Behind the Author

Susan Berry grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The oldest of five children, she was always busy helping out around the house or babysitting her younger siblings. And when she had precious moments to herself, you could find her sprawled out on her bed reading a book.

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At the age of twelve, her grandma visited and brought with her a dozen Harlequin romances. Susan was thrilled with the gift and immediately began reading them. By the time her grandmother returned, she had finished reading all the novels and was ecstatic when they were swapped for a fresh collection of books.

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By the time Susan was an adult, all that reading had turned into writing. Soon she had notebooks filled with short happily-ever-after stories. There was also a new man in her life.

 

Married with a new baby, things couldn’t be better. But a hard fought battle with severe rheumatoid arthritis had taken its toll on her body and left Susan wheelchair dependent and lead to her inevitable decision to leave her job as an asset manager for a property management company. Her husband, unwilling to stay and help her, did some leaving of his own.

Now divorced with a young daughter, Susan needed to pivot and fast. To pay the bills, she designed pageant wear. In the evening hours, she wrote romantic stories on an old, used computer and was thrilled when she had finished her first manuscript, Dance of the Heart.

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By the time her daughter, Elisabeth completed college, Susan’s arthritis had advanced to the extent where sewing was no longer possible for her. Once more, she took a leap of faith and sent her finished manuscript, Dance of the Heart, to a small publishing house. However, it proved to be a disappointing encounter which prompted her to end the partnership and she has since opted for self-publishing.

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Her next novel, The Reluctant Heart, received rave reviews and gave her a new sense of energy for her writing career. But the aspiring writer faced yet another obstacle when a severe accident led to the amputation of the left leg.

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Now a bedbound, paraplegic amputee, Susan didn’t let it stop her and continued to indulge in her passion for writing. Promise of the Heart became the third book in her Moments of the Heart series. The twentieth-century historical romance, Beneath the Evergreens, came out in February 2023 and A Tender Promise to be released in May of 2024.

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With her dog, Max by her side, Susan continues to write and has started a new adventure as co-founder of Restless Heart Publishing, which is dedicated to helping independent authors achieve success in the competitive world of book publishing.

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And when she’s not writing? You can find Susan watching old movies, eating decadent chocolate, and penning stories of love's winding, fervent journey.