Connor Sullivan (B.A. 2021, M.A. 2024) returned to campus to promote his first novel, a mystery entitled The Body in the River. Sullivan met with students and faculty to discuss writing and publishing and to share a chili lunch, courtesy of Professor Lawhorn, who organized the event.

Sullivan is a full-time English teacher at West Prairie High School, but over the past few years he has also been working hard to complete his first novel. A longtime reader of mystery novels, Sullivan wanted to use the form to capture small-town life by the Mississippi River. His extended family has deep roots next to the Mississippi, and he grew up living the life of the river with them. As he told the students and faculty who came to hear him speak, “I really thought of my family as my audience, and I wanted to capture a slice of the life we know so well.” But soon, Sullivan sought after a much bigger audience.

To find this audience, he chose to self-publish his first novel. As he explained, this is becoming a more frequent option for authors in the competitive world of the mystery genre, and he very much enjoyed the production process for the book. His work is available on Amazon, and local bookstores in the Midwest have featured his book and helped connect him with his broader audience. His strategy is paying off; he has been conducting a brisk business moving hundreds of copies and gaining attention for his first novel.

Over lunch in the Simpkins Hall Reading Room, Sullivan chatted with faculty and students, answered questions about writing and his love of mysteries, and sold and signed books. After lunch, Sullivan read from the opening pages of his novel.

Sullivan is currently working on his second novel, and he hopes to keep building his readership. Look for his work at local bookstores in the Midwest or find it on Amazon. The English department looks forward to welcoming him back for his second novel soon!

Edited by Karissa L. Geisinger