Today, we’re lucky enough to have Susan Furlong as guest author. She’s going to talk about one of my favorite subjects, “The Magic of Libraries”.

Susan Furlong is the author of several mysteries including the acclaimed Bone Gap Travelers series, and SHATTERED JUSTICE, a New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year. She also contributes, under a penname, to the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea series. Her eleventh novel, WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW, releases on May 17, 2022. She resides in Illinois with her husband and children.

“The Magic of Libraries”

The first library I knew was in my small, rural hometown where winters were brutal, often below zero for months on end. The library was the most beautiful building in town. It had castle-like palladium arched windows, a gigantic wood door, and was crowned with a white dome. It quickly became my retreat, where it was always warm, with endless stories to explore, and a librarian with a big heart. (She let me check out as many books as I wanted.)

In the beginning, I spent most of my time in the children’s section, picking books by their covers. I quickly found classic books like Black Beauty, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Secret Garden. Later, a patient librarian revealed to me the secrets of the card index, where I learned how to search by subject. And I did, exploring topics like animals, castles, and adventure. I slipped into fantasy worlds with books like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which captivated my growing imagination, pulling me from winter’s chill outside into an equally frigid realm where brave characters saved a fantastical kingdom and warmed my soul to the power of reading. 

Eventually I hit on books that spoke more of the real world and brought a new thrill. As a teen, I spent hours curled up in an oversized club chair, reading every word ever written by Grafton, Paretsky, and Mary Higgins Clark. If you detect a theme, it’s because in that library my love for fantasies morphed into a fascination with mysteries. But it was more than that. The library provided the ability to peek into worlds that were new to me. Being emersed in a story meant that I got to be someone else for a while, and then return to my own world a bit wiser.

Today, I escape to my library as much as possible to research and write my own mysteries. When I’m writing a book and the chill of writer’s block creeps in, I take a break and peruse the shelves. I run a finger along the spines, absorbing the titles until I find one that interests me and inspires my next scene or chapter. Sometimes a brief respite for my overworked brain is all that’s needed, but when I’m really stuck, I ask a librarian for related resources. Call me old school, but the original source still rules, books are king, and like a magician, my local librarian pulls out the right reference to reinvigorate my imagination and inspire my writing, more than a search engine or e-reader ever could.

I’m convinced that a certain magic resides between the stacks, nestled in the words of creative minds from decades before me, and where silent sorcerers, clothed like librarians, tirelessly reshelve books. So, thank you to the kind librarian who stacked an extra book on my young waiting arms, and the one who patiently stayed with me as I learned how to use the powerful tools housed in that warm building on cold winter days. And although my questions are fewer now, I also thank each librarian who has offered suggestions and pointed me to new resources in my adult days. Today a librarian’s magic wand may appear to be little more than a computer mouse, but, trust me, it’s their own love for reading that makes what they do bring books to life for every reader … and writer.

What They Don’t Know by Susan Furlong. Seventh Street Books, 2022. ISBN 9781645060406 (paperback), 286p. (Release date May 17.)

Unrelenting psychological suspense with a wicked twist … 

Mona Ellison is living a dream life. A successful husband, loving son, beautiful home, an amazing group of friends …  you could say that everything is perfect. 

Until it isn’t.

When her son becomes entangled with the wrong crowd, ditches college plans, and runs away from home for a life of partying, Mona is upset, but boys will be boys, right? He’ll be back as soon as his money runs dry. At least that’s what she tells her friends. 

Only she suspects something different.  

Then the police knock on Mona’s door. A young girl has turned up dead, and her missing son is the prime suspect. 

Determined to reunite with her son and prove his innocence, Mona embarks on a search that puts her on a twisty trail of social media clues and a rollercoaster ride of lies and betrayal until she lands on a truth that changes her perception of everything. Now, the only thing Mona knows is that she can’t trust anyone … not even herself. 

Suburban paranoia at its best …