents. And it worked. Elaine Koster agreed to represent me. Then I checked out books about the publishing industry, all the while revising and improving my manuscript. Before long I had a two-book deal with Doubleday. And my editor, Stacy Creamer, decided to market my book under suspense. Just like my childhood idol, Phyllis A. Whitney. Click here to read the entire speech on Phyllis A. Whitney's website.