Susanna lives in Sydney, Australia where she works as a specialist teacher of students with learning difficulties. During her professional career, she enjoyed working as the Disability Consultant before accepting the roles of principal in both special education and mainstream schools.Susanna has a passion for teaching, a career that spans more than 55 years, which combined with her love of writing affords her a busy, but highly rewarding lifestyle.Living close to the south coast beaches of Wollongong, south of Sydney, Susanna’s inspiration for her writing comes from the beautiful coastal and mountainous environments on her home doorstep.
The essence of a good writer is to find that ‘writer’s moment’ – that little piece of observable idiosyncratic behaviour where humour lives. How Susanna loves to discover those eccentricities in people’s characters that she can frame on her artist’s canvas.Humour is found in the ordinary, the everyday, the awkward and the sublimely ridiculous events that grace our faces. When faced with the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020 Susanna’s pen had hardly time to rest between scenarios, furiously recording stories, such as the stupidity of the Tissue Issue – ‘Spare a Square,’ or about the sneaky company tricks in ‘Plays and Ploys’.Other stories share precious family time with her little granddaughter, whilst many raise issues prevalent in all our lives. Instead of becoming exasperated by incompetence, or the folly of people’s foolishness, Susanna’s pen quickly slips into writing mode to create each immensely amusing saga.‘That Perfect Little Writing Day’Knock, knock.“Who’s there?”“Me,” a newly turned three-year-old gives her nanny a kiss.“Where did you come from?”“From the door.”“How d’you get here?”“I walked. Silly Nanny – I don’t drive!”The stories and poems are written for entertainment. Coffee Time invites you into the coffee shop to sip one or more of the delicious brews on offer. Please stay a while and chat and share these little treasures with your family and friends.
In our lives we encounter many difficult or tricky situations that can make us upset or angry. Susanna prefers to see The Lighter Side of life when this happens. This seems to happen too often, as her readers will see, but as she professes – every experience, good or bad, is fodder for a story!
This collection of stories shares many amusing, as well as poignant responses to life’s little challenges. Many of the stories share Susanna’s husband’s journey along his terminal illness pathway—cancer is a beast! It attacks suddenly, without warning and without manners. It is unrelenting, unmerciful and does not care for feelings. It demands power and wins in the end. Despite Susanna’s incredible efforts to extend her husband’s life, the ‘beast’ became the victor. The Lighter Side shows that all experiences are opportunities to make the most of life’s Pandora's box. It can either be a treasure trove of goodies, as Pandora had expected, or it can be a box of moths!
Susanna’s sagas are her Pandora's box – her chocolate box of mixed delights that she shares with her friends. Her readers all tell her how they respond to each different story, and she is always fascinated by their different responses—we all respond differently to life’s encounters.
Life is an intricate tapestry of emotions: moments that tug at our hearts and instances that leave us in stitches. Every day, we navigate the quirks and peculiarities of those around us, choosing to either embrace the humour or let annoyance take the reins. Why not revel in the comedic interludes hidden within life’s juxtapositions?
In Rags and Riches, Susanna invites readers into a delightful collection filled with laughter, wit, and true tales. From whimsical articles to heartfelt poems, she captures the essence of real people and the memorable moments that have shaped their lives. Many stories bring to life the eclectic guests that have crossed Susanna’s threshold, while others shine a spotlight on the charming exchanges she shares with her vivacious granddaughter.
‘One of her guests, a specialist medical doctor, laughs, “Susanna, you know I’m known as ‘The Cleaner.’ One weekend I was asked to be the medic in charge of a small hospital of nineteen patients. By the end of the weekend, sixteen of them had died.”
“What did you do? One look at you and they all decided their lives weren’t worth living? Seriously?”
“Yes, I’m that girl!”
“Now when any hospital needs to move patients on – they know who to ask.”
“Yes, the cleaner!”’
Articles used to be written on rags, which would be posted around the towns for people to read. They looked forward to their weekly rag. The book title includes ‘Riches’ because stories enrich our lives.
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