The mandatory bio where you can learn more than you want about you know who. . .
What I post on websites . . .
Before she let her writing go to the dogs, Susan J. Kroupa won awards for her fiction from such places as the Utah Arts Council Contest, Writers of the Future and the Deep South Writing Competition. Her stories have appeared in Realms of Fantasy and in a variety of anthologies, including Bruce Coville’s Shapeshifters. Now, she is perhaps best known for her Doodlebugged Mysteries, a gentle cozy series featuring the irrepressible but obedience-impaired sniffer-dog, Doodle.
What I might add if I thought there was interest. . .
After thirteen years in Utah, where she worked at Orem Public Library selecting books for the fiction and foreign language collections, Susan moved with her husband to the Appalachians in southwestern Virginia (or, as one of her daughters puts it, “the middle of freaking nowhere”.) There, her desert-raised, moisture-starved soul delighted in the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains, where trees, moss, and rainstorms abound; where raspberries and blackberries grow wild; where spring breaks forth in a riot of bird call, blooming azaleas, woodpecker rapping, and buzzing bees.
Until another sound, a siren call, a nearly irresistible magnetic force, tugged her back to the barren west, that unassailable force known to almost every parent: grandkids.
Abandoning paradise, she now lives in Utah, happy to be near kids and grandkids, and learning to again appreciate the beauty of dry places.
How I see myself. . .
Grandma, writer, amateur photographer, amateur musician, amateur gardener. Dog lover, horse lover, book lover, nature lover.
How my (grown) kids see me. . .
Taco-maker supreme, sadistic manuscript editor, gaga grandmother, delusional dog lover, erratic driver.
How my dog sees me. . .
Certainly not a boss! At best, a coequal who takes frequent walks and (often) carries treats. A marginal communicator who insists on annoying little power plays to try to boost her authority. (Seriously. Just how often does a dog really need to “sit” ?) But more fun now that she’s discovered clicker training. And the really good treats.
How my pet cockroach sees me. . .
Just seeing if you’re still here. I don’t actually have or ever intend to have any pet insects.