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Susan I. Spieth
Former Army Officer, Ordained clergywoman, and published author. Although my favorite roles are wife and mother.
In 2011, I left my role as a pastor to write a book that had been on my heart and mind for almost thirty years. I planned to write one book. Just one, about my experiences as a West Point cadet in the early 1980's when women were newly admitted to the service academies. Two years later, I finally published that one book, covering only the first year at West Point. I realized I had to write at least one more book, a sequel, which covered the second year at the military academy. My books were winning awards and getting great reviews. So, guess what? I had to write a third, and finally after almost eight years, I wrote the fourth and final book. You can read more about the Gray Girl Series in the tab above.
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All of the sudden, I had a lot of free time. So, I decided to try my hand at writing a non-fiction book. As an ordained clergy woman in the United Methodist Church, I chose to visit a handful of churches and write about the experiences in each one. Well, that project took me to 50 churches, in 25 different denominations, spanning over 16 months. My most recent book, I Was A Stranger, details those church experiences in various faith settings. You can read more in the Other Books tab, above.
Now I'm working on a new book about tennis, or maybe about a clergywoman in a small Tennessee town. I'm not sure yet what will eventually come into being. Although, I think the world needs a book about the nasty sub-culture of over 40, well okay, over 50, women's tennis. Oy, vey.
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As someone who has not experienced life at a military academy, or the military, for that matter, I felt this book offered a compelling glimpse into that world. The author is a masterful storyteller, her characters have depth and complexity, and I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this book.
Ann T.
This is a must read, page turner, can't put down kind of book. I read a lot of books-hardback, paperback, kindle, fiction, non-fiction, murder, mystery, sci-fi, history and more but this is my favorite book of the year. Susan does a remarkable job of character development, attention to detail and a spell binding plot with twist and turns. Cadet Jan Wishart is every female cadet, and none of them at the same time. You feel her pain and rejoice in her triumphs.
Mike McGurk
Thanks for Witch Heart. From the opening page, I was captivated by book 3 of Gray Girl. I have a feeling that with the right agent, we could see you on the NYT Bestseller list. Keep doing what you are doing. It definitely works.
Bill Brooks