About Susan Lyons
(also writing as Susan Fox and Savanna Fox)

I’m a resident of the Pacific Northwest, a place where, on any given day, you’d best start your day with both sunglasses and an umbrella in your bag – and where there are flowers in bloom every day of the year. My partner and I are lucky enough to homes in both the countryside near Victoria and in downtown Vancouver, BC (though, unfortunately, both come with lots of rain…)

I’ve had a variety of careers, including perennial student, grad school dropout (twice), project manager, computer consultant, and legal editor. I’ve studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, counselling, and law. Get the impression it took a while for me to figure out what I wanted to do with my life? Yup, true enough.

But I did find my bliss (yes, writing) and that makes me feel very lucky. I’ve been writing fiction for more than twenty years now.

My first sales were short stories, and I still have a special fondness for them. Before I sold my first book, I had stories published in Canadian literary journals, the American Woman’s World, England’s Woman’s Weekly, Scotland’s The People’s Friend and Australia’s Woman’s Day. Now I have spicy short stories with Harlequin Spice Briefs as well as a story in Northern Heat: best Canadian erotic romance stories. I also have twelve mini-volumes each containing two or three sweet (not spicy) short stories. They’re called Sweet Indulgences because they’re designed for the busy woman who deserves a few minutes of self-indulgence.

When it comes to book-length fiction, my breakthrough year was 2005. First, my novel Finding Isadora was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart contest, in the category “novel with strong romantic elements.” And then . . . drum roll . . . I got “the call” and was offered a two-book contract with Kensington Aphrodisia. My first published book was Champagne Rules in February 2006.

Since then I’ve sold more than two dozen romance novels and novellas to three Kensington lines as well as to Berkley/Penguin. My Caribou Crossing Romance Love Somebody Like You won the National Readers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for Romance Writers of America^®’s prestigious RITA^®.

I still have trouble believing it. I’m one of the many examples of the importance of persistence. Becoming a published writer is one of the most difficult things in the world. I’m called to the BC Bar and let me tell you, it’s way easier to become a lawyer: work hard, follow the rules, and you’ll get there. But with writing (as with most artistic endeavours), there are no rules. Yes, you have to work hard, hone your craft, keep writing and editing and submitting, deal with rejection (and rejection, and rejection), research the market, always be professional, etc. etc. – but that in itself isn’t enough. In the end, it’s a matter of the right manuscript reaching the right editor at the right time.

And then, after it happens that magical first time, it’s not all that much easier to make it keep happening! Anyhow, I feel blessed to be doing what I’m doing. I’m thrilled that characters I bring to life are sharing their stories with the world.

I’m also totally thrilled each time a reader takes the time to contact me and tell me she’s enjoyed one of my stories.

My books are romance, which means the reader is guaranteed of a happy romantic ending. They’re also about dealing with tough issues, re-examining values, doing the hard work of confronting issues and growing as a person, the joy of supportive friendship and, most of all, the power of love.

As well as writing, I enjoy photography and exploring my world. Please visit me on my Facebook page where I share my photos, experiences, and thoughts on life and writing.