My Journey
A Journey from Rock Hill: My Story Before the Stories
Every so often, I’m reminded how the threads of our past quietly shape the stories we tell—and the lives we lead. This week, instead of sharing a new release or a favorite tale, I wanted to offer you a glimpse into the journey that brought me to where I am today, weaving words on the page and dreaming up lives on the frontier.
I was born and raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a small town nestled in the South Carolina upcountry. Life there was simple, sometimes hard, but always honest. I graduated from high school third in my class of 145, with a grade average I was proud of—97.3 out of 100. College was a distant dream for most of us, and with few options beyond the cotton mills, I knew I had to find another path.
The Navy recruiter’s office offered a glimmer of something different. After testing, I earned a place in Class A Electronics School. Out of seventy-two students, only eighteen of us made it through, and finishing in the top five meant I was assigned to the USS Essex CVA9, an aircraft carrier bound for adventure. But as fate would have it, a sleepwalking discovery during a Far East cruise led me to finish my service in a very different place: the Naval Communications Station at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Thirty months on that island gave me time to reflect, to grow, and to dream about what might come next.
After my discharge, I interviewed with IBM and was offered a position as a Field Engineer in the Military Products Division. I later moved to the Field Engineering division, where I worked as an instructor and held several management positions. I retired in 1996, grateful for a career that had challenged me and gave me a front-row seat to the changing world of technology.
In August of 2012, faced with mounting credit card bills and a desire for a new chapter, I began writing and publishing on Amazon. What started as a leap of faith quickly became a calling. I now have 183 novels published on Amazon—each one a testament to the power of perseverance and the belief that it’s never too late to start again.
On August 6, 2022, life took another unexpected turn. I fell in my home and shattered my femur in four places. Emergency surgery saved my life, but since then, I have been confined to a wheelchair. It’s a challenge I never anticipated, but it has given me a new perspective on resilience, hope, and the importance of finding joy wherever we can.
Looking back, I realize those early years—filled with determination, unexpected turns, and a longing for something more—are the same qualities I try to bring to every character and every story I write. Whether it’s a Boston heiress facing the wilds of Montana or a wounded gunslinger searching for redemption, at the heart of each tale is the belief that courage can be found in the most unlikely places, and that the past, no matter how humble, can be the beginning of something extraordinary.
If you’re curious to see how these pieces of my own story find their way into my books, I invite you to explore my book collection on my new website. Each story is a piece of my heart, shaped by the roads I’ve traveled and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Thank you for letting me share a bit of my history with you. I’m grateful, as always, for your company on this journey—through every chapter, every character, and every letter.
Until next time,
Susan