Current releases

I have to admit, I write because I just can't help myself. I can't resist the challenge of taking the intriguing characters and storylines that pop into my head and fleshing them out into compelling manuscripts. Romantic suspense is a natural to me, because it allows me to combine my love of a good mystery with a passionate love story. It also lets me explore my love for the outdoors in the settings that I recreate on the page.

Naturally, my writing stemmed from my love of reading. I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy reading. I remember being introduced, at the tender age of three, to Alice in Wonderland. I thought the story and pictures were very strange, but they sparked my imagination and showed me that reading could open up whole new worlds, introduce me to new characters. In my pre-teen years, I discovered Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. During the hot summers when other kids were outside playing, all I wanted to do was curl up with the amateur sleuths' latest mystery and laze the day away.

My love of characters drew me to the theater. After numerous acting roles in elementary and high school, I began my college career as a Theater Major, but soon realized that traipsing off to New York to follow the greasepaint wasn't for me. I changed my major and earned a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in business from Columbia College. Before writing my debut novel heartbeats, I held many roles--wife, mother, free-lance writer, insurance representative, T-ball coach, girl scout leader, etc. I also penned three novels, but it wasn't until my last offspring told me she was engaged and would graduate college early that I decided it was time to pursue my writing dream again. Characters were still talking in my head, wanting to get their stories out. So, armed with years of creative writing classes and support from Chicago-North, the local chapter of Romance Writers of America, I quit my day job and sat down to write the best darn romantic suspense novel I possibly could. Four months later I had heartbeats. A few months after that, I had a contract!

heartbeats is a story of romance and danger set against the background of busy Chicago and the quiet, rural cornfields of Richmond, Illinois. heartbeats garnered numerous awards, including RWA Golden Heart Finalist for Best Romantic Suspense Novel and Best First Book by First Coast Romance Writers. It all just proves that if you work hard, study your craft, and never quit, dreams really can come true.

I am exited to announce that Heartbeats will have its E-Book debut April 27, 2012 with my new publisher, MUSApublishing.com, followed two months later with the release of my new novel, FREEFALL on June 22, 2012. In FREEFALL, intrigue, danger and suspense are juxtaposed against the tranquil valley of Sylvan Lake (fictitious) in the Kettle Moraine Forest and the sun-dappled waters of Door County, Wisconsin. Both will be available for download to your e-reader or PC. I am currently working on another book entitled On Thin I.C.E.

I still love the outdoors and reading. When I'm not sketching characters or working out plot problems, I enjoy swimming, golfing, canoeing, and spending time with my three children, two of whom have recently moved back toward home after moving far and wide while they followed their hearts and dreams. They've also given me four grandchildren to spoil! My husband and I continue to live in the suburbs of Chicago with our empty-nest puppies, Ginger and Nikute.

Talk about inspiration! It looks like the cover of a romance novel, don't you think?

Susan visiting Niagara Falls escarpment on her way to NYC.

Door County Tranquility