About Suzanne
I grew up in Greensburg, Indiana, where my interests generally revolved around the outdoors or animals. I attended Purdue University, worked part time at the local zoo, then became a laboratory technician at the University after graduation. Since that latter job did not involve either the outdoors or animals, I migrated to Kansas and received a masters degree in wildlife ecology. From there I worked for Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in their Pratt museum, then as a research assistant on the Konza Prairie at Kansas State University. I also taught as a Biology instructor at Kansas State University.
Later, after my husband and I moved, I earned a Master’s in Education in order to pursue a teaching career and taught middle and high school science. When I began writing, I targeted the children's magazine market and then branched into the adult market. I have also been a part-time temporary instructor of biology at Pittsburg State, teaching introductory biology classes.
I am a member of the Mystery Writer's of America, Sisters in Crime (SInC), the "Border Crimes" Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the Missouri Writer’s Guild. I am a charter member of the southeast Kansas Chapter of Women in the Outdoors.
The Jade del Cameron Mystery Series: Why Africa?
I have been an armchair explorer ever since I first picked up a book of missionary tales. I grew up with Elsa the lioness in "Born Free" and read the semi-autobiographical stories of African bush pilot Beryl Markham and explorers and cinematographers Osa and Martin Johnson. I graduated into museum collector Roy Chapman Andrews whose exploits became the basis for Indiana Jones, Amazon explorer Col. Fawcett, African coffee farmer Isak Dinesen, and finally Peter Capstick, a modern big game hunter.
Unfortunately, like Jimmy Stewart in "It's A Wonderful Life", an actual explorer's life eluded me, so I studied wildlife biology in college and took part time jobs as a zookeeper. It was the closest to getting into the wild that I could get in the mid-west. Most people read fiction to live vicariously in another world. I'm creating that world for myself and for all those other armchair detectives, explorers, and adventurers.
What's Next?
With Jade not being continued by the publisher, I am considering other venues for continuing Jade's adventures. In the meantime, I'm working on a modern mystery set in the Ozarks, where we spend a lot of time hiking, and some other smaller - and different - projects.
Finding Me
You can follow me on Facebook and get the most current information. I also use Twitter to share more of the day-to-day writing-related journey.
Links
Some Mystery/Thriller Author Links (links open in a new window)
- Sandi Ault [http://www.sandiault.com/]
- Clive Cussler [http://www.cusslerbooks.com/]
- Elizabeth Peters [http://www.ameliapeabody.com/]
- Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child [http://www.prestonchild.com/]
Some Professional and Book-related Links (links open in a new window)
- International Thriller Writers [http://www.thrillerwriters.org/]
- Mystery Writers of America [http://www.mysterywriters.org]
- Missouri Writers Guild [http://www.missouriwritersguild.org/]
- Ozark Creative Writer's League [http://www.ozarkcreativewriters.org/]
- Sisters in Crime [http://www.sistersincrime.org/]
- The Pulpwood Queens [http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com/]
Outdoor Links (links open in a new window)
- Women in the Outdoors [http://www.womenintheoutdoors.org/wito/]
- Safari Club International [http://www.safariclub.org/]
- Elefence [http://www.elefence.com/]
Innocent Diversions During Writer's Block (links open in a new window)
- All Star Puzzles [http://www.allstarpuzzles.com/]
- The Jig Zone [http://www.jigzone.com/]
