Susan Russell

Born in Norwich, many of Susan’s earliest memories are of writing, drawing, and ploughing through piles of books from the library. She began her working life as a nurse, and after two years as Staff Nurse she moved to Sidcup to work in a residential home for handicapped young adults. Meeting her future husband resulted in a move down to West Dorset, where a busy life included opening a kitchenware shop, raising three sons, and qualifying in the natural health care fields of massage, the Bowen Technique, and Medical Herbalism.

Susan’s particular interest in writing for children stems from two years of volunteering with Dorset Reading Partners – a charity that inspires primary school children to enjoy reading, improving their literacy skills and encouraging confidence in their abilities along the way, an experience that really underlined the power of a good story. Her first novel, A Jar Full of Angel Feathers, reflects two of the major factors that tend to influence her writing – a deep love for the magic and mystery of nature, and a fascination for the ways in which people are shaped by the experiences that come into their lives.

Home is currently the Auvergne, France, where running a gite, attempting to grow vegetables, and volunteering at the local dog refuge, take up much more time than you would expect.